I wouldn't get into my alma mater today - what chance do my kids have?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Florida is like California in that it has a very robust and normalized path from 2-year to 4-year schools.

Ooof. The idea of community college being the normalized path for someone with a A+ weighted GPA is just unreal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Florida is like California in that it has a very robust and normalized path from 2-year to 4-year schools.

Ooof. The idea of community college being the normalized path for someone with a A+ weighted GPA is just unreal.

Definitely is in California. It is impossible to get into CSUs or UCs for some majors, such as nursing or computer science. The Ca CCs are never underenrolled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Florida is like California in that it has a very robust and normalized path from 2-year to 4-year schools.

Ooof. The idea of community college being the normalized path for someone with a A+ weighted GPA is just unreal.

Not when liberal states like these - to include NY and Maryland are basically extending public education to the 13th and 14th year. Why wouldn’t you consider that??!

In Maryland if you make less than 150,000 it’s free. Credits automatically transfer to UMD college park. Above 150,000? It is something like 1500 a semester.

Smaller classes. Taught by PhDs and not TAs? Super attractive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not an alum of a super selective school, either. Purdue, class of 1999, engineering, OOS. 4.8 weighted GPA, 3.4 unweighted. 1205 SAT, 33 ACT.

My kids are freshman and 8th grade, so we have time, but the things I've been reading lately are scary - namely, that I would be unlikely to be accepted into the program I graduated from with my unweighted GPA. And that's from back when PE, health class, the arts, and whatever else weren't factored in, so my unweighted GPA would be much lower today! (I got D's in PE and C's in mandatory art/music)

Is there hope anymore for kids with stats like mine? Do I really need to harp on them for straight A's? I can't handle four years of anxiety, so please ease my mind or tell me they'll be fine at a less selective school.

The thing is, if you went to high school now, your stats would be higher. Wherever you were in your class (%ile) would be the same, and your stats would correspond. The hand wringing over "I wouldn't get into my alma mater today" is overblown. I mean, you probably wouldn't get in-- but you would be competitive to.

Yeah, no. Please don't lie to OP. Grade inflation exists, but not enough to transform those grades into straight As.

OP, it's a financial issue. Not an educational one. Do you have the funds to pay for 80K a year of undergrad, for two kids? Because this is what it might cost if they can't get into their in-state flagship and can't get into lesser state universities. UVA only accepts very high gpas now. A student with your grades would not definitely get in.

So if there's at all a financial angle to this, please get their gpas up. Pay for tutors now! It might make the difference between 50K a year in-state and possibly 100K a year private or out of state. My senior's preferred school costs 80K+ TODAY. Your kids are younger. Do the math.

Aren't some kids just not smart enough to make straight A's, especially in AP classes?

PP you replied to. Sure. My own senior currently has a C in AP Calc BC. It was his first non-A, ever, in all his school career. My point was that kids these days need to put in the work. There is no lackadaisical high school experience anymore. Kids must try to reach their potential, whatever it is, because otherwise you and they will rue it come college admissions times.

Unless you can afford to send your kids to any college, in which case it does not matter so much, since there are thousands of colleges that will provide an undergrad education to practically anyone who shows up in exchange for a ton of money.

But he's already accepted somewhere, correct?

Yes, but there's that pesky language about rescinding offers for academic reasons...

He's admitted to safeties and targets. Deferred and rejected at two reaches, which is unsurprising. I'm not disappointed, because if he decides to go to his safety, the in-state flagship, he'll cost me way less money. And if he gets in to his deferred dream school or goes to one of his targets, I'll be happy to spend the money. So win-win for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Florida is like California in that it has a very robust and normalized path from 2-year to 4-year schools.

Ooof. The idea of community college being the normalized path for someone with a A+ weighted GPA is just unreal.

Not when liberal states like these - to include NY and Maryland are basically extending public education to the 13th and 14th year. Why wouldn’t you consider that??!

In Maryland if you make less than 150,000 it’s free. Credits automatically transfer to UMD college park. Above 150,000? It is something like 1500 a semester.

Smaller classes. Taught by PhDs and not TAs? Super attractive.

It is if you've got no other options. Don't forget that peer cohorts count for a lot, and the kids who go there are for the most part not cream of the crop. The ones who will be successful coming out of community college are the ones who are smart and functional enough to have been admitted to good 4 year institutions, were it not for events beyond their control. The only successful person I know who went to CC did so because her parents had just moved to the US and there was a significant language barrier at first, so she couldn't apply to normal colleges. She's now at Hopkins in graduate school: CC--UMD--Hopkins. It's great, but she was smart and driven to being with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Purdue Engineering has been super selective for awhile.

I know. I was pretty surprised.

I know. Born and raised in Indiana. I can’t believe how people on these boards are talking about Purdue! Half my rural high school class went!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not an alum of a super selective school, either. Purdue, class of 1999, engineering, OOS. 4.8 weighted GPA, 3.4 unweighted. 1205 SAT, 33 ACT.

My kids are freshman and 8th grade, so we have time, but the things I've been reading lately are scary - namely, that I would be unlikely to be accepted into the program I graduated from with my unweighted GPA. And that's from back when PE, health class, the arts, and whatever else weren't factored in, so my unweighted GPA would be much lower today! (I got D's in PE and C's in mandatory art/music)

Is there hope anymore for kids with stats like mine? Do I really need to harp on them for straight A's? I can't handle four years of anxiety, so please ease my mind or tell me they'll be fine at a less selective school.

