Strong GPA at Big 3?

[Anonymous]

DC is a junior at a Big 3 school. Deep into thinking/discussion about college applications this fall. 3.7 GPA, 1530 SAT. Took many (but not all) of the "most rigorous" courses available until junior year. Clearly strong student, but we are genuinely unsure about where this places him in general -- your views, parents of junior/senior students or of students who have already graduated? Unhooked kid, so we realize that college applications, esp at the top end will be very challenging. Since school does not provide information on class rank etc, we are just curious about where a student like the stands in relation to peers on a GPA basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC is a junior at a Big 3 school. Deep into thinking/discussion about college applications this fall. 3.7 GPA, 1530 SAT. Took many (but not all) of the "most rigorous" courses available until junior year. Clearly strong student, but we are genuinely unsure about where this places him in general -- your views, parents of junior/senior students or of students who have already graduated? Unhooked kid, so we realize that college applications, esp at the top end will be very challenging. Since school does not provide information on class rank etc, we are just curious about where a student like the stands in relation to peers on a GPA basis.

and you really think this is the best place to go for that kind of information?

[Anonymous]

Anecdotal among my senior’s friend group this year at a coed big3 …. An unhooked girl with similar is going to T10; slightly hooked, non-legacy kid going to Yale. My own very unhooked kid with identical stats is going to a T15 using ED1.

Those stats are good enough to aim high. Do NOT let DCUM tell you “it’s a lottery” or that a 3.7 from Sidwell, GDS or STA/NCS can’t compete with 4.4s from public schools. You’ll get to see naviance only with the college counselor controlling access. This is of limited utility because you can see the points on the GPA/SAT graph for a given college but you can’t know if the kids had hooks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is a junior at a Big 3 school. Deep into thinking/discussion about college applications this fall. 3.7 GPA, 1530 SAT. Took many (but not all) of the "most rigorous" courses available until junior year. Clearly strong student, but we are genuinely unsure about where this places him in general -- your views, parents of junior/senior students or of students who have already graduated? Unhooked kid, so we realize that college applications, esp at the top end will be very challenging. Since school does not provide information on class rank etc, we are just curious about where a student like the stands in relation to peers on a GPA basis.

and you really think this is the best place to go for that kind of information?

Not OP. But why not? Isn't getting information here just another data point? What is an anonymous forum for, especially if the school doesn't share these types of information?

But to OP, without naming the school, how are the responses relevant? I wouldn't think that GPAs for STA, for example, necessarily sheds any light if you kid is at Sidwell and vice versa.

[Anonymous]

Your kid will be competitive for any school. They will be one of about 20% who may get into a tippy top ED1, and should be strategic about EA's ED1, ED2 and RD. Have plenty of "T30-T70" matches for RD and give it all the best shot possible.

[Anonymous]

What do all of these abbreviations mean? ED1, ED2, RD, T30? Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is a junior at a Big 3 school. Deep into thinking/discussion about college applications this fall. 3.7 GPA, 1530 SAT. Took many (but not all) of the "most rigorous" courses available until junior year. Clearly strong student, but we are genuinely unsure about where this places him in general -- your views, parents of junior/senior students or of students who have already graduated? Unhooked kid, so we realize that college applications, esp at the top end will be very challenging. Since school does not provide information on class rank etc, we are just curious about where a student like the stands in relation to peers on a GPA basis.

and you really think this is the best place to go for that kind of information?

Not OP, but the school and other parents are extremely private about this information. I have no idea where my kid’s grades put him as compared to his peers. This is really helpful to see some anonymous information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do all of these abbreviations mean? ED1, ED2, RD, T30? Thank you.

Early Decision (usually due Nov 1)results before Christmas - binding ff accepted
Early Decision 2 (usually due Jan 1) results in late February - binding if accepted
Earl Action - usually due Nov 1 - results sometime in the December-January timeframe- non binding if accepted - usually state schools
Regular decision - results in Late March to mid - April usually due Jan 1
TXX refers to "top XX" schools as commonly understood, but Ivy's, Stanford, MIT top tier SLACs - the schools that have 10% or lower admission rates.

