Anonymous wrote:If gpa is 3.9/4.5 with a very hard load of classes and 8 5/5 APs also in very hard classes, what SAT can give a chance to top 50? What about Top 20?

DS had a 3.3/4 UW. Scored 1590 in one seating and 36.
He got in Dartmouth and Notre Dame….

Look at your school's DATA!!!

If private, we can't tell you a thing! At our private, this 3.6uw with rigor got into Vanderbilt this year (class president).....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If gpa is 3.9/4.5 with a very hard load of classes and 8 5/5 APs also in very hard classes, what SAT can give a chance to top 50? What about Top 20?

I think rigor is the most important thing.

Then GPA.

Then SAT/ACT score (and/or AP scores across a mix of Humanities and STEM).

The standardized scores are less important than Rigor + GPA. So while it won't make up for deficiencies in those areas, it can provide a small boost of confidence that the kid can handle college.

this is what multiple top 50-ish college AOs told me on tours!

The first question is always, what school?

Under-resourced?
Typical DMV public?
Private feeder?

It matters more than any single number.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the unweighted GPA? High school weighting varies widely by high school, so weighted GPA isn't helpful.

Put another way, how many Bs and in which classes?

SAT score doesn't really make up for GPA. Whether a top score can make certain colleges possible depends on what you mean by "mediocre" as well as the high school and which colleges.

OP, sorry perhaps I misunderstood your notation. I thought you meant 3.9 out of 4.5. If you are saying the unweighted GPA is 3.9 and the weighted is 4.5, that meets any academic threshold at any college. It is not mediocre.

Thanks. You understood correctly.

Unweighted 3.6/4
Unweighted core classes: 3.7/4
Weighed 3.9/4.4

School offers mostly honors not APs.

OP thanks for clarifying. Sounds like your DC's unweighted GPA in core classes (which is what AOs focus on) is 3.7 unweighted. You also mentioned earlier that they are taking high rigor. It sounds like your DC's school is not a grade inflation school since they took 6 AP classes and have received 5's on all. I think your school counselor will be able to give the necessary context for this GPA. Schools that understand your school profile will see 3.7 as strong and not mediocre. A SAT of 1400+ (94th percentile) would be helpful to add confidence. But no need for superhuman efforts as SAT-ACT is less important than difficulty of curriculum plus GPA in context.

Even at our "Big3" private with grade deflation (average GPA for the grade was a 3.5), a 3.6 won't get you into a top15 school. The line in the sand was about 3.8 this year and that was an anomaly (like one kid). Almost everyone had a 3.9.

Anonymous wrote:If gpa is 3.9/4.5 with a very hard load of classes and 8 5/5 APs also in very hard classes, what SAT can give a chance to top 50? What about Top 20?

I think rigor is the most important thing.

Then GPA.

Then SAT/ACT score (and/or AP scores across a mix of Humanities and STEM).

The standardized scores are less important than Rigor + GPA. So while it won't make up for deficiencies in those areas, it can provide a small boost of confidence that the kid can handle college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the unweighted GPA? High school weighting varies widely by high school, so weighted GPA isn't helpful.

Put another way, how many Bs and in which classes?

SAT score doesn't really make up for GPA. Whether a top score can make certain colleges possible depends on what you mean by "mediocre" as well as the high school and which colleges.

OP, sorry perhaps I misunderstood your notation. I thought you meant 3.9 out of 4.5. If you are saying the unweighted GPA is 3.9 and the weighted is 4.5, that meets any academic threshold at any college. It is not mediocre.

Thanks. You understood correctly.

Unweighted 3.6/4
Unweighted core classes: 3.7/4
Weighed 3.9/4.4

School offers mostly honors not APs.

I don't think there is any test score that can get you into a T20 with a mediocre GPA. I say this as a NMSF with a similar GPA. No T20 acceptances,, but lots in the 20s and 30s range.

Anonymous wrote:Op here: unw 3.6/4 or w 3.9/4.4

Depends on your high school, but generally, from your typical public high school, T20s are not happening with 3.6.

Apply widely from T30 to T100. A high test score can come in handy, especially for merit scholarships at lower ranked schools.

Anonymous wrote:Op here: unw 3.6/4 or w 3.9/4.4

T20 is going to tough with that GPA. Generally, for an unhooked student to have a shot they need an SAT over 1500 and to be in the top 10% of their high school class. Even with those stats, solid EC's and strong recommendation letters its a very low probability lottery, i.e. take the schools admit rate and cut it half since likely half of the spots go to hooked kids.
Definitely look at your school's admissions data at any colleges your DC is interested in to see what the GPA/SAT of admitted and rejected students is.
Consider binding ED as well, assuming a solid test score, ED might really help your DC for schools schools in the top 50

Test score is not used to salvage gpa. It’s another data point to demonstrate your academic ability. So your gpa can never be “salvaged.”

That being said, I have never seen any kid from our school with 1550+ didn’t get into T30. The gpa ranges from 3.6 to 3.9. 3.8 kids have a good shot at T5. 1580+ range mostly in at T20 with gpa in that range.

It depends on the college. Your school college counselor will know best. Looking at the scattergramI noticed that UVA, for example, seems to care about GPA over scores but Michigan does not

Op here: unw 3.6/4 or w 3.9/4.4

Anonymous wrote:A 3.9 is not mediocre.

+1

OP - your kid is fine with that gpa and rigor. Nothing to salvage.