3.65 unweighted GPA and a 1580 SAT from a BIG 3 - What should realistically be on the list

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just Wow. How do we get this into a thread a nobody asks what drives your student. What do they want to do for a living? You don't pick a college based on grades, you match the college to where you can best pursue your passion. At some point all these stats look alike, including the clubs and extras. When that happens colleges look at the bottom of the resume -- what does this person love and how have they spent their time loving it. This is what distinguishes a student, not an SAT. I have routinely turned down intern apps from unfocused Ivy students in favor of state school students who hustle and love something.

Sure - why not just say my DC name, social security number and address. Id like to not betray their identity. Its very clear there are parents from my DC school on this Board and they are watching every word quite carefully.

I asked for a list for a reason. Im not being specific so I understand you all cant be specific. Im asking - yet again - what schools are realistic with this profile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just Wow. How do we get this into a thread a nobody asks what drives your student. What do they want to do for a living? You don't pick a college based on grades, you match the college to where you can best pursue your passion. At some point all these stats look alike, including the clubs and extras. When that happens colleges look at the bottom of the resume -- what does this person love and how have they spent their time loving it. This is what distinguishes a student, not an SAT. I have routinely turned down intern apps from unfocused Ivy students in favor of state school students who hustle and love something.

Sure - why not just say my DC name, social security number and address. Id like to not betray their identity. Its very clear there are parents from my DC school on this Board and they are watching every word quite carefully.

I asked for a list for a reason. Im not being specific so I understand you all cant be specific. Im asking - yet again - what schools are realistic with this profile.

This is getting more and more loony. After giving very specific numbers for GPA and SAT at schools whose junior classes total about 400 (which if OP didn't lie about the numbers, likely means DC would be the only one with those two numbers), now complains about being asked to state anything at all about DC's interests other than two numbers. Not even I have a STEM kid or my kid loves art, or my kid is kind of shy and wants a smaller environment. One more reason to say fake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just Wow. How do we get this into a thread a nobody asks what drives your student. What do they want to do for a living? You don't pick a college based on grades, you match the college to where you can best pursue your passion. At some point all these stats look alike, including the clubs and extras. When that happens colleges look at the bottom of the resume -- what does this person love and how have they spent their time loving it. This is what distinguishes a student, not an SAT. I have routinely turned down intern apps from unfocused Ivy students in favor of state school students who hustle and love something.

Sure - why not just say my DC name, social security number and address. Id like to not betray their identity. Its very clear there are parents from my DC school on this Board and they are watching every word quite carefully.

I asked for a list for a reason. Im not being specific so I understand you all cant be specific. Im asking - yet again - what schools are realistic with this profile.

This is getting more and more loony. After giving very specific numbers for GPA and SAT at schools whose junior classes total about 400 (which if OP didn't lie about the numbers, likely means DC would be the only one with those two numbers), now complains about being asked to state anything at all about DC's interests other than two numbers. Not even I have a STEM kid or my kid loves art, or my kid is kind of shy and wants a smaller environment. One more reason to say fake.

Request rescinded. Was a real request. Thanks a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard from one admissions person (not an elite school) that they are very cautious with kids who have strong test scores but lower grades. She said it means the kid can do better than they are. She said they try to find out what is holding the kid back (lack of motivation? effort? distractions?) I am not accusing your child of any of those things. Just saying this person said they considered that combination riskier than the alternative (i.e. high grades, low test scores). Because the latter kids has figured out some formula for succeeding academically.

I thought this kid was in the top 25% of his/her private school class. And the top 15% are probably going to Ivies, so this is just a notch below. Seems like this is hardly cause for concern and colleges should be familiar with the grading profile of the Big 3 schools.

OP you just need to listen to the college counselor.

I agree with the earlier poster that something doesn't add up here. I'm sure some college will be willing to take a risk, but there needs to be some good excuse for this poor performance.

Might be good to look through Colleges that Change Lives and find a school that could work for your child and meet his challenges.

Good luck op. Remember that there is a good fit for each child.

Poor performance? Do you have a child in a top 3 college-prep private school in the DC area? I know for sure you don't. This isn't MCPS where you show up to class that is called honors (AKA, non-remedial) and get a 79.5 and an 89.5 and we will give you an A and a 5.0 on your GPA. These schools are top of the line in the country. Tons of applications and waitlists every year. The top 10% are all going to Ivy or compatible. The top 25% are also going to top 25 or somewhere they truly wanted to get into for their grades. A 3.65 UW GPA and a 1580 SAT is wonderful. Even the OP is slightly disappointed. These kids have to work their butts off for A's. No one is giving out easy A's in these schools. Tons of written papers that your teachers will rip to shreds, oral presentations, HARKNESS grades, group presentations, labs, tests, and quizzes. Zeros are given and there are no public school retakes allowed to better your score. None of which are curved and most classes are "considered" college level, but these schools don't weigh grades to show that. Most don't have AP or weighted GPA's because of it, but many kids sit and pass the AP tests. Most don't have + and - grades on their GPA. So an 89 is a straight-up 3.0.

