Transfer Students

              When students begin high school, the path they will take through senior year is somewhat predictable. There are graduation requirements and schools have protocols that are designed to meet those requirements. In addition, schools understand the varying goals students and their families have so there is room built into those protocols to meet those goals which are often college acceptance. However, sometimes families need to change schools in the middle of high school and that can mean switching from one school’s graduation requirements to another’s.

           This can throw even a great student a little off course for graduation and towards meeting their goal, but rest assured all is not lost. To begin, this is a fairly common occurrence and any guidance counselor or registrar worth their salt is going to be able put a student back on track. However, that doesn’t always come without some speed bumps. This often means taking something out of sequence. At my school, for example, freshman typically take biology and it’s a graduation requirement in my state. If a junior or senior transfer in without it, I’m going to enroll them in biology. That will mean that the junior or senior will participate in a class otherwise full of freshman. That can be a little awkward but it’s one of those speedbumps a transfer student must endure.

           I find that these types of things are often quite alarming to students and families. The path they were on is suddenly flipped upside down. “What do you mean I have to take biology with a bunch of freshmen? I was supposed to take AP Physics this year at my old school. Now I’ll never get into college!”

The new school might not even offer the classes a student was “supposed” to take. The job first and foremost is to make sure the student can graduate high school then those post-high school goals can come into play. Sometimes a new school doesn’t even offer a whole program a student was involved in. I enrolled a student this summer who came from an International Baccalaureate (IB) program and was devastated to learn we did not offer IB. Families need to understand that school transfers are survivable. Life happens, people need to move, and it throws off the schedule. Colleges understand this. Frankly, it happens all the time and colleges are very used to seeing it.

In that regard, the key is to communicate with the colleges about the transfer. You might be able to do this within an admissions essay or a letter of support from your school. If all else fails, pick up the phone and call the college. Remember, real human beings make admission decisions. Just call and say, “Hey, I just wanted to let you know there is a good reason my transcript looks like I changed direction halfway through high school.” They’ll understand and will make a note in your file.

When I talked to my student who could not continue in her IB program I explained it to her like this. In some ballparks a home run is 400 feet, in other ballparks, it’s 350 feet. Don’t worry about your home runs being discounted in a shorter ballpark. Just hit home runs in the park you’re in, and you’re going to be just fine.