Anonymous wrote:You people are insane.

Parent of an elementary school student? My kid goes to a high school where the choices are on-level classes (which are remedial) or AP. Early on he decided not to take on-level classes in anything that actually interested him, because there is so little content covered that he wouldn't learn anything. Only two AP classes stressed him out, both not in his areas of expertise. He got the best education he could at our local school, and he's going to a great college (but not one that gives DCUM folks heart palpitations) and will be as well-prepared as he can be.

9th grade: None (not allowed at our school)

10th grade: AP World History

11th grade: AP Calc A/B, AP Language & Composition, AP US History, DE Physics

12 grade (projected): AP Bio or AP Chem, AP Stats or AP Calc B/C, AP Studio Art, AP English Literature, AP Government or AP Latin (five classes, early release).

PP here - my ds planned his classes with his counselor (I pushed only for philosophy fwiw). He is, and continues to be, super duper ambitious, unlike me. He was the one who took extra classes, summer classes at the cc, while doing a three season sport that he was equally ambitious in. I always advocated for a more “sedate” approach to life, but he was the kind of kid that if you told him it wasn’t possible, he has to prove you wrong...

Anonymous wrote:I have an 8th grader and am looking at this thread in awe. Your kids are talented and driven! Are most of them getting 5s on the AP exams?

Me as well. The line that gets me is “He will really need to get his SAT above 1500” When I graduated 30 years ago, I knew of no one who had gotten a 1500.

Anonymous wrote:You people are insane.

OP here. You haven't looked at Naviance yet, have you? My partner and I both went to state universities for undergrad. Although DC's grades are slightly better than mine, I'm not sure s/he could be admitted today.

Here's a snapshot of what I see in Naviance:
UMD: 4.07 GPA, 1411 SAT
VA Tech: 4.06 GPA, 1331 SAT

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an 8th grader and am looking at this thread in awe. Your kids are talented and driven! Are most of them getting 5s on the AP exams?

Probably more so the parents than the kids. Have to get into the best school, don't you know, no matter how miserable you'll be.

These kids will not be miserable in college because they are actually working hard in HS to get there. Most of their peers in college will be legacy, athletes, URMs and coming from back/side doors. The students taking so many APs will actually be able to hack it in college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP US history, AP Chem, AP Physics EM, AP World History, AP comp sci, AP stat and prob, AP psychology AP Calc

He also did dual enrollment at local cc, so those classes were waited - Eng 101 and 102, Bio 101, 103 and 104 (anatomy), Ethics, and Phil 101.

He graduated with a 4.6 weighted GPA

Thank you! To future posters, this is the kind of info I'd like to see. Not something generic like "every subject."

OP most kids with over a 4.0 took pretty much all AP classes. It would probably be easier to ask what NON AP courses did your kid take.

Anonymous wrote:I have an 8th grader and am looking at this thread in awe. Your kids are talented and driven! Are most of them getting 5s on the AP exams?

Probably more so the parents than the kids. Have to get into the best school, don't you know, no matter how miserable you'll be.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP US history, AP Chem, AP Physics EM, AP World History, AP comp sci, AP stat and prob, AP psychology AP Calc

He also did dual enrollment at local cc, so those classes were waited - Eng 101 and 102, Bio 101, 103 and 104 (anatomy), Ethics, and Phil 101.

He graduated with a 4.6 weighted GPA

Thank you! To future posters, this is the kind of info I'd like to see. Not something generic like "every subject."

It helps you how?

Filling gap for senior year. This year is pretty much done. Depending on admissions deadlines, there is some potential to have first quarter grades senior year factored into GPA, right? I had discouraged DC from overloading on APs but now see the impact with a lower GPA.

No. Schools on a quarter system compute GPA only after a semester.

They will, however, provide the most recent report cards.

If your kid is applying to a school that does 'holistic' admissions (eg NOT a giant school like Ohio State), they will consider more than just the GPA, but actually look at the courses he took and the grades received. At this point there is little your kid can do to change his GPA, but assuming that his grades have been on an overall upward trajectory, I wouldn't obsess over it.

What your kid can do now: Target schools that make sense. Work hard on the essay. Choose teachers to write recommendation letters early and wisely. Apply to a couple of reaches, and focus most of your effort on identifying safeties and matches (this last bit applies to every kid in high school now).

My MCPS kid will take many magnet courses in the SMCS program. If he does nothing else.. the following is part of the magnet path for him for APs. The magnet courses and STEM electives are pretty interesting and the teachers are telling not to be overly focussed on STEM APs. The Comp sci courses are superior to any AP comp sci he could take.

9th - AP NSL (Gov)
10th - AP US Hist, AP Foreign Language, AP Bio (self study)
11th - AP English, AP World History, AP Calc BC, AP Physics, AP Chemistry, AP Stats
12th -

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP US history, AP Chem, AP Physics EM, AP World History, AP comp sci, AP stat and prob, AP psychology AP Calc

He also did dual enrollment at local cc, so those classes were waited - Eng 101 and 102, Bio 101, 103 and 104 (anatomy), Ethics, and Phil 101.

He graduated with a 4.6 weighted GPA

Thank you! To future posters, this is the kind of info I'd like to see. Not something generic like "every subject."

It helps you how?

Filling gap for senior year. This year is pretty much done. Depending on admissions deadlines, there is some potential to have first quarter grades senior year factored into GPA, right? I had discouraged DC from overloading on APs but now see the impact with a lower GPA.

I have an 8th grader and am looking at this thread in awe. Your kids are talented and driven! Are most of them getting 5s on the AP exams?

You people are insane.

"1500 on SATs and currently has 3.7 unweighted GPA and 3.9 W GPA. Had no idea that most schools require at least a 4.0 these days. DC wants to study engineering so I think s/he took the right classes but I'm now wondering if we missed an opportunity in boosting GPA with some AP classes like English, History, or Psychology."

Depends on what you mean by most colleges. Most of the top 20 would be hoping for better than a 1500. By the time you get to 20-40, they are going to be more interested in ECs that turn heads rather than 0.1 or 0.2 in wGPA.

It's not like DC avoided the rigorous classes that support engineering.

Then you have to factor in that not every HS weights grades the same way. At some HSs you can get a 4.8 or even a 5.0 and at others, you are limited to a 4.3 or so.

Next you have to understand why your DC has a 3.7 unweighted. If DC has been getting a 4.0 in physics and math but a 3.5 in English and history, then thinking they were going to up their weighted GPA by taking harder classes may not be realistic.

If they have a 4.0 in English and history classes but a 3.5 in physics and math, then most likely their extra effort would have been best used to actually get As in the classes that support engineering.

If they have a sprinkling of Bs over all subjects then if you had pushed in APs at the right time, you could get the bump you want but more likely, if there really was more effort available, (not a sure thing) then if DC had raised their unweighted GPA to a 3.8, that would have been the most sure fire way to improve their weighted GPA to a 4.0.

^^^ Forgot, also AP French in 11th