Above average GPA (just) and 1540 SAT at rigorous HS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

These estimates are based on a very rough idea of what the US News rankings are and me obsessing over Chance Me and admissions results posts on College Confidential for about a year.

A possible s

Continued - A possible solution, if you find these stats disappointing, and you can be full-pay for $40,000 to $60,000 per year, and your son is sane, well-organized and open to an unusual college experience, is to look at universities in Canada, the UK or Ireland, and, possibly, English-language bachelor’s programs in places like Belgium.

The disadvantage would be administrative issues, lack of U.S.-style student support and some suspense about how U.S. employers and grad schools will see the degree. The advantages are that your son might be able to get an affordable, fun, high-quality education, without a lot of admissions insanity.

So, if you see the arguments back and forth here about the University of St. Andrews, that’s way. It would probably be a pretty good fit for someone like your son, and its admissions office wouldn’t make him feel like a worm.

But Scottish people who think of it as the Scottish version of Goucher might wonder why a high-stats student would go there.

The answer would be that, for some kids, going there would be more fun and cheaper than going to Goucher, and much less hassle than trying to get into Bates.

Don't know why people bring up overseas colleges on this forum.

99% of U.S. families have absolutely no interest unless it's graduate school related. Even then, meh.

It's T50 USW&WR nationals and SLACs!

That's about it in DCUM world.

Where are you getting those stats? From under the rock you reside beneath?

You're part of the 1%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Help me understand where DS stands. GPA is 3.75 in a school where average GPA is 3.7. SAT 1540. School average of 1500.

High school very rigorous, among top 20 private high schools in the country so peer group is super strong. Zero grade inflation. But also many in peer group hooked (rich or URM, etc) so naviance not very helpful.

Upward trajectory with grades. EC are strong and somewhat unique but not nationally ranked. Does well in national debate tournaments, but that's not his main EC. No sports. Will have great essay and LOR

I think being middle of the pack school-wise knocks out top 20 schools. But does it knock out top 40?

What I'm asking is where do middle of the pack kids from Riverdale or Horace Mann go to college?

How can it be that there is “zero grade inflation” but the average grade is an A-?

At my DS’s rigorous DC private many of the class averages are in the 70s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Help me understand where DS stands. GPA is 3.75 in a school where average GPA is 3.7. SAT 1540. School average of 1500.

High school very rigorous, among top 20 private high schools in the country so peer group is super strong. Zero grade inflation. But also many in peer group hooked (rich or URM, etc) so naviance not very helpful.

Upward trajectory with grades. EC are strong and somewhat unique but not nationally ranked. Does well in national debate tournaments, but that's not his main EC. No sports. Will have great essay and LOR

I think being middle of the pack school-wise knocks out top 20 schools. But does it knock out top 40?

What I'm asking is where do middle of the pack kids from Riverdale or Horace Mann go to college?

How can it be that there is “zero grade inflation” but the average grade is an A-?

At my DS’s rigorous DC private many of the class averages are in the 70s.

OP’s school must have more academically-exclusive admissions. If grading is consistent across schools, then a school that mostly admits A students, with some B students, will have an average GPA of A-. If a school admits a broader academic range (more athletes, legacies, donors, and faculty children, for example), the average GPA will be lower.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Help me understand where DS stands. GPA is 3.75 in a school where average GPA is 3.7. SAT 1540. School average of 1500.

High school very rigorous, among top 20 private high schools in the country so peer group is super strong. Zero grade inflation. But also many in peer group hooked (rich or URM, etc) so naviance not very helpful.

Upward trajectory with grades. EC are strong and somewhat unique but not nationally ranked. Does well in national debate tournaments, but that's not his main EC. No sports. Will have great essay and LOR

I think being middle of the pack school-wise knocks out top 20 schools. But does it knock out top 40?

What I'm asking is where do middle of the pack kids from Riverdale or Horace Mann go to college?

How can it be that there is “zero grade inflation” but the average grade is an A-?

At my DS’s rigorous DC private many of the class averages are in the 70s.

