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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

they know who the hard teachers are IF your HS sends kids regularly to that selective school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

they know who the hard teachers are IF your HS sends kids regularly to that selective school.

NP the teachers aren't on our transcripts. we're at a feeder that sends plenty to T10s every year. are teachers names on official transcripts at most high schools?

[Anonymous]

I think transcripts are problematic. Especially if you're coming from a school that sends very few kids to top schools - which is like 95% of the high schools in America.

"another 4.0". nobody knows if that's even impressive anymore

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

they know who the hard teachers are IF your HS sends kids regularly to that selective school.

NP the teachers aren't on our transcripts. we're at a feeder that sends plenty to T10s every year. are teachers names on official transcripts at most high schools?

No, but usually a private school’s college counseling office takes care of this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think transcripts are problematic. Especially if you're coming from a school that sends very few kids to top schools - which is like 95% of the high schools in America.

"another 4.0". nobody knows if that's even impressive anymore

They can do “research” to stand out. Publish a few papers on prestigious journals, etc. it works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

I understand your worry - and your post is a helpful because many parents share this concern. But it is exactly the sort of thing you can't focus on because it will not move the needle or help your kid in any way. AOs are not looking at one year or one semester of grades in a vacuum. They are not looking at specific subjects in a vacuum. They know that teachers grade differently, that teachers are often luck of the draw, and that all kids applying from that school are going to have "easier" and "harder" teachers'; teachers they click with personality wise and some they don't; teachers who never miss a day of school and others who experience major health issues/take medical leave/etc (one year, my ds had 3 different language teachers). They know this because they read thousands of transcripts every year, they see kids applying from the same schools, and they know that - at their own colleges - the same thing is true for professors. My dd has a class now in which the professor has not given a flat A in three years - she knows she is probably not going to get an A, despite having gotten As in the other classes she has taken in that department, despite it being part of her major. But the prof is excellent and she is learning an enormous amount. Learning to take "hard" classes or teachers is part of being a student and part of what colleges want a student to be able to navigate before they get to college.

So you would not be telling the AOs anything they don't know. It's why parents and students should stop focusing on GPAs that are small fractions apart - it simply does not matter. Every year we have a handful of 4.0 kids with highest rigor in everything and usually math two years ahead. They have 1600 SATs and often some college credits under their belts. They almost never get into T10 schools - and if they do, it is mostly likely MIT. Many end up at Cornell or UChicago or Georgetown. When my dd received her only A- in HS, she freaked out but by senior year she was happy to have it because she didn't want her look like a completer grinder.

THIS is part of why AOs say the transcript is part of the "story" of the kid. Because while it is an important part of the application, a 3.7 vs 3.8 or whatever is not going to be make or break, any more than 1540 vs 1580 will be. As someone who has gone through this process before and is going through it again now, my advice is to focus on bigger stuff, support your kid, and monitor their well being more closely than you monitor each grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think transcripts are problematic. Especially if you're coming from a school that sends very few kids to top schools - which is like 95% of the high schools in America.

"another 4.0". nobody knows if that's even impressive anymore

Exactly! I find it hard to believe that with the thousands of applications received, AOs know which schools have grade inflation and which do not and who the tough teachers are. They are not digging that deep!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard here and in podcasts with AOs themselves, that they treat test scores as a threshold ie, they glance at it, it raises no alarm bells, they move on.

Do you think GPA is treated similarly? A kid in top 1% and top 5% at our school is often about if the lower ranked kid took an extra unweighted class like music theory so I find GPA as dicey as test scores, if not more so.

It depends on the HS, and what else is in the application.
From a non-rigorous public, a 3.8uw might = a disgard.
From a feeder private, a 3.8uw might mean a closer read.

Your HS matters MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

Can we sticky this somewhere please, to get the tiger moms off the internet?

Huh? What's wrong with that comment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I understand your worry - and your post is a helpful because many parents share this concern. But it is exactly the sort of thing you can't focus on because it will not move the needle or help your kid in any way. AOs are not looking at one year or one semester of grades in a vacuum. They are not looking at specific subjects in a vacuum. They know that teachers grade differently, that teachers are often luck of the draw, and that all kids applying from that school are going to have "easier" and "harder" teachers'; teachers they click with personality wise and some they don't; teachers who never miss a day of school and others who experience major health issues/take medical leave/etc (one year, my ds had 3 different language teachers). They know this because they read thousands of transcripts every year, they see kids applying from the same schools, and they know that - at their own colleges - the same thing is true for professors. My dd has a class now in which the professor has not given a flat A in three years - she knows she is probably not going to get an A, despite having gotten As in the other classes she has taken in that department, despite it being part of her major. But the prof is excellent and she is learning an enormous amount. Learning to take "hard" classes or teachers is part of being a student and part of what colleges want a student to be able to navigate before they get to college.

