Anonymous
Post 01/18/2026 14:33     Subject: Where do average students land?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Truly average students. 3.0-3.5 UW GPA, 1200-1300 SAT, regular EC like casual sports or a job. Motivated but not a striver. What 4 yr colleges do these type of kids attend and find success after attending dmv catholic hs?


Depends on if you want/need aid. If aid is needed then you are looking at regional publics and less competitive privates. If aid isn't needed then it is possible to get into some OOS publics, like Penn State.


I'd add that an SAT score of 1300 helps a lot. Most average kids don't have one that they are submitting which limits their choices because some merit requires an SAT score.

Also, 8 AP classes is pretty good.



+1 Remember that there are kids with no honors or AP classes with the same GPAuw, and your kid is in a league above that due to the rigor of the class schedule. You can't go by GPA alone.


Are kids who aren't in any honors classes even applying to colleges though?


Most of my son’s HS classes were regular classes. He was only allowed to move up with an A in the previous level. That’s pretty typical in private schools.


My daughter’s private school requires even more than simply an A. She will have As in her regular classes (for which she has worked pretty hard) and still not move up to honors next year. The median number of honors is 3 through all of high school.

Also, she will take very few honors classes and will still take calculus, four years of foreign language, four years of science (including bio/chem/physics). Curriculum can be pretty rigorous without honors.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2026 14:23     Subject: Where do average students land?
Cornell
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2026 12:02     Subject: Where do average students land?
Anonymous wrote:My 3.5, TO DC is accepted at Michigan state, u Mary Washington, Indiana, and Loyola Md with merit aid.

Delaware and Pitt have asked for 1st semester grades before deciding. Deferred at SC and TN. 2+2 option at Penn State.

Waiting on 1-2 more but, some great options in there.


Congrats to your kid! They have several great choices!
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2026 11:27     Subject: Where do average students land?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Truly average students. 3.0-3.5 UW GPA, 1200-1300 SAT, regular EC like casual sports or a job. Motivated but not a striver. What 4 yr colleges do these type of kids attend and find success after attending dmv catholic hs?


Depends on if you want/need aid. If aid is needed then you are looking at regional publics and less competitive privates. If aid isn't needed then it is possible to get into some OOS publics, like Penn State.



I'd add that an SAT score of 1300 helps a lot. Most average kids don't have one that they are submitting which limits their choices because some merit requires an SAT score.

Also, 8 AP classes is pretty good.



+1 Remember that there are kids with no honors or AP classes with the same GPAuw, and your kid is in a league above that due to the rigor of the class schedule. You can't go by GPA alone.


Are kids who aren't in any honors classes even applying to colleges though?




Really?



I teach at a Catholic high school. About 1/4 of our kids never take honors or AP classes, others take some or all honors classes.

Many years we have 100% of our kids going to 4 year schools. Some years 1 or 2 kids will go to community college, a pg year due to sports, or the prep school for a military academy.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2026 11:14     Subject: Where do average students land?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My 3.5, TO DC is accepted at Michigan state, u Mary Washington, Indiana, and Loyola Md with merit aid.

Delaware and Pitt have asked for 1st semester grades before deciding. Deferred at SC and TN. 2+2 option at Penn State.

Waiting on 1-2 more but, some great options in there.


Tennessee is no longer test optional.


That’s the only one where they submitted their SAT of 1200. It was a reach and not tops on their list.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2026 08:54     Subject: Where do average students land?
Anonymous wrote:My 3.5, TO DC is accepted at Michigan state, u Mary Washington, Indiana, and Loyola Md with merit aid.

Delaware and Pitt have asked for 1st semester grades before deciding. Deferred at SC and TN. 2+2 option at Penn State.

Waiting on 1-2 more but, some great options in there.


Tennessee is no longer test optional.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2026 07:52     Subject: Where do average students land?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Truly average students. 3.0-3.5 UW GPA, 1200-1300 SAT, regular EC like casual sports or a job. Motivated but not a striver. What 4 yr colleges do these type of kids attend and find success after attending dmv catholic hs?


Depends on if you want/need aid. If aid is needed then you are looking at regional publics and less competitive privates. If aid isn't needed then it is possible to get into some OOS publics, like Penn State.


