How To Explain A Mess Up Year? (Extra info. section?)

[bhchamp]

<p>Freshmen year of high school my GPA suffered greatly due to big life changes and various family issues beyond my control. </p>

<p>I am now a rising senior and have a GPA of 3.67 UW. I would have a 3.85 UW without freshman year. This does make a rather significant difference (for the top schools I am looking at) so I would like to point it out; however, I've been hearing mixed views on how to go about it, such as:</p>

<p>-have my counselor explain it
-write about it in the extra info. section
-don't mention it because it's only freshmen year; they don't want to be bothered with more to read. </p>

<p>The thing is though that my counselor did not seem on board about mentioning it (I could ask again though)... so I think it's up to me. Would the extra info section be the best approach? I know I need to keep it brief, but how do I write it without it seeming like I am just listing out excuses for my 3.3? About how long/how many words should it be?</p>

<p>Thanks for any help! :)</p>

[gibby]

<p>^^ It’s often better to have your guidance counselor write about it in your Secondary School Report (SSR), which they fill out on your behalf. No matter how great a writer you are, if you try to explain it yourself, your words will come across as unsubstantiated and excuse-laden. Talk to your GC again! If they won’t address the issue, talk to your recommendation writers, as you need to substantiate the explanation with an official source. Page 2 of the SSR is where your GC needs to address these issues: <a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/DownloadForms/2013/2013SchoolReport_download.pdf[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/DownloadForms/2013/2013SchoolReport_download.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>MIT has some great advice about this on their website: [Writing</a> Recommendations | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/writingrecs]Writing”>How to write good letters of recommendation | MIT Admissions)</p>

<p>

Guidance Counselor Recommendation for Jane:
Jane is an outstanding young woman whose academic record may not fully reflect her ability. Her parents were divorced during her junior year, and, for several years before that, her home situation had been in turmoil with a great deal of fighting between her parents. Her father has an alcohol problem and Jane certainly endured a great deal of emotional distress. The fact that she has been able to do as well as she has done given the circumstances says a lot for her. Now that the home situation has stabilized, her performance has improved. I believe her senior year grades are a much better reflection of her ability. </p>

<p>Critique: You may wonder whether or not the above information is appropriate in a letter of evaluation. It is! We appreciate anything that gives us insight and perspective into a student’s performance and environment. Comments about problems that a student has experienced will help us understand the context in which they have accomplished whatever they have achieved. The extent to which they have dealt with these problems is useful to know as well.

</p>