<p>I am an international student from hk. For my school, the 1st term exams starts a bit late and the results are only out in early March. This has passed the deadline already. So I'd like to know how important is a mid-year (and to an international student who has taken the SATI, IIs and toefl, hkcee-high school diploma, transcript sent as the only acadmic record)?</p>
<p>Another thing is, the Hong Kong A-Levels is VERY difficult compared with the British one. Will the colleges know this when they see my mid-year? (Coz my in-school exams are based on the AL)</p>
<p>My son hasn't had his mid-year reports sent yet. His semester isn't over until the end of this week, and then they must process grades and rank. Did your school list a deadline? It's not the same as the application deadline.</p>
<p>No but the day when my results will be out is the somewhere at the end of February. However, I need to request my teachers to write the report and the mailing takes time to be sent from hong kong to the schools...so the report would probably be sent in mid March!!!</p>
<p>Will you get a report card prior to those results? For instance my son will get a report card more quickly than a full mid year report from the counselor. Perhaps you could mail a copy of your grades, or projected grades, with an explanation that the full report will not be available until the end of March. That way the college would know you weren't blowing it off, you just don't have access to that information just yet. Or you could email your colleges and ask them what they prefer. I know that U Chicago has the students self report because they get them more quickly. It can all be double checked later with the final grades.</p>
<p>I only get to know my grades when the report card is out..I have emailed all my colleges, and most of them say they want it asap. I am also applying to Chicago too so I will just send my predicted to them. But is mid-year that important?</p>
<p>However, I am worried that colleges in the US don't know that the Hong Kong A-levels is somewhat different from the British one even though they carry the same name. The HKAL is difficult, most people only get C to Ds..A is very rare with like 50 people get an A in one subject in the public exam throughout Hong Kong. The teachers tend to make inschool exams much more difficult than the actual one, so the grades I sent would definitely be in a range of C to E (which is normal for grade 12 in my school and in schools in Hong Kong).</p>
<p>I would make sure the colleges know about the difficulty of the exams. It would be best if the guidance counselor would write that information on the midyear report. If that is not possible, I think you should probably write a note to the colleges explaining this.</p>
<p>I don't really know how important the midyear report is. My feeling is that they just want to make sure there isn't a drastic drop in grades the senior year, and to find out about any honors that the student may have received since the application was sent in. Others on this board probably know more than I do.</p>
<p>I think anything that the college requests for admissions is important, or they wouldn't have you bother sending it in. Back when I applied to school, the mid year report was looked at to see if you maintained your grades, and also to see if you dropped any classes. </p>
<p>Your guidance counselor should definitely explain the difficulty of your tests and how well you did in comparison on your midyear report.</p>