Selective college + how many Bs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to those who have shared far. I was getting concerned bc Princeton's common data set says 68% of the freshman class had a 4.0 in HS.

I don't think our high school counselor will have any advice for us. We are checking naviance (which isn't completely accurate), and keeping notes on where the senior class is headed this year.

Well, if you are "getting nervous" because Princeton might be out of reach, you are approaching the process wrong.

Most applicants will be rejected from highly selective colleges. Do the math.

Your kid has to find a range that he/she can imagine being their new home for the next few years. Make that your goal, not achieving perfection to ensure admission to at T20. That is the wrong goal.

You want a place that will take you kid. Where your kid will be happy and finish growing to adulthood, while receiving a strong education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to those who have shared far. I was getting concerned bc Princeton's common data set says 68% of the freshman class had a 4.0 in HS.

I don't think our high school counselor will have any advice for us. We are checking naviance (which isn't completely accurate), and keeping notes on where the senior class is headed this year.

Well, if you are "getting nervous" because Princeton might be out of reach, you are approaching the process wrong.

Most applicants will be rejected from highly selective colleges. Do the math.

Your kid has to find a range that he/she can imagine being their new home for the next few years. Make that your goal, not achieving perfection to ensure admission to at T20. That is the wrong goal.

You want a place that will take you kid. Where your kid will be happy and finish growing to adulthood, while receiving a strong education.

Yeah, you just can't build your whole outlook around one college.

[Anonymous]

4 x B+ Freshman Year (Only A in History)
1 B+ (English), 1 B (Math) Sophomore Year

A's and A-'s for the rest, coming out of a 'top' local private.

DC attended a T10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:3 B's (English x 2, intro to computer science)
36 ACT
Multiple Ivy admits.
Attended private school where certain teachers just don't give As.

any A-s? if you don't mind sharing, what was overall GPA when apps were submitted?

[Anonymous]

I get so tired of the "in publics everyone should get an A b/c of retakes" nonsense. Our school does allow retakes, but only up to an 80. That isn't going to get you an A. Maybe it's helping a kid not get a C.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to those who have shared far. I was getting concerned bc Princeton's common data set says 68% of the freshman class had a 4.0 in HS.

I don't think our high school counselor will have any advice for us. We are checking naviance (which isn't completely accurate), and keeping notes on where the senior class is headed this year.

GPA on the common data set is useless since there’s no clarity about weighted vs. unweighted. Many schools don’t even complete that section. If Princeton is using weighted GPA for its report, likely many of the 68% are going to have had Bs in rigorous classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:4 x B+ Freshman Year (Only A in History)
1 B+ (English), 1 B (Math) Sophomore Year

A's and A-'s for the rest, coming out of a 'top' local private.

DC attended a T10.

URM or other hook? that's important context.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

If your child was accepted into a highly selective college, how many Bs did they have?
If you don't mind, could you name the school?

I know this is a silly question as admissions is holistic, but trying to gauge which schools we should target early decision/early action. There are differing opinions in our family!

Seeking these anecdotes will not help you. A single "B" at some high schools puts kids outside the top20%, because the average grade in the honors and AP classes is an A- or an A. If those high schools only get highly selective admissions from the top 5-10%, the kids with a B or so do not have a chance.
Students with 2-3 Bs at some rigorous non-inflated high schools can be within the top 5-10%, and if that high school has many unhooked kids into highly selective schools deep into the top 25% of that high school, then the top10% kids with Bs are fine.

This does not take rigor into account at all.

True. while OP is lookong for a panacea and many are willing to give examples, the truth is that your child is competing against the very top kids in their own high school (and then nationwide, and then against the full pay international students) so it really comes down to top credentials across the board. Take UVA, for example. We know the applicant needs to be in top 6% of the high school class, have taken the most rigorous courses offered by that high school, have taken four years of foreign language, scored a 34 or better on the ACT, has superlative ECs and national honors, gives back to the community, walks on water and has a 4.51 GPA (75th percentile of last year's incoming class). That doesn't leave much room for a few Bs in regular core classes. I'm not saying the system is right. it just is what it is. Unless your kid is hooked.

The issue here is that these are sometimes in conflict.
If Kid X has all-As in regular classes and Kid Y has 2Bs and 1 B- in AP or IB classes, will Kid X be looked at more favorably because of the As? Or will admissions overlook the B or B- that Kid Y has when they see that it’s in a “rigorous” course.
I know maybe we *shouldn’t* compare—but since we’re told that admissions considers students compared to how they perform against other students at they’re own school, I am curious to know the heirarchy in this scenario.
Seriously.
It’s obviously “better” to get As in the tough test courses if you can.
But if a student takes the toughest courses and gets a B-, would the student have been “better off” take the regular course and getting an A —-in the eyes of admissions, that is?

