Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone has 4.0 from public. Find some important ways in which to distinguish yourself.

False. Demonstrably so.

Yes, more accurate to say 20 to 40 percent of class has 4.0, depending on the school.

I can speak only for my kids’ HS (Jackson-Reed), but according to the school profile the last couple of years, only ~5% of students (about 25) graduate with an unweighted 4.0 each year. 42% have a 3.5-3.99, but very few have a perfect 4.0.

We had perfect grace btw 3.75-3.9?

Sorry, that should be:

“what percent have btw 3.75-3.9”?

Don’t know. They show 4.0 and then segments of .5

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP again - do schools not do A minus anymore? I would say I got all As in HS but my GPA was like 3.8, thanks to a few A minuses.

We're in Montgomery County Public Schools and an 89.5 is an A, no A- grades given on the report card. Also, they "average" the two quarter grades to come up with a semester grade. If DC gets a B one quarter and an A one quarter, even if their "average" is an 86% or something like that, it becomes an A on their report grade. Total grade inflation.

See, this is insane. In my district, that's a B.

And at my friends' kids' private school, if they got an 89.5 one quarter and an 80 the other, I'm pretty sure a C would show up on the report card.

How in the world do an 89.5 and an 80 average to a C? Why would an 84.-something not be a solid B or at least a B- ?

I think they were trying to be funny about how at some schools there is no grade inflation but deflation.

Not being funny. 84 is the top of the C range.

But why? And who cares? It’s all relative.

(Also, that seems like deflating just for the sake of it. Like, why do you want your students earning grades in the 80s to have C averages? What does this prove?)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone has 4.0 from public. Find some important ways in which to distinguish yourself.

False. Demonstrably so.

Yes, more accurate to say 20 to 40 percent of class has 4.0, depending on the school.

I can speak only for my kids’ HS (Jackson-Reed), but according to the school profile the last couple of years, only ~5% of students (about 25) graduate with an unweighted 4.0 each year. 42% have a 3.5-3.99, but very few have a perfect 4.0.

We had perfect grace btw 3.75-3.9?

Sorry, that should be:

“what percent have btw 3.75-3.9”?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone has 4.0 from public. Find some important ways in which to distinguish yourself.

False. Demonstrably so.

Yes, more accurate to say 20 to 40 percent of class has 4.0, depending on the school.

I can speak only for my kids’ HS (Jackson-Reed), but according to the school profile the last couple of years, only ~5% of students (about 25) graduate with an unweighted 4.0 each year. 42% have a 3.5-3.99, but very few have a perfect 4.0.

We had perfect grace btw 3.75-3.9?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone has 4.0 from public. Find some important ways in which to distinguish yourself.

False. Demonstrably so.

Yes, more accurate to say 20 to 40 percent of class has 4.0, depending on the school.

I can speak only for my kids’ HS (Jackson-Reed), but according to the school profile the last couple of years, only ~5% of students (about 25) graduate with an unweighted 4.0 each year. 42% have a 3.5-3.99, but very few have a perfect 4.0.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone has 4.0 from public. Find some important ways in which to distinguish yourself.

No, they don't. A lot do have a weighted GPA >4.0 but that doesn't mean their unweighted is a 4.0. My kids' HS posted the "all As" and "A/B honor rolls" in the school hallway and that "All As" list was really not that long. And then you'd have to keep that up every quarter to have an uw 4.0.

Mine had 3.8uw/4.2w and 3.7uw/4.1w and had plenty of college options they were happy with.

Can you give examples of those college options?

Don’t do it PP! You’ll get cut down no matter how happy your kids are.

Huh? I’ve got a kid in that range…need ideas.

DP
My kid was in this range (3.7uw- 4.3w)
In at:
Penn State (6K merit)
Delaware (12K merit)
U of Iowa (9K merit)
Michigan state (15K merit)
Syracuse (no word yet on $$)

For my kids in this range over the last couple years:
One wanted big school, accepted at VT, JMU, Delaware, Miami (Ohio), U of MN
One wanted smaller school/LAC, accepted at UMW, CNU, SMCM, Juniata, Allegheny, Washington College, Mount Holyoke. Waitlist/spring-start option at W&M.

Hmmm. This has to be school specific then?
At our private uw 3.8 = Colgate, bucknell, Wisconsin, Lehigh, wake, Michigan (off WL) etc.
Sometimes UChicago (ED); or tufts or Emory or BC or Middlebury (ED2)

Yes, HS matters (big difference between public/private) but $$$ also matters. My kids would not have applied to most of the schools you listed because we cannot afford them based on the net price calculators. Their lists were mostly safeties because they needed merit if they wanted to go OOS/private.