So you would not be telling the AOs anything they don't know. It's why parents and students should stop focusing on GPAs that are small fractions apart - it simply does not matter. Every year we have a handful of 4.0 kids with highest rigor in everything and usually math two years ahead. They have 1600 SATs and often some college credits under their belts. They almost never get into T10 schools - and if they do, it is mostly likely MIT. Many end up at Cornell or UChicago or Georgetown. When my dd received her only A- in HS, she freaked out but by senior year she was happy to have it because she didn't want her look like a completer grinder.

THIS is part of why AOs say the transcript is part of the "story" of the kid. Because while it is an important part of the application, a 3.7 vs 3.8 or whatever is not going to be make or break, any more than 1540 vs 1580 will be. As someone who has gone through this process before and is going through it again now, my advice is to focus on bigger stuff, support your kid, and monitor their well being more closely than you monitor each grade.

Fab advice. I found it to be true for my older kids both at t20.

Back here for #3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think transcripts are problematic. Especially if you're coming from a school that sends very few kids to top schools - which is like 95% of the high schools in America.

"another 4.0". nobody knows if that's even impressive anymore

Exactly! I find it hard to believe that with the thousands of applications received, AOs know which schools have grade inflation and which do not and who the tough teachers are. They are not digging that deep!

The point is what else does your kid have besides their grade? Do the grades tell a story along with everything else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard here and in podcasts with AOs themselves, that they treat test scores as a threshold ie, they glance at it, it raises no alarm bells, they move on.

Do you think GPA is treated similarly? A kid in top 1% and top 5% at our school is often about if the lower ranked kid took an extra unweighted class like music theory so I find GPA as dicey as test scores, if not more so.

It depends on the HS, and what else is in the application.
From a non-rigorous public, a 3.8uw might = a disgard.
From a feeder private, a 3.8uw might mean a closer read.

Your HS matters MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

Can we sticky this somewhere please, to get the tiger moms off the internet?

Huh? What's wrong with that comment?

I think it means everything depends on your high school. At the end of the day all the advice on here is not that helpful or relevant if it is not specific to your particular high school and circumstance.

[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.

GPA as a number is the most importantly criteria well beyond the Ivies unless the student is hooked in some way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I agree. They likely compare the performance of college students based on the high schools they attended. Students from rigorous high schools tend to be better prepared for college-level work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I understand your worry - and your post is a helpful because many parents share this concern. But it is exactly the sort of thing you can't focus on because it will not move the needle or help your kid in any way. AOs are not looking at one year or one semester of grades in a vacuum. They are not looking at specific subjects in a vacuum. They know that teachers grade differently, that teachers are often luck of the draw, and that all kids applying from that school are going to have "easier" and "harder" teachers'; teachers they click with personality wise and some they don't; teachers who never miss a day of school and others who experience major health issues/take medical leave/etc (one year, my ds had 3 different language teachers). They know this because they read thousands of transcripts every year, they see kids applying from the same schools, and they know that - at their own colleges - the same thing is true for professors. My dd has a class now in which the professor has not given a flat A in three years - she knows she is probably not going to get an A, despite having gotten As in the other classes she has taken in that department, despite it being part of her major. But the prof is excellent and she is learning an enormous amount. Learning to take "hard" classes or teachers is part of being a student and part of what colleges want a student to be able to navigate before they get to college.

So you would not be telling the AOs anything they don't know. It's why parents and students should stop focusing on GPAs that are small fractions apart - it simply does not matter. Every year we have a handful of 4.0 kids with highest rigor in everything and usually math two years ahead. They have 1600 SATs and often some college credits under their belts. They almost never get into T10 schools - and if they do, it is mostly likely MIT. Many end up at Cornell or UChicago or Georgetown. When my dd received her only A- in HS, she freaked out but by senior year she was happy to have it because she didn't want her look like a completer grinder.

THIS is part of why AOs say the transcript is part of the "story" of the kid. Because while it is an important part of the application, a 3.7 vs 3.8 or whatever is not going to be make or break, any more than 1540 vs 1580 will be. As someone who has gone through this process before and is going through it again now, my advice is to focus on bigger stuff, support your kid, and monitor their well being more closely than you monitor each grade.

My 2 kids are already in HYPSM. But that doesn’t mean I think it’s fair. I never monitored grades but I know they got lucky w some teachers. Will see about kid #3

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

This is what additional info and counselor recommendations are for.