So can we please stop bashing kids for unweighted GPA's at top schools that give out A's only if you TRULY deserve it? The kid is smart. He didn't have a poor performance. He has more A's than B's with an UWGPA like this and he kept up with his classmates and worked super hard. Who cares if he doesn't get into a top 25 school. Can we stop ridiculing these teens for good grades? High school is so much harder than it ever was when we were teens. They study and work harder than any of us every did. They do more volunteering and EC's than any of us did. Give the kid a break. OP, be proud of him. No one is getting a 1580 on a SAT unless they are highly intelligent. Make a list of 3 reaches, 3-4 targets, and 3-4 safeties. Make sure he truly loves the safeties. Wherever he ends up, and honestly who cares, he will do absolutely fantastic. Let the kids be happy and healthy. We are literally sucking the happiness out of teens "to get them into a great college." Just stop

[Anonymous]

OK, everyone should calm down. If you think the question is dumb, ignore it. So, I had a DC at a "Big3" with stats similar to those you describe. DC attends an Ivy. Your child has very high test scores. Was DC a NMSF? People here like to say its meaningless but I really don't think it is, because it suggests that test prep played less of a role. Is your DC taking the hardest courses he or she can take? That makes a difference. I think at our school kids with those stats have a lot of good options, but the Ivies are always considered a reach. We got lucky. The reason counsellors seem all over the map is that they want people to fall in love with realistic schools. I also think they bend over backwards not to suggest that anything is a sure thing among the more selective schools. My DC was urged to look at schools like Rochester, RIT, Hamilton, Colgate, Oberlin, Purdue, Wisconsin and Skidmore but was not told that schools like Michigan, Tufts, Wesleyan, Swarthmore, Haverford or certain Ivies were out of the question. So yes, a little all over the place. But even that list reflects interests of my DC that might not apply to yours. Your DC will have a lot of great options, and despite what you hear on this Board, I think most college counsellors at these privates doa good job and know what they are talking about.

For those who say that no Big 3 gives parents Naviance, perhaps that is true, I don't know. But my understanding is that even schools who don't give parents unfettered access to Naviance will allow parents to meet with the counselor and loof at specific college data. I have done that with respect to a different DC.

[Anonymous]

Someone on College Confidential posted this yesterday:

This is what I did:
I have a 3.5 weighted. which is approx 2.9-3.1 UW(my school doesn't give UW GPA), and a 35 ACT
I got into: UMich+Bates College(top choice via ed)
advice:
a.) Have other parts of your application that really shines-- and start your essay rly early to show that.
b.) do well on ur ap exams
c.) apply to a wide range of schools---don't hang on one tree

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard from one admissions person (not an elite school) that they are very cautious with kids who have strong test scores but lower grades. She said it means the kid can do better than they are. She said they try to find out what is holding the kid back (lack of motivation? effort? distractions?) I am not accusing your child of any of those things. Just saying this person said they considered that combination riskier than the alternative (i.e. high grades, low test scores). Because the latter kids has figured out some formula for succeeding academically.

I thought this kid was in the top 25% of his/her private school class. And the top 15% are probably going to Ivies, so this is just a notch below. Seems like this is hardly cause for concern and colleges should be familiar with the grading profile of the Big 3 schools.

OP you just need to listen to the college counselor.

I agree with the earlier poster that something doesn't add up here. I'm sure some college will be willing to take a risk, but there needs to be some good excuse for this poor performance.

Might be good to look through Colleges that Change Lives and find a school that could work for your child and meet his challenges.

Good luck op. Remember that there is a good fit for each child.

Poor performance? Do you have a child in a top 3 college-prep private school in the DC area? I know for sure you don't. This isn't MCPS where you show up to class that is called honors (AKA, non-remedial) and get a 79.5 and an 89.5 and we will give you an A and a 5.0 on your GPA. These schools are top of the line in the country. Tons of applications and waitlists every year. The top 10% are all going to Ivy or compatible. The top 25% are also going to top 25 or somewhere they truly wanted to get into for their grades. A 3.65 UW GPA and a 1580 SAT is wonderful. Even the OP is slightly disappointed. These kids have to work their butts off for A's. No one is giving out easy A's in these schools. Tons of written papers that your teachers will rip to shreds, oral presentations, HARKNESS grades, group presentations, labs, tests, and quizzes. Zeros are given and there are no public school retakes allowed to better your score. None of which are curved and most classes are "considered" college level, but these schools don't weigh grades to show that. Most don't have AP or weighted GPA's because of it, but many kids sit and pass the AP tests. Most don't have + and - grades on their GPA. So an 89 is a straight-up 3.0.

