GPAs - still confused

[Anonymous]

At this point, it’s a crapshoot. Have your child try their very best and then apply to a wide range of colleges. Even if you can figure out how they calculate GPA, you will still try to find a reason that you think your child with a lower GPA should get in. It’s not an exact science by any means OP!

[Anonymous]

There was a guide on here earlier, but I can’t find it now.
Everything uw obv

Privates:
3.9-4.0 - T10 (and closer to 4.0)
3.8-3.9 - T20 (closer to 3.85+)
3.75-3.8 - T20-30 (its sometimes possible to go up into the T15-20 range if it’s a “hard grading” private)
3.6-3.75 - T50-60

Under 3.6 - unranked

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And lots of them, even ones I would not have thought, are 3.8-4.0. Fine. But is this weighted? Unweighted?

I've noted that on their common data sets, schools seem to vary on whether they are reporting weighted or unweighted scores. Assume it's unweighted and then be happily surprised if it's easier to get in than you thought. (Scattergrams on Naviance would be helpful here, because they let you look at unweighted and weighted GPA results.)

Otherwise I'd focus much less on whether a school is top 10, or top 20, or whatever, as some people are doing in this thread. Look at selectivity. Schools accepting less than 20% of applicants are going to have similar numbers for average GPA and median test scores. (It varies, of course, but they're in the same ball park.) Same for schools in the 20%-50% acceptance range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have always assumed a B in an AP class is fine for schools outside the top 20. Is this incorrect? How do normal smart kids (not geniuses) get all As in multiple APs, do varsity sports, volunteer, etc. ? Do they even have time for going out with friends, dating, watching TV?

If they are like my two sons—they just get it. They have fantastic memories and analytical skills and can do the work in 1/4 of the time as other kids. My husband and I were/are the same.

My roommate’s BF back in my mid 20s used to ask why I always had so much free time and my friend had to do involuntary overtime just to keep up.

Sports keeps them from procrastinating since they have to get work done in a window of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have always assumed a B in an AP class is fine for schools outside the top 20. Is this incorrect? How do normal smart kids (not geniuses) get all As in multiple APs, do varsity sports, volunteer, etc. ? Do they even have time for going out with friends, dating, watching TV?

Some districts basically don't give grades less than Bs, even in AP courses. DCPS is one--kids will get at least a B for effort. Public school is not all equal.

Which is why not many kids from some of the schools get into the most selective school even with “high GPA”.

[Anonymous]

^ I used to go out 5 nights a week in college as a STEM major.

[Anonymous]

Just stop it already.

Colleges look at your kid’s transcript in the context of his or her own high school. Period. Your school profile explains the grading system, more often than not how yours kid’s record places them in the class, and what a rigorous course load looks like. Etc.

This isn’t complicated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you're telling me that EVERY incoming freshman for some of these (non-ivy) schools has a 3.9 unweighted?

My son at a private —Senior has an unweighted 4.0. I don’t think many do. He’s really seriously involved in his sport too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you're telling me that EVERY incoming freshman for some of these (non-ivy) schools has a 3.9 unweighted?

Make reading comprehension your friend. Nobody said anything about "EVERY" student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you're telling me that EVERY incoming freshman for some of these (non-ivy) schools has a 3.9 unweighted?

Make reading comprehension your friend. Nobody said anything about "EVERY" student.

Don't be a dick.

[Anonymous]

If your kid has B in AP language, that’s one thing. But if regularly getting Bs, in other subjects, it will eliminate her from competitive top colleges.

Plenty of colleges ranked below 50 though. Also take a look at GW if you were full pay.

[Anonymous]

OP you have to put some guess work into the incoming freshman GPA.

If it is 3.8-4.0 it is likely unweighted, unless it is a low ranking college and then it could well be weighted.

If you look at the UC's you see they break down the average GPA for incoming freshman and its normally OVER 4.0 so you can assume it's all weighted. However each UC will have their own matrix for weighting. For instance, in-state kids get a bump for AP classes and Honors classes (tho there are fewer in the state schools in CA than in the DMV). Applicants outside of CA will get a bump only for their AP's not Honors classes and will be expected to also have a higher GPA overall.

So as you can see there are variations within variations. I would suggest putting a list of colleges of interest together and doing a deep dive - on their websites and via their admissions offices, to find out what you can.

[Anonymous]

Also consider test scores. 3.8 uw and test optional is not going to cut it at many selective schools. Yet, there will be posters whose kid got in with such stats. It's frustrating to try to figure out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every college does it differently, so there is really no reason to fret about it.

Your kid should take the classes in high school that they want to take and do as well in them as they can.

There is no single answer or formula.

Ok, but a B or B+ in a stem AP class . . . it seems like the prevailing view is that any top school is off the table. Kid is told to "challenge yourself" and is doing just that. But that seems to not matter if anything less than an A in those classes will automatically disqualify them from good colleges. So maybe it's better they stay in honors and get As?

And then what if there is no honors? So for precalc and calc, there is no "honors" at our school. It's AP or "gened."

The top schools want As. Period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also consider test scores. 3.8 uw and test optional is not going to cut it at many selective schools. Yet, there will be posters whose kid got in with such stats. It's frustrating to try to figure out.

This will also depends on your hs. If most are going TO, you should be fine.