Reply to National Merit semi-finalist state cut offs

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My DC goes to one of the Big 3, and they do not rank, give GPA and have only a handful of AP classes available to take. But every year there are plenty of kids that get into the Ivy League. So PP experience doesn't necessarily apply to a lot of kids at DC privates. But luckily those Ivies know those facts about the schools and it doesn't count against the kids. [/quote]

A lot of the kids I have interviewed have been from the Big 3.  They often have some ballpark GPA, and they have all taken AP tests.  They have taken fewer than the kids at the MoCo publics, it's true.  They don't have class ranks, but even the interviewers know what a good GPA is at those schools, and the admissions office has decades worth of data on each school.

IB diplomas are well regarded. As with APs, top scores are expected on the SL tests or predicted HL tests.   IB students also don't get a pass on the extracurricular, leadership, original research etc. , which can be an issue, given the time commitment.  [/quote]

I'd be curious to know if a 3.8 at one of the Big 3 is considered competitive against someone from MCPS or FCPS with maybe a 4.3 weighted?[/quote]

A 4.3 weighted in a good MCPS is a middle of the road student (has either gotten quite a few Bs or hasn't taken very many honors/AP classes). As a reference point my DC was at 4.6 weighted/3.9 unweighted. I really don't think the weightings are useful comparison across schools, they only help within a school to help judge the rigor of the classes a student has taken relative to other students in the school. Each school/school system has their own weighting approach so cross school comparisons are useless.[/quote]

To be honest, I would think a tony school wants to see that the AP score backs up the inflated grade. My daughter has friends in a good public school system where lots of kids get A- or As in various AP classes, but get 3a or 4s on the AP exams. That's the beauty of blind, nationwide standardized tests. Totally unbiased and really can put the "rigor" of the class/teacher in question, IMO.[/quote]

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