In addition to comparing you to your HS cohort and looking at your data on Slate and other tools, the most selective schools are admitting with yield in mind.

Keep that in mind when making your lists, engaging with selective colleges, etc.

Anonymous wrote:I can see a day when AI can evaluate GPAs and norm them in a much more useful way.

I don’t trust that a 24 yr old reader “knows”
our private high school and takes in that a 3.8 gpa is a 95. Bring on AI

they already are. its called slate and landscape. The 24-year-old reader gets the "standardized" info about the high school in the Slate app (Slate CRM by Technolutions):

here's how Slate tracks demonstrated interest (you can see the visuals here):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiOgl6QNcgk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-SfzOoNdLQ

I can see a day when AI can evaluate GPAs and norm them in a much more useful way.

I don’t trust that a 24 yr old reader “knows”
our private high school and takes in that a 3.8 gpa is a 95. Bring on AI

Anonymous wrote:Thinking valedictorian (or similar) / 35-36 or 1550+/ top awards or ECs?
If so, what happened?
Where did the kid end up? Did the kid transfer?

On DCUM those are bottom of class stats, just kidding, but if Harvard said they only accept Valedictorians there is not even room for that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

DP

Yes you are competing with the entire world. But the first filter is you are going to be compared with your own HS peers. If you do not make this cut, everything is mute.

Nah. A school that has tens of thousands of applications is simply not going to make separate piles of applications by high school and make its first cut decision by comparing the applicants within each pile.

DP. This tells us you know absolutely nothing about the application review process. This is exactly how it's done. The first cut are applications from one school, judged against one another.

You know nothing. That’s not how it’s done at all.

DP. While each college organizes its app reading process in its own way, at most colleges, the app is first read by the regional AO. Since context of the high school is a significant consideration when reading the transcript, it makes complete sense that apps from a particular high school are read in the same batch.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

DP

Yes you are competing with the entire world. But the first filter is you are going to be compared with your own HS peers. If you do not make this cut, everything is mute.

Nah. A school that has tens of thousands of applications is simply not going to make separate piles of applications by high school and make its first cut decision by comparing the applicants within each pile.

DP. This tells us you know absolutely nothing about the application review process. This is exactly how it's done. The first cut are applications from one school, judged against one another.

You know nothing. That’s not how it’s done at all.

New poster. I read applications, and they are absolutely organized (and shared with readers for a first read) by high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

DP

Yes you are competing with the entire world. But the first filter is you are going to be compared with your own HS peers. If you do not make this cut, everything is mute.

Nah. A school that has tens of thousands of applications is simply not going to make separate piles of applications by high school and make its first cut decision by comparing the applicants within each pile.

Saw this posted on a former MI AO FB page:

“Remember, during the admissions process, students are compared to others at their high school and evaluated with consideration as to what was available to them.

As admissions counselors, we’d ask ourselves, “is this one of the best students we will see from this high school for this application cycle (academically, in terms of rigor, extracurricularly)?” As a counselor, I would regularly add comments like, “student is well qualified with strong grades and excellent test scores, however, their curriculum is not one of the most demanding that we will see from this high school.”

Admissions (at selective institutions) is not just looking for students who are academically qualified and “strong,” but rather, those who are truly at the top of their class in the aforementioned ways. So, while your child’s school might not rank, don’t think that there is not still an in depth assessment done during review analyzing where the student falls in their graduating class. “

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

DP

Yes you are competing with the entire world. But the first filter is you are going to be compared with your own HS peers. If you do not make this cut, everything is mute.

Nah. A school that has tens of thousands of applications is simply not going to make separate piles of applications by high school and make its first cut decision by comparing the applicants within each pile.

DP. This tells us you know absolutely nothing about the application review process. This is exactly how it's done. The first cut are applications from one school, judged against one another.

You know nothing. That’s not how it’s done at all.

