<p>So I've read many times that a vast majority of colleges are willing to discount freshman year grades. Yale, for example, asks that records from only the last three years of high school be sent. </p>
<p>So here are my questions:</p>
<p>Can I send in grades from only the last three years of high school to all or most other universities?</p>
<p>If the answer is yes, should I be calculating my cumulative GPA based on those three years, rather than the four?</p>
<p>As well...</p>
<p>Due to a complicated situation at my school which arose from staffing shortages in the french immersion program, the level of my classes hasn't always corresponded with the year... for example, I've taken two Gr.12 courses in Gr.11, and vice versa. As well, I've retaken two Gr.10 courses in Gr.11 to achieve a higher mark. </p>
<p>SO. Can I ask my counselor to arrange my transcript by the grade level of the courses, instead of the year I took them in? For example, she would put all the Gr.11 courses together, rather than in the years they were actually taken. As well, when it comes to the courses I re-took, I'd prefer it if the mark I got the first time wasn't shown on the transcript.</p>
<p>I'm afraid that doing the opposite might give the admissions officers a headache and cause them to question what was going on. Wouldn't it be simpler to do it my way? More importantly, is it even possible?</p>
<p>“Can I send in grades from only the last three years of high school to all or most other universities?”</p>
<p>Answer: No, colleges generally want a complete high school transcript, all years.</p>
<p>“If the answer is yes, should I be calculating my cumulative GPA based on those three years, rather than the four?”</p>
<p>Answer: See above answer. However, what GPA will be considered for admission in many cases is one recalculated by the college – for example, if they do not consider freshman year (some colleges but majority otherwise), they will recalculate based on that fact; another example: many colleges rely on grades in the core college prep courses – language, English, math, social studies, and lab science – and ignore all other grades and thus recalculate accordingly (that A in Health you got gets dropped); example 3: many have their own weighting system for APs or honors and redo your GPA based on their own weighting system.</p>
<p>“Due to a complicated situation at my school which arose from staffing shortages in the french immersion program, the level of my classes hasn’t always corresponded with the year… for example, I’ve taken two Gr.12 courses in Gr.11, and vice versa. As well, I’ve retaken two Gr.10 courses in Gr.11 to achieve a higher mark.
SO. Can I ask my counselor to arrange my transcript by the grade level of the courses, instead of the year I took them in? For example, she would put all the Gr.11 courses together, rather than in the years they were actually taken. As well, when it comes to the courses I re-took, I’d prefer it if the mark I got the first time wasn’t shown on the transcript.
I’m afraid that doing the opposite might give the admissions officers a headache and cause them to question what was going on. Wouldn’t it be simpler to do it my way? More importantly, is it even possible?”</p>
<p>Answer: I am not aware of any high school that would do anything that you are contemplating all of which sounds like you are trying to change the accuracy of your records – the admissions officers don’t need to be saved from any headaches. Colleges want your actual transcript by year and courses taken in those years. Unless your high school itself leaves out prior grades for a retaken class (which I highly doubt it does), it will and should be included.</p>
<p>Heh. Well yes, I’d definitely prefer if that information were changed, because my own transcript confuses me. And I think that I’ve corrected any past mistakes I made (when it comes to the two courses I repeated… I didn’t fail them, just chose to try and get a better mark.)</p>
<p>Anyway, I’ve looked into it a bit more and the Secondary School Supplement seems to ask for ALL the information: level of course, year taken, and asks it to be mentioned if the course was failed or repeated.</p>