TheReader Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Just wanted to share; I know Uni of Houston is not a huge school, but in case other schools have similar options.... With so much riding on Class Rank, which homeschoolers don't have, UH has created an option for school administrators to email a "Statement of Rank" -- a simple statement/explanation of what the student's rank equivalency would be. A homeschool parent counts as a school administrator in that situation, so I was able to send in said info, it was accepted, and DS was finally admitted into his desired major (his SAT score was above their various thresholds except for the unranked; despite that he'd already been awarded a scholarship that lists "top 20%" as a requirement, his major was keeping him to the standard for the "below 50%/unranked"). Once admissions has accepted the Statement of Rank, the system then reads it as him being that rank, period, no other issues/designation showing it was from a statement of rank vs "official" rank. Just wanted to share; it's worth looking into if your child's desired school has this option for things like major admits, scholarships, etc. I may or may not have been successful had he not already been awarded the scholarship (although, I could have attempted prior to that and maybe he'd have gotten more.....or maybe they would not have taken it, I don't know.....), but in case anyone else gets caught in a loop like this, whether at this university or elsewhere. Worth checking into, just wanted to pass it on! The format I used was simple: Student Name: Cumulative High School GPA: Cumulative GPA of just College Credit (based on X hours): Scholarship Awarded: Conclusion: Based on the above, the school administrator concludes that Student's Class Rank Equivalency would be Top 20%. Signed: My Name, HS Teacher/Administrator Hope that helps someone else out! 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 Thank you. Rank is so confusing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbelle Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 I find this confusing too. Is this detrimental to admissions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 So, would it make sense then to just give the student a ranking on the common app, even if it is 1/1, if there are certain scholarships and programs that require a ranking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted February 25, 2019 Author Share Posted February 25, 2019 On 2/19/2019 at 11:48 AM, Mbelle said: I find this confusing too. Is this detrimental to admissions? On 2/19/2019 at 2:30 PM, Mom0012 said: So, would it make sense then to just give the student a ranking on the common app, even if it is 1/1, if there are certain scholarships and programs that require a ranking? Sorry, wasn't meaning to confuse. Also wasn't getting notified of these replies, so just seeing this.... What happened with my son was this: Texas has a state law that "top 10%" are automatically admitted to college. You cannot, as a homeschooler, utilize that, there's a specific form that must be used and it has to come from public schools or certain private schools (my mind is blanking on the word I want.....audited? authenticated? Neither of those is right, at all, but my mind is not retrieving the word that means an outside source has verified the school......argh). So then, if you homeschool, the universities in Texas look at your GPA (somewhat) and your test scores. Some will assign, themselves, a "class rank equivalency" (not the rank itself, but what percentile you'd fall -- top 10%, top 25%, top 50%, etc.). Others, like University of Houston, will allow *you* to submit (as a school administrator) the "class rank equivalency" (again, not a rank such as 1 out of 1, but what percentile it would be if the student were ranked against other students). At UH, they call this a Statement of Rank, and it's something you would email to Admissions; this would NOT go on the common app at all. I think that would be misleading &/or tossed out, because not all schools use it. But. For my son, for ex, he was admitted to the school with just his GPA (homeschool transcripts and dual credit transcripts) and his SAT scores. Based on just that, he was awarded a scholarship -- for which, the stated criteria are "top 20%," although he did not have any rank designated. But, after that point, he was still not admitted to his chosen major, because he had no class rank, and so was put into the bottom category as needing the highest SAT score. (so, top 10% need Score A; top 25% need a bit higher score B; top 50% need still higher, Score C; anyone else needs highest score, Score D). Yet his actual Score and his GPA, and the fact the school had informally "ranked" him as top 20% (evidenced by the scholarship), his SAT score was completely fine. So....in that unique situation, I found where they allowed the Statement of Rank to be sent, and sent in something saying that based on his GPA as well as based on their scholarship they'd issued, I felt his rank equivalency was Top 20%. The admissions dept *then* changed his status from "unranked" to "top 20%" and resubmitted his application to his major. Now his SAT score fell into the proper category, and he was fine and admitted. I do NOT know if all schools will allow this, at all, or if they'd give it the same weight at the start (for admissions) or not, BUT for an already admitted student, seeking entrance to a major with stricter criteria, it was exactly what he needed, and an option I was glad to find, and wanted to share with others who might be in the same boat now or in the future. Other schools, other states, may or may not use something like this. I would consider maybe putting it on the transcript, but not on the common app. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 Thanks for explaining. That sounds like it must have been very frustrating, so I’m glad you were able to find a solution. That’s got to be a relief! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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