Anonymous
Post 06/07/2025 09:21     Subject: Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
Anonymous wrote:My 3.0 got into T28!!!


NYU?
Anonymous
Post 08/07/2023 17:35     Subject: Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
Anonymous wrote:A 3.0 is a problem, even for an “elite” school in the DMV. No way he’s gets into a top 50 school.

You wasted your money.


A great education is never a waste of money.
Anonymous
Post 08/07/2023 16:46     Subject: Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
Anonymous wrote:Some of the less competitive schools that Big3 kids matriculated to this year: (probably a good bet for the lower 50% of the class).

Penn State
Temple
Denison
Santa Clara
Drexel
Vermont
Reed
GW
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Arizona
Fordham
Colorado
Oberlin
LSU
Tennessee
JMU
Smith



All are decent schools but Oberlin and Smith are more competitive and don't belong on this list
Anonymous
Post 08/07/2023 16:38     Subject: Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
Anonymous wrote:Some of the less competitive schools that Big3 kids matriculated to this year: (probably a good bet for the lower 50% of the class).

Penn State
Temple
Denison
Santa Clara
Drexel
Vermont
Reed
GW
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Arizona
Fordham
Colorado
Oberlin
LSU
Tennessee
JMU
Smith


These are great schools! Nothing not to be proud of.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2023 12:58     Subject: Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
gpas aren't comparable between public school that gives weighting for honors and AP and competitive privates that don't weight at all.

I think schools have their own formula to recalculate gpas for each student during the admission process.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2023 12:52     Subject: Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My 3.0 got into T28!!!


Which school?


Ah, the well known Top 28. Calling it a Top 30 would have downgraded it too much …
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2023 12:50     Subject: Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
Anonymous wrote:My 3.0 got into T28!!!


Which school?
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2023 12:49     Subject: Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
Anonymous wrote:My big3 3.0 kid is going to a top 40 school next year. No hooks.


Which top 40 school?
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2023 05:29     Subject: Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
This is such a Northeast corridor problem. Get past regional bias & you will see plenty of pretty, interesting, lively colleges at which you can recover from a lackluster high school GPA & springboard into a solid career. For example, the U. of Kansas accepts over 90% of applicants.

Anonymous
Post 07/18/2023 19:45     Subject: Re:Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
Anonymous wrote:It depends partly on what DC’s school indicates is the median or mean GPA for that class and whether they use a 4.0 scale (typical for privates). Local publics have a 5.0 GPA scale, so their GPA numbers will not be directly comparable and quality college admissions offices know that. It also depends on what strengths weaknesses show up in the grades. Someone weak in math but strong in history/english might be fine at a LAC which is not STEM focused.


Only MD publics seem to a have a 5.0 scale. Not FCPS.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2023 19:28     Subject: Re:Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
It depends partly on what DC’s school indicates is the median or mean GPA for that class and whether they use a 4.0 scale (typical for privates). Local publics have a 5.0 GPA scale, so their GPA numbers will not be directly comparable and quality college admissions offices know that. It also depends on what strengths weaknesses show up in the grades. Someone weak in math but strong in history/english might be fine at a LAC which is not STEM focused.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2023 13:07     Subject: Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
private or public university?

Anonymous wrote:My big3 3.0 kid is going to a top 40 school next year. No hooks.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2023 12:53     Subject: Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
Your school should give you access to Naviance or Scoir that has a scattergram that shows by college, where prior year classes from your school have been accepted, waitlisted, denied by GPA/test score and where your child fits into the graph. We found this very helpful to start a list.

It does not show EC's, etc., but at least is a starting point of consideration. Make sure you look at recent years--pre-pandemic/pre-test optional data is almost meaningless now.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2023 12:09     Subject: Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
Anonymous wrote:While it sort of helps to look at the lowest ranked schools on the list to figure out where the bottom is, it does not mean that's where you kid will go or that none of those kids got into higher ranked schools that they didn't like as much, that didn't offer enough money, or that they rejected for some other reason. Your counselor will know more. I can think of six kids who did not choose the highest ranked school they got into for a variety of good reasons. So listen to your college counselor and don't make assumptions based on a given class' list of matriculations. You just never really know what went into each decision.


+1
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2023 11:29     Subject: Lower GPA for similar college admissions having graduated from competitive private?
While it sort of helps to look at the lowest ranked schools on the list to figure out where the bottom is, it does not mean that's where you kid will go or that none of those kids got into higher ranked schools that they didn't like as much, that didn't offer enough money, or that they rejected for some other reason. Your counselor will know more. I can think of six kids who did not choose the highest ranked school they got into for a variety of good reasons. So listen to your college counselor and don't make assumptions based on a given class' list of matriculations. You just never really know what went into each decision.