My high school messed up my stuff.

Applying to College
1

I go to a TERRIBLE high school, emphasis on terrible. (Average SATs are around 800, only one person has passed AP Biology, etc.) Instead of subjecting myself to a terrible education and taking classes there, I made a deal with the counselors and principal to go and take a series of dual enrollment classes at the local community college. To my knowledge, these classes would be weighted as a 5, otherwise I’d just be spending my own time to lower my GPA??? Makes no sense, right?

Also, they’re using an excuse that “we’re both a middle and high school” to include my middle school grades onto my high school transcript. This also affects my rank. At the current, I’m a rank 14 student in a class of 100, when the 13 above me are handed free A’s in AP classes due to grade deflation.

This is unfair. My school’s counselors refuse to listen to me. What can I do? I’m applying next year and would like to have accurate information when I apply.

2

Does everyone else get middle school grades on their transcript too?

3

Yes, but I transferred from a harder middle school, thus my grades are lower than theirs.

They refused to weight my college classes as well, so I can’t make it back up.

4

Universities will see what classes you took, where you took the classes, and what your grades were. I think that you will be fine.

5

I’m mainly worried about my rank.

If my classes were weighted and my GPA was fixed I’d be valedictorian no doubt. If colleges see me as a rank 14 at a low-tier school, they may overlook my app…

6

Any school can decide how they want to do ranking or gpa’s. My kids went to three different high schools, and they all included different classes in the gpa, different weighing rules, one gave minus and plus grades (A-, B+) while the other two only did A, B, C.

You decided to do dual enrollment. If you cared how the grades would be factored into your gpa, you should have asked. You have the option of getting A’s for AP courses at your school too, but you chose to learn something in the classes.

Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.

7

Being valedictorian is not that important. Your transcript will look good with As from dual enrollment.

8

Don’t worry about things you can’t fix. College admission officers will see what you have taken and recognize that they are dual enrollment. Also many college recalculate GPA based on their own criteria (ex. unweighted, academic subjects only etc.)

If you do decide to explain that middle school classes are on the transcript and that DE classes weren’t weighted, be 100% sure you just state facts briefly and to the point and that you don’t come across as whining. Do not give your opinion of your school, the way transcripts are prepared, how GPA is calculated, and do not complain that you could have been valedictorian – just give facts and trust that admission officers are smart enough to figure it out.

9

Are you in Texas or similar where automatic college admissions depends on the top N%?

If not, I agree that your transcript and test scores matter more than your rank.

10

I’m in California. I believe we have a system like that. (Correct me if I’m wrong)

11

@happy1 Just curious, how should I word that on my application?

12

“Just curious, how should I word that on my application?”

If you are on good terms with your guidance counselor, then you can have them mention it on a letter of reference.

13

Re #9: I think you’re wrong.

Pull up the admissions tab on UT Austin on Collegedata.com. Class rank is “very important” in admissions.
Then do UCBerkeley. Class rank is “not considered.”

Chill.

14

@AroundHere There’s the guaranteed UC thing where I got screwed out of. http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/california-residents/

15

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