The average SAT at the HS is 1500. Obv you have to be very very smart to get in.

[Anonymous]

I think UMD for cs or Physics will be just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless your kid applies ED or you have a strong connection with admissions, your kid has a very low chance of getting into any top 40 school. Maybe even top 60. This is the reality of things today. My kid had a 4.0 at Whitman with top everything and got into UMD honors and some very low ranked safety school. Rejected from Tulane after showing lots of interest but didn’t chat up Owen Knight, rejected from Brown, Penn, Vanderbilt, Wash U, Northwestern, WL at Emory, WL Wake Forest…. basically she got rejected from everywhere except UMD. Good luck people cause you’re gonna need it.

Signed,
A very jaded parent.

Wake was yield protection...has to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Help me understand where DS stands. GPA is 3.75 in a school where average GPA is 3.7. SAT 1540. School average of 1500.

High school very rigorous, among top 20 private high schools in the country so peer group is super strong. Zero grade inflation. But also many in peer group hooked (rich or URM, etc) so naviance not very helpful.

Upward trajectory with grades. EC are strong and somewhat unique but not nationally ranked. Does well in national debate tournaments, but that's not his main EC. No sports. Will have great essay and LOR

I think being middle of the pack school-wise knocks out top 20 schools. But does it knock out top 40?

What I'm asking is where do middle of the pack kids from Riverdale or Horace Mann go to college?

HM sends 40%+ to ivies alone. Middle of the pack goes to T20 for sure. If your DC's school is comparable to HM, he should have a very good chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Help me understand where DS stands. GPA is 3.75 in a school where average GPA is 3.7. SAT 1540. School average of 1500.

High school very rigorous, among top 20 private high schools in the country so peer group is super strong. Zero grade inflation. But also many in peer group hooked (rich or URM, etc) so naviance not very helpful.

Upward trajectory with grades. EC are strong and somewhat unique but not nationally ranked. Does well in national debate tournaments, but that's not his main EC. No sports. Will have great essay and LOR

I think being middle of the pack school-wise knocks out top 20 schools. But does it knock out top 40?

What I'm asking is where do middle of the pack kids from Riverdale or Horace Mann go to college?

HM sends 40%+ to ivies alone. Middle of the pack goes to T20 for sure. If your DC's school is comparable to HM, he should have a very good chance.

Completely agree. It's one of the problems with seeking advice on this board. Most of the posters just don't know or understand the NYC TT privates. These are the top schools in the country and regularly get the top 60-70% of students into top 25 schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Help me understand where DS stands. GPA is 3.75 in a school where average GPA is 3.7. SAT 1540. School average of 1500.

High school very rigorous, among top 20 private high schools in the country so peer group is super strong. Zero grade inflation. But also many in peer group hooked (rich or URM, etc) so naviance not very helpful.

Upward trajectory with grades. EC are strong and somewhat unique but not nationally ranked. Does well in national debate tournaments, but that's not his main EC. No sports. Will have great essay and LOR

I think being middle of the pack school-wise knocks out top 20 schools. But does it knock out top 40?

What I'm asking is where do middle of the pack kids from Riverdale or Horace Mann go to college?

School average gpa seems unusually high…. Normally private school averages at 3.3 or 3.0.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless your kid applies ED or you have a strong connection with admissions, your kid has a very low chance of getting into any top 40 school. Maybe even top 60. This is the reality of things today. My kid had a 4.0 at Whitman with top everything and got into UMD honors and some very low ranked safety school. Rejected from Tulane after showing lots of interest but didn’t chat up Owen Knight, rejected from Brown, Penn, Vanderbilt, Wash U, Northwestern, WL at Emory, WL Wake Forest…. basically she got rejected from everywhere except UMD. Good luck people cause you’re gonna need it.

Signed,
A very jaded parent.

Hey jaded parent - what were your DC’s test scores?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Help me understand where DS stands. GPA is 3.75 in a school where average GPA is 3.7. SAT 1540. School average of 1500.

