Opinion on my peculiar situation? I need advice/chances.

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Toronto
1

<p>Hey,</p>

<p>Admissions at U of T were extremely helpful in answering most of the questions I had about applying and how they would evaluate my application, but I'd like to have opinions from students/Canadians/prospective students etc etc.</p>

<p>I have US citizenship, but have lived in France from age 7-16, prior to that I was in a french school in California. My 9th and 10th grades in France are very poor, which pulls down my cumulative GPA tremendously. I have legitimate reasons though, in 9th and 10th grade you cannot choose your classes in France, they are all the same, more than in the US, and much harder.
Anyways, admissions office told me that in addition to my transcripts and the counselor statement that comes with them (in which my counselor briefly explains my situation, and speaks of my strengths as a student), I should send in the original French grade documents, and my own document explaining the reasoning of the lower grades.
Also, I will be reporting french as my first language (if that makes any difference).</p>

<p>Admissions Office told me they look at 11th and 12th grades mostly, insinuating that 9th and 10th didn't really have much importance. Is this true?
My cumulative weighted GPA is 2.91. BUT my 11th year weighted GPA is 4.1, and so far my senior year has been practically all A's and B's in Honors and an AP class.</p>

<p>My SAT I is 1900 (CR:660 M:520 W:720)
SAT II : French - 800 Literature - 640</p>

<p>AP Exams: Psych - 5 French - 5</p>

<p>I guess I'm just wondering if I have any chances, the admissions person I spoke with was very helpful and made me more confident in my chances, but I don't want to be optimistic if there isn't really a likelihood of me being accepted.</p>

<p>Do you think I stand a chance? Is the GPA/9th and 10th year grades really a huge issue?</p>

2

<p>Anyone? Any opinion would be appreciated</p>

3

<p>grade nine and 10 are not a factor in admissions at U of T. I 'd listen to what the counselor told you. Your chances are very strong.</p>

4

<p>Really? But if they are not a factor why do they look at them?
Admissions told me to send in my own personal letter explaining the low grades in 9 and 10th grade. But yeah he seemed to insinuate that I shouldn’t worry about it much…</p>

5

<p>It appears to be more of a formality than something that will determine you making it or not. In my experience I don’t know any applicants who were turned down specifically because of grade 9 and grade 10. i think however they look for progress from 9 to grade 11 and 12. But again, it would be wise to ask U of T to be sure.</p>

6

<p>Well when I called admissions, that seemed to be their opinion as well. Also, do you know by experience or anyone you know, if for example something is missing or needed for my university of toronto application, they would let me know? Like if they want a copy of my french report cards, would they let me know?</p>

7

<p>if you’re missing anything, they should probably let you know but if not it should be on your application portal. In my case, they let me know that I was missing two essays and every other university I applied to let me know as well if I was missing something via email. If you’re still not reassured, your counselor should know. I’m currently taking the International Baccalaureate and from what I’ve heard they look at your predicted grades as a strong indicator (for the IB, that is) which has nothing to do with ninth and tenth grade. Like ivyleaguer said, as long as you’ve improved over the years, you should be fine. I think you’ve got a pretty good chance. Good luck!</p>