I just got rejected from Middlebury, and waitlisted at Colby, Carleton and Uchicago in the past week. I think I’m a competitive applicant (ACT: 34, GPA: 3.7~UW, 2 jobs, 2 varsity sports, been actively involved in the business world (camps and competitions), 10 AP classes, community service, head of a couple clubs) I would go in to more detail but that’s not the main point of my post.
I believe an issue in my transcript is keeping me out of these schools. I have been doing community service through my youth group and also through other related groups from 10+ years. I went to catholic school before switching to public school for high school. Before, community service was a constant, routine per of my life. I rarely documented hours–I was more focused on making an impact than recording it. Unfortunately for me, I did not realize my new public school had a particular policy regarding service hours. I knew I had to have forty hours of community service to graduate, but seeing as how I probably averaged twenty hours of service a month, I thought I could easily fulfill my requirement during my senior year. They recommended reporting ten hours a year, but I really believed this wouldn’t be an issue for me. Fast forward to junior year in May, one week before the community service deadline. I find out I have been rejected from the National Honors Socitey because of a lack of community service. However, I was confused. I had included community service in my application, with signatures. How did I get rejected? Apparently, because I did not document my community service hours in pervious grades and submitted them to the school, my service to the community did not count. It gets worse though. I hadn’t realized it at the time because it wasn’t mentioned in the student handbook or on the school website, but every year a service requirement is put on our transcript. If we fail to report at least en hours, we get a U on our transcript and a 0. This is shown to colleges. I didn’t know about this until fairly recently. I asked my guidance counselor if I should contact my schools about the misunderstanding, she said “it wasn’t worth it.” But with the string of waitlists and rejections I’m getting, im wondering if this issue with my transcript is making a bigger impact than intended.
I seriously seriously need advice. I don’t know how to handle this. I’ve gone to the principal, he refused to acknowledge my past community service because it wasn’t documented, even though I said I’d get all the necessary signatures. He won’t change my transcript unsatisfactories. It’s obvious I have done community service in the past. Heck a bunch of it even benefited the school. Please I need advice. This past week has broken my confidence.
This seems like a bureaucratic/clerical error through the school system that is unfortunately hurting you. I think this might be possibly ruining your chances. I’m sorry that a simple lack of documentation is causing your principal and your school to not acknowledge your community service. I personally would ask the GC to either tell you if that U/0 is on your transcript or ask to have/see a copy of your HS transcript (nothing wrong with that since your applications are all submitted). If that U/0 is on there, you might want to email the places you have been waitlisted at, and explain the situation. I don’t know how much of an impact that may have in the adcoms’ eyes but at least explaining and trying to clear it up might help.
Yes you are a competitive applicant, but that doesn’t guarantee you admission at any of those places.
However, since you are concerned, ask your guidance counselor to give these places a call, and ask if there were any particular red flags in your application. Maybe a “U” in community service is a red flag, but I certainly doubt that.
I really do not believe this is the problem if you documented community service on your application.
If you had gotten rejected from all 4 then I would say yes. I am familiar with the requirements of Middlebury and UChicago (also on WL with somewhat similar stats and honestly was happy I got WL there), have not gotten in anywhere I am excited about. Not familiar with Colby or Carlleton, what schools on the east coast are they similar to? BU, NE, BC? If they are much less competitve than UChicago then yes it is the transcript. If it is the problem then you need to get your parents involved.
Otherwise it is just a lot of people applying to the same schools like UChicago
@SaphireNY Colby is on the east coast and is a very good liberal arts school, but it was more of a match school than a reach, which is why I’m so concerned. On naviance, every other person from my school who applied got in, and my test scores are much higher than most who were accepted. Colby is similar to Bates and Hamilton if that helps.
Carleton, I admit, was more of a reach. It’s similar to Haverford on the east coast in terms of difficulty to get in. However, I had shown strong interest in Carleton as it was my second choice (behind uchicago which was a huge reach). I had requested extra information, gone to their presentations in my area, and even visited, which was no small action considering I live on the east coast. I had even talked to their track coach about potentially going the track team. I thought I had a much better shot than most.
@happymomof1 I agree, but in terms of other applicants from my school who have applied to these schools, I should have been at least accepted to Colby. I wasn’t expecting Middlebury acceptance, but I go to a top ten competitive public school on the east coast. Many of the top schools take students from my school. Especially students with stats and Ecs similar to mine. I’m not surprised by uchicago or Middlebury, but I am surprised by Carleton and Colby.
@TheDidactic I agree, and thank you for responding. I’m taking your advice and talking to my guidance counselor about this today. I’m also going to talk to the principal. I don’t think he realizes how this affecting my chances and since he wants our school to remain in the top ten in the state, he really shouldn’t be inhibiting one of his best students from getting in to a top school. I can only make my school look better, especially since I already did the community service in the first place.
I highly doubt the lack of vol hours on your transcript or lack of NHS had anything to do with your decisions. No college requires any voluntarism. And NHS is a non-factor. Plus, I’m sure you highlighted your comm. svc in your activities portion of your apps. The only thing colleges derive from your transcript are your course choices and grades. I think your results are just evidence of the crazy selectivity of these schools. I think it’s time to move on – you’re clearly academically ready to have a super college career. Best of luck to you.
@T26E4 I’m thinking that the my transcript issues make me slightly less competitive on this level which is just enough to not accept me. I don’t know though, I’m not an AO.
@ErinsDad I recognize that the waitlist is definitely a competitive group of applicants. Probably many have better stats than I do. However, I showed a significant amount of interest in the school, did your D do the same?
I talked to my GC; she said she would call Carleton and clarify my transcript issues. Honestly, after having some time to reflect, I’m not terribly worried about the outcome. I’ve been planning a gap year since October. I had just hoped to be able to defer a year instead of having to reapply, but if I have to reapply, so be it.