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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My experience with college admissions is that there are general trends you can look at for GPA and SAT scores, and that it is important to be realistic about what schools are a good match, and an Harvard is likely not going to take someone unless they are in the top 1-10% of their class (depending on the rigor and size of the school), however there is a lot of randomness to it as well.  I graduated high school in the mid 2000s, so my experience is not [i]so[/i] out of date, and I've been watching family friends and relatives go through it all over again.  There's always going to be the kid who you are sure will get in everywhere, or who has a great list of "matches" and only gets into their safety.  That kid might be a 4.0, perfect SAT, has all the extracurriculars, super type A student, legacy, and for whatever reason, they just didn't fill the niche that the admissions officers wanted for the class.  Then there is always going to be a student who applies to a school that seems like a total crapshoot reach (i.e. no legacy, no "hook" has a couple Bs) who gets in.  Hell, I found a SLAC that I was convinced was a perfect match for me which my guidance counselor thought there was no way I would get in; I got in, and later I met the admissions officer who reviewed my application and he said I had really compelling essays, especially the "why x school" supplemental essay.  Naviance is a tool, and one shouldn't overestimate their chances, but often in my experience college counselors underestimate the chances of kids who don't fit the typical mold.

That said, a 3.5-3.6 is still an A- average, and it seems silly to yank a student out of rigorous courses when they are performing well.  I think in general it is beneficial to the student intellectually and in terms of preparation for college to stay in difficult classes that challenge them with a good peer group, and it is also beneficial for college applications to take rigorous classes.[/quote]

But it's not clear she is performing well in all of her rigorous classes. What's the point of struggling for a C in AP Bio (just to pick an example) at the expense of your other classes? If she's in a private school or strong public school the regular bio class is going to be fine. [/quote]

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