do you think GPA is a "threshold" thing like test scores?

[Anonymous]

Listened to today's Admissions Beat:

The transcript is the most important (lead role). Scores are really not.....


“I can tell you, Lee, that in our admissions committee, we still have five person admissions committees that meet every day all winter to vote to admit students to Yale or not. It's why I have not been able to lose weight for decades because I sit in a room weeks at a time looking at applications. It's also my favorite part of the job.

I mean, what an honor to be able to read these incredible stories from these talented young people around the country and around the world. But in the admissions committee room, we will often pull up the transcript for the five-person committee to look at and to examine to help us understand the story of a student's journey. We'll never look at the testing beyond just the preliminary glance at the start of the application file because I've never been in the committee room where someone said, oh my God, that collection of SAT scores is so compelling.

I want to vote to admit this to students. That's just not how it works.

Same. I think people are surprised by that. Emily, you're starting to laugh.”

From Admissions Beat: Data Dive into the Transcript and Testing, Oct 14, 2025

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get the issue with taking an unweighted class, and AOs can see that too.

They can't see that there may be two Calc BC sections in a large rigorous HS and one teacher grades completely differently than the other - nor will it show up on a grade distribution chart.

GPA is an issue, but I dont think AOs have cracked it. They do lean into that and rankings more than they should IMO.

This. No matter what class, different teachers grade differently. My DC in English Honors was a B+/A- student in 2 years. So far in AP Language he's got an A (school doesn't do A +, otherwise he would be that). He's a great, bright kid, but he's not an A+ English student....its the grading by that teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Listened to today's Admissions Beat:

The transcript is the most important (lead role). Scores are really not.....


“I can tell you, Lee, that in our admissions committee, we still have five person admissions committees that meet every day all winter to vote to admit students to Yale or not. It's why I have not been able to lose weight for decades because I sit in a room weeks at a time looking at applications. It's also my favorite part of the job.

I mean, what an honor to be able to read these incredible stories from these talented young people around the country and around the world. But in the admissions committee room, we will often pull up the transcript for the five-person committee to look at and to examine to help us understand the story of a student's journey. We'll never look at the testing beyond just the preliminary glance at the start of the application file because I've never been in the committee room where someone said, oh my God, that collection of SAT scores is so compelling.

I want to vote to admit this to students. That's just not how it works.

Same. I think people are surprised by that. Emily, you're starting to laugh.”

From Admissions Beat: Data Dive into the Transcript and Testing, Oct 14, 2025

Reading this excerpt, my understanding is that they appear to say they are looking at the transcript as a story. They look at the rigor, the course load, the selection of courses fitting the declared major. Not just the GPA as a number.

But I don't believe what they said here. From our private, ivies don't care about the rigor of the courses at all. They care about GPA as a number a lot more. Kids taking 2 advanced courses vs 10 make no difference. Multivariable Calculus doesn't move the needle.

Certain schools outside ivies may practice reading transcript as a story, e.g., rigor. But not ivies at our private. GPA as a number is THE most important thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listened to today's Admissions Beat:

The transcript is the most important (lead role). Scores are really not.....


“I can tell you, Lee, that in our admissions committee, we still have five person admissions committees that meet every day all winter to vote to admit students to Yale or not. It's why I have not been able to lose weight for decades because I sit in a room weeks at a time looking at applications. It's also my favorite part of the job.

I mean, what an honor to be able to read these incredible stories from these talented young people around the country and around the world. But in the admissions committee room, we will often pull up the transcript for the five-person committee to look at and to examine to help us understand the story of a student's journey. We'll never look at the testing beyond just the preliminary glance at the start of the application file because I've never been in the committee room where someone said, oh my God, that collection of SAT scores is so compelling.

I want to vote to admit this to students. That's just not how it works.

Same. I think people are surprised by that. Emily, you're starting to laugh.”

From Admissions Beat: Data Dive into the Transcript and Testing, Oct 14, 2025

Reading this excerpt, my understanding is that they appear to say they are looking at the transcript as a story. They look at the rigor, the course load, the selection of courses fitting the declared major. Not just the GPA as a number.

But I don't believe what they said here. From our private, ivies don't care about the rigor of the courses at all. They care about GPA as a number a lot more. Kids taking 2 advanced courses vs 10 make no difference. Multivariable Calculus doesn't move the needle.

Certain schools outside ivies may practice reading transcript as a story, e.g., rigor. But not ivies at our private. GPA as a number is THE most important thing.

Perhaps that's the rule at your HS? Are you a feeder (25-40% admitted to T20)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our private school, it appears rigor is not as important as the number. 3.8 no matter what rigor has a chance at various T20s. Below 3.8, the chance drops a lot even if you've taken the most rigorous.

SAT is a threshold, once you are over 1500, no one is questioning your academics.

So at this specific school, both test score and GPA serve as thresholds.

Sure they are: if you have a 1550 SAT and a 3.5UW from a public HS, they wonder what happened.

