The Case of Foreign Transcripts

[day_manderly]

So I've been reading this, rather useful and highly recommended, blog by a science professor who reflects upon her experience with graduate admissions, and I've lit upon the following:

Transcripts are interesting to read because you can see a student's evolution of interests. Did they take an intro course in Science their very first term and immediately dive into the major? Did they meander around for a year or so, sampling a wide variety of courses before focusing?

And here comes the problem. Many countries simply do not offer one a choice when it comes to the study track. All the courses I took I had to take. They say nothing about me, except for the initial choice of the specialization I made when I was 17 (!).

Are adcomms aware of the peculiarities of different countries' curricula? Should an international student mention some extra important characteristics somewhere?