Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh honey... It's not that the kids are smarter. It's that the grading is harder. No credit for test corrections, retakes, extra credit assignments, homework, class participation, etc. Your grades are usually based on your test results and/ or papers (which are graded on a curve).

I think that actually does translate into test scores as well. My Big 3 3.4 GPA kid easily scored 34 on the ACT. I'm sure if he had studied more, he could have brought that up a point or two.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in my third cycle of getting a 3.0 to 3.2 kid from Big 3 to college. This year is absolutely nothing like the other years. I really believe the increasing grade inflation from publics, along with the 50% plus increase in applications to so many schools, has made all schools except the LACS out of reach for the 50th percentile and lower kids this year. My 3.2 kid has been deferred from everywhere and I think is about to get rejected from Tennessee tomorrow, then later Boulder--his top two choices. I do think he'll get into some PA LACs, which is not what he wants. But this cycle is even worse than 2021. I really wish I had sent my kids to public. They would have had fun and had better opportunities.

Sorry to disappoint, but I know kids with much higher stats (3.7-3.8 gpa) who were not admitted to Boulder and Tennessee in the EA rounds, so unlikely a lower gpa (especially 3.0-3.2) will get in in RD round. That gpa range needs to look significantly lower on the list (think Montana State), unless major hook. Sorry!

That’s a 3.0-3.2 from a good private. Probably equivalent to a 4.5 from MCPS.

I want some of what you are smoking! Seriously.. think logically. Your argument is that a 3.2 at a Private school is equivalent to a 3.8 at a decent Public (equal to about a 4.3 weighted). That would imply the vast majority of Private school kids are innately smart. Is that borne out by SAT results? Not really. Most Private School kids barely scratch 1450s on the SATs and that is with a ton of expensive prep. The top 100% of the kids at TJ and top 20-30% of the kids at any other public score above that and that's a lot of kids.

Here's what makes sense (and I think colleges are seeing through this). Private school classes likely have more rigor than public schools. I'll concede that a normal class at a Private is about the same level of rigor as a Honors class at a good public and a Honors class at a Private is about the same rigor as an AP. The lack of AP classes at a Private school is a problem but that's a you problem rather than a public school kid problem. All that is to say that a 3.0 at a Private is maybe about a 3.2-3.3 at a Public. That's it.

How did this delusion work in the past? Grift. College admissions advisors at Privates had this insider connection with college admissions offices, especially SLACs that wanted a dependable pipeline of full pay students. Post pandemic, colleges have realized that all they had to level up was go test optional and get on the common app to attract a large number of students. They are not dependent on your pipeline anymore.

Welcome to post-pandemic college admissions!

That's in line with what I said. A 3.4 at a 'top private' is about the same as a 3.7 at a good public. That's an A- and a 34 is consistent with that. A 3.9 equivalent kid would have scored a 35 and a 3.95-4.0 equivalent kid would have scored a 36, both of which are A territory.

Even if I believe you, the significant point here is that large public universities don’t make these distinctions. They want to be able to report a high average gpa and these kids drag them down. Ivies are still only going to take the top kids that made As. You’re left with SLACS, who will take the grading scale into account. The problem is that these schools are all test optional now, which makes the competition for all the “top” schools intense, and the grading scale hurts private school kids at the schools that used to be “safeties.”

Anonymous wrote:Well, my 3.2 gpa "big 3" DD just outright rejected from CU Boulder. I am flabbergasted. This is the most messed up college admissions cycle we have experienced yet. What a mess.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, my 3.2 gpa "big 3" DD just outright rejected from CU Boulder. I am flabbergasted. This is the most messed up college admissions cycle we have experienced yet. What a mess.

I'm so sorry. This must be stressful. Did DD submit SAT or ACT scores? I do wonder if at these large schools it's harder for Big-3 students to complete bc of the lack of grade inflation, and so students need to submit standardized test scores. Did DD apply to any schools early?

NP. Not the PP, but my big 3 DC with a 3.2 GPA and 33 ACT was also rejected from Boulder this year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, my 3.2 gpa "big 3" DD just outright rejected from CU Boulder. I am flabbergasted. This is the most messed up college admissions cycle we have experienced yet. What a mess.

I'm so sorry. This must be stressful. Did DD submit SAT or ACT scores? I do wonder if at these large schools it's harder for Big-3 students to complete bc of the lack of grade inflation, and so students need to submit standardized test scores. Did DD apply to any schools early?

Anonymous wrote:Well, my 3.2 gpa "big 3" DD just outright rejected from CU Boulder. I am flabbergasted. This is the most messed up college admissions cycle we have experienced yet. What a mess.