[Anonymous]

I just find this so, so odd. The "Big 3" are supposed to be elite high schools, above the fray socially and academically, among the best in the country, and with outstanding guidance departments and college placement.

Yet, here are parents on an anonymous board fishing for information on where their kids' GPAs place them among their classmates and what colleges they can expect to get into. I have to wonder if this ever goes on at, say, the elite boarding schools or top NYC privates. I'll bet it doesn't, certainly not to this extent, and it makes me wonder -- just how special is the Big 3, really, if the families there act like this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just find this so, so odd. The "Big 3" are supposed to be elite high schools, above the fray socially and academically, among the best in the country, and with outstanding guidance departments and college placement.

Yet, here are parents on an anonymous board fishing for information on where their kids' GPAs place them among their classmates and what colleges they can expect to get into. I have to wonder if this ever goes on at, say, the elite boarding schools or top NYC privates. I'll bet it doesn't, certainly not to this extent, and it makes me wonder -- just how special is the Big 3, really, if the families there act like this?

I don’t know about boarding school, but of course Dalton, Spencer etc parents obsess over college placement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just find this so, so odd. The "Big 3" are supposed to be elite high schools, above the fray socially and academically, among the best in the country, and with outstanding guidance departments and college placement.

Yet, here are parents on an anonymous board fishing for information on where their kids' GPAs place them among their classmates and what colleges they can expect to get into. I have to wonder if this ever goes on at, say, the elite boarding schools or top NYC privates. I'll bet it doesn't, certainly not to this extent, and it makes me wonder -- just how special is the Big 3, really, if the families there act like this?

I don’t know about boarding school, but of course Dalton, Spencer etc parents obsess over college placement.

But the Big 3 parents insist that college placement has nothing to do with their decision to send their kids there . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just find this so, so odd. The "Big 3" are supposed to be elite high schools, above the fray socially and academically, among the best in the country, and with outstanding guidance departments and college placement.

Yet, here are parents on an anonymous board fishing for information on where their kids' GPAs place them among their classmates and what colleges they can expect to get into. I have to wonder if this ever goes on at, say, the elite boarding schools or top NYC privates. I'll bet it doesn't, certainly not to this extent, and it makes me wonder -- just how special is the Big 3, really, if the families there act like this?

If this post triggers this level of reaction in you then you have deep seated insecurities about where your kid goes to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just find this so, so odd. The "Big 3" are supposed to be elite high schools, above the fray socially and academically, among the best in the country, and with outstanding guidance departments and college placement.

Yet, here are parents on an anonymous board fishing for information on where their kids' GPAs place them among their classmates and what colleges they can expect to get into. I have to wonder if this ever goes on at, say, the elite boarding schools or top NYC privates. I'll bet it doesn't, certainly not to this extent, and it makes me wonder -- just how special is the Big 3, really, if the families there act like this?

NP here. It is because for many families/kids - there is not open discussion about where kids stand and it's hard to understand the landscape in early steps of the process before parent meeting with college counseling. It's also not clear that college counselors will tell you where your child stands or whether their ED choice has much competition from others at the school.

OP my child has GPA a bit higher, SAT lower so far, hardest classes, and like you, I'm completely in the dark.

[Anonymous]

This isn't that hard people.

If you kid has a 3.5 or higher and a 1500 or higher at a big3, they are "qualified" for any school in the country. But those schools have a very small acceptance rate, even for kids at the top of the grade and score spectrum.

So...it really doesn't matter where your kid "stands" - find some schools they like and make sure they send in the best applications they can and let the chips fall where they will.

Whether it is a 3.5 or 3.86 doesn't matter. Whether it is a 1510 or 1580 doesn't matter. They reach the threshold for consideration and from there, may get lucky.

When you are talking about 3%-10% admission rates, it is a lottery and there is only so much you can do to stand out in a sea of thousands of qualified applicants.

[Anonymous]

Pp is silly