Same here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP again - do schools not do A minus anymore? I would say I got all As in HS but my GPA was like 3.8, thanks to a few A minuses.

We're in Montgomery County Public Schools and an 89.5 is an A, no A- grades given on the report card. Also, they "average" the two quarter grades to come up with a semester grade. If DC gets a B one quarter and an A one quarter, even if their "average" is an 86% or something like that, it becomes an A on their report grade. Total grade inflation.

See, this is insane. In my district, that's a B.

And at my friends' kids' private school, if they got an 89.5 one quarter and an 80 the other, I'm pretty sure a C would show up on the report card.

How in the world do an 89.5 and an 80 average to a C? Why would an 84.-something not be a solid B or at least a B- ?

I think they were trying to be funny about how at some schools there is no grade inflation but deflation.

Not being funny. 84 is the top of the C range.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP again - do schools not do A minus anymore? I would say I got all As in HS but my GPA was like 3.8, thanks to a few A minuses.

We're in Montgomery County Public Schools and an 89.5 is an A, no A- grades given on the report card. Also, they "average" the two quarter grades to come up with a semester grade. If DC gets a B one quarter and an A one quarter, even if their "average" is an 86% or something like that, it becomes an A on their report grade. Total grade inflation.

See, this is insane. In my district, that's a B.

And at my friends' kids' private school, if they got an 89.5 one quarter and an 80 the other, I'm pretty sure a C would show up on the report card.

How in the world do an 89.5 and an 80 average to a C? Why would an 84.-something not be a solid B or at least a B- ?

I think they were trying to be funny about how at some schools there is no grade inflation but deflation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone has 4.0 from public. Find some important ways in which to distinguish yourself.

No, they don't. A lot do have a weighted GPA >4.0 but that doesn't mean their unweighted is a 4.0. My kids' HS posted the "all As" and "A/B honor rolls" in the school hallway and that "All As" list was really not that long. And then you'd have to keep that up every quarter to have an uw 4.0.

Mine had 3.8uw/4.2w and 3.7uw/4.1w and had plenty of college options they were happy with.

Can you give examples of those college options?

Don’t do it PP! You’ll get cut down no matter how happy your kids are.

Huh? I’ve got a kid in that range…need ideas.

DP
My kid was in this range (3.7uw- 4.3w)
In at:
Penn State (6K merit)
Delaware (12K merit)
U of Iowa (9K merit)
Michigan state (15K merit)
Syracuse (no word yet on $$)

For my kids in this range over the last couple years:
One wanted big school, accepted at VT, JMU, Delaware, Miami (Ohio), U of MN
One wanted smaller school/LAC, accepted at UMW, CNU, SMCM, Juniata, Allegheny, Washington College, Mount Holyoke. Waitlist/spring-start option at W&M.

Hmmm. This has to be school specific then?
At our private uw 3.8 = Colgate, bucknell, Wisconsin, Lehigh, wake, Michigan (off WL) etc.
Sometimes UChicago (ED); or tufts or Emory or BC or Middlebury (ED2)

Yes, HS matters (big difference between public/private) but $$$ also matters. My kids would not have applied to most of the schools you listed because we cannot afford them based on the net price calculators. Their lists were mostly safeties because they needed merit if they wanted to go OOS/private.

Anonymous wrote:Two things:

1.) We live in a different state, and I swear, we do NOT have the inflated GPAs I read about here. Yes, you can get over a 4.0 with APs, but it's not like every kid has them. Our district doesn't have any test retakes, late work acceptance, etc.

2.) Sometimes I think people lie. IRL, I've heard people say, "They're a straight A student! They only got Bs in math." That's great ... but it's not straight As.

On #1, the grades in NoVA have some inflation, but more significant is the expectations setting in this area. For example, in Falls Church, 78% of all adults have a 4 year college degree. 78% is insanely high. Fairfax county has the highest per capita percentage of people with post graduate degrees (Dr. JD, MBA, PhD) What this means is parents simply do not just let kids work it out. If a kid is struggling, tutors are brought in, or time with mom or dad around the dinner table becomes a regular. These kids spend time in the summer at STEM camp or some other “learning” activity, rather than just hanging around or getting a job. Socially, at least for girls, there’s intense pressure to get good grades in NoVA. Being a poor student has negative social consequences. All of this adds up to kids who get good grades not just because they are smart, but they have been conditioned/trained to work hard and meet social expectations.

