<p>I'm a junior in a local public high school, and I have a good grade there as a junior (my total average of worth-7.5-credit courses is 101.83%).
At the end of school year, when I got my Report Card, I asked my guidance counselor for my class rank, but the thing on the transcript is "0 out of 0."
I asked him why, he said I was not ranked, because I don't have the transcript of freshmen year and sophomore year from this school.
I know, what they would usually do is to simply put transfer students' transcripts into current school's transcript; combine them.
But mine is different, though: it's my 3rd year of high school and also the 3rd country I've been studied (I will stay in US now). So my transcripts of freshmen year and sophomore year are from 2 different countries.</p>
<p>Being a transfer student is not my fault, the fact that I'm not ranked is not fair for me, because I have a very very great chance to be a valedictorian (or at least a salutatorian) next year.</p>
<p>What should I do? I've discussed my foreign transcripts with my guidance counselor and my principal, but none of us find a way to accurately convert them.
Do you think I should be ranked based on the last two years in high school?</p>
<p>Thank you so much if you can share some of your opinions!</p>
<p>Speaking as a completely third party objective with absolutely no personal interest in the matter, they should rank you even though you only have 2 years U.S. transcripts; they shouldn’t put you in a disadvantage because of something that you, have no control of. Fight for the VALEDICTORIAN! You have a good grade, you deserve it!!</p>
<p>You said yourself that no one can find an accurate way to convert your international grades for your first two years. I would ask the school how it handles the situation of the records of home schooled students and ranking. Maybe something they do there can be applied to your situation.</p>
<p>This happens at a lot of schools and not just for international students. Military kids have tried to fight this battle at a number of schools, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Is it fair? No. So fight it and see if you can make a change for your school.</p>
<p>College admissions will be aware of this difficulty in your ranking. As long as your grades and test scores indicate you are one of tip-top students of your class , they will understand the lack of an an official val or sal designation. </p>
<p>Sometimes rules and regulations cannot fairly address all students, but they have a policy like this so students can’t switch schools just to gain a #1 ranking. Also, since some schools have a more rigorous curriculum, they can’t let a transfer claim the top spot without having completed all four years.</p>
<p>If they cannot officially rank you, they could address it in a couple of ways on your college applications. Many schools are choosing not to rank due to inherent unfairness once they’ve seen a student work the system to get the best rank.</p>
<p>You can go unranked in all the forms, but ask the counselor to check what your rank would be for your junior year only, as compared to all the other junior years only. In your letter, he could say longchina is currently performing in the top 5 students or top 5%, etc, though is not eligible to compete for valedictorian.</p>
<p>Unless you are looking for a valedictorian scholarship, it won’t matter for admissions as you won’t even have that rank when you apply for colleges. Try to keep your eye on the big picture.</p>
<p>It is not unusual for the school not to rank a student in Op’s situation. The ranking usually comes out end of junior year or first term senior year. Student simply does not have enough grades to be part of the ranking. At my school, they handle transcripts outside of the NYC DOE just like college; you receive a grade of cr if you passed or nc if you failed. You transfer the credit but not the gpa. When it is time for the student ot apply to college, all of the transcripts are sent. The GC can write in the letter that the student is not part of the ranking because he just came to the school junior year and only has one year of grades at that school. </p>
<p>I am attaching the link to the booklet we use in the NYC DOE to evaluate foreign transcripts. I would recommend passing it on to your counselor / principal so that they can evaluate your transcript andput your grades in context to how they align with your school’s courses.</p>
<p>Thank you very much! I checked my School Handbook, it says “Transfer students must complete two full consecutive years of course work at lakeland in order to be eligible for the Valedictorian and Salutatorian awards.” I will complete my last 2 years of high school in that school, but it does not say anything about transfer credit, or transfer GPA. It only says “The Freshman and Sophomore grades and course work of transfer students will be evaluated by the Guidance Counselors and the Secondary Principal.”
And, sybbie719 thank you for the guide book! What a coincidence, I found that guide book weeks ago, and sent it to my GC; he said he would ask my tentative applying colleges, to ask them whether they want the original transcripts or converted one.</p>
<p>Btw, it’s a very good point that “You transfer the credit but not the gpa.” My school should probably consider that.</p>
<p>Our school situation last year - the VAL was a transfer student, and they only used her 2 final years for her GPA and rank. This really put the kids who had been there 4 years at a disadvantage - they had to take the unweighted classes freshman and sophomore years that the transfer student didn’t have to take or have on her record. It would have been more fair if they had only used everyone’s last 2 years to figure the VAL, as the top kids all took all AP classes and got A’s.</p>
<p>Thank you, somemom. “You can go unranked in all the forms, but ask the counselor to check what your rank would be for your junior year only, as compared to all the other junior years only.” I actually asked him, he said if I’m ranked I’d be No.1 in the class. That’s why I said I would have a very very great chance to be a valedictorian next year.</p>
<p>Would you be considering universities that use rank in class as a means of determining admission?</p>
<p>Some schools ignore rank and just use high school courses and grades / GPA. Others ignore grades / GPA and just use high school courses and rank. And still others have other methods that include both grades / GPA and rank, or use “holistic” procedures that combine rank and grades / GPA in unpredictable ways.</p>
<p>According to a friend who works as a GC in our local school district, there is no standardized method in place for converting the GPA from a prior school. At least where she works it completely depends upon who is doing the converting. This could potentially put a transfer student either at a great advantage or a great disadvantage.</p>
<p>You should have official copies of your transcripts in sealed envelopes sent to your current high school so that they can be sent out with the transcripts from your current school. </p>
<p>Colleges will require transcripts from each school you attended whether or not the credits are placed on your current school transcript. If it is too expensive to get multiple copies, you should at least get one official copy sent to your current high school. This way your high school can say that it is a certified copy and they have the original on file.</p>
<p>Take a look at the Common Application at the Secondary School Report, which is what the GC will be sending to the colleges to which you will apply this fall. GCs are asked to put down your rank in the school. Obviously, his or her response to this question will require explanation. I’d talk with the GC now as to what explanations will be on that part of your application.</p>
<p>Might as well get it out in the open right now so you won’t hit a snag in the fall.</p>
<p>This same thing happened to my sister…she moved to SC from NJ her junior year, and her grades and course work were off the charts compared to what the new school could offer. She ended up taking most of her senior year classes at the local community college, and was not eligible to be sal or val even though her GPA was higher. That said the situation was certainly noted in her transcript and didn’t hold her back at all. She got into Clemson with a full ride.</p>