<p>I have posted this before but I was told posting it here would get me better feedback</p>
<p>I have a bit of a dilemma here regarding my grades. First of all, I am a home schooled International A-level student and for my IGCSE I have received great grades so I hope no one thinks I am slacker looking for an excuse. Unfortunately, I was going through emotional trauma during 11th grade. My parents were on the verge of getting a divorce, there was lots of conflict and tension in the house along with domestic violence. I received my As-Level grades and they were BBC even though I expected AAB. My teachers were surprised too and my biology teacher wrote that I was the top of her class in my recommendation letter from her so I hope that may compensate for the horrible grades. I also hope that if I do my Sat subject tests and score 700+ they would see that I am not a slacker.</p>
<p>The thing is, I have never mentioned this to anyone outside the house. Even my teachers don’t know. I was thinking I should tell my additional recommender, a teacher who is a close person to me, to mention that briefly but not detailed in her rec. What worries me is that, why would a college admit me if there are 1000’s of other qualified applicants with perfect grades?</p>
<p>Plus, I am also worried colleges will perceive that I may be a depressed, suicidal, etc… and won’t be viable for admission. Should I tell my additional recommender to mention that or not?</p>
<p>Expectations don’t count. Actual grades do, and yes, if you are applying to the highly selective schools, they are looking for reasons to dismiss candidates, not admit them. It’s a very difficult process with so many highly qualified applicants, so yes, your info would likely get you flushed Why take you when there are others as good without your issues? Now if you have some really special hook a college is seeking, that is a whole other story. BUt if not, no, you are toast.</p>
<p>“predicted grades” count a lot for final A-Level results, but AS levels (as they are) erase the earlier “expectations”. Yes you can tell one of your teachers, as this is very important to understand you, but it won’t “excuse” your grades - it’ll provide a fuller picture and it’ll flesh out who you are, making you more personable, but it won’t turn your grades into As. If your ALevel official, predicted results are AAB that’ll matter more than the BBC AS Levels, since it means you really stepped to the plate. However 'expectations" (ie., unofficial) don’t count.
What colleges are you applying to?</p>
<p>@MYOS1634 If by predicted results you mean the ones from teachers then yes I can get that. But I have a question, where do teachers place their predictions?
I am applying to:
UChicago, Stanford, Harvard
Williams, Bates, Colby, Grinnell, Mt. Holyoke, Scripps, Smith
St. Lawrence</p>
<p>There’s such a thing as official predicted results for ALevels; your teacher and your school commit to these (and if you don’t meet them, you’re rescinded).
Teachers can write the “official predicted A-Level result” for their subject only, in their recommendation. The person acting as guidance counselor (head teacher, principal…) would indicate the official predicted results on the guidance counselor form of the CommonApp, after clicking “international school” etc.</p>
<p>@MYOS1634 I am home schooled and my dad is the counselor, it wouldn’t look honest if my dad was submitting the official predicted results. And not all my A-level teachers are willing to write recommendation letters, and they have no experience whatsoever about writing recommendation letters. I only chose the teachers who seem experienced and have written ones before. Is there a way they can submit predicted grades?</p>
<p>If you’re homeschooled, you have to follow the rules for homeschooled applicants. If your dad acts as your counselor, then he’s the one who will fill out the guidance counselor form and will report the official predicted results. He has no incentive to “cheat” and say “AAA” because if you are admitted on AAA and end up with BBC, you’ll get rescinded. So, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be honest if your dad did the work he’s supposed to do as your counselor. You’ll have to write “homeschooled”, that’s all.
As a homeschooled student, you’d likely have to take 3 subject tests in addition to the usual testing.
Your two recommending teachers would only indicate the results in their subject. You can show them these examples of good and bad recommendations by MIT:
<a href=“How to write good letters of recommendation | MIT Admissions”>http://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/writingrecs</a></p>
<p>@MYOS1634 That makes sense.
I already have 3 teacher recs but not all of them are a-level teachers.
So basically my other teacher can just indicate the results on the letter and that’s it?</p>
<p>Each A-Level teacher would indicate predicted results for their subject only. O’Level/IGCSE teachers would give the actual results (NOT predicted or “expected”). Your counselor (dad) would indicate what the 3 ALevels’ predicted grades would be. </p>