<p>I was a Rotary exchange student for my junior year to Belgium and loved it! However, I'm a little worried now because my transferred grades brought my GPA down since all of my classes were in French. Do you think CMC will focus more on my lowered GPA (4.3 before I left, I don't know what it is now) or the fact that I studied abroad for a year?</p>
<p>If you initiated the foreign study, I think that would be a plus. I would put a short, nonwhiny explanation in the additional information category or have your counselor make sure she puts it in her form. I don't think it will hurt you if it is understood.</p>
<p>Because most highly selective LACs look carefully at the entire high school record and not so much at just the gpa itself, be sure that your Belgian high school's transcript is also sent to CMC's admission office. Because they get so many international applications, they can figure out the differences in the grading systems. Just be sure that you send in the right information in the first place.</p>