Explaining the high school record?

Transfer Students
1

<p>I'm planning on transfering as a sophomore to some highly ranked universities.</p>

<p>While just stating my unweighted/weighted numbers don't look particularly bad (3.5;4.3;25/240;1480 (800v, 680m)) my transcript tells another story. </p>

<p>The grades in between classes are very erratic. For example, AP track english shows an up trend (80, 85, 93, 95), math stays flat in the low 90s/high 80s, social studies is in the mid/low 80s with a slight downward trend, and sciences are completely erratic (86, 89, 93 (chem 1), 80 (physics), 77 (chem II)).</p>

<p>It's not really what I'm capable of -- the home situation was horrible, I had an undiagnosed mental condition, and my grandmother died right before first semester finals senior year (which is why I have a 77 in chem -- I flunked the final project).</p>

<p>I'm not sure what I should do, should I craft some sort of explination, or just let the grades stand and let my (hopefully) straight A first semester of college do the talking?</p>

2

<p>Explaining some is okay, but I would not mention your mental condition</p>

3

<p>"It's not really what I'm capable of -- the home situation was horrible, I had an undiagnosed mental condition, and my grandmother died right before first semester finals senior year (which is why I have a 77 in chem -- I flunked the final project)."</p>

<p>Stop making excuses...top tier colleges won't buy this crap.</p>

4

<p>How did you handle these issues when you applied to college last year?</p>

5

<p>They were not mentioned at all, because I got some really bad advice from my guidance councelor and parents.</p>

<p>I have a feeling now that if I had known that I could do that, I wouldn't have to be transfering in the first place.</p>

6

<p>Colleges don't give as much credence to explanations as we would like to think. I doubt a better explanation would have made too much difference, fair or not. Good luck this time around!</p>

7

<p>Since what was done last year was unsuccessful, perhaps a different approach would be in order this year.</p>

<p>What are your deadlines, and are they before or after you receive your first semester grades?</p>

8

<p>IMHO, your HS grades aren't low enough to require explanation in light of a 4.0 in college, especially if you're taking a challenging curriculum at a good school. That states, a lot more effectively than any letter could, that whatever was going on in high school to keep your grades down, it's over. You could send a short note about the death and how it affected that one semester, but I don't think this is goin to make or break your transfer apps.</p>

9

<p>ADad: Most have March deadlines, so I'll have the 1st semester grades then. </p>

<p>I know for a fact that I have As in English and Intro to Philosophy, an A- or better in Russian 1, but my Environmental Ethics grade is a wild card becuase half of it is based on my final paper.</p>

10

<p>Here is my tentative idea. Ideally, an essay topic will allow for some reflection on how your life is different as compared to a year ago. Maybe you have to or can write a "Why do you want to transfer" essay. You can talk about how you are thriving now as a more independent, on-your-own person, as one who has gone a long way to overcome the overwhelming grief you experienced last January. </p>

<p>The idea here is that, in showing and focusing on how well you are doing now, you at the same time subtly suggest, without dwelling or making excuses, that things were less than ideal for you last year. But the main focus is on how well you are doing now--and your grades support that.</p>

<p>(I would not mention the undiagnosed mental condition.)</p>

11

<p>As long as you get a solid GPA, you should be fine. Getting an A- is not going to hurt you. Your high school record, moreover, looks solid enough to me. I see no point in dwelling on a C-plus you got in high school.</p>