Sidwell Junior - GPA concerns

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 11th grader has a 3.0, so a 3.7 seems amazing to me!

Interesting that no one seems to know where the modal GPA even is at Sidwell. Neither students nor parents.

Same at GDS. How would you know if the school doesn't provide the information? I've never talked about grades with another parent, and my kids seem similarly in the dark. That's the way the school wants it. I think it's a good idea to deemphasize competition, but it does introduce yet another large element of uncertainty into the college process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you are a Sidwell parent. If you were, you would know that a 3.7 at sidwell is really high, to a rare degree.

OP here. Genuinely confused with the 3.7: The courses/grading is so tough that I feel a 3.7 should be VERY good, putting DC in the top quarter of the class or higher. However, DC tells me that her impression is that a significant number of kids claim to have 4.0 or close to 4.0 GPAs by this stage. Is this possible? Don't know what to make of it and the school clearly gives no guidance on class rank.

OP I have a SFS senior.

It doesn't matter where your DC ranks in the class. A 3.7 at Sidwell is very good - but you know that. Yes, there are probably kids with higher, but so what. It doesn't matter. Focus on your own kid - she will have a lot of options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you are a Sidwell parent. If you were, you would know that a 3.7 at sidwell is really high, to a rare degree.

This.

Total troll post. Your kid is too 20 if not too 10 in the class with a summa cum laude GPA.

Sidwell gives Latin honors?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 11th grader has a 3.0, so a 3.7 seems amazing to me!

Interesting that no one seems to know where the modal GPA even is at Sidwell. Neither students nor parents.

Same at GDS. How would you know if the school doesn't provide the information? I've never talked about grades with another parent, and my kids seem similarly in the dark. That's the way the school wants it. I think it's a good idea to deemphasize competition, but it does introduce yet another large element of uncertainty into the college process.

Agree with PP. It doesn't matter where your kid ranks. You are harking back to your own high school days 35 years ago. Class rank is not important now. If they have good grades, you'll be in better shape than someone without high grades. It's enough to leave it at that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you are a Sidwell parent. If you were, you would know that a 3.7 at sidwell is really high, to a rare degree.

OP here. Genuinely confused with the 3.7: The courses/grading is so tough that I feel a 3.7 should be VERY good, putting DC in the top quarter of the class or higher. However, DC tells me that her impression is that a significant number of kids claim to have 4.0 or close to 4.0 GPAs by this stage. Is this possible? Don't know what to make of it and the school clearly gives no guidance on class rank.

What is "a significant number"? 10, 20?

OP again. Sorry, should have been clearer. Significant: approximately 15 kids. Strikes me as a bit high, but no way to tell.

15 kids (12%) in a class have 4.0 or close to 4.0 GPAs? It does not seem any big3 privates would have that number of students with high GPAs. Any Sidwell teachers here?

NCS parent. My DD graduated recently. My understanding is that each year 0-2 girls will have a 4.0 at graduation. Getting a 3.8 will usually give you options like Stanford, Ivies, UCLA, Northwestern, etc. I assume Sidwell is similar. I would be shocked if 15 kids have a 4.0.

[Anonymous]

How many kids in the graduating class have 3.9+ GPA at Sidwell?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 11th grader has a 3.0, so a 3.7 seems amazing to me!

Interesting that no one seems to know where the modal GPA even is at Sidwell. Neither students nor parents.

Same at GDS. How would you know if the school doesn't provide the information? I've never talked about grades with another parent, and my kids seem similarly in the dark. That's the way the school wants it. I think it's a good idea to deemphasize competition, but it does introduce yet another large element of uncertainty into the college process.

Agree with PP. It doesn't matter where your kid ranks. You are harking back to your own high school days 35 years ago. Class rank is not important now. If they have good grades, you'll be in better shape than someone without high grades. It's enough to leave it at that.

But a lot of colleges indicate class rank as “very important” on CDS - Brown, for example. I have also sat through multiple college night presentations where presenters have noted that colleges judge you against peers at your school as opposed to students from a different school with different offerings. I understand that official class rank is not used but certainly colleges will consider a kid’s GPA in the context of grades and rigor of peers applying to same school, even if just the context provided in the “school report.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are right to be concerned.

