<p>I'm kind of confused about what I have to do with my transcripts. I understand that every school I'm applying to wants the transcripts from the last 4 years of high school, which in my case would be grade 10-13. But that's about it.
Some Colleges require that I send it to an evaluation/translation company, which I guess is normal but also pretty expensive, more or less too expensive for me.
Is there any form I can download to convert and translate the transcripts myself and have it officially signed(and sealed) by my school? Or do I have to have it done by some company? </p>
<p>And, what transcripts precisely are needed? I'm from Germany and took some exams at the end of Grade 10("mittlere Reife"), do I have to submit the results, although this exam wouldn't enable me to attend an university in Germany?
Do I have to submit the mid-year reports from Grade 10 and 11 ?
In Grade 11, I attended a Canadian High School for the 2nd semester, however I only stayed for about 4 months, didn't take the exam and therefore only posess a report card from the first 2 1/2 months. Does this in any way matter?
As for the Abitur, do I understand it correctly, that I have to ask my teachers for my predicted results? </p>
<p>The good news is that most colleges don't ask for an evaluation, and I personally crossed the few colleges that do off of my college list. If a college does not ask for an evaluation, they want to see your actual grades, so don't convert anything.</p>
<p>As for the actual transcript, I suggest you write a one-page summary of your end-of-year grades (use semester grades for the year in which you went abroad) from grades 10-12/13. Your Abitur (if applicable) and Mittlere Reife exam results should go there as well. (The international supplement to the school report explicitly asks you to submit "lower secondary" exam results if applicable, which would be your Mittlere Reife exam.) It shouldn't be too difficult to write this in English, and as I already said you don't need to convert anything. </p>
<p>Try to make your transcript look as official as possible. That includes printing it on paper with the official school letter head, and getting a seal as well as the principle's or your counselor's signature. Put this transcript into an envelope along with photocopies of your original German report cards, and then have the school seal the envelopes (e.g. by putting a seal above the lid.) </p>
<p>I have a question, though: If a $200 transcript evaluation is beyond your means, how are you going to finance your education? Yes there is financial aid, but only few financial aid packages cover expenses beyond tuition, room and board. You probably need several thousand dollars for your first semester just to get started. (Visa fees, airfare, health insurance, a computer or bike or fridge or... if necessary, textbooks, linens, a phone etc.)</p>
<p>At least one school I want to apply to requires an evaluation though. Guess I'll send them an email about that. </p>
<p>Well the thing is, I do have enough in savings for personal expenses(in theory at least) and I'd probably get some support from my family. The problem at the moment is, that I can't access that money right now(have to wait until I'm 18), and I really do not want to bug my mother about another 200 $ since she's already paying for my SATs and TOEFL.
They are few another things to add to the list, why I'm trying to avoid paying 200 $ for an evaluation, but I'd rather not want to discuss that here.</p>
<p>I know my post sounded a little weird, but people often help each other by looking at the homepages of the colleges you want to apply to... Sometimes we might see things you didn't see...often international students oversee some things...
Another reason is I was able to help a friend from Japan once... I know a lot about Columbia (connections) and was able to help him when he was applying (financing, what he had to send in...)...
Maybe there are some (international) students around here who know a lot about or had similar experiences when they were applying to a college you want to apply to...every college is somehow different...
Maybe it doesn't sound convincing, but that's just my thought...people usually post the colleges they want to apply to and often end up being helped...barium, you help a lot by looking at homepages, right??!!!</p>
<p>As for the evaluation, I think the only school I'm applying it, that require it, is Chaminade University of Honolulu.
Other schools I'm applying to are U of Richmond, Swarthmore, Amherst and some others. </p>
<p>If I haven't totally misunderstood something, they are fine with translated, certified copies.</p>
<p>I have already graduated from high school? So what do I put in the Mid-Year Report? Senior year courses? Because we have courses in 9 and 10 for which theres an exam in 10. Similarly we have courses in 11 and 12, for which there's an exam in 12.</p>