You sweet summer child.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

DP

Yes you are competing with the entire world. But the first filter is you are going to be compared with your own HS peers. If you do not make this cut, everything is mute.

Nah. A school that has tens of thousands of applications is simply not going to make separate piles of applications by high school and make its first cut decision by comparing the applicants within each pile.

YOu are right they aren't. But what they are going to do is do a first read by a regional AO who will read all of the Apps in their region. And they will first compare you against the others in your school and then compare you against others in your region. I'm not sure why you are pushing back against this. It makes complete sense and is well documented across forums.

“Well documented” by people who are just guessing about this as they do about every other aspect of the process. It’s another form of cope we see very often - “my kid didn’t get in because they took too many other kids from his school.”

lol.
Ok sister.

There’s a former admissions officer who’s been on here sporadically. Have you heard him/her talk about this?

If not look for the post that others have posted from Reddit from former T10 admissions officers. They recount in detail the process.

In fact, there are books about the process written by former admissions officers. If you wanted to get smart, you could read those. Or listen to the podcast from former admissions officers or maybe just current admissions officers…often cited here ?

There’s just so many places to get this information.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

DP

Yes you are competing with the entire world. But the first filter is you are going to be compared with your own HS peers. If you do not make this cut, everything is mute.

Nah. A school that has tens of thousands of applications is simply not going to make separate piles of applications by high school and make its first cut decision by comparing the applicants within each pile.

DP. This tells us you know absolutely nothing about the application review process. This is exactly how it's done. The first cut are applications from one school, judged against one another.

You know nothing. That’s not how it’s done at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

DP

Yes you are competing with the entire world. But the first filter is you are going to be compared with your own HS peers. If you do not make this cut, everything is mute.

Nah. A school that has tens of thousands of applications is simply not going to make separate piles of applications by high school and make its first cut decision by comparing the applicants within each pile.

YOu are right they aren't. But what they are going to do is do a first read by a regional AO who will read all of the Apps in their region. And they will first compare you against the others in your school and then compare you against others in your region. I'm not sure why you are pushing back against this. It makes complete sense and is well documented across forums.

“Well documented” by people who are just guessing about this as they do about every other aspect of the process. It’s another form of cope we see very often - “my kid didn’t get in because they took too many other kids from his school.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

DP

Yes you are competing with the entire world. But the first filter is you are going to be compared with your own HS peers. If you do not make this cut, everything is mute.

Nah. A school that has tens of thousands of applications is simply not going to make separate piles of applications by high school and make its first cut decision by comparing the applicants within each pile.

DP. This tells us you know absolutely nothing about the application review process. This is exactly how it's done. The first cut are applications from one school, judged against one another.

+1 that’s the first cut, then regionally.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

DP

Yes you are competing with the entire world. But the first filter is you are going to be compared with your own HS peers. If you do not make this cut, everything is mute.

Nah. A school that has tens of thousands of applications is simply not going to make separate piles of applications by high school and make its first cut decision by comparing the applicants within each pile.

DP. This tells us you know absolutely nothing about the application review process. This is exactly how it's done. The first cut are applications from one school, judged against one another.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

DP

Yes you are competing with the entire world. But the first filter is you are going to be compared with your own HS peers. If you do not make this cut, everything is mute.

Nah. A school that has tens of thousands of applications is simply not going to make separate piles of applications by high school and make its first cut decision by comparing the applicants within each pile.

YOu are right they aren't. But what they are going to do is do a first read by a regional AO who will read all of the Apps in their region. And they will first compare you against the others in your school and then compare you against others in your region. I'm not sure why you are pushing back against this. It makes complete sense and is well documented across forums.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

This be true.
Two kids in NYC selective high schools. If you could look at the Naviance for these schools... one of my children's middle school classmates opted for a non-competitive high school just so they could end up graduating top of the class. That strategy worked out well. I wish I had been that savvy for my kids.

NYC parent, can you say more? Non-competitive public or private school?