This year's senior class is a cautionary tale. The school's rampant grade deflation is a huge problem. You may think a 3.7 is "sidwell good," but no college cares. Top colleges need to see a 3.9. When colleges get 50k applications, do you really think they care that sidwell grades tough? Nope.

The kids with sky high GPAs did great this year. the 3.7's not so much.

This is patently false. The school profile that goes with the Guidance Office recommendation provides a full curriculum assessment and places the applicant in context of the current and past year standing. The Admissions officers (and regional officers for the bigger schools) understand this context, and will place the grades and grade point in the proper context as it weigh applicants from a variety of background. The deflation doesn't matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people are looking at these admits and seeing different things, Someone sees a kid at Northwestern who was rejected at their top choice as a negative where I amazed they got into Northwestern. Others see only 1-2 admits to each Ivy (many of whom will play sports) and can’t believe how “poorly” they have done where I can’t believe a single graduating class gets that many kids into Ivies. Or someone has a choice between Cornell and UVA and is angry bc they had 5 other rejections where I see a kid who can only go to 1 school so having two top 30 choices is an embarrassment of riches.

Agree with this 100%.

Someone posted upthread that the only acceptable schools were the Ivys, MIT, Caltech, Stanford, Hopkins, Chicago and maybe Northwestern (I can't remember if Northwestern was included on their list).
THIS IS INSANITY.
Where do parents get this incredibly skewed perspective? Somehow they think that their kid deserves this college trajectory simply because they graduated from Sidwell?
I have two kids there (earlier high school grades) who came from public. They're doing really well (no Bs so far). They have some very bright classmates. But many of their classmates are just average smart.
They do fine. They study some. They blow off other assignments. They're not geniuses and they're not academic whizzes. But yet their parents clearly believe they are worthy of an Ivy admit. This
is evident by the fact that something like 15 of the kids ED'd (all unsuccessfully) to Brown. Now, this was not the top 15 kids in the senior class. There were plenty of kids that truly believed that their
Sidwell education (no matter their grades) entitled them to a spot at Brown. It's really warped thinking. Spend a day in public school where you have to be perfect to even consider these options.
A Sidwell degree is not some birthright that entitles you to a top 10 ten college spot although many parents seem to honestly believe this.

Signed,
A Sidwell parent that would be quite happy with Colby or Vanderbilt or Dickinson or Wake or any top 75 school. Because you know what? My kid will certainly do well at any of these schools. AND the odds of attending
a decent school are far more secure coming from Sidwell than it would have been from public. You just have to graduate from Sidwell to all but guarantee a top 75 placement. In public, you have to be essentially perfect
for 4 years plus hope the odds go in your favor.

No one is saying their kid is entitled to a spot. Just because 15 kids applied to Brown means 15 kids thought they had a decent shot for whatever reason. The school cannot tell someone not to apply somewhere ED so it is what it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you are a Sidwell parent. If you were, you would know that a 3.7 at sidwell is really high, to a rare degree.

OP here. Genuinely confused with the 3.7: The courses/grading is so tough that I feel a 3.7 should be VERY good, putting DC in the top quarter of the class or higher. However, DC tells me that her impression is that a significant number of kids claim to have 4.0 or close to 4.0 GPAs by this stage. Is this possible? Don't know what to make of it and the school clearly gives no guidance on class rank.

What is "a significant number"? 10, 20?

OP again. Sorry, should have been clearer. Significant: approximately 15 kids. Strikes me as a bit high, but no way to tell.

There is no way there are 15 kids in a graduating class from Sidwell with a perfect 4.0. Maybe 1-3 per year at best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you are a Sidwell parent. If you were, you would know that a 3.7 at sidwell is really high, to a rare degree.

OP here. Genuinely confused with the 3.7: The courses/grading is so tough that I feel a 3.7 should be VERY good, putting DC in the top quarter of the class or higher. However, DC tells me that her impression is that a significant number of kids claim to have 4.0 or close to 4.0 GPAs by this stage. Is this possible? Don't know what to make of it and the school clearly gives no guidance on class rank.

What is "a significant number"? 10, 20?

OP again. Sorry, should have been clearer. Significant: approximately 15 kids. Strikes me as a bit high, but no way to tell.

15 kids (12%) in a class have 4.0 or close to 4.0 GPAs? It does not seem any big3 privates would have that number of students with high GPAs. Any Sidwell teachers here?

