is grade deflation really hurting college admissions this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NCS has a brand of being intellectually rigorous. Easy As would ruin the brand.
Nothing wrong with picking an easier school for your daughter.
Maret, Burke, St. Andrews, Holton, etc., all do very well with college admissions

It's admissions results this year are FAR worse than those posted by Maret, Burke, St. Andrews, and Holton (and Landon and even Field)---none of which have grade deflation to the degree that NCS does.
So it's brand of "intellectual rigor" is not working with college admissions. It's not working at the elite schools and (this year) it's not working at the schools ranked from 50-150 (girls are getting denied left and right).
What is NCS going to do in May when it has a whole bunch of girls who can write a perfect essay, can critique any piece of literature with ease but are shut out of colleges?

But it’s just a hypothesis that it’s rigorous grading that hurting admissions. Perhaps other aspects of NCS aren’t considered favorable these days.

well the girls are doing worse than those at Holton and Madeira and Stone Ridge and Visitation and none of them have the grade deflation that NCS has.
If you do the work at Stone Ridge or Visitation it's quite possible to get straight As. At NCS (in some classes) you can do the work well, stand on your head, wave your magic wand and still get a 89%
because the teacher is only granting one A in the class.

[Anonymous]

Is cum laude strictly gpa? My daughter (lower class man) seems to think it can be more "subjective”

Not “subjective” in that it IS based on GPA. But somewhat subjective as GPA used is not the same one colleges see on the HS transcript nor the one used to determine Flag Winner/Valedictorian.

Flag/Valedictorian = Highest GPA for courses taken at NCS/STA during Junior and Senior year
Cum Laude = Highest 20% GPA for courses taken at NCS/STA and some off campus courses during Sophomore and Junior year and 1st semester Senior year
GPA on transcript used for College Applications = GPA for courses taken at NCS/STA during Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior year. Senior year 1st quarter grades are provided. 1st and 2nd semester senior grades are sent at end of each term around late Jan and early June.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Is cum laude strictly gpa? My daughter (lower class man) seems to think it can be more "subjective”

Not “subjective” in that it IS based on GPA. But somewhat subjective as GPA used is not the same one colleges see on the HS transcript nor the one used to determine Flag Winner/Valedictorian.

Flag/Valedictorian = Highest GPA for courses taken at NCS/STA during Junior and Senior year
Cum Laude = Highest 20% GPA for courses taken at NCS/STA and some off campus courses during Sophomore and Junior year and 1st semester Senior year
GPA on transcript used for College Applications = GPA for courses taken at NCS/STA during Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior year. Senior year 1st quarter grades are provided. 1st and 2nd semester senior grades are sent at end of each term around late Jan and early June.

Does it take into account course rigor? In my daughter's grade there are girls in 7 different levels of math. (Each representing a step up in difficulty and the higher you get, the scarcer the As)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Is cum laude strictly gpa? My daughter (lower class man) seems to think it can be more "subjective”

Not “subjective” in that it IS based on GPA. But somewhat subjective as GPA used is not the same one colleges see on the HS transcript nor the one used to determine Flag Winner/Valedictorian.

Flag/Valedictorian = Highest GPA for courses taken at NCS/STA during Junior and Senior year
Cum Laude = Highest 20% GPA for courses taken at NCS/STA and some off campus courses during Sophomore and Junior year and 1st semester Senior year
GPA on transcript used for College Applications = GPA for courses taken at NCS/STA during Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior year. Senior year 1st quarter grades are provided. 1st and 2nd semester senior grades are sent at end of each term around late Jan and early June.

Does it take into account course rigor? In my daughter's grade there are girls in 7 different levels of math. (Each representing a step up in difficulty and the higher you get, the scarcer the As)

So the dumbest kids get more As in math than the smartest? That system makes sense to you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NCS has a brand of being intellectually rigorous. Easy As would ruin the brand.
Nothing wrong with picking an easier school for your daughter.
Maret, Burke, St. Andrews, Holton, etc., all do very well with college admissions

It's admissions results this year are FAR worse than those posted by Maret, Burke, St. Andrews, and Holton (and Landon and even Field)---none of which have grade deflation to the degree that NCS does.
So it's brand of "intellectual rigor" is not working with college admissions. It's not working at the elite schools and (this year) it's not working at the schools ranked from 50-150 (girls are getting denied left and right).
What is NCS going to do in May when it has a whole bunch of girls who can write a perfect essay, can critique any piece of literature with ease but are shut out of colleges?

I think you should calm down a little. By the time regular decision results come out, NCS will be up there in successful college admissions.
NCS girls probably reach for the stars in the ED/EA cycle which is why they have more rejections early on than Stoneridge, Holton, etc. It will all even out by April and you might even be back gushing about the strong college results from NCS.
And be prepared for your college freshman to exclaim that college classes are a cakewalk compared to NCS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are we at a point where we need to seriously consider whether NCS deserves to be Big 3? Maybe it’s time for it to drop a few rungs and make way for the schools that are rising in prestige. Maybe replace it with Basis McLean?

Absolutely. You should get right on that. Please compile a ranking in prestige from 1-20 and present it to the forum so it can be fully debated and voted.

Mkay, how’s this:

1 Sidwell
2 BIM
3 STA
4 GDS
5 Holton
6 NCS
7 Maret
8 St Anselms
9 Georgetown Prep
10 Potomac School
11 Madeira
12 WIS
13 Landon
14 Episcopal
15 SAES
16 Stone Ridge
17 Bullis
18 Visi
19 Gonzaga
20 St John’s

What’s BIM?

