how to define "cert of merit" course in common app

by Federico Wiza 4 min read

What is the education section of the Common App?

The Education section of the Common App is exactly what it sounds like: it’s where you tell your chosen colleges about your high school academic performance. From grades to class rank to what courses you took, colleges will want to get a detailed look at what–and how–you did in high school.

What are the requirements for the Certificate of Merit (CM)?

Students must earn at least 12 credits in advanced courses designated by MCPS as applicable to the Certificate of Merit (CM). CM courses contribute to a weighted grade point average only when the course also is identified as Advanced Level (AL). All courses to be counted toward the Certificate of Merit must be taken for a letter grade.

How do admissions officers evaluate my academic course load on Common App?

Once you’ve provided the number of courses you’re taking, you’ll enter information for each of these courses so that admissions officers can evaluate your academic course load. As an example, here’s a screenshot from our sample student’s Common App profile.

How do I report courses I've taken on the Common App?

To report courses that you've taken prior to the 9th grade, or post-12th grade, please use the "Other Courses" section. To report summer courses, please use the "Other Courses" section. Do all Common App colleges use the Courses & Grades section?

How to access the education section of the Common App?

In order to access the Education section of your Common App, you’ll need to log into your Common App , click on the Common App tab, and click on Education in the column on the left side. The Education section is divided into nine subsections; click on the title of each subsection to open it up. Each part of the Education section will guide you ...

Do colleges ask for the same information?

Since basically every college requests the same or similar educational information, this can save you a lot of time and typing. Before you begin filling out the Education section, you’ll want to gather the necessary data from your records and clarify any requirements that are unclear to you.

Do IB and AP courses count as college courses?

In this context, AP and IB courses do not count as college courses.

What is Common App?

Each year, more than 1 million students apply to more than 900 Common App member colleges worldwide through our online college application platform.

The application guides

Now that you know what to expect from the process, you’re ready to apply. We’ve created two simple guides, one for first-year and one for transfer applicants.

Essay Prompts

The Common App essay prompts provide an amazing opportunity for you to tell colleges and universities about who you are and how you can contribute to your future campus experience.

Explore colleges on Common App

Search more than 900 member colleges and universities using Common App. See application requirements, access virtual tours, learn about academic programs, testing policies and student experience on campus. Get started today to add colleges to your My Colleges tab in application.

Get Common App on your phone

Take Common App with you where ever you go. Our mobile app helps you track your progress, stay on top of application requirements, and manage deadlines.

Maryland Diploma Requirements

The state of Maryland authorizes one diploma for all high school graduates, based upon successful fulfillment of four categories of requirements: enrollment, course credit, student service learning (SSL), and Maryland assessments. Students must satisfactorily complete four years beyond Grade 8 to meet the enrollment requirement.

Course-Related Information

A student-initiated withdrawal may occur when the student and parent/guardian determine that withdrawal will be beneficial to the student. Additional information is in MCPS Regulation JEC-RA, Student Withdrawals from Classes and School, found at https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/jecra.pdf.

Grading and Reporting

The Board is committed to maintaining rigorous performance and achievement standards for all students and to providing a fair process for evaluating and reporting student progress that is understandable to students and their parents/guardians and relevant for instructional purposes.

Additional Learning Opportunities

Twelve MCPS schools host The George B. Thomas, Sr. Learning Academy, Inc. programs on Saturday mornings (Saturday School), providing enrichment, tutoring, and mentoring for students in Grades K–12. The George B. Thomas, Sr. Learning Academy, Inc.

Accessing The Education Section

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First of all, to fill out the Common App’s Education section, you’ll need to get to it. In order to access the Education section of your Common App, you’ll need to log into your Common App, click on the Common App tab, and click on Education in the column on the left side. The Education section is divided into nine subsections; cli…
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Current Or Most Recent School Section

  • In this section, the Common App will collect information about the school you currently attend or have most recently attended.
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Current Or Recent School Lookup

  • Your first task is to tell the Common App what high school you attend now or most recently attended, as well as various facts about that high school. Fortunately, you don’t have to provide all this information from scratch; the Common App system includes a database of high schools that you’ll search through to find and choose yours. When you open up the Current or Most Recent Sc…
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Other Questions

  • Once you’ve designated your current or most recent school, you’ll have to answer a list of questions about that school, seen in the following screenshot. Below the screenshot, we’ll go over how to respond to each of those questions. One more note on completing this section: if you don’t have a school counselor, fill in these answers for whoever has “overseen your academic progres…
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Other School Section

  • In this section, you’ll enter information about any other schools you’ve attended for high school, aside from the one you’re currently attending or most recently attended. For instance, if you moved to a new city during high school, this is where you’ll put information about the school you attended before you moved. If you were homeschooled for part of high school but then attende…
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College & Universities Section

  • In this section, you’ll provide information about any colleges or universities you have already attended. This section is relevant to you if you took any courses at a college or university while you were in high school through a “post-secondary option” or similar program. In this context, AP and IB courses do not count as college courses. When you initially open up the Colleges & Unive…
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Grades Section

  • In this section, you’ll provide information about your academic performance in high school- specifically, your grades as expressed by your class rank and GPA. When you click on Grades, you’ll see a screen like the one below: We’ll go over each of the questions you need to answer below. It’s likely that you won’t know all of these answers offhand, but your school should be abl…
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Current Or Most Recent Year Courses Section

  • This section is where you’ll provide detailed information about the courses you’re currently taking, or, if you are no longer in high school, the courses you took during your most recent year of high school. For most students, this will simply mean entering the classes you’re taking during your senior year. Before you start filling out this section, you’ll probably want to have a copy of your s…
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Honors Section

  • In this section, you’ll list and describe up to five academic honors that you’ve received. Since choosing and detailing those honors can be complicated in and of itself, we at CollegeVine have chosen to write a separate post on this issue. Head over to our post on “Reporting Honors and Awards on the Common App”to learn what you should report in this section and how you should …
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Community-Based Organizations Section

  • In this section, you’ll answer questions about any community-based organizations which may have helped you with the college application process without charging a fee. These organizations might include Questbridge, Upward Bound, the Boys and Girls Club, or others. If you’ve been aided by a community-based organization like these, you likely know it already. If you’re not sure wheth…
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