<p>The best way to do this is by asking your guidance counselor to comment on this in his/her letter. Don’t waste your limited space on this. Even so, the GPA and course rigor is the most important part of the application at the more selective schools and no amount of explaining is likely to work at a school as selective as Stanford. Go see your guidance counselor for advice on picking match and safety schools and remember that these need to include schools you can easily afford. NYU, for example, is known for offering admission without adequate financial aid and although that may be a dream school, such a scenario is no better than a rejection.</p>