The thing is, if you went to high school now, your stats would be higher. Wherever you were in your class (%ile) would be the same, and your stats would correspond. The hand wringing over "I wouldn't get into my alma mater today" is overblown. I mean, you probably wouldn't get in-- but you would be competitive to.

Yeah, no. Please don't lie to OP. Grade inflation exists, but not enough to transform those grades into straight As.

OP, it's a financial issue. Not an educational one. Do you have the funds to pay for 80K a year of undergrad, for two kids? Because this is what it might cost if they can't get into their in-state flagship and can't get into lesser state universities. UVA only accepts very high gpas now. A student with your grades would not definitely get in.

So if there's at all a financial angle to this, please get their gpas up. Pay for tutors now! It might make the difference between 50K a year in-state and possibly 100K a year private or out of state. My senior's preferred school costs 80K+ TODAY. Your kids are younger. Do the math.

Aren't some kids just not smart enough to make straight A's, especially in AP classes?

PP you replied to. Sure. My own senior currently has a C in AP Calc BC. It was his first non-A, ever, in all his school career. My point was that kids these days need to put in the work. There is no lackadaisical high school experience anymore. Kids must try to reach their potential, whatever it is, because otherwise you and they will rue it come college admissions times.

Unless you can afford to send your kids to any college, in which case it does not matter so much, since there are thousands of colleges that will provide an undergrad education to practically anyone who shows up in exchange for a ton of money.

But he's already accepted somewhere, correct?

Yes, but there's that pesky language about rescinding offers for academic reasons...

He's admitted to safeties and targets. Deferred and rejected at two reaches, which is unsurprising. I'm not disappointed, because if he decides to go to his safety, the in-state flagship, he'll cost me way less money. And if he gets in to his deferred dream school or goes to one of his targets, I'll be happy to spend the money. So win-win for me.

Lol he got in his targets.

[Anonymous]

To the OP, I feel you. I would not be able to get in to Berkeley out of state today (which I did) and nor would my kids.

Our test scores were similar. On the other hand my kids's grade were better (Hi MoCo grade inflation!) and they took many more AP classes. Also their ECs were better, since that's so much more important these days.

They ended up at very good schools, so it worked out fine in our cases.

[Anonymous]

better chance than if you weren't an alumni.

However, the Engineering and CS programs everywhere have become super selective.
But my kid (not legacy) got into their Business school with a 3.8GPA and 30 ACT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the OP, I feel you. I would not be able to get in to Berkeley out of state today (which I did) and nor would my kids.

Our test scores were similar. On the other hand my kids's grade were better (Hi MoCo grade inflation!) and they took many more AP classes. Also their ECs were better, since that's so much more important these days.

They ended up at very good schools, so it worked out fine in our cases.

OP here. I know it'll work out. I'm more worried about my freshman who's set his sights on West Point. There really isn't a good alterative to that kind of school (and yes, we know about VMI, ROTC, OCS, etc). I guess we can only do what we can do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I know it'll work out. I'm more worried about my freshman who's set his sights on West Point. There really isn't a good alterative to that kind of school (and yes, we know about VMI, ROTC, OCS, etc). I guess we can only do what we can do.

There is soooo much more to getting the nod to USMA than test scores and grades. It literally is a whole, long process that only begins with acceptance. One of ours had it as a dream, was even well along the way, but ran into a brick wall with a physical issue. There are certain medical matters that are, for the most part, hard nos (allergies, eye sight, meds).

That said, if your child is up for it, for four grueling years of school, plus another 5+ of duty, I and many others will thank them for their Service.

Go Army! Beat Navy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I know it'll work out. I'm more worried about my freshman who's set his sights on West Point. There really isn't a good alterative to that kind of school (and yes, we know about VMI, ROTC, OCS, etc). I guess we can only do what we can do.

There is soooo much more to getting the nod to USMA than test scores and grades. It literally is a whole, long process that only begins with acceptance. One of ours had it as a dream, was even well along the way, but ran into a brick wall with a physical issue. There are certain medical matters that are, for the most part, hard nos (allergies, eye sight, meds).

That said, if your child is up for it, for four grueling years of school, plus another 5+ of duty, I and many others will thank them for their Service.

Go Army! Beat Navy!

He meets the medical/physical requirements (fingers crossed it stays that way). And he tests well. Those GPA's, though...no room for more than 1-2 B's.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't either and not because I'm not competitive enough. I won't be able to compete with quota and hook applicants who had money or govt freebies to make their resume stand out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Florida is like California in that it has a very robust and normalized path from 2-year to 4-year schools.

Ooof. The idea of community college being the normalized path for someone with a A+ weighted GPA is just unreal.

OP has an A+ weighted GPA because he/she went to high school in a state that weights classes by more than 1.0 and dropped the courses they didn't do well in. You can't compare a weighted GPA from there to one from a state that uses other standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Florida is like California in that it has a very robust and normalized path from 2-year to 4-year schools.

Ooof. The idea of community college being the normalized path for someone with a A+ weighted GPA is just unreal.

OP has an A+ weighted GPA because he/she went to high school in a state that weights classes by more than 1.0 and dropped the courses they didn't do well in. You can't compare a weighted GPA from there to one from a state that uses other standards.

OP here. To be fair, I didn't drop any classes. My school just didn't include non-academic classes in GPA calculations. And since I did graduate from Purdue engineering, it's odd you would even imply I belonged in a community college. The program hasn't changed - it's just more selective now.