[Anonymous]

Depends on public or private high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

If your child was accepted into a highly selective college, how many Bs did they have?
If you don't mind, could you name the school?

I know this is a silly question as admissions is holistic, but trying to gauge which schools we should target early decision/early action. There are differing opinions in our family!

Seeking these anecdotes will not help you. A single "B" at some high schools puts kids outside the top20%, because the average grade in the honors and AP classes is an A- or an A. If those high schools only get highly selective admissions from the top 5-10%, the kids with a B or so do not have a chance.
Students with 2-3 Bs at some rigorous non-inflated high schools can be within the top 5-10%, and if that high school has many unhooked kids into highly selective schools deep into the top 25% of that high school, then the top10% kids with Bs are fine.

This does not take rigor into account at all.

True. while OP is lookong for a panacea and many are willing to give examples, the truth is that your child is competing against the very top kids in their own high school (and then nationwide, and then against the full pay international students) so it really comes down to top credentials across the board. Take UVA, for example. We know the applicant needs to be in top 6% of the high school class, have taken the most rigorous courses offered by that high school, have taken four years of foreign language, scored a 34 or better on the ACT, has superlative ECs and national honors, gives back to the community, walks on water and has a 4.51 GPA (75th percentile of last year's incoming class). That doesn't leave much room for a few Bs in regular core classes. I'm not saying the system is right. it just is what it is. Unless your kid is hooked.

The issue here is that these are sometimes in conflict.
If Kid X has all-As in regular classes and Kid Y has 2Bs and 1 B- in AP or IB classes, will Kid X be looked at more favorably because of the As? Or will admissions overlook the B or B- that Kid Y has when they see that it’s in a “rigorous” course.
I know maybe we *shouldn’t* compare—but since we’re told that admissions considers students compared to how they perform against other students at they’re own school, I am curious to know the heirarchy in this scenario.
Seriously.
It’s obviously “better” to get As in the tough test courses if you can.
But if a student takes the toughest courses and gets a B-, would the student have been “better off” take the regular course and getting an A —-in the eyes of admissions, that is?

There is no conflict for admission to the top schools. They want to see the highest GPA in the most rigorous courses offered by the high school. They (AO) can tell this from the profile sent by the high school. Hence, UVA takes mostly from the top 6% of the class in the most rigorous courses offered by the high school with a GPA of 4.51. So the very top kids. Statistically you get more leniency if URM or first generation. Talk to your high school counselor.

[Anonymous]

UVA pretty much said it's not an either/or for all As and rigor. It's an AND for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to those who have shared far. I was getting concerned bc Princeton's common data set says 68% of the freshman class had a 4.0 in HS.

I don't think our high school counselor will have any advice for us. We are checking naviance (which isn't completely accurate), and keeping notes on where the senior class is headed this year.

GPA on the common data set is useless since there’s no clarity about weighted vs. unweighted. Many schools don’t even complete that section. If Princeton is using weighted GPA for its report, likely many of the 68% are going to have had Bs in rigorous classes.

Princeton is using unweighted GPA as are all other top schools on the common data set. I originally listed Princeton bc it was the one I looked at - but if 68% of kids are entering with 4.0s then I'm pretty sure it's similar at other highly selective schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:4 x B+ Freshman Year (Only A in History)
1 B+ (English), 1 B (Math) Sophomore Year

A's and A-'s for the rest, coming out of a 'top' local private.

DC attended a T10.

URM or other hook? that's important context.

Coming out of top private is a huge hook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get so tired of the "in publics everyone should get an A b/c of retakes" nonsense. Our school does allow retakes, but only up to an 80. That isn't going to get you an A. Maybe it's helping a kid not get a C.

This. People have no idea what the retake policies actually are. It doesn’t mean all As.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:one B in AP Calc
Brown, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern

how?

kid is highly intelligent. Likely showed in his essays. But I am biased so take it with a grain of salt.
His SAT scores were sufficient - in the 50th-75th percentile of those schools. Recommendations were really reflective of who he was (grateful to his recommenders).
But I honestly think the essays and the recommenders carried it through. The essay topics were pretty benign... no rising from the ashes story... the kid lives an average american life... kind of hard to tell hardship stories from that. But he was genuine and the essays made me laugh (i hope they made they AO's laugh too). Also, not one adult touched the essays. Not even his AP Lit teacher that edited it. He submitted his original. So the voice probably carried.

Is there a way to know what recommenders wrote?