<p>I was wondering if moving high schools before senior year would affect college admissions. I have a few questions and I would greatly appreciate any answers!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I am in the top 10% at my current school, and moving (given a different GPA scale) may pull me out of the top 10% at my new school. To be admitted via top 10%, do you need to graduate in the top 10%? Or just be in the top 10% as of the end of Junior year? </p></li>
<li><p>I have many extracurricular officer positions at my current school. Would moving make these positions less valid on my application? </p></li>
<li><p>If given the choice, would it be better to move before junior or senior year? </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Nearly all of your applications are based on your record through your junior year. If you apply to schools that have rolling or early action, your senior year is not even looked at except to check the rigor of your courses. IMO, if you can stay where you are through your junior year, you will be better off. However, switching schools should not work against you; usually, it is not the student’s choice.</p>
<p>I guess another question I have is if top 10% admissions can be revoked if you applied when in the top 10% at the old school for junior year, but are no longer in the top 10% when you graduate senior year at the new school.</p>
<p>My opinion is that that is something that is not in your control. It will be obvious in your applications that you have transferred schools, so I cannot imagine your admission would be revoked for class rank especially between schools.</p>
<p>I think it only would make any difference if you are choosing to change schools. If your parents are moving, you can’t do anything about that and I believe most colleges would understand.</p>
<p>If you have a choice in whether to change schools in junior year or senior year, I would encourage you to do that at the start of junior year. The application process in terms of guidance counselor assistance, teacher recommendations, ECs is much easier if you’re attending the school where you’re known.</p>
<p>Further junior year is critical in applications. Having a track record in the school from where you’ve applying gives you the best opportunity in terms of getting teachers to know you, and for gauging your grades come senior year. Also by restarting in junior year you’ll be better positioned to resume your ECs than if you move in senior year.</p>
<p>Finally, at a social level, changing high schools is very difficult for many students. Best is to get past the transition when you apply.</p>
<p>I guess my main concern now is that my GPA will go down when I transfer. I have about a 4.4 now, and that is on a 5.0 for an A in an honors class, 4.0 for a B in honors, etc scale. </p>
<p>The new school would give GPA points for every grade point (5.0 for a 100 in an honors class, 4.9 for a 99 in honors, etc). </p>
<p>Should I be concerned about this? Are GPAs standardized for college apps?</p>
<p>IMO, the more difficult the school is to gain admittance, the more likely it is that the school will refigure grades. My two children have been in three different high schools and all of them have different grading systems and weighting systems. There are threads on here about grading methods, but I do not know any names or I would link you.</p>
<p>You might ask both schools to provide a profile so that you can get an idea of what goes out with a transcript. My daughter switched schools after her freshman year and I requested about a dozen official transcripts of her first year. I gave those to the school she transferred to and the college counselor sent the frehman year transcript with the transcript for her sophomore, junior, and senior (senior year only indicated classes) in her applications. It worked out pretty well. Schools all handle things differently, but the best thing you can do is to be informed. You might make an appointment in guidance at the new school so they know who you are and go over how the new school will handle applications.</p>
<p>MD Mom’s suggestion is a good one. You’ll also want to ask teachers at your junior-year school if they’ll be willing to write recommendations for you.</p>
<p>Haven’t got into any schools yet, didn’t apply anywhere early/rolling.</p>
<p>Also was top 10%, also scared about GPA–and even more scared about ECs. </p>
<p>If given the choice, I would move before junior year. This way you’d be</p>
<p>a) more prepared to apply for colleges senior year, already knowing your new high school’s most inner workings. I came here and had no idea how the college application from this high school looks like. I nearly missed the due date for transcript requests. Also, I had no idea how to streamline the teacher recs process since my teachers taught at a school that was thousands of miles away from me–I had to contact them through e-mail, and one of them had problems finishing writing and sending my rec. Having close, physical contact with your junior year teachers who will write your recs will be very beneficial.</p>
<p>2) Grades wise, you’ll be able to adjust to the new school’s classes and academic system earlier. Moving before senior year can be very difficult on some students who haven’t taken all the required classes and have to make up a ****load of credits. I wasn’t one of those, but I definitely had a hard time adjusting to the level of education of my new school–where math and sciences are so hard that an average grade in a class is like an 84, and where English teachers play tetris while their students take essay tests every single day of class. This way you’d be able to get good grades senior year, and adapt junior year to the classes.</p>
<p>However, if your social scene in your current school is really good, don’t move. </p>
<p>hope I helped you… message me if you need any help or anything! I know that at exactly the same time last year I too was looking for answers like you are, totally confused, angry, bitter–downright alarmed about the upcoming college process.</p>