Notify colleges of a POSITIVE schedule change... best way to do it?

Applying to College
1

<p>I've searched the forums here and there are tons of threads about people who've dropped classes their senior year, and whether they are required to notify colleges, etc. My D's situation is quite different: she's ADDING a class.</p>

<p>She's applying to very selective, small liberal arts colleges... the type that say they read all aspects of the application carefully and consider all aspects. Since my D's transcript is a little rocky in the rigor department due to a health issue junior year (she has about half regular and half IB/honors classes), it seems like this addition of an honors-level course for her second semester might be a good thing to highlight. Rather than dropping classes or slacking due to senioritis, she's actually found she's too bored and unchallenged and wants to add something interesting next semester.</p>

<p>So how to go about it? Should she ask her GC to write a letter? Should she, personally write a letter? If so, should she describe why she's taking on another class?</p>

<p>If it matters, her courseload this year has been:
IB Biology, HL
IB Theory of Knowledge (class ends this semester.)
IB Art SL
Advanced Math (pre-calc) CP
Poetry (senior seminar/CP... no honors offered for seniors!!)
Video Production (fluff class she had to take to meet her high schools requirements)</p>

<p>next semester she's scheduled:
IB Biology HL- continues
IB Art SL- continues
Advanced Math CP -continues
Literature (senior seminar/CP)
Art in History, Honors (Social Studies class)
Honors Psychology (class she plans to add.)</p>

<p>Most of the kids who are applying to her top choice schools probably have full AP/IB/honors schedules.</p>

<p>Thoughts on how to report this change and perhaps highlight it?</p>

2

<p>Presumably she knows the name of (and maybe has met?) the admissions officer at each of her colleges who is assigned to her high school and will be the primary reader of her app. She should write a concise email directly to that person at each college making it upbeat, positive and newsy (reporting that she is eager to take on a more challenging curriculum). No need for the GC to confirm. LACs will take her at her word on this one.</p>

3

<p>If the mid year report hasn’t been sent yet to colleges, it’s possible to get the GC to include it with first-semester grades.</p>

4

<p>Wouldn’t you notify of a positive change the same way you would notify of a negative change, and for most schools wouldn’t that be an email or letter to the admissions office?</p>

5

<p>Hi all,
Just in case anyone else has this question and reads this thread, here is the update. After speaking with her high school GC, D wrote a brief letter notifying the Admissions office of her added class (and other recent academic pursuits.) She told them the new class would show up on the mid-year grade report/transcript. She both emailed and snail-mailed copies of the letter, which seems like it was probably redundant since they all replied to her emails right away.
Hope this helps someone else :)</p>