<p>I am in college now, but I have heard from a friend that my information from high school (GPA and SAT) was shown to another student by my high school college counselor. The student who viewed my profile was told by the school counselor not to tell anyone she looked at my information. The idea that my information was given to another student is creeping me out. In addition, I have no idea how many other people the counselor might have shown my information to.</p>
<p>Should I just let this go or take some action? Thank you.</p>
<p>Who cares if they saw the scores? I really don't think it's a big deal. It's not like that person is gong to steal your identity with those scores.</p>
<p>Well, that's not the issue. The issue is that your GC is releasing your private information to other students. Counselors should never be allowed to do something like that. I'm not sure exactly what you want to do about it now, but your counselor was definitely not right to give out your info. Perhaps she did it without thinking...</p>
<p>Perhaps you could talk with the counselor? Maybe there's some misunderstanding. By talking with the counselor, I'm sure you can clear things up and prevent it from happening to another student in the future. But yeah, that is creepy.</p>
<p>The counselor has hated me ever since I first met him. There is no use trying to talk to him, because last time I went to my old high school to speak with old teachers, he called the police on me and accused me of trespassing. (Despite the fact I had a pass from the principal saying I had permission to be on campus). </p>
<p>To be honest, I am leaning towards doing nothing, however, the option of calling the principal to settle this is still on the table.</p>
<p>Maybe he did it for a really good reason, like the kid wasn't going to apply to the college you got into because he thought something was too low and the counselor persuaded him to by saying "MrxPenguin got in, and look at his scores" I'm sure it is sort of illegal though.</p>
<p>Probably illegal but you are not in HS anymore. I would let it go, and I wouldn't go out of my way to visit the HS. Sounds like some distance would be a good thing.</p>
<p>What exactly happened? Was the conversation like this: "these are the SAT scores and GPA of the student who went to MIT four years ago"? Or was it "these are <yourname>'s scores"? </yourname></p>
<p>The privacy of student scores and grades (without a name attached) is questionable. Many schools publish scatterplots of grades and scores and how they relate to a specific college. A quick search for "naviance scattergrams" will show many schools who post their acceptance scattergrams online, without password protection, even for schools with only a few applicants.</p>
<p>I don't know what you'll finally do, but I want to suggest a way of thinking about this, even if you don't actually make the call to the principal.</p>
<p>If you had a good relationship with some teachers, offended a GC, are in a school you feel happy about...the GC might just be realizing now that there
was more good in you than he realized when you were a student. Something like this happened to my D, who was an unusual student in a mediocre h.s.
Totally underestimated, she went to a very selective LAC. When I bumped into an administrator a few months later, she could hardly look me in the eye.</p>
<p>Sometimes the college admissions outcomes give h.ls. staff a real wake-up call that they underestimated or misjudged a worthwhile student. </p>
<p>Your scores might be a lot better than your behavior, which I say because it's pretty fierce for the GC to try to have you ejected from visiting the school for trespassing! Yikes! What gives there?</p>
<p>Either way, the GC might actually respect you academically and want to inspire others, even if he doesn't like you personally.</p>
<p>That's what I'd choose to THINK about this situation...even if I never phoned it in. So you can move forward a bit.</p>
<h2>The GC had no right...</h2>
<p>EDIT: just read dmd...great point. If they showed the student a scattergram and you're the only one on it, and that student (who knows you on a personal level) recognized "MIT" or wherever and texted you that he's seen "your" scores...that's ENTIRELY different than showing Your Academic File (by name) with your scores on it! </p>
<p>Welcome to the wacky world of being an odd point on a data set...and meanwhile having some friends in the real world. Global village, indeed.</p>
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<p>many schools who post their acceptance scattergrams online, without password protection, even for schools with only a few applicants>></p>
</blockquote>
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<p>I do not know if this is standard or not...but our high school does NOT show scattergrams for schools where less than 5 students (might be 10) have been accepted in one year. To do so would definitely show one student's private information. DD was the only student to ever apply to her school...if her school had been plotted, it wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out whose scores were plotted. </p>
<p>Having said all that...the information at your high school should be private. I would write a polite letter to the principal just saying that it is "your understanding" that your scores were shown to another student. Remember, you are providing second hand information. For this to have REAL clout, the person who SAW your scores would have to pony up as well. Still...a polite letter will alert the principal to a possible issue. If you make a phone call, you can expect that nothing will happen at all. If you want to be sure there is action, write a note.</p>
<p>But like some others....I wonder...what difference does it make? To be honest, once my kids were in college, it didn't matter to me what the high school did with their records.</p>
<p>
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what difference does it make? To be honest, once my kids were in college, it didn't matter to me what the high school did with their records.
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</p>
<p>Maybe figure out if your motivation is to nail the GC who caused you some pain in the past.</p>
<p>Also, scattergrams or not, sometimes there's a unique student from a tough school, and his college destination will be remembered for YEARS like a folk legend!</p>
CAUTION:There are circumstances where you will still need the cooperation of your high school, even after admission. Don't burn those bridges too soon. My D has two upcoming instances where she will need "help" or at least "cooperation" from her high school. As life-affirming as a scorched earth policy can be ;), think before you light the fields afire. Thumper1, I know you weren't suggesting "Sherman through Georgia" but I wanted to point it out to others.</p>
<p>When I was in high school long ago, an academic team coach obtained the complete PSAT results for the school and handed them to me for analysis (I was in 11th grade!) so we could recruit efficiently for the academic team.</p>
<p>Curmudgeon, actually I wouldn't bother mentioning the OPs concerns to the GC or school at all. Agreed...what's the point????? And you may need their goodwill someday.</p>
<p>I understood you, Thumper1. Loud and clear and I agree. </p>
<p>I was just making sure nobody got confused because of the way the thread was going. I know more than one of us that would like to have "just a few moments on the intercom" during the morning announcements at our kid's old high school. Or maybe we could be interviewed in the booth over the PA at a football half-time. Or maybe rent a plane with one of those trailing banners. Or a blimp!! Yeah. That's the ticket! A blimp!</p>
<p>My son's GC looked over his "why college" essay, and loved it so much that she asked him if she could copy it and show his classmates because they were having trouble with that type of essay. He of course said no. When he told me this, I was really concerned because I assumed there was privacy in regard to college admissions.</p>
<p>I wrote an e-mail to the GC (concerned she already copied the essay) and reiterated our position on his privacy, and we didn't want her discussing college choices, scores, grades, etc with anyone. I tried to be as nice as possible because we knew she had to be on our side in this process. She was taken back by my e-mail, but she agreed not to share his information. I'm amazed that I had to request privacy, and it's not automatic.</p>
<p>The GC should have asked if she could circulate his essay with his name and the college name whited out.</p>
<p>Then your kid's privacy would be protected and your school could serve as a community for learning. </p>
<p>That might have been a compromise. Meanwhile, if all she asked your S was, "May I copy and share your (current) essay?" he was wise to assert, "no."</p>
<p>Aren't there sample essays for "Why College" in the advice books? GC could use those.</p>