How do I successfully explain my fragmented high school career on college apps?
I switched from a small, rural, resource devoid school in one state to one of more resources in another. My first school didn’t offer any honors classes and offered limited aps, although they said all the “regular” classes were de facto honors and when colleges see the school name, they’d know that. But this school that I’m currently attending transferred all my information and the de facto honors classes are simply regarded as regular, which shot down my weighted gpa rank bc of the opportunity the students here have. How do I explain the apparent lack of rigor on my college apps? I was also captain of my dance team at my old school and there is no dance team here, so I lost the longevity of that. My previous school also didn’t have nearly as many clubs as this one so it seems like I’m not getting involved with the student body. It’s far too late in my high school career to be competitive for any leadership positions in this school. How do I successfully explain the lack of longevity & rigor that they’ll see on my transcript?
Earn karma by helping others:
1 answer
So some options are to depending on your grade if you attended the rural school atleast 2 years Is potentially ask for a recommendation Letter from that school. Also I’m skeptical that the default classes are honors and at my school Honors isn’t weighted so I would not worry about that as that seems like grade inflation.
https://blog.collegevine.com/a-guide-to-grade-inflation-and-deflation/
Also a lot of what you say about the switch from rural to urban school both schools will likely be on the transcript. As for describing the new opportunities and why you didn’t participate the additional info section of CommonApp is your best friend.
I’d also recommend finding your regional admittance counselor and just introduce yourself and explain your circumstances. Remember to not throw blame but be professional. Also as long as you participate in clubs at both schools you should be fine.
Hope this helps and please comment if you need clarification as I’d be happy to help clarify!
Your chance of acceptance
Your chancing factors
Community Guidelines
To keep this community safe and supportive:
- Be kind and respectful!
- Keep posts relevant to college admissions and high school.
- Don’t ask “chance-me” questions. Use CollegeVine’s chancing instead!
Thanks! I’m currently a junior but I was wondering how I was going to explain my circumstances. In terms of grade inflation, are you referring to my current or old school?