Addressing Anomalies

It's always interesting when an anomaly jumps out at you while reading a file and you can't find any explanation of it anywhere. There's an "additional information" section in the Common App where students can share something that didn't fit in the other parts of the application that is perfect for this kind of thing. We get notes about scheduling conflicts, health problems, and family situations in this section. These notes help provide context.

The times when the oddities aren't addressed are kind of frustrating. A common example is when there is a really weak semester of work on an otherwise strong transcript. We flip back and forth through the file after we've read it to see if we missed something. Someone addressed the stumble, right? Someone will assure us that there is a spectacular rebound in the works...right? On your side, I guess you hope that if you stay really quiet about the anomaly, we'll pay more attention to the other stuff.

I see you, but you can't see me, right?

The fact is that the anomaly sticks out like a sore thumb (like seeing a golden retriever on an admission blog!). Someone needs to address this stuff. What happened? Why is that thing there?

So, if there's something on your mid-year transcript that is going to look odd or out of place, it might be a good idea to ask your counselor to address it on their report. If you make us guess, we might assume you have fallen victim to Senioritis.


By the way, have you been watching the Men's basketball team lately? I don't usually cover sports on this blog, but this has been such an exciting season!