<p>would top tier schools understand that I’ve been going through transitions
I’ve lived in America all my life and then sudenly we moved to Korea and then i started having horrible grades I go to a korean public school I ddidnt know a word of korean except for hello and goodbye lol</p>
<p>Trommlee – You can write your essay about this experience which should help explain it. I have no idea how the adcoms will view your struggles to learn Korean. It must have been very hard for you! The most competitive schools will have many qualified applicants. If you have your heart set on boarding school in the US next year, please consider applying to a variety of schools that you believe you can love – not just the most competitive schools which are a reach for almost everyone.</p>
<p>That’s pretty intense. Did you take the SSATs yet?</p>
<p>If they don’t, they are pretty cold-hearted. I’m quite sure that they’ll take it into account. As Burb Parent said, write about it in your essay–how difficult that was (and is) for you. You simply can’t be expected to do very well in school for the first year or two if you don’t speak the language. What are your other stats besides grades?</p>