Help with Unusual Situation

Applying to College
1

Hey everyone! I have had a very unusual high school life—in my old high school, due to health circumstances, I could only complete a year’s worth of credits in two years. Afterwards, the counselor and I decided it would be best to transfer to the local Independent Study Program/High School, where I only had to physically go to school once a week, had the flexibility to choose my courses, and make up my credits to graduate on time.

My graduation date is May 2016, so I’m supposedly a rising senior. However, credit-wise I will still be in my second semester of Junior year in the upcoming fall, but I’ll be taking enough courses so that I’ll be on track in the Spring 2016 semester (aka cramming a year’s worth of credits into the upcoming fall semester).

It’ll also be the same time for college apps, so I wasn’t sure and was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to apply to college this fall, because my transcript will show that I’m a Junior. I’ll have my graduation reqs and A-G reqs completed at the same time as the other kids in my year, so I was wondering if 1) I could still apply to colleges normally and 2) give the junior year WIP transcript when I apply but send them updated transcripts later.

This is a pretty complicated/unusual situation, and it would def be better to talk to my counselor about it, but it’s summer right now, and this issue has just hit me so I’m unable to contact her. I’m not sure if anyone here has an answer to this, but I thought I’d give it a shot anyways. Thank you!

2

The first, and most important, questions are about your health. Do you have good reason to believe (as in believe, not merely hope) that you will be well enough to attend college in the fall of 2016? If the answer to that is a definite yes, then do you have good reason to believe that your health is in a good enough state so that you can complete a year and a half of high school credits in only one school year? What do the members of your medical care team have to say about this?

If there are any concerns along those lines, then there is nothing wrong with taking an extra semester or two to complete high school. That you are recorded in the school’s database as likely to graduate in May 2016 is for their own record-keeping purposes, and has nothing to do with when you will be required to exit. If it is a public school in the US, they are obligated to allow you to remain in school until you do fulfill all of the graduation requirements, or the end of the year in which you turn 21. You do not have to rush through this.

You are correct that your own guidance counselor should be able to tell you the steps that you will need to follow if you choose to apply to college this fall. Unless you know that she has left her office until the end of the summer, drop her an email or give her quick phone call today.

If you have specific colleges/universities in mind, contact their admissions offices, and find out what their advice is for you.