Where are your kids Getting in?
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Anonymous
They are not using GPA to compare between schools. See WaPo look inside UMD admissions 2017. They group applications by school and compare within a school. They are well aware of the grading procedures for each school. I don't think this explains any anomalies that you are seeing. |
Anonymous
+1 https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/thirty-thousand-applicants-one-flagship-inside-admissions-at-u-md/2017/12/26/635026ba-dc41-11e7-a841-2066faf731ef_story.html?utm_term=.2d867103fbfa "People believe it's really formulaic," said Shannon R. Gundy, U-Md.'s director of undergraduate admissions. "That's just not true." Rising demand from out-of-state students, foreign and domestic, drives much of the growth. Universities often seek out those students because they pay higher tuition, offsetting erosion in state funding for higher education. But in-state students also are drawn to public schools that offer a prestigious degree at a substantial discount. Those from upper-income households who qualify for little or no financial aid at private colleges often find tuition at their state flagship is a relative bargain, saving as much as $40,000 a year. Ballinger said it would be cheaper and more efficient to screen applicants primarily on grade-point averages and test scores — which was, in fact, standard practice at UW until 2006. But he said a by-the-numbers approach would be "totally destructive." To illustrate the point, he posed a rhetorical question: Which applicant is stronger, a student with a 3.8 grade-point average or one with a 3.5? "Most people will say it depends," Ballinger said. "And that's exactly right." How are applicants judged? The university lists on its website 26 factors it considers, including grades in academic subjects, SAT or ACT scores, community involvement, extracurricular activities, residency status, gender, race and ethnicity. The university says these factors are "flexibly applied," but the most important are course rigor, student performance, academic GPA and test scores. (U-Md. says it does not consider whether applicants have family who are alumni.) The middle half of SAT scores for those admitted to the latest fall class was 1310 to 1430, and for ACT scores it was 29 to 33. That means a quarter of admitted students scored above those ranges, and a quarter scored below. Typically, [these] readers make one of three recommendations: fall admission, spring admission or denial. A few spring admits also are wait-listed for fall. More than many selective schools, U-Md. uses spring offers to fill slots on campus that open up midyear. Nixon, associate director of undergraduate admissions, will spot-check the recommendations for consistency. The files are then grouped by high school for a second review by admissions officers familiar with those schools and regions within the state and beyond. Finally, Gundy and her senior staff review the entire recommended admission pool before releasing priority decisions by Feb. 1. She calls this stage "shaping." Among other things, she must ensure that the university does not make too many or few offers for fall and spring, and that it strikes the right balance between in-state and out-of-state students. Overall, about 70 percent of undergraduates are from Maryland. |
Anonymous
Oh good lord, why do people have such a hard time understanding this? If the colleges weren't recalculating GPAs to ensure they're comparing apples to apples - which they all do - then a school district should just change its grading system to a 6-point scale. Most kids would have a 5.0 or higher and could get in anywhere they applied! |
Anonymous
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12:42 is correct.
Re-calculation is part of the reason why the Coalition App requires students to input all of their grades themselves, in addition to submitting transcripts -- so that recalculation is somewhat simpler for the admissions offices. This ensures that an AP or honors class is weighted the same no matter where the student comes from. But there will still be a way to take into account the well-known privates and other schools that don't offer APs but whose 'regular' classes are equally rigorous. I recall reading that the Common App is also considering asking students to enter their grades starting in the 2019-20 cycle |
Anonymous
| Thank you to the PP who posted the Washington Post article. I hope the poster or posters who are so upset about MCPS grading policies feel reassured now that their children will still get a fair shake at UMD. Now can we return to the subject at hand? "where are your kids getting in?" |
Anonymous
Do you actually believe that a university that receives 40,000 applications a year bothers to go through each transcript and recalculate and compare? I would assume at least 3/4 are weeded out based on stats alone before anyone bothers looking further into an application. |
Anonymous
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This thread scares me. 15 years ago, my stats were 3.4 GPA and 1290 SAT. I got into VT, UVA, JMU and College of Charleston.
I cannot believe how hard it is on kids these days. My poor 3 year old is going to need perfect grades and SAT scores to go to my alma mater! |
Anonymous
Where did you go? |
Anonymous
Kind of surprised with the 3.4 and UVa even 15 years ago. Did you have a hook? I went to UVa in the mid-90s with high stats, and most everyone else was the same (not including hooks.) |
Anonymous
Yeah I was surprised at that too. It was my reach school. I was applying as a female into engineering programs. Maybe that contributed? I don’t know what a hook is. I ended up going to VT. It was a good fit for me (at the time I guess). |
Anonymous
If you think they look a5 26 points for every applicant, you are insane. Our school it was GPA and URM. That was it |
Anonymous
+1 Some people believe everything they read. LOL |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
So you were sitting in the room as they discussed admissions for your school? |
Anonymous
| With so many applications of course they cannot read every application thoroughly. I imagine they have a minimum SAT/ACT threshold. What the WP article states is that once you get past that first sorting hurdle they group applications by type of school. So the MCPS students are being compared to each other, not to the prep School applicants |