***Please Help!***

Applying to College
1

<p>I really need advice from people. </p>

<p>SHORT VERSION: I had medical problems in freshmen year and did pretty poorly in school. Started highschool again and have done very well since. Can I not send my transcript to colleges for my first freshmen year, as if I had never done it? </p>

<p>LONGER VERSION: In my freshman year of highschool I had a (now resolved) medical condition that kept me out of school for weeks at a time. Due about 75% to my medical problems and 25% to a lack of motivation, I ended up with not very stellar grades: C's in both math and spanish, B's in most everything else. I was also not involved in any kind of activities or ECs. </p>

<p>My family moved at that time and my parents and I decided to restart me in the freshman year again. (ie. I will graduate from highschool in 5 years, not 4) At this new school I have maintained a 3.9 unweighted GPA in mostly honors and APs, in close to the most rigorous schedule my school offers. I became involved in a lot of activities I'm passionate about, and now hold quite a few leadership positions. I recently scored 2250+ on the SAT and 750+ on three different SAT subject tests.</p>

<p>A few months ago when I had my preliminary meeting with my college counselor, he had my transcript from my first year of highschool. I asked him if I could just not send it in, never letting colleges know I will graduate in five years. He said yes. As you can imagine, I was incredibly relieved. However, I was recently skimming these boards and found this: <a href="http://www.ayrecruiting.com/cao/update/CombinedFirstYearForms2009.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ayrecruiting.com/cao/update/CombinedFirstYearForms2009.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The above links to the recently released new Common Application. If you scroll down to the middle of page three, it has a question about whether your secondary education has been "interrupted." First of all, I am confused by the question. Does my situation (graduating in 5 years) even apply to what is being asked here?</p>

<p>If so, does this mean I am legally required to inform colleges about my first year of highschool? Even if not, am I ethically required to do so? If I didn't inform them and was accepted, and they somehow later found out, would I most likely be rescinded/expelled?</p>

<p>Some may say that colleges like to see upward grade trends or overcoming adversity or whatnot, but I just don't want to have to deal with it. I just want a clean slate of what I feel are my real four years of highschool =( </p>

<p>Please give advice... Thank you so much if you read the whole thing.</p>

2

<p>I don't think your HS years were so much interrupted as much as "restarted." That said, I don't think colleges will look askance at your problems your first freshman year. I think you should tell all, because it makes you more mature and different than the average perfect candidate. I assume you learned things -- even if not math or Spanish -- during and since your first freshman year.</p>

<p>Others may feel differently, but that's my take.</p>

<p>Edit: Now that I think about it, I think it would be ethically wrong not to tell colleges of your real situation. Basically, you got a "re-do," which probably a lot of kids would love to get. I don't think you did anything wrong at all by repeating your first year, but I think it's only fair to tell them.</p>

3

<p>The problem is, if I were to inform them, how should I do so? I really don't want this issue to dominate my application. I wouldn't want to write my personal statement or other essays about this--because the medical issue did not define me as a person. I want to write essays about what I'm passionate about. Would it be prudent to just attach an additional note about it? In general, should I go for as little information as possible or make it very thorough?</p>

4

<p>^ Exactly. So call them! Either call the admissions people at the college directly, or have your guidance counselor do it. Explain the situation, and they will advise you on what is best. I think you are better off disclosing everything rather than risking getting caught, which would bear serious consequences.</p>

5

<p>This seems like something that would fit perfectly into the "Additional Info" section of the Common App. If I were you, I would write a couple of paragraphs describing what happened and what you learned from it, and leave it at that.</p>

6

<p>Bump... More opinions please!</p>

7

<p>I began secondary school in Singapore, but moved to the US in time for the second half of freshman year.</p>

<p>The whole process of asking my previous school to fax an overseas transcript long-distance was too complex at that point in December, so I decided not to send it in. I didn't think it was of any consequence -- people usually only know because I voluntarily tell them.</p>

8

<p>bump 10 char</p>

9

<p>many kids "restart" freshman year over again -- due to moving as an international, changing schools from private/public to boarding school, or other issues like yours. The first attempt at freshman year is not included on college applications, so you are fine to leave it off.</p>

<p>Colleges don't care if you started over (ask any of the boarding school guidance counselors -- happens all the time). What they care about is how you did in school the past three and a half years. Don't worry about not including the info.</p>

<p>I would not waste time sending it in and then trying to explain it.</p>