Tufts Blogs

Every admissions officer at Tufts spends part of their time answering questions from prospective students and parents. Without fail, we’ll hear this sentence opener at least once a week: “I have a unique situation…” I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been surprised by what came after. That’s not to downplay how unique the situation may be in your local context (and the difficulties it may have caused you), but more to reassure you that we’re used to seeing a variety of ‘unusual’ transcripts, curricula, and extracurricular activities – to name but a few situations.

I changed schools

This is not uncommon for us as we read many applications from all around the world, but we know it may not be as common in your local community. We understand that students change schools for a variety of reasons: their parent may get a new job that means a move across the state, country or globe; they decide a different curriculum is a better fit; they receive an opportunity they can’t refuse. There’s even a section on the Common Application where you can tell us about it. We encourage you to let us know about your high school change, including a reason and any effect it has had on your education.

I don’t take AP classes, I take [Dual Enrollment classes, my school’s own advanced classes, the IB, A-Levels, French Bac…]

Don’t worry! We are trained to read applications within our territory and are used to seeing a variety of different curricula in committee too. We have years of experience between us, and some of us took GCSEs, A-Levels and IBs inside and outside of the US ourselves!

All applicants are read in the context of their school, and we know what a challenging curriculum will look like. Even so, if it is something that is unique to your school, it doesn’t hurt to give us a quick bit of insight into it, or ask your counselor to make a note of it in their letter.

I’m on a gap year or was on national service

If you are on a gap year or have taken a gap year, please briefly let us know what you are doing/have done – we’re curious. For more information about what to do re: submitting midyear grades in this situation, see this FAQ.

My school uses a 7-point scale or calculates GPA in their own way

If your school does use a non-standard grading scale, your counselor will usually inform us as they send your transcript. If we need information, we’ll reach out to them. If your school doesn’t provide grades, we’ll still need a transcript – contact the admissions office for more information.

If your situation isn't listed above, don't fear – chances are it's still something we've seen before. If not, rest assured that we'll read and work to understand all the pieces of your application, including anything that you tell us in the "additional information" section on the Common App. And if you're worried, you can always give us a call or send an e-mail to your territory manager. We're here to make this process as easy as possible!