Why can't/won't the school publish the criteria for designation?

IB/AP = 3, H=2, GL= 1. Sum it all up. X points and above = Highest Rigor; Y-X points= Rigorous, <Y = Standard.

or Must take X or more AP/IB classes

or Must take X or more AP/IB classes across all 4 core subjects

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is everyone who does IB automatically highest rigor?

Need to do IB diploma. The relative difficulty of the the chosen classes also matters.

Not necessarily - depends on the school. FCPS IB school said if you are taking a bunch of IB classes and not doing the diploma, you still will get designated "highest rigor."

Don't count on colleges respecting that designation, then.

Anonymous wrote:Is everyone who does IB automatically highest rigor?

No there are High level and Standard level courses in IB. And schools want to see a Theory of Knowledge class taken. Lots of variables.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is everyone who does IB automatically highest rigor?

Need to do IB diploma. The relative difficulty of the the chosen classes also matters.

Not necessarily - depends on the school. FCPS IB school said if you are taking a bunch of IB classes and not doing the diploma, you still will get designated "highest rigor."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the high school offers

Likely that this is most common. In a big country like the US, exceptions must surely exist somewhere.

If the school has an informed college counselor, there are publications and guidance about this from NACAC.

Anonymous wrote:Is everyone who does IB automatically highest rigor?

Need to do IB diploma. The relative difficulty of the the chosen classes also matters.

Anonymous wrote:What the high school offers

Likely that this is most common. In a big country like the US, exceptions must surely exist somewhere.

Anonymous wrote:Depends on the high school, but generally “highest rigor” is not used as a superlative but is a tier (eg, everyone who takes 8+ APs). Also, most colleges do not put much weight on what the high school counselor says about it (especially from public high schools). They can evaluate a transcript themselves.

Yes, at public schools, at least, I think this is the common approach. A threshold of number of high-rigor classes rather than a subject-by-subject evaluation of level. At our school, for example, one of my kids had 10 APs with Calc AB as the highest math, and his counselor said he’d have the “highest rigor” designation.

Also agree that colleges don’t really give it much weight; they’re looking closely at transcripts and evaluating their coursework in the context of other applicants from their school, their major interest, etc.

Is everyone who does IB automatically highest rigor?

What the high school offers

In our FCPS HS, highest rigor is only determined by the HS based on what the HS offers.

Depends on the high school, but generally “highest rigor” is not used as a superlative but is a tier (eg, everyone who takes 8+ APs). Also, most colleges do not put much weight on what the high school counselor says about it (especially from public high schools). They can evaluate a transcript themselves.

Ask the counselor but at our school "highest rigor" does not take into account kids who are hyper accelerated and do things like you describe. "Highest rigor" is making it to multivariable calculus by senior year if that is highest math class that the school offers or even ending with calculus BC (even if there are a handful of kids who take multi).

Schools are generous with this designation, as they should be.

Ask the counselor. Better yes, have DC do so

Dc’s HS has a handful of kids who took math outside of school and therefore finish the math curriculum before senior year (and sometimes well before senior year). In that context, how is rigor compared by the school counselors in their LORs? Is coursework considered *more* rigorous if taken when the kid is younger? I understand this likely varies by school.