High schools for a good but not 4.0 student

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember looking at posts from last year or the year before and the cut off was something like 3.87.

Many posts are from the years when it was pure GPA, before they added the teacher recs to the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember looking at posts from last year or the year before and the cut off was something like 3.87.

Many posts are from the years when it was pure GPA, before they added the teacher recs to the process.

So teacher recs plus GPA are considered in granting an interview?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember looking at posts from last year or the year before and the cut off was something like 3.87.

Many posts are from the years when it was pure GPA, before they added the teacher recs to the process.

So teacher recs plus GPA are considered in granting an interview?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t write off Walls. Lots of kids there are not 4.0 students, and the math there is not hard. I think a solid B+/A- student would do fine there. The most important aspect of the application is teacher recs, so if your DD has good relationships with their 8th grade math and ELA teachers, that will get them an interview at least. And there is a writing test, which should work in your DD’s favor.

Aren't recs from 7th grade teachers? Here (https://www.myschooldc.org/sites/default/files/dc/sites/myschooldc/page/attachments/SY24-25%20SWW_Admission%20Process%20Rubric_Final.pdf) it does not specify Math and ELA. Can the students select the teachers they'd like to write their recommendations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t write off Walls. Lots of kids there are not 4.0 students, and the math there is not hard. I think a solid B+/A- student would do fine there. The most important aspect of the application is teacher recs, so if your DD has good relationships with their 8th grade math and ELA teachers, that will get them an interview at least. And there is a writing test, which should work in your DD’s favor.

The truth is that you have to have about a 3.8 to even be considered. They have too many applicants with even higher GPAs.

[Anonymous]

My 3.5-with-great-recs kid didn't get a Walls interview and is loving McKinley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 3.5-with-great-recs kid didn't get a Walls interview and is loving McKinley.

I don’t mean to be rude but how do you know they got great recs? Glad they are liking McKinley.

[Anonymous]

Cap city could be a good bet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 3.5-with-great-recs kid didn't get a Walls interview and is loving McKinley.

My student has all As and one A- kid didn't get an interview at walls despite glowing recs as he is a teacher favorite. Didn't apply to Banneker and now doing well at McKinley.

It depends a lot on the school you come from. If it is a school with other 4.0 applicants, then your changes go down if you have less than a 4.0. If your school doesn't have a lot of other 4.0 applicants, you can likely get an interview with a 3.8 or even 3.7.

[Anonymous]

How do all of you know your children were “teacher favorites” or got good recs? As a teacher I find this assertion puzzling.

[Anonymous]

I teach at a DCPS middle school and in addition to the schools mentioned above, we send great students every year to Coolidge (both the regular DCPS HS and the Early College program), Washington Leadership Academy, and Bard.

Post-COVID, in my experience, you need a 3.9/4 to get into Walls or Banneker. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do all of you know your children were “teacher favorites” or got good recs? As a teacher I find this assertion puzzling.

this lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do all of you know your children were “teacher favorites” or got good recs? As a teacher I find this assertion puzzling.

Yeah. I also think for Walls recs, the highest level rec from a teacher is something like "always seeks extra opportunity" (someone posted it one year). There are so many A kids with pleasant personalities that parents would assume are getting a good rec who don't do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do all of you know your children were “teacher favorites” or got good recs? As a teacher I find this assertion puzzling.

Yeah. I also think for Walls recs, the highest level rec from a teacher is something like "always seeks extra opportunity" (someone posted it one year). There are so many A kids with pleasant personalities that parents would assume are getting a good rec who don't do this.

I have one of the 4.0 kids that didn’t get an interview. Good grades, pleasant personality, but a go-getter? Not really. I think my kid’s recs were likely pretty great, but I know that Walls looks for kids that seek what PP stated — “always seeks extra opportunities” — and that’s just not my kid. That said, she is loving it at Banneker. Walls was my top choice for her, but Banneker was her top pick. I guess she knew herself and her needs in this regard, after all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 3.5-with-great-recs kid didn't get a Walls interview and is loving McKinley.

I don’t mean to be rude but how do you know they got great recs? Glad they are liking McKinley.

Because I know the teachers very well.