Yes, what is BIM???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don’t regret sending our daughters to NCS even though I don’t love the lopsided relationship with St. Albans.
I also think St. Albans has the better campus which makes NCS somehow feel secondary to St. Albans even though the NCS girls could run circles around the St. Albans boys.

I think everyone should remember that getting into a top college is more about perceived prestige rather than conferring any real advantages

Funny that the colleges don’t agree with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NCS has a brand of being intellectually rigorous. Easy As would ruin the brand.
Nothing wrong with picking an easier school for your daughter.
Maret, Burke, St. Andrews, Holton, etc., all do very well with college admissions

It's admissions results this year are FAR worse than those posted by Maret, Burke, St. Andrews, and Holton (and Landon and even Field)---none of which have grade deflation to the degree that NCS does.
So it's brand of "intellectual rigor" is not working with college admissions. It's not working at the elite schools and (this year) it's not working at the schools ranked from 50-150 (girls are getting denied left and right).
What is NCS going to do in May when it has a whole bunch of girls who can write a perfect essay, can critique any piece of literature with ease but are shut out of colleges?

But it’s just a hypothesis that it’s rigorous grading that hurting admissions. Perhaps other aspects of NCS aren’t considered favorable these days.

well the girls are doing worse than those at Holton and Madeira and Stone Ridge and Visitation and none of them have the grade deflation that NCS has.
If you do the work at Stone Ridge or Visitation it's quite possible to get straight As. At NCS (in some classes) you can do the work well, stand on your head, wave your magic wand and still get a 89%
because the teacher is only granting one A in the class.

And you know the teacher "gives" only one A how? You sound unhinged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t regret sending our daughters to NCS even though I don’t love the lopsided relationship with St. Albans.
I also think St. Albans has the better campus which makes NCS somehow feel secondary to St. Albans even though the NCS girls could run circles around the St. Albans boys.

I think everyone should remember that getting into a top college is more about perceived prestige rather than conferring any real advantages

Funny that the colleges don’t agree with you.

That’s a gender thing, not a school thing. Be smarter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are we at a point where we need to seriously consider whether NCS deserves to be Big 3? Maybe it’s time for it to drop a few rungs and make way for the schools that are rising in prestige. Maybe replace it with Basis McLean?

Absolutely. You should get right on that. Please compile a ranking in prestige from 1-20 and present it to the forum so it can be fully debated and voted.

Mkay, how’s this:

1 Sidwell
2 BIM
3 STA
4 GDS
5 Holton
6 NCS
7 Maret
8 St Anselms
9 Georgetown Prep
10 Potomac School
11 Madeira
12 WIS
13 Landon
14 Episcopal
15 SAES
16 Stone Ridge
17 Bullis
18 Visi
19 Gonzaga
20 St John’s

What’s BIM?

Yes, what is BIM???

BASIS McLean.

Niche rated it the #1 private school in Virginia.

https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-private-high-schools/s/virginia/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t regret sending our daughters to NCS even though I don’t love the lopsided relationship with St. Albans.
I also think St. Albans has the better campus which makes NCS somehow feel secondary to St. Albans even though the NCS girls could run circles around the St. Albans boys.

I think everyone should remember that getting into a top college is more about perceived prestige rather than conferring any real advantages

Funny that the colleges don’t agree with you.

That’s a gender thing, not a school thing. Be smarter.

That’s just a pathetic excuse. Be real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are we at a point where we need to seriously consider whether NCS deserves to be Big 3? Maybe it’s time for it to drop a few rungs and make way for the schools that are rising in prestige. Maybe replace it with Basis McLean?

Absolutely. You should get right on that. Please compile a ranking in prestige from 1-20 and present it to the forum so it can be fully debated and voted.

Mkay, how’s this:

1 Sidwell
2 BIM
3 STA
4 GDS
5 Holton
6 NCS
7 Maret
8 St Anselms
9 Georgetown Prep
10 Potomac School
11 Madeira
12 WIS
13 Landon
14 Episcopal
15 SAES
16 Stone Ridge
17 Bullis
18 Visi
19 Gonzaga
20 St John’s

What’s BIM?

Yes, what is BIM???

BASIS McLean.

Niche rated it the #1 private school in Virginia.

https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-private-high-schools/s/virginia/

What’s niche?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NCS has a brand of being intellectually rigorous. Easy As would ruin the brand.
Nothing wrong with picking an easier school for your daughter.
Maret, Burke, St. Andrews, Holton, etc., all do very well with college admissions

It's admissions results this year are FAR worse than those posted by Maret, Burke, St. Andrews, and Holton (and Landon and even Field)---none of which have grade deflation to the degree that NCS does.
So it's brand of "intellectual rigor" is not working with college admissions. It's not working at the elite schools and (this year) it's not working at the schools ranked from 50-150 (girls are getting denied left and right).
What is NCS going to do in May when it has a whole bunch of girls who can write a perfect essay, can critique any piece of literature with ease but are shut out of colleges?

Don’t forget that quite a few of the admits at the other schools are recruited athletes..

[Anonymous]

Last year nsc parents bragged about how great their ivy results were - then someone pointed out only one of the 12 had no hook. So maybe the difference is this year there are simply fewer legacies, athletic recruits etc. Looks like many of the other early admits from big three to top schools are hooked - or at least those who post are. If that’s how the system works save a few very top kids then it’s going to vary by class depending on where legacies fall etc

[Anonymous]

NCS girls are well prepared to achieve success.
SLACs love NCS students. It is silly to get fixated on the ivy’s.
My daughter went to Colby after NCS and had a great experience