Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The concern i have about Sidwell is that the school really limits the# of kids who can take advanced math and, to some extent, science. How are non-STEM kids supposed to shine in the college process? High AP English and APUSH scores seem like the only way. MY DD is a terrific student at Sidwell (3.7 GPA),but she is much more humanities focused and does not take the advanced math and science classes. I'm encouraging her to prepare carefully for the APs for that reason.

How do you compute 3.7 GPA? The school doesn't provide a GPA on transcript.

Not on transcripts, but the school does compute GPA and you can do it yourself. A=4.0, a-= 3.67, B+ =3.33, etc... They do not send GPA to colleges, but they use it to figure out where your child should apply.

Anonymous wrote:

The concern i have about Sidwell is that the school really limits the# of kids who can take advanced math and, to some extent, science. How are non-STEM kids supposed to shine in the college process? High AP English and APUSH scores seem like the only way. MY DD is a terrific student at Sidwell (3.7 GPA),but she is much more humanities focused and does not take the advanced math and science classes. I'm encouraging her to prepare carefully for the APs for that reason.

This is very true, and a lesson we learned too late. DC, with a 3.8 GPA (at a school comparable to Sidwell) was told that because DC didn't take the highest math and science, DC was not a viable candidate for Ivy-level colleges and universities (despite legacy). DC is taking AB calculus and AP biology (as well as APs in a variety of other non-STEM subjects), but not BC calculus or higher. DC is not interested in engineering or any other math-focused career.

If true, this is insane. The top colleges only value top math and science?? How could that be true?

Anonymous wrote:The concern i have about Sidwell is that the school really limits the# of kids who can take advanced math and, to some extent, science. How are non-STEM kids supposed to shine in the college process? High AP English and APUSH scores seem like the only way. MY DD is a terrific student at Sidwell (3.7 GPA),but she is much more humanities focused and does not take the advanced math and science classes. I'm encouraging her to prepare carefully for the APs for that reason.

How do you compute 3.7 GPA? The school doesn't provide a GPA on transcript.

At Sidwell, Calc BC os the highest track for most kids, but the vast majority of seniors seem to take either regular calculus or AP statistics. Those kids can get into top schools if they have good grades and test scores. I think it depends on what you want to study. If you want to study STEM in college, it helps to be on the highest track.

Anonymous wrote:

The concern i have about Sidwell is that the school really limits the# of kids who can take advanced math and, to some extent, science. How are non-STEM kids supposed to shine in the college process? High AP English and APUSH scores seem like the only way. MY DD is a terrific student at Sidwell (3.7 GPA),but she is much more humanities focused and does not take the advanced math and science classes. I'm encouraging her to prepare carefully for the APs for that reason.

This is very true, and a lesson we learned too late. DC, with a 3.8 GPA (at a school comparable to Sidwell) was told that because DC didn't take the highest math and science, DC was not a viable candidate for Ivy-level colleges and universities (despite legacy). DC is taking AB calculus and AP biology (as well as APs in a variety of other non-STEM subjects), but not BC calculus or higher. DC is not interested in engineering or any other math-focused career.

I hope you apply to a couple anyway if that's where your DC wants to go. My DC took AP AB Calc as a senior, which is practically remedial math at DCs school, and several kids in DCs math class were admitted to Ivies - one of them to Harvard. These were similarly kids whose strength was not math.

The concern i have about Sidwell is that the school really limits the# of kids who can take advanced math and, to some extent, science. How are non-STEM kids supposed to shine in the college process? High AP English and APUSH scores seem like the only way. MY DD is a terrific student at Sidwell (3.7 GPA),but she is much more humanities focused and does not take the advanced math and science classes. I'm encouraging her to prepare carefully for the APs for that reason.

This is very true, and a lesson we learned too late. DC, with a 3.8 GPA (at a school comparable to Sidwell) was told that because DC didn't take the highest math and science, DC was not a viable candidate for Ivy-level colleges and universities (despite legacy). DC is taking AB calculus and AP biology (as well as APs in a variety of other non-STEM subjects), but not BC calculus or higher. DC is not interested in engineering or any other math-focused career.

But what if a school, like Sidwell, offers only 8-10 APs. It's honestly difficult to take more than 4-5 AP classes at Sidwell though you can take more exams.

Anonymous wrote:I know a girl at a top private who did not take any "AP" classes and is now at Harvard. The top colleges recognize the limitations of the AP curriculum, and many are no longer offering credit or even advanced placement for 5s. And the very top private schools, especially in NY, are moving away from offering APs.

You know of one kid and all that too? Wow.

Let me fill in a few blanks for you. Horace Mann in NYC offers over 30 AP classes, as do most elite privates in NYC. Boston Latin offers over 30, as do most elite privates in Boston. The boarding schools refuse to call honors classes "AP courses" because that sounds so public-like. But make no inferences there, the one my son goes to has honors final exams two weeks early to permit time for AP test specific review sessions.

You are correct that top colleges are less likely to give credit hours for AP high testers, but those 5s are very valuable to place out of taking baseline requirement courses which allow students to explore more electives and specialized courses sooner in their college path.

If you think there is such a thing as a selective school that does not view AP exams taken and high scores on them as a high boost, you are very mistaken.

The concern i have about Sidwell is that the school really limits the# of kids who can take advanced math and, to some extent, science. How are non-STEM kids supposed to shine in the college process? High AP English and APUSH scores seem like the only way. MY DD is a terrific student at Sidwell (3.7 GPA),but she is much more humanities focused and does not take the advanced math and science classes. I'm encouraging her to prepare carefully for the APs for that reason.

I know a girl at a top private who did not take any "AP" classes and is now at Harvard. The top colleges recognize the limitations of the AP curriculum, and many are no longer offering credit or even advanced placement for 5s. And the very top private schools, especially in NY, are moving away from offering APs.

Anonymous wrote:The APs are more useful for public schools. Most privates do not offer nearly as many AP classes.

APs are useful for any high school applicant. There are some privates that don't offer any AP courses, but students at those will take AP exams after a year or calculus, chemistry, etc. The absence of AP courses taken (when available) and tests taken are a liability in what has become a very competitive process.

Your comment reeks more than a bit of elitism. An AP exams portfolio of 5s is a very distinguished credential, and to many selective colleges speaks louder than a 4.8 at a public or a 3.5 at Sidwell.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any top private 3.5s gotten college results yet?

ED comes out 12/15. Anyone who's already heard either applied rolling (which tend to be lower tier schools) or is a recruited athlete.

"Lower tier" like the University of Michigan?

Huh? Michigan notifies by 12/24 for EA. Typically it's actually a few days after the 12/15 for the ivies and others. They don't do rolling admissions. If your DC is a recruited athlete at Michigan, well then a big congrats!!

The APs are more useful for public schools. Most privates do not offer nearly as many AP classes.

Grade inflation is so widespread, it is hard for any school to have a true basis for comparison. That applies also to schools like Sidwell that don't inflate. SATs reward preparation more than they evaluate any intelligence basis.

I believe the growing emphasis of selective schools is AP coursework and test performance. Having a sleeve of 5s on AP exams over a high school career is a monumental differentiator, especially for the kids at public schools who struggle to stand out. I am guessing the same would apply to Sidwell and other elite privates. AP exams are a fair marker. The 3.5 at Sidwell versus the 4.8 somewhere else is not, and I think the math to find a common basis is futile.

A 3.5 at Sidwell is in the top 50% --at least -- and the top 50% tend to go to very good schools.usuallg about 25% to the Ivies plus Stanford and the others to other 25% to other top tier universities and SLACs. If your kid has a 3.5 and decent scores (2200+), there are lots of options.