Your Transcript

YOUR TRANSCRIPT JUMP TO SECTION ON SCHOOL PROFILES

Your transcript is the single most important part of your application to any college. Most high schools will provide at least one unofficial copy of the student's transcript to the student. While errors are rare, they do occur, and you should check your transcript very carefully for accuracy before your senior year. Among other information, the following is usually found on your transcript:

	Where you are attending high school- This helps put you and your performance into a larger context.
	The courses you have taken- Most schools list every course taken from freshman year through senior year. Colleges take note of accelerated schedules, honors and advanced courses, and AP/IB courses. Sometimes courses taken during the summer, for either high school or college credit, are also noted.
	The courses you are taking in your senior year- The courses you take in your senior year play an important role in your admission to certain colleges, especially the more selective ones. Even if you have no grades yet when your transcript is mailed, your senior year courses will probably be listed.
	The grades you have earned- Yes, colleges want students who have done well in high school. Performance predicts performance. Most colleges do look back to your freshman and sophomore years. Your junior year grades, however, being the most recent, receive a more careful review. The colleges to which you apply will probably request a Mid-Year Grade Report, on which your counselor will update your transcript with senior year grades. These grades will then receive an even more careful review.

In most cases, the grades you have earned and the courses you have taken will determine the schools to which you have a reasonable chance of admission. You can see what kind of student you have been by reviewing your grades just like an admission officer can. Are you an average student? A poor student? An exceptional student? Late bloomers are not necessarily doomed. Admission officers notice trends, both up and down. Have your grades been getting better each marking period? Did you have a poor start in your sophomore year? Why? Are you stronger in the sciences and math than you are in the humanities? You should think about questions such as these when you are writing your essays and/or during an interview.

Depending on your school, attendance information, disciplinary information, awards, honors, and/or standardized test scores could also appear on your transcript. You should find out and know what information colleges will learn about you from your transcript.

Your school's profile: Chances are that most of the admission officers reading your applications will be familiar with your school. This is a part of their job, and they are good at what they do! They will be reviewing your performance and how you have performed relative to your classmates. They will look at the courses you have taken and what courses were offered. They will want to know what opportunities were presented to you, and which ones you pursued. The profile helps the admission officer interpret your transcript and make these judgments. A copy of the school profile is usually sent with each copy of the transcript. Typically, a profile will contain the following information: a brief history of the school, community information, accreditation information, general information on the students and faculty, information and statistics on admission to your school (if it is not open to all), a summary of sports and activities available, a summary of academic procedures, an explanation of your school's policy on ranking students, a grading scale, a description of the curriculum, a listing of advanced courses available, an explanation of graduation requirements, a distribution of SAT, ACT, and/or other standardized test scores, and a listing of where graduates have gone to college. School policies relevant to the admission process are usually explained as well (disciplinary disclosure,etc.).