<p>I have never taken any History or English lit classes in high school because my current school in China doesn’t offer it to explain my SAT II scores:
600 in US History, and 710 in lit. both of which I self-studied for?</p>
<p>Does your school send out a report that describes what it does and doesn’t offer? Do you have a guidance counselor who sends a letter? Either of those could convey the info. If not I think you could mention it. In my opinion, those are really good scores, especially with self-study. The lit. is excellent in any case.</p>
<p>I don’t know, they’ll probably make you take the TOEFL, which is unlikely since you said in another forum that you’re Canadian. At the school you’ll eventually matriculate, you’re most likely are either going to have to send in a writing example or take a test to determine if you can place out of english or are going to have to a freshman english course.</p>
<p>Also, don’t know about US History, but I agree with bethie, that Lit score is pretty darned respectable. My d with high 700s on her SAT I in CR and Writing and 5s on AP Lit and AP Lang scored 740 on the SAT II Lit exam. It’s a tough exam. Rather than explaining a ‘low’ score, you should be commended for doing so well without formal coursework.</p>
<p>I read your stats on another thread. You are going to need to tell colleges “who” you are. If you study in Chinese and speak Chinese at school, your credentials will mean something different to them than if you study in English at school. The second I see “Canadian,” I think “speaks English or French all the time” and I start wondering which, and it certainly doesn’t occur to me that the language is actually Chinese. Be clear about what language you speak at home, what language you speak at school, what language you speak with your friends and at the market, what language you were primarily speaking and being educated in before you moved to China, if these are things that solve the puzzle.</p>
<p>Maybe your school’s profile will answer all the questions. Is your guidance counselor able to help you with presenting this information in a simple, meaningful way? </p>
<p>If I were on an admissions committee, I’d hate having to read extra stuff in most cases but I’d sure rather read a simple statement about your languages and education than sit there trying to figure out an unusual case for myself.</p>
<p>I really admire you for applying from China. Wow! Best of luck.</p>
<p>Tell them yourself! There usually is a question on applications that is open-ended and invites you to tell them about anything important that is not covered elsewhere, and that would be a great place to write a short paragraph describing your high school. Make the statement positive overall - something like “It has been an tremendous opportunity for me to attend school in China. However, there are some courses that are not offered at my school. I have had to study US History on my own.” (You don’t have to mention the test score – the ad com will get the point). Obviously, this paragraph can also mention some other strengths and weaknesses of your school environment. </p>
<p>The reason I say to mention strengths is that is that it never is good to sound like you are making excuses for yourself – so it helps to include some positive comments.</p>