Hi guys, I skipped a grade and no matter what people say, I personally believe it’s beneficial to my application and I’d like for college admissions officers to be aware of the fact that I skipped a grade (3rd grade btw) but when I’ve looked through the common app I haven’t been able to find any place where I could indicate that I skipped a grade. This is quite annoying because there is obviously a difference between someone who skipped a grade and someone who hasn’t and I think it should be allowed to help distinguish candidates. Please help, thanks.
P.S. no im not trying to show off, sorry if it came off that way, just trying my best to get into the best universities I can (no hate please
I can’t imagine that admissions officers are very interested in anything that happened in elementary school. Presumably, they can already figure out that you are an advanced student by looking at your grades and test scores. As the parent of a child who skipped a grade, I can’t imagine mentioning it on a college application, unless there was some specific need to explain why you are younger than your peers. I would question the maturity of a student who felt the need to point out on a college application that they skipped a grade in elementary school.
They’d care if the skip happened in HS and you had a shortened HS record. They don’t care now. It is possible that they might notice your birthday, but maybe not. College (and life) is more about “what have you done lately”. They don’t care so much if you are gifted (assuming that is why you skipped) – add elbow grease to that quality, and then you can produce results that colleges care about.
I would question the respect and class of an individual who automatically assumes I’m immature simply because I would like to highlight one of my numerous accomplishments @IlamBehini
No matter what grade it is i skipped obviously it separates me from other students and if you were truly the parent of a student who skipped a grade as you claim you are i think you would understand this. No need to send disparaging comments thanks.
Your age will give it away. There are plenty of kids who operate at one or more grade levels above the one they are in, but instead of skipping they take advanced classes. So, I don’t think the difference is as obvious as you think. To determine how advanced you are, I’d look at what classes you have taken and your test scores. A kid who skipped a grade and made it to AP Calc BC is not as advanced as one who did not skip but made it to Differential Equations. So, although you are younger you will still be compared to others in the applicant pool on the basis of your grades, course rigor, EC’s, community service, honors, test scores, letters of recommendation, essays, etc. There will even be some older candidates who served in the military, traveled, worked or other activities and they will also be compared using the same criteria.
If you really want to underscore it, put it in your essays.
Guys chill, me skipping the third grade is not all that I’m about, I’ve done many other things in my life which are noteworthy so please stop with the negativity thanks @bodangles
It sounds like people have already told you this (I assume those in your real life), so you came here. But more people are telling you the same here. So, it makes me wonder why you are insisting on it.
The common advice on CC is that if it isn’t something you accomplished in HS, it’s not worth mentioning (with very few and rare exceptions). Colleges are looking at you compared to other applicants. That means they are looking at what classes you will have completed, your EC’s and accomplishments compared to your current peers. They are not comparing you to the kids you left behind in 3rd grade.
I doubt it will help you, it could hurt you (to some it could come across like you are grasping at straws for accomplishments----if you have plenty already, then why mention this?), But if you insist, then yes, as mentioned, you can put it (and anything else you really want adcoms to know) in the “Additional Information” section.
@highschoolIB, feel free to doubt that my kid skipped a grade if that makes you feel better. I will tell you, except for the first week of third grade when classmates asked why she wasn’t in second grade, my child never felt that skipping a grade was something she needed to talk about. She skipped a grade so that she could be placed with her academic peers. It is no so much an “accomplishment” but more of an “appropriate academic placement.” For a student who skipped several grades and is applying to college at a significantly younger age than most, it is worth mentioning on the college application. But there is a reason colleges don’t ask for your elementary school transcript. It isn’t relevant.
My son battled and beat cancer in 2nd grade. It took a year of chemo, radiation, and surgeries to win his fight. Its a huge part of who he is but he was told that he should NOT highlight it in his application as it was too long ago.
The colleges will see that you are one year younger than the normal age for a senior so there’s no need to indicate that you skipped 3rd grade.
Colleges really don’t care about what you did in elementary school, and just because you skipped 3rd grade doesn’t mean you’re automatically more qualified for college than others. I’m sure there are other things that would make you desirable to admissions counselors, but skipping 3rd grade isn’t the “hook” you make it out to be.
I’m going to suggest you step back and think about what you think the information adds to your application, what important thing the adcom can only understand by knowing that you skipped third grade.
Are you trying to demonstrate how smart you are? Either it’s clear from your high school academic accomplishments, in which case you’re not adding anything or you haven’t lived up to your earlier promise, in which case no one cares what you did when you were 8.
Are you trying to demonstrate that despite being young, you have the maturity to start college earlier than most? It should come through in your essays, recommendations and in any interviews that you have.
As to whether or not adcoms will notice that you’re younger than other applicants, I think that actually depends on just how young you are AND if adcoms tend to look at birthdates. There’s such a huge variety of kindergarten cutoff dates across various US public school districts and private schools, that you’d have to be 16 when you graduate high school for your age to be notable.
Has someone told you that skipping third grade is a really notable accomplishment that’s worth mentioning? If your parents have spent the 8 years telling you that you’re very special because you skipped a grade, you should take that with a grain of salt. Your parents are supposed to love and think you’re wonderful, but they’re not necessarily the best judges of how you compare to thousands and thousands of other extremely smart and accomplished American high school students. I take it that you’re not attending high school in the US. Before you take your GC’s word for what will be truly notable on your application, I’d be sure that she has extensive experience getting students into Ivies or equivalents. If someone else told you that skipping third grade will enhance your application, think carefully about whether or not that person is in a position to really know what impresses a top 20 adcom. If all the people IRL are telling you the same thing you’re hearing here, that’s it’s not particularly interesting, again, step back and ask yourself WHY it is so important to you to mention it and WHAT you think it adds.
People develop at different rates. Some kids are very advanced at a young age and then others catch up. Some kids are late bloomers. The fact that you skipped a grade when you were 8 says that you were more advanced academically than others your age at the time. It doesn’t say you are more advanced now, and doesn’t make you a more desirable student for a school to admit. They will look at how you compare to others now, not how you compared when you were 8.
Are you were worried that by skipping a grade you are socially behind other kids and want to have a way to flag that for adcoms so they don’t hold it against you? That could be a concern and it’s why many parents choose not to advance a child even though the child could handle more difficult work.
