Grades are the Be All and End All

[Anonymous]

People greatly exaggerate the personal attention apps receive. They're first sorted by GPA and SAT/ACT. If you miss the cutoff, I doubt your app is even opened at most schools. Likely straight to the electronic garage bin. Thanks for the $100!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wrong OP -- colleges look at the whole package. Good grades from a terrible h.s. don't mean anything. SATs matter more and ECs are considered as well. Don't write about what you don't know about.

My kid went to Princeton so we went through the whole thing. She did not have the best grades in her elite private, but she had other unique stuff for her application.

Went being the operative word here. Things have changed a lot in admissions even in the last 4 years. What was is no more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wrong OP -- colleges look at the whole package. Good grades from a terrible h.s. don't mean anything. SATs matter more and ECs are considered as well. Don't write about what you don't know about.

My kid went to Princeton so we went through the whole thing. She did not have the best grades in her elite private, but she had other unique stuff for her application.

I think the process is more nuanced than that. Looking at the whole package doesn't mean that all of the elements are weighed equally. However if you have unique ECs or special talents that can tip in your kids favor and override the grades. Plus if your kid went to a selective private, that's an important point in your kid's profile. They know she could do the work.

If you look at the spread of GPA's for Princeton the majority of the kids are at the top. In Princeton's common data set for 2016-2017 86% of the freshman class had a GPA over 3.75; everyone else is below that. You can't take one example and say OP is wrong - there is too much access to actual data that clearly states otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Grade inflation is insane. Bs = Putz. All As are ten a penny. You need All As just to get a look.

Disregard the Dummy State parents on here & college confidential saying Bs or the occasional C doesn't matter.

Sorry, but most of our large, public flagships are not "Dummy State." The number of applicants accepted is not generally a measure of the quality of the education on offer. See Gladwell, Malcolm: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/02/14/the-order-of-things.

Also, see: https://harpers.org/archive/2016/03/save-our-public-universities/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If you look at the spread of GPA's for Princeton the majority of the kids are at the top. In Princeton's common data set for 2016-2017 86% of the freshman class had a GPA over 3.75; everyone else is below that. You can't take one example and say OP is wrong - there is too much access to actual data that clearly states otherwise.

Spoiler alert: the 14% with under 3.75 are athletes and billionaire offspring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If you look at the spread of GPA's for Princeton the majority of the kids are at the top. In Princeton's common data set for 2016-2017 86% of the freshman class had a GPA over 3.75; everyone else is below that. You can't take one example and say OP is wrong - there is too much access to actual data that clearly states otherwise.

Spoiler alert: the 14% with under 3.75 are athletes and billionaire offspring.

True.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wrong OP -- colleges look at the whole package. Good grades from a terrible h.s. don't mean anything. SATs matter more and ECs are considered as well. Don't write about what you don't know about.

My kid went to Princeton so we went through the whole thing. She did not have the best grades in her elite private, but she had other unique stuff for her application.

I think the process is more nuanced than that. Looking at the whole package doesn't mean that all of the elements are weighed equally. However if you have unique ECs or special talents that can tip in your kids favor and override the grades. Plus if your kid went to a selective private, that's an important point in your kid's profile. They know she could do the work.

If you look at the spread of GPA's for Princeton the majority of the kids are at the top. In Princeton's common data set for 2016-2017 86% of the freshman class had a GPA over 3.75; everyone else is below that. You can't take one example and say OP is wrong - there is too much access to actual data that clearly states otherwise.

Some schools also have favorite feeder schools. I was a bit surprised to see so many acceptances from DC's private school at certain top universities.
Apparently this school gives that university what they are looking for. Must be a 'special pile' for kids from DC's school at some of these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With grade inflation being as rampant as it is, if you don't have at least a 4.0 W/GPA, you're not really trying.

What if you go to a private that doesn't give out As like candy and does not weight so there are no grades over a 4.0?

[Anonymous]

I agree with this sentiment, though unfortunately we found this out after we were done in the process. One dc took the hardest courses at her school, did okay, but not straight As. She didn't get into schools that people in easier classes got into (I assume they had a higher GPA, at least unweighted).

[Anonymous]

This statement is so vague. What program is the student applying to? Engineering, Arts & Sciences, Business. This part matters A LOT.

[Anonymous]

With some schools weighting AP/IB classes and others not, and most reliable sources and even forum posters not indicating whether they are referring to weighted or unweighted GPA, most grade discussion is useless and misleading.

And for what it's worth, my kid is working her ass off for her 3.7 UW GPA in an FCPS high school, and is doing better than many of her friends who are also taking all honors classes. So no, they don't just hand out As, at least not at some schools. If your kid is getting straight As without effort, they are either a flipping genius, or you need to seriously reconsider their school before they fall on their face in college.

[Anonymous]

This post is useless without knowing what schools OP is talking about. If she didn't get into the Ivy's or Amherst or other elite colleges, I'm not surprised at all, as they are essentially a lottery even for the kids with a 4.5. If you're talking about good schools for smart kids like UVA and W&M, I may be a little surprised. If you're talking about Penn State and JMU, I'm surprised.

[Anonymous]

For what it's worth, I'm told by someone in the know that about 25% of the class at Yorktown has a weighted GPA of 4.0 or above. I'm guessing it isn't too different at other NoVA public HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With grade inflation being as rampant as it is, if you don't have at least a 4.0 W/GPA, you're not really trying.

I'm wondering what school or school system you're referring to. My child goes to one of the most well regarded FCPS high schools, and I can assure you - it's more like grade deflation there. Very, very difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This post is useless without knowing what schools OP is talking about. If she didn't get into the Ivy's or Amherst or other elite colleges, I'm not surprised at all, as they are essentially a lottery even for the kids with a 4.5. If you're talking about good schools for smart kids like UVA and W&M, I may be a little surprised. If you're talking about Penn State and JMU, I'm surprised.

Columbia
Georgetown
UVA
W&M
Rochester
NYU
UT-Austin