High school very rigorous, among top 20 private high schools in the country so peer group is super strong. Zero grade inflation. But also many in peer group hooked (rich or URM, etc) so naviance not very helpful.

Upward trajectory with grades. EC are strong and somewhat unique but not nationally ranked. Does well in national debate tournaments, but that's not his main EC. No sports. Will have great essay and LOR

I think being middle of the pack school-wise knocks out top 20 schools. But does it knock out top 40?

What I'm asking is where do middle of the pack kids from Riverdale or Horace Mann go to college?

HM sends 40%+ to ivies alone. Middle of the pack goes to T20 for sure. If your DC's school is comparable to HM, he should have a very good chance.

Thread is 2 years old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless your kid applies ED or you have a strong connection with admissions, your kid has a very low chance of getting into any top 40 school. Maybe even top 60. This is the reality of things today. My kid had a 4.0 at Whitman with top everything and got into UMD honors and some very low ranked safety school. Rejected from Tulane after showing lots of interest but didn’t chat up Owen Knight, rejected from Brown, Penn, Vanderbilt, Wash U, Northwestern, WL at Emory, WL Wake Forest…. basically she got rejected from everywhere except UMD. Good luck people cause you’re gonna need it.

Signed,
A very jaded parent.

Wake was yield protection...has to be.

Wake surprises me. Did she visit?

[Anonymous]

ED UChicago, or Tulane, depending on the vibe of your student

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Help me understand where DS stands. GPA is 3.75 in a school where average GPA is 3.7. SAT 1540. School average of 1500.

High school very rigorous, among top 20 private high schools in the country so peer group is super strong. Zero grade inflation. But also many in peer group hooked (rich or URM, etc) so naviance not very helpful.

Upward trajectory with grades. EC are strong and somewhat unique but not nationally ranked. Does well in national debate tournaments, but that's not his main EC. No sports. Will have great essay and LOR

I think being middle of the pack school-wise knocks out top 20 schools. But does it knock out top 40?

What I'm asking is where do middle of the pack kids from Riverdale or Horace Mann go to college?

How can it be that there is “zero grade inflation” but the average grade is an A-?

At my DS’s rigorous DC private many of the class averages are in the 70s.

OP’s school must have more academically-exclusive admissions. If grading is consistent across schools, then a school that mostly admits A students, with some B students, will have an average GPA of A-. If a school admits a broader academic range (more athletes, legacies, donors, and faculty children, for example), the average GPA will be lower.

You clearly don't understand the concept of curve. If a school is rigorous, there will be B/C students no matter what constituents. I suspect this school gives A+ (as A in other privates). So 3.7 out of 4.33

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Help me understand where DS stands. GPA is 3.75 in a school where average GPA is 3.7. SAT 1540. School average of 1500.

High school very rigorous, among top 20 private high schools in the country so peer group is super strong. Zero grade inflation. But also many in peer group hooked (rich or URM, etc) so naviance not very helpful.

Upward trajectory with grades. EC are strong and somewhat unique but not nationally ranked. Does well in national debate tournaments, but that's not his main EC. No sports. Will have great essay and LOR

I think being middle of the pack school-wise knocks out top 20 schools. But does it knock out top 40?

What I'm asking is where do middle of the pack kids from Riverdale or Horace Mann go to college?

How can it be that there is “zero grade inflation” but the average grade is an A-?

At my DS’s rigorous DC private many of the class averages are in the 70s.

OP’s school must have more academically-exclusive admissions. If grading is consistent across schools, then a school that mostly admits A students, with some B students, will have an average GPA of A-. If a school admits a broader academic range (more athletes, legacies, donors, and faculty children, for example), the average GPA will be lower.

You clearly don't understand the concept of curve. If a school is rigorous, there will be B/C students no matter what constituents. I suspect this school gives A+ (as A in other privates). So 3.7 out of 4.33

At our non-DMV private, 3.8uw gets into Northwestern /Cornell/ Vanderbilt / UChicago /Brown/Penn (CAS). Slightly higher needed for HYPSM (and Dartmouth!)