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand how a transcript is supposed be compelling or even revealing. My kid took the required courses. For math and language, she continued the tracks she was put on in 6th grade. She was allowed one elective per year and she took the one that fit into her schedule. She got As in everything. What’s the story supposed to be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listened to today's Admissions Beat:

The transcript is the most important (lead role). Scores are really not.....


“I can tell you, Lee, that in our admissions committee, we still have five person admissions committees that meet every day all winter to vote to admit students to Yale or not. It's why I have not been able to lose weight for decades because I sit in a room weeks at a time looking at applications. It's also my favorite part of the job.

I mean, what an honor to be able to read these incredible stories from these talented young people around the country and around the world. But in the admissions committee room, we will often pull up the transcript for the five-person committee to look at and to examine to help us understand the story of a student's journey. We'll never look at the testing beyond just the preliminary glance at the start of the application file because I've never been in the committee room where someone said, oh my God, that collection of SAT scores is so compelling.

I want to vote to admit this to students. That's just not how it works.

Same. I think people are surprised by that. Emily, you're starting to laugh.”

From Admissions Beat: Data Dive into the Transcript and Testing, Oct 14, 2025

Reading this excerpt, my understanding is that they appear to say they are looking at the transcript as a story. They look at the rigor, the course load, the selection of courses fitting the declared major. Not just the GPA as a number.

But I don't believe what they said here. From our private, ivies don't care about the rigor of the courses at all. They care about GPA as a number a lot more. Kids taking 2 advanced courses vs 10 make no difference. Multivariable Calculus doesn't move the needle.

Certain schools outside ivies may practice reading transcript as a story, e.g., rigor. But not ivies at our private. GPA as a number is THE most important thing.

Perhaps that's the rule at your HS? Are you a feeder (25-40% admitted to T20)?

Yes, this may be just a private school thing (or may not be). But they AOs present it as if this is generally applicable.
There are a few others on this board saying GPA as a number is the most important thing, so it's not uncommon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand how a transcript is supposed be compelling or even revealing. My kid took the required courses. For math and language, she continued the tracks she was put on in 6th grade. She was allowed one elective per year and she took the one that fit into her schedule. She got As in everything. What’s the story supposed to be?

Well, if her application is using the same type of words you're using, the words that stick out are required. track, fit into the schedule. It gives the impression that the student is along for the ride. I would encourage her to change up the language to highlight her enthusiasm or excitement about certain courses or academic offerings that are important to her.

[Anonymous]

Yes, some schools have a minimum GPA below which they will not consider the application.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our private school, it appears rigor is not as important as the number. 3.8 no matter what rigor has a chance at various T20s. Below 3.8, the chance drops a lot even if you've taken the most rigorous.

SAT is a threshold, once you are over 1500, no one is questioning your academics.

So at this specific school, both test score and GPA serve as thresholds.

Sure they are: if you have a 1550 SAT and a 3.5UW from a public HS, they wonder what happened.

The observation is that no 3.75 kids getting in at ivies while 3.82 with 2 rigor gets in. Not a gradient all the way to 3.5. 10 rigor doesn't help, high test score doesn't help. Aka there is a sharp GPA threshold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand how a transcript is supposed be compelling or even revealing. My kid took the required courses. For math and language, she continued the tracks she was put on in 6th grade. She was allowed one elective per year and she took the one that fit into her schedule. She got As in everything. What’s the story supposed to be?

Mine took strategic electives in the area of major interest. Didn't take the highest level science and math every year, but did not take any study halls/free periods ever in order to take at least 1-2 electives junior year and 2 electives senior year. All electives in humanities.
Now at T10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand how a transcript is supposed be compelling or even revealing. My kid took the required courses. For math and language, she continued the tracks she was put on in 6th grade. She was allowed one elective per year and she took the one that fit into her schedule. She got As in everything. What’s the story supposed to be?

Maybe she did well well in everything and her academic interest is shown in her summer activities or her extracurriculars? What is her major?

[Anonymous]

If I could say one thing back to the AOs it would be this:

How present is the idea that those transcripts also tell a flawed story. They dont tell you that Bob got the Algebra 2 teacher who doesn't give As and Stacy got the one that allows unlimited corrections. Or that Bob is taking German, from a teacher who thinks a 92 is a B- and Stacy is taking French from the teacher who likes the pretty girls.

Even in the SAME SCHOOL, transcripts are misleading. We all went to HS. We all know this.

[Anonymous]

or that there are native Spanish speakers in Spanish, busting the curve. Or that some kids didn't take Alg 1 in 8th grade so that B in Alg 2 that hurt their GPA is damn impressive. And that 800 on the math section of the SAT probably is a more current reflection than what happened 3 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:or that there are native Spanish speakers in Spanish, busting the curve. Or that some kids didn't take Alg 1 in 8th grade so that B in Alg 2 that hurt their GPA is damn impressive. And that 800 on the math section of the SAT probably is a more current reflection than what happened 3 years ago.

you can tell that story. or don't major in math, but something else....
i mean this is about being strategic.