Anonymous wrote:Are you talking 3.0 or 3.3-3.4? If the latter I agree with the responses here. If really 3.0, I would say more like skidmore, Gettysburg, Denver U, bard, conn college, etc. Even ED, some of those other schools would be quite a leap for a 3.0 (from a big 3).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know B students who got into each of Tulane and Wake ED from our mcps high school this year. I also know A students who did. I suspect both schools are populated with many smart and well rounded kids but for some reason these colleges are easier entry during the ED round (I know most colleges are easier in that round, but these two seem markedly easier in the ED round vs peer schools, see my point re: the B students from MCPS) so they are targeted by full pay students who can get this advice from a college counselor.

Not Big-3.

I know, but Tulane and Wake understand private school grading and if anything both favor private schools, so if I know B students from mcps who got into both it stands to reason that B students from “big 3” (which per this board, is basically equivalent to A students in mcps) would easily get in.

Well, your reasoning is simply wrong.

DC - Big 3 student, 3.3 GPA, high 1400s SAT, outstanding ECs

Rejected Wake ED. Accepted Tulane ED.

What more do you need to know?

2023 applicant. My DC at a Big3, same GPA, 33 ACT, great ECs - Rejected Wake ED. Rejected Tulane ED.

You can't apply to two schools Early DECISION. Explain?

Anonymous wrote:

2023 applicant. My DC at a Big3, same GPA, 33 ACT, great ECs - Rejected Wake ED. Rejected Tulane ED.


You can't apply to two schools Early DECISION. Explain?

Not PP, but you are wrong. Wake has rolling admissions ED, so you could apply early in the cycle and be rejected in Sept or Oct and submit another ED app with a normal deadline in Nov.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know B students who got into each of Tulane and Wake ED from our mcps high school this year. I also know A students who did. I suspect both schools are populated with many smart and well rounded kids but for some reason these colleges are easier entry during the ED round (I know most colleges are easier in that round, but these two seem markedly easier in the ED round vs peer schools, see my point re: the B students from MCPS) so they are targeted by full pay students who can get this advice from a college counselor.

Not Big-3.

I know, but Tulane and Wake understand private school grading and if anything both favor private schools, so if I know B students from mcps who got into both it stands to reason that B students from “big 3” (which per this board, is basically equivalent to A students in mcps) would easily get in.

Well, your reasoning is simply wrong.

DC - Big 3 student, 3.3 GPA, high 1400s SAT, outstanding ECs

Rejected Wake ED. Accepted Tulane ED.

What more do you need to know?

2023 applicant. My DC at a Big3, same GPA, 33 ACT, great ECs - Rejected Wake ED. Rejected Tulane ED.

You can't apply to two schools Early DECISION. Explain?

Possibly ED1, ED2? I don't remember if both other an ED2.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know B students who got into each of Tulane and Wake ED from our mcps high school this year. I also know A students who did. I suspect both schools are populated with many smart and well rounded kids but for some reason these colleges are easier entry during the ED round (I know most colleges are easier in that round, but these two seem markedly easier in the ED round vs peer schools, see my point re: the B students from MCPS) so they are targeted by full pay students who can get this advice from a college counselor.

Not Big-3.

I know, but Tulane and Wake understand private school grading and if anything both favor private schools, so if I know B students from mcps who got into both it stands to reason that B students from “big 3” (which per this board, is basically equivalent to A students in mcps) would easily get in.

Well, your reasoning is simply wrong.

DC - Big 3 student, 3.3 GPA, high 1400s SAT, outstanding ECs

Rejected Wake ED. Accepted Tulane ED.

What more do you need to know?

2023 applicant. My DC at a Big3, same GPA, 33 ACT, great ECs - Rejected Wake ED. Rejected Tulane ED.

You can't apply to two schools Early DECISION. Explain?

2023 applicant. My DC at a Big3, same GPA, 33 ACT, great ECs - Rejected Wake ED. Rejected Tulane ED.


You can't apply to two schools Early DECISION. Explain?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know B students who got into each of Tulane and Wake ED from our mcps high school this year. I also know A students who did. I suspect both schools are populated with many smart and well rounded kids but for some reason these colleges are easier entry during the ED round (I know most colleges are easier in that round, but these two seem markedly easier in the ED round vs peer schools, see my point re: the B students from MCPS) so they are targeted by full pay students who can get this advice from a college counselor.

Not Big-3.

I know, but Tulane and Wake understand private school grading and if anything both favor private schools, so if I know B students from mcps who got into both it stands to reason that B students from “big 3” (which per this board, is basically equivalent to A students in mcps) would easily get in.

Well, your reasoning is simply wrong.

DC - Big 3 student, 3.3 GPA, high 1400s SAT, outstanding ECs

Rejected Wake ED. Accepted Tulane ED.

What more do you need to know?

2023 applicant. My DC at a Big3, same GPA, 33 ACT, great ECs - Rejected Wake ED. Rejected Tulane ED.