Anonymous wrote:If you're claiming a 3.5 unhooked kid has a shot at HYPS, you're crazy. What are you considering a "top" school?

I would agree, although I wouldn't express it quite so forcefully! I would also agree those 3.5 students can get into some great schools that I'd consider "top" in the big picture. However, if folks think that a student with a 3.5 GPA who does not have one of the big hooks (such as legacy, recruited athlete) has a good chance at the most sought-after schools (HYPS, Duke, other Ivies) I do think they are setting themselves up for disappointment. Obviously there are exceptions, but people need to be realistic, and the sooner they realize that a top 10 school isn't the only "top" school, the happier and more relaxed the student (and parents) will be. Plenty of wonderful schools such as Davidson, Pomona, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Amherst, Williams, UVA, UNC, U. Michigan, Wake Forest, Macalester, Carleton, Claremont McKenna, the Service Academies, Haverford, Swarthmore, Wesleyan, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Rice, Wash. U, Georgetown, Notre Dame, just to name some.

If you're claiming a 3.5 unhooked kid has a shot at HYPS, you're crazy. What are you considering a "top" school?

I've seen 3.5 and above get into top schools from Sidwell.

Anonymous wrote:Do people generally include arts classes when calculating GPA, or just the 5 core academic ones?

The school might include but the colleges care only about core academic subject areas.

Do people generally include arts classes when calculating GPA, or just the 5 core academic ones?

From what I have seen at a comparable private school, it would take a 3.8 and above for the most selective schools (eg HYP/Stanford). That is for unhooked candidates. I would assume the same is true of Sidwell. The colleges also look at the difficulty of the courses taken, and I do care about teacher recommendations, so even aside from scores it is not all about the GPA in a vacuum.

Did your DDs get in early action or regular decision and were they hooked? Not at all meant in a negative way. I'm truly curious because I wonder if there are examples of merit alone carrying the day for college admissions at this type of highly competitive school.

Agree, our DDs from Sidwell had GPAs of 3.7-3.8 and got into HYPS, almost no one has a 4.0. There is no weighting in the GPAs themselves. But clearly the admissions people at the top universities know exactly which courses are the most challenging track and even which teachers are super tough graders and take that into account, with input from the Sidwell college counselors.

The poster above jives with our experience SFS. 3.5 with high scores and excellent ECs got two DC into very highly rated colleges. There is usually only 0-2 kids with a 4.0 each year. So if u send your child there for US. You have to adjust your expectations.

PP with the 4.0 comment is simply wrong. No ties to Sidwell here but looking at the Naviance at another top private shows that the average GPAs of kids admitted regular decision (to make sure not taking sports into consideration) were from 3.6 to 3.7 for those accepted at Harvard, Princeton or Yale. Based on what I know about Sidwell, I suspect that the stats for kids there are similar.

The GPA required from the privates is simply lower than that required from the publics for many reasons. (And I should note that the Naviance data also shows that the 3.7 kids being accepted were well into the 99+ percent in SAT/ACT scores.)

Anonymous wrote:4.0. Regardless of where you attend. Paying for private doesn't mean you can do poorly in school and still get an advantage.

so that would be a 4.5 for public school?

Anonymous wrote:So a 3.95 is doing poorly in school? Please.

A 3.7 or 3.8 at Sidwell or a similar school is very good. Colleges know grades are not inflated.

So a 3.95 is doing poorly in school? Please.

4.0. Regardless of where you attend. Paying for private doesn't mean you can do poorly in school and still get an advantage.

I know there's no grade inflation there, but what Sidwell GPA would make you competitive at top colleges? 3.7?? 3.8??