NCS parent. My DD graduated recently. My understanding is that each year 0-2 girls will have a 4.0 at graduation. Getting a 3.8 will usually give you options like Stanford, Ivies, UCLA, Northwestern, etc. I assume Sidwell is similar. I would be shocked if 15 kids have a 4.0.

Until 2020, yes this was the case. With test optional and the various sea changes in priorities that have taken place over the past two years, no longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you are a Sidwell parent. If you were, you would know that a 3.7 at sidwell is really high, to a rare degree.

OP here. Genuinely confused with the 3.7: The courses/grading is so tough that I feel a 3.7 should be VERY good, putting DC in the top quarter of the class or higher. However, DC tells me that her impression is that a significant number of kids claim to have 4.0 or close to 4.0 GPAs by this stage. Is this possible? Don't know what to make of it and the school clearly gives no guidance on class rank.

What is "a significant number"? 10, 20?

OP again. Sorry, should have been clearer. Significant: approximately 15 kids. Strikes me as a bit high, but no way to tell.

There is no way there are 15 kids in a graduating class from Sidwell with a perfect 4.0. Maybe 1-3 per year at best.

I've found that a lot of kids and families at these schools tend to round up on the rare occasion that grades are talked about.
I'm guilty of this. My Big3 kid has had A- grades and I'm guilty of saying that he/she "got straight As".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are right to be concerned.

This year's senior class is a cautionary tale. The school's rampant grade deflation is a huge problem. You may think a 3.7 is "sidwell good," but no college cares. Top colleges need to see a 3.9. When colleges get 50k applications, do you really think they care that sidwell grades tough? Nope.

The kids with sky high GPAs did great this year. the 3.7's not so much.

This is patently false. The school profile that goes with the Guidance Office recommendation provides a full curriculum assessment and places the applicant in context of the current and past year standing. The Admissions officers (and regional officers for the bigger schools) understand this context, and will place the grades and grade point in the proper context as it weigh applicants from a variety of background. The deflation doesn't matter.

Does the profile provide ranges for GPAs? Our school's does not. It does provide summary SAT/ACT/AP info and a list of all classes offered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you are a Sidwell parent. If you were, you would know that a 3.7 at sidwell is really high, to a rare degree.

OP here. Genuinely confused with the 3.7: The courses/grading is so tough that I feel a 3.7 should be VERY good, putting DC in the top quarter of the class or higher. However, DC tells me that her impression is that a significant number of kids claim to have 4.0 or close to 4.0 GPAs by this stage. Is this possible? Don't know what to make of it and the school clearly gives no guidance on class rank.

What is "a significant number"? 10, 20?

OP again. Sorry, should have been clearer. Significant: approximately 15 kids. Strikes me as a bit high, but no way to tell.

15 kids (12%) in a class have 4.0 or close to 4.0 GPAs? It does not seem any big3 privates would have that number of students with high GPAs. Any Sidwell teachers here?

NCS parent. My DD graduated recently. My understanding is that each year 0-2 girls will have a 4.0 at graduation. Getting a 3.8 will usually give you options like Stanford, Ivies, UCLA, Northwestern, etc. I assume Sidwell is similar. I would be shocked if 15 kids have a 4.0.

Until 2020, yes this was the case. With test optional and the various sea changes in priorities that have taken place over the past two years, no longer.

What do you mean? So now there are approximately 15 kids in Sidwell have "4.0 or close to 4.0 GPAs" in the senior class 2022?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are right to be concerned.

This year's senior class is a cautionary tale. The school's rampant grade deflation is a huge problem. You may think a 3.7 is "sidwell good," but no college cares. Top colleges need to see a 3.9. When colleges get 50k applications, do you really think they care that sidwell grades tough? Nope.

The kids with sky high GPAs did great this year. the 3.7's not so much.

This is patently false. The school profile that goes with the Guidance Office recommendation provides a full curriculum assessment and places the applicant in context of the current and past year standing. The Admissions officers (and regional officers for the bigger schools) understand this context, and will place the grades and grade point in the proper context as it weigh applicants from a variety of background. The deflation doesn't matter.

Does the profile provide ranges for GPAs? Our school's does not. It does provide summary SAT/ACT/AP info and a list of all classes offered.

Sidwell does not make its profile available to anyone, so no one can answer that question. It's another aspect of their total lack of transparency.