2. Yeah, of course there’s a ton of lying. But the reality is that kids in NoVA do very well on the AP exams, and that’s not governed by fudging. A 4 or a 5 is a 4 or a 5 no matter where you are.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone has 4.0 from public. Find some important ways in which to distinguish yourself.

No, they don't. A lot do have a weighted GPA >4.0 but that doesn't mean their unweighted is a 4.0. My kids' HS posted the "all As" and "A/B honor rolls" in the school hallway and that "All As" list was really not that long. And then you'd have to keep that up every quarter to have an uw 4.0.

Mine had 3.8uw/4.2w and 3.7uw/4.1w and had plenty of college options they were happy with.

Can you give examples of those college options?

Don’t do it PP! You’ll get cut down no matter how happy your kids are.

Huh? I’ve got a kid in that range…need ideas.

DP
My kid was in this range (3.7uw- 4.3w)
In at:
Penn State (6K merit)
Delaware (12K merit)
U of Iowa (9K merit)
Michigan state (15K merit)
Syracuse (no word yet on $$)

For my kids in this range over the last couple years:
One wanted big school, accepted at VT, JMU, Delaware, Miami (Ohio), U of MN
One wanted smaller school/LAC, accepted at UMW, CNU, SMCM, Juniata, Allegheny, Washington College, Mount Holyoke. Waitlist/spring-start option at W&M.

Hmmm. This has to be school specific then?
At our private uw 3.8 = Colgate, bucknell, Wisconsin, Lehigh, wake, Michigan (off WL) etc.
Sometimes UChicago (ED); or tufts or Emory or BC or Middlebury (ED2)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone has 4.0 from public. Find some important ways in which to distinguish yourself.

False. Demonstrably so.

Yes, more accurate to say 20 to 40 percent of class has 4.0, depending on the school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP again - do schools not do A minus anymore? I would say I got all As in HS but my GPA was like 3.8, thanks to a few A minuses.

We're in Montgomery County Public Schools and an 89.5 is an A, no A- grades given on the report card. Also, they "average" the two quarter grades to come up with a semester grade. If DC gets a B one quarter and an A one quarter, even if their "average" is an 86% or something like that, it becomes an A on their report grade. Total grade inflation.

See, this is insane. In my district, that's a B.

And at my friends' kids' private school, if they got an 89.5 one quarter and an 80 the other, I'm pretty sure a C would show up on the report card.

How in the world do an 89.5 and an 80 average to a C? Why would an 84.-something not be a solid B or at least a B- ?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP again - do schools not do A minus anymore? I would say I got all As in HS but my GPA was like 3.8, thanks to a few A minuses.

We're in Montgomery County Public Schools and an 89.5 is an A, no A- grades given on the report card. Also, they "average" the two quarter grades to come up with a semester grade. If DC gets a B one quarter and an A one quarter, even if their "average" is an 86% or something like that, it becomes an A on their report grade. Total grade inflation.

See, this is insane. In my district, that's a B.

And at my friends' kids' private school, if they got an 89.5 one quarter and an 80 the other, I'm pretty sure a C would show up on the report card.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone has 4.0 from public. Find some important ways in which to distinguish yourself.

No, they don't. A lot do have a weighted GPA >4.0 but that doesn't mean their unweighted is a 4.0. My kids' HS posted the "all As" and "A/B honor rolls" in the school hallway and that "All As" list was really not that long. And then you'd have to keep that up every quarter to have an uw 4.0.

Mine had 3.8uw/4.2w and 3.7uw/4.1w and had plenty of college options they were happy with.

Can you give examples of those college options?

Don’t do it PP! You’ll get cut down no matter how happy your kids are.

Huh? I’ve got a kid in that range…need ideas.

DP
My kid was in this range (3.7uw- 4.3w)
In at:
Penn State (6K merit)
Delaware (12K merit)
U of Iowa (9K merit)
Michigan state (15K merit)
Syracuse (no word yet on $$)

For my kids in this range over the last couple years:
One wanted big school, accepted at VT, JMU, Delaware, Miami (Ohio), U of MN
One wanted smaller school/LAC, accepted at UMW, CNU, SMCM, Juniata, Allegheny, Washington College, Mount Holyoke. Waitlist/spring-start option at W&M.