So can we please stop bashing kids for unweighted GPA's at top schools that give out A's only if you TRULY deserve it? The kid is smart. He didn't have a poor performance. He has more A's than B's with an UWGPA like this and he kept up with his classmates and worked super hard. Who cares if he doesn't get into a top 25 school. Can we stop ridiculing these teens for good grades? High school is so much harder than it ever was when we were teens. They study and work harder than any of us every did. They do more volunteering and EC's than any of us did. Give the kid a break. OP, be proud of him. No one is getting a 1580 on a SAT unless they are highly intelligent. Make a list of 3 reaches, 3-4 targets, and 3-4 safeties. Make sure he truly loves the safeties. Wherever he ends up, and honestly who cares, he will do absolutely fantastic. Let the kids be happy and healthy. We are literally sucking the happiness out of teens "to get them into a great college." Just stop

Thank you - Im the original poster and am grateful for your post. Im not disappointed in the slightest. DC is well adjusted and happy and thats what matters the most. Again, thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, everyone should calm down. If you think the question is dumb, ignore it. So, I had a DC at a "Big3" with stats similar to those you describe. DC attends an Ivy. Your child has very high test scores. Was DC a NMSF? People here like to say its meaningless but I really don't think it is, because it suggests that test prep played less of a role. Is your DC taking the hardest courses he or she can take? That makes a difference. I think at our school kids with those stats have a lot of good options, but the Ivies are always considered a reach. We got lucky. The reason counsellors seem all over the map is that they want people to fall in love with realistic schools. I also think they bend over backwards not to suggest that anything is a sure thing among the more selective schools. My DC was urged to look at schools like Rochester, RIT, Hamilton, Colgate, Oberlin, Purdue, Wisconsin and Skidmore but was not told that schools like Michigan, Tufts, Wesleyan, Swarthmore, Haverford or certain Ivies were out of the question. So yes, a little all over the place. But even that list reflects interests of my DC that might not apply to yours. Your DC will have a lot of great options, and despite what you hear on this Board, I think most college counsellors at these privates doa good job and know what they are talking about.

For those who say that no Big 3 gives parents Naviance, perhaps that is true, I don't know. But my understanding is that even schools who don't give parents unfettered access to Naviance will allow parents to meet with the counselor and loof at specific college data. I have done that with respect to a different DC.

Very helpful. Thank you. Singed OP

[Anonymous]

I thought just about every school provided access to Naviance. I know NCS does. What schools are NOT willing to let their students see Naviance?

[Anonymous]

DC with similar stats from a Big 3 got into Notre Dame, Georgetown, Michigan, UVA and UNC Chapel Hill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought just about every school provided access to Naviance. I know NCS does. What schools are NOT willing to let their students see Naviance?

At very small schools it is really tough to gauge. You are talking only looking at 80 seniors over 2-3 years. That is it. Many schools my DD applied to only 4-5 kids applied over those years. And then you have colleges like Michigan, Cornell where they have multiple schools and varying degree of difficulties for acceptance. They don't show that on Naviance. So a hotel/hospitality acceptance at Cornell is NOT the same as an engineering acceptance. Then you have to consider hooks like sports, URM, legacy, and $$$. None of which show up on Naviance.

So, no - you can not rely on it at all. Each year it gets harder too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone on College Confidential posted this yesterday:

This is what I did:
I have a 3.5 weighted. which is approx 2.9-3.1 UW(my school doesn't give UW GPA), and a 35 ACT
I got into: UMich+Bates College(top choice via ed)
advice:
a.) Have other parts of your application that really shines-- and start your essay rly early to show that.
b.) do well on ur ap exams
c.) apply to a wide range of schools---don't hang on one tree

And the OP's son has a 3.65 UNWEIGHTED at a top private school.


And honestly, why aren't high schools giving out unweighted grades? What a scam. My DC's school gives out literal number grades and does not weigh the for AP. So an 89 on an AP is reported as 89 out of a 100 on the transcript sent to colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone on College Confidential posted this yesterday:

This is what I did:
I have a 3.5 weighted. which is approx 2.9-3.1 UW(my school doesn't give UW GPA), and a 35 ACT
I got into: UMich+Bates College(top choice via ed)
advice:
a.) Have other parts of your application that really shines-- and start your essay rly early to show that.
b.) do well on ur ap exams
c.) apply to a wide range of schools---don't hang on one tree

And the OP's son has a 3.65 UNWEIGHTED at a top private school.


And honestly, why aren't high schools giving out unweighted grades? What a scam. My DC's school gives out literal number grades and does not weigh the for AP. So an 89 on an AP is reported as 89 out of a 100 on the transcript sent to colleges.

Wow. Your school is really screwing things up for its graduates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC with similar stats from a Big 3 got into Notre Dame, Georgetown, Michigan, UVA and UNC Chapel Hill.

Thank you so much. This is what I was thinking / hoping for...

[Anonymous]

SCEA Georgetown version?
And EA on those publics?