What is your college freshman’s first semester GPA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC had a 3.25 after their first semester, STEM major. Not great not a tragedy.

Kid knows what they want and that they needed to work differently to get the gpa higher. After the summer stood at 3.44. Baby steps.

There was no curving. You got what you got and tons of ACE quizzes (4 questions, you either an A, C or E).

The ACE quizzes were a stable of my kid's honors pre-calc class in high school. This was at a private where out of 15 kids there were probably 2 A's earned mostly because of those darn quizzes.
There was a quiz given every class period.

Oh, our kid knew them already too from several classes at their magnet public
Agreeing with the other poster, they definitely help/force you to stay on the ball and recalling in the end for the exams.

[Anonymous]

No one cares. The incessant comparison, humble brags, is your kid doing better than my kid. No wonder this generation of kids is so messed up.

[Anonymous]

4.0 but mainly because 1st semester was not at all challenging. She had to repeat a couple classes she'd done as IB senior year and was frustrated at not doing something new. 2nd semester looks to be more challenging so is looking forward to that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1.87. Struggled with the adjustment. Was a B/C student in HS.

Same here and we are devastated. Adjustment was hard. Kid was an A/B student in hs. Freshman forgiveness will allow them to retake a couple classes and replace the grade.

[Anonymous]

I'm a college professor with a MCPS magnet kid.

In high school I suspect my kid will have a 4.0ish. Their first semester freshman GPA is shaping up to be an unweighted 4.0 (there will be a few B+A=A grades).

If they get to college and pull a 3.6 average across all 4 years that is a success to me.

Honestly, people. Get a grip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC skipped classes a lot, got 3.6. I am quite disappointed.
He was a high stats student in HS with uw 4.0 in magnet.

Was he given credits to skip intro courses and go straight to second semester or second year courses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC skipped classes a lot, got 3.6. I am quite disappointed.
He was a high stats student in HS with uw 4.0 in magnet.

Was he given credits to skip intro courses and go straight to second semester or second year courses?

I understood it to mean the kid played hooky, not entering necessarily into all higher courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My two had a 4.0 (which held thru first year) and a 3.24. The 3.24 changed major path after am abysmal second semester and has only just gotten cumulative over 3.4 as a junior.

3.6 is perfect in my eyes, can still go up but won’t kill him for years trying to catch up.

I am worried it will go down from here, the first year are mostly easier introductory courses that they have taken in HS.

It is rare to go down after introductory courses.

Once they get in their major GPS's usually go up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:4.0 at UMD. Sure only one class in his major, but 3 A+ and 2 A's. Had no idea A+ was a "thing". Absolutely shocked.

It sounds like UMD practices grade inflation or isn't academically rigorous. I'm sure your kid is smart and all, but I doubt the majority of his grades would be A+'s at a school like Bucknell.

np.. hard to inflate grades as a CS major, though. They don't allow test retakes.

4.0 CS major at UMD (went in with 58 credits so already taking 2nd year courses).

Also skipped several Monday morning classes.

I think you don't realize that there are several former MCPS magnet students at UMD, and they are really smart kids.

(PS. jealous doesn't look good on anyone)

went in with 58 credits? were they dual enrollment & AP courses? can you list them

[Anonymous]

OP, what are you making the 3.6 mean? Are you projecting it forward to a whole series of cascading consequences that will build over time? That’s a pretty common thing for parents to do — take a single data point and amplify it into something that has meaning and import over a lifetime, a psychological process that is typically infused with fear.

It doesn’t actually mean any of those things.

The good news is that when this sort of catastrophizing happens, it’s an opportunity to look directly at our own fears and anxieties, to see squarely their size and weight, and also the way they impact our relationships. If you take the opportunity, and then discuss those fears openly and without judgement, you’ll provide a great example for your kid, and likely deepen your relationship in the process.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Kid had a 2.5 first semester at W&M, graduated with a 3.4. Got a great job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD has a very challenging STEM major at a top 30 school, and came in at a 2.7.

She is very disappointed, but I am proud of her.

I don't know if she'll stay in her major. She is tempted to switch to an easier major, for GPA purposes.

I would be too.

C's get degrees. Not being snarky. Not every kid is going to get straight A's however a STEM major with anything above a 2.0 graduates and gets a job. Sometimes takes a little longer for the first job bec some companies have hard line of a 3.0 for first time hires.

I had a student like this graduated with a Electrical Engineering Degree minor in CS. DS is now a CTO age 32 because he is an extremely hard worker and motivated. His career trajectory better than his siblings who had significantly higher GPA's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one cares. The incessant comparison, humble brags, is your kid doing better than my kid. No wonder this generation of kids is so messed up.

Grade points are not Pokemon, you do not in fact “gotta catch them all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:4.0 at UMD. Sure only one class in his major, but 3 A+ and 2 A's. Had no idea A+ was a "thing". Absolutely shocked.

It sounds like UMD practices grade inflation or isn't academically rigorous. I'm sure your kid is smart and all, but I doubt the majority of his grades would be A+'s at a school like Bucknell.

np.. hard to inflate grades as a CS major, though. They don't allow test retakes.

4.0 CS major at UMD (went in with 58 credits so already taking 2nd year courses).

Also skipped several Monday morning classes.

I think you don't realize that there are several former MCPS magnet students at UMD, and they are really smart kids.

(PS. jealous doesn't look good on anyone)

went in with 58 credits? were they dual enrollment & AP courses? can you list them

10+ exams:

AP physics
AP foreign language
AP Calc
AP Govt
AP US
AP Lang Lit (or something like that)
AP CS
AP Java

A couple more... I really can't remember all of them.

And they also took the UMD Multivariable calculus exam and passed. There are others like DC at UMD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:4.0 at UMD. Sure only one class in his major, but 3 A+ and 2 A's. Had no idea A+ was a "thing". Absolutely shocked.

It sounds like UMD practices grade inflation or isn't academically rigorous. I'm sure your kid is smart and all, but I doubt the majority of his grades would be A+'s at a school like Bucknell.

Bucknell

Lol!!

What's wrong with Bucknell?