Where is your average kid applying?

[Anonymous]

Marist has good support services, as does U of Arizona.

[Anonymous]

I really hate this terminology because I believe that absolutely no child is average. Everybody has strengths. The world is so much bigger than test scores.

[Anonymous]

What is your DC interested in? GMU, ECU, and Marshall have executive support programs for once they are on campus. The ECU STEPP is an impressive program.

[Anonymous]

Pitt, Penn State, Oregon State, Iowa State, VCU. So many choices!!

Also, if finances are not an issues - Any private outside of T30. They are in dire need of tuition $$ to support the college..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless 50% of your Childs graduating class has a weighted GPA above a 3.97, your child is not average!

You are out of date. Dean J and others have said there are many districts in Virginia where 70-80% have over 4.0Weighted. Others have “only” half over 4.0W. Every public in our suburban district has a median over 4.0. The privates weight less (0.5 only) and have medians of 3.8W. 3.97W would still not be top three deciles based on the most recent school profiles of these three privates

Wow that great inflation is insane. Our public (in NJ) has median of like 3.4-3.5 every year. And they restrict the APs. Freshman can't take any, Sophomores can take a maximum of 2. And many kids don't qualify for Honors/AP. They have to be recommended for it by a teacher, which usually requires an "A" in a prerequisite course. So for many the weighted is not much higher than unweighted.

That is how it is at our VA private - No AP's as Freshman, 2 max for Sophomores, from Sophomore year forward the students has to test into the honors/AP, have teacher rec and at least a B+ in the prerequisites course. It's crazy to me that the publics have no guardrails on AP's!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our son is only applying to UVA ED.

Same, TO, 3.9 ugpa

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless 50% of your Childs graduating class has a weighted GPA above a 3.97, your child is not average!

You are out of date. Dean J and others have said there are many districts in Virginia where 70-80% have over 4.0Weighted. Others have “only” half over 4.0W. Every public in our suburban district has a median over 4.0. The privates weight less (0.5 only) and have medians of 3.8W. 3.97W would still not be top three deciles based on the most recent school profiles of these three privates

Wow that great inflation is insane. Our public (in NJ) has median of like 3.4-3.5 every year. And they restrict the APs. Freshman can't take any, Sophomores can take a maximum of 2. And many kids don't qualify for Honors/AP. They have to be recommended for it by a teacher, which usually requires an "A" in a prerequisite course. So for many the weighted is not much higher than unweighted.

That is how it is at our VA private - No AP's as Freshman, 2 max for Sophomores, from Sophomore year forward the students has to test into the honors/AP, have teacher rec and at least a B+ in the prerequisites course. It's crazy to me that the publics have no guardrails on AP's!

APs without guardrails is awful. It's not a problem at the publics with a lot of high achieving kids, but some publics just enroll kids in AP classes who have no intention of taking the exam and are not really prepared for an intro college level course. It's a real problem for the kids who do want a class that actually prepares them for the AP exam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really hate this terminology because I believe that absolutely no child is average. Everybody has strengths. The world is so much bigger than test scores.

That’s true and all but there are average people- many of them; in fact, your average person is…well, average. We don’t have to water down merit just because it hurts some people’s feelings that they aren’t at the top.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really hate this terminology because I believe that absolutely no child is average. Everybody has strengths. The world is so much bigger than test scores.

That’s true and all but there are average people- many of them; in fact, your average person is…well, average. We don’t have to water down merit just because it hurts some people’s feelings that they aren’t at the top.

My kid has been an average student in high school. He may not be in college, or he may be. Either way, he’s an awesome person with lots of other stuff going on other than school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless 50% of your Childs graduating class has a weighted GPA above a 3.97, your child is not average!

You are out of date. Dean J and others have said there are many districts in Virginia where 70-80% have over 4.0Weighted. Others have “only” half over 4.0W. Every public in our suburban district has a median over 4.0. The privates weight less (0.5 only) and have medians of 3.8W. 3.97W would still not be top three deciles based on the most recent school profiles of these three privates

Wow that great inflation is insane. Our public (in NJ) has median of like 3.4-3.5 every year. And they restrict the APs. Freshman can't take any, Sophomores can take a maximum of 2. And many kids don't qualify for Honors/AP. They have to be recommended for it by a teacher, which usually requires an "A" in a prerequisite course. So for many the weighted is not much higher than unweighted.

That is how it is at our VA private - No AP's as Freshman, 2 max for Sophomores, from Sophomore year forward the students has to test into the honors/AP, have teacher rec and at least a B+ in the prerequisites course. It's crazy to me that the publics have no guardrails on AP's!

APs without guardrails is awful. It's not a problem at the publics with a lot of high achieving kids, but some publics just enroll kids in AP classes who have no intention of taking the exam and are not really prepared for an intro college level course. It's a real problem for the kids who do want a class that actually prepares them for the AP exam.

I'm the PP whose public (NJ) has a lot of AP guardrails. I'm on the "College admissions advice for average kids" FB group, and it is littered with parents talking about their kid who randomly decided to take this or that AP class and did poorly and now their GPA is bad (despite the bump for it being an AP). Or they took the test and got a 1. Since our school is a high performing public the guardrails have to be there or the number of kids enrolling in AP would be too high to manage. Nearly 30% of the class graduates having taken no APs. Nearly everyone in the class goes to a 4 year college.

[Anonymous]

TCU

[Anonymous]

My “average” ADHD kid went to GMU and had a wonderful four years, living in the dorms every year. She made use of GMU’s disability services office for the ADHD.

[Anonymous]

What is average did OP say?

[Anonymous]

What is average by school districts in your area?
Fairfax county VA, what is average?
Arlington county VA, what is average?
Loudoun county VA, " "?
DCPS?
PG county, MD?
Montgomery county, MD?
Howard county, MD?
Frederick county, MD?

[Anonymous]

My “average stats” kid is applying to a variety of schools:

Big ones like Penn state, Pitt, U Delaware, Tennessee, Indiana (some are more reach than others, especially by major)

Smaller schools like CNU, Elon, College of Charleston, etc.

Lots of options out there.