Pre-med at Ivy / top school - some concerns with B grades

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should be concerned about B grades. 1 B is a blip, a few Bs is a pattern elite schools do not want to see. Barring a hook, Ivies will be off the table. As others have said, he'll be compared to classmates with 4.0 UW.

But grade and GPA account for only 40% correct. Remaining 30% is extracurricular and 30% Essays and Recommendations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should be concerned about B grades. 1 B is a blip, a few Bs is a pattern elite schools do not want to see. Barring a hook, Ivies will be off the table. As others have said, he'll be compared to classmates with 4.0 UW.

But grade and GPA account for only 40% correct. Remaining 30% is extracurricular and 30% Essays and Recommendations

OP you seem stuck on this idea as if it’s a proven formula and you can game the numbers. It isn’t a set formula, it’s an approximation. Your kid’s ECs will look great. They may or may not be enough to overcome a smattering of B’s in STEM classes (which are the more critical ones if your kid wants to go into a STEM major), especially if he continues pulling a B or two in 11th and 12th, and especially when coming from TJ where he will be compared to his TJ peers. T10 isn’t necessarily off the table but it’s a crapshoot for even the best of the best and with B’s in STEM classes your kid has dropped a notch compared to his peers.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, focusing too narrowly on the formula is wrongheaded. If you don't meet the GPA threshold, without a hook you don't even get to the formula. And ECs arranged by parents are not particularly impressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is a Sophomore at TJ. In elementary and middle school all he had was A grades.
In Freshman year at TJ got one B grade in a STEM course. In Sophomore year he may end up with 1 or 2 Bs again in STEM courses.
He volunteers at a couple of healthcare related non-profit orgs and has a leadership role at another non-profit. All are established non-profit orgs and he is actually doing some work not just some title
He is also part of varsity TJ sports team
PSAT 10 earlier in 10th grade - 99th percentile
He will be doing Summer medical research at a University here
Has not taken SAT yet.
The Spring sports take a lot of time which impacted his grades during 3rd quarter both years with Bs. He is doing his best with the time he has at hand. Should I be concerned with his B grades since he wants to go to pre-med in a top school?

Depends on what you consider a 'top school" but understand that your kid has a 3% chance at basically any T20/Ivy type school, so instead, let your kid be a kid, let him develop his own passions and follow his journey without your worrying about it or additional pressure.

[Anonymous]

The idea that GPA and test scores collectively "count" for only 40% of the total "package" considered by college admissions teams sounds absurd to me. I have literally never heard this before -- where does it come from? I would have thought it is more like 75-80%.