I'd add that an SAT score of 1300 helps a lot. Most average kids don't have one that they are submitting which limits their choices because some merit requires an SAT score.

Also, 8 AP classes is pretty good.



+1 Remember that there are kids with no honors or AP classes with the same GPAuw, and your kid is in a league above that due to the rigor of the class schedule. You can't go by GPA alone.


Are kids who aren't in any honors classes even applying to colleges though?


Most of my son’s HS classes were regular classes. He was only allowed to move up with an A in the previous level. That’s pretty typical in private schools.
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2026 23:37     Subject: Where do average students land?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Truly average students. 3.0-3.5 UW GPA, 1200-1300 SAT, regular EC like casual sports or a job. Motivated but not a striver. What 4 yr colleges do these type of kids attend and find success after attending dmv catholic hs?


Depends on if you want/need aid. If aid is needed then you are looking at regional publics and less competitive privates. If aid isn't needed then it is possible to get into some OOS publics, like Penn State.


I'd add that an SAT score of 1300 helps a lot. Most average kids don't have one that they are submitting which limits their choices because some merit requires an SAT score.

Also, 8 AP classes is pretty good.



+1 Remember that there are kids with no honors or AP classes with the same GPAuw, and your kid is in a league above that due to the rigor of the class schedule. You can't go by GPA alone.


Are kids who aren't in any honors classes even applying to colleges though?


Why wouldn’t they? Plenty of great colleges for students who put in the work at their level and are very successful.
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2026 23:33     Subject: Where do average students land?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My DC is like this, 3.5 weighted GPA in Fairfax County, 8 APs and a 1200 SAT. They are a test optional senior at most schools and considered a variety of reach, target and likely schools:

Jmu
UmW
Cnu
Delaware
Pitt
Penn state
SC
TN
Loyola MD
College of Charleston
U Tampa
Indiana
Michigan State
St Joes
Xavier
Fordham
CU Boulder
Syracuse

They didn’t apply to all of these but have several acceptances from the list above.

Look at the FB page for “colleges for awesomely average students”, our kids are at the top of the list for that group but it has some more grounded ideas for schools than the DCUM crowd where everyone seems to be chasing an Ivy League school.


My DD is very similar to your son (though her GPA is higher) and so far, she's in at Fordham, Loyola Maryland, Duquesne, Dayton, Seton Hall, Hofstra, and Mary Washington, with a deferral at Case Western.


Those are excellent colleges for the average to above average student. I don’t understand how anyone would think there is some rigid line that separates average to above average.

Students in the very top of having a great four years in everything, top scores, grades, SAT will be applying to the Ivy League and top 20 schools. The average students and above average students will share most colleges. For low performing students there’s always a second chance with community colleges.
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2026 08:56     Subject: Where do average students land?
Anonymous wrote:My 3.5, TO DC is accepted at Michigan state, u Mary Washington, Indiana, and Loyola Md with merit aid.

Delaware and Pitt have asked for 1st semester grades before deciding. Deferred at SC and TN. 2+2 option at Penn State.

Waiting on 1-2 more but, some great options in there.


Definitely great options!
Anonymous
Post 01/17/2026 08:43     Subject: Where do average students land?
My 3.5, TO DC is accepted at Michigan state, u Mary Washington, Indiana, and Loyola Md with merit aid.

Delaware and Pitt have asked for 1st semester grades before deciding. Deferred at SC and TN. 2+2 option at Penn State.

Waiting on 1-2 more but, some great options in there.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 18:11     Subject: Where do average students land?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Truly average students. 3.0-3.5 UW GPA, 1200-1300 SAT, regular EC like casual sports or a job. Motivated but not a striver. What 4 yr colleges do these type of kids attend and find success after attending dmv catholic hs?


Depends on if you want/need aid. If aid is needed then you are looking at regional publics and less competitive privates. If aid isn't needed then it is possible to get into some OOS publics, like Penn State.



I'd add that an SAT score of 1300 helps a lot. Most average kids don't have one that they are submitting which limits their choices because some merit requires an SAT score.

Also, 8 AP classes is pretty good.



+1 Remember that there are kids with no honors or AP classes with the same GPAuw, and your kid is in a league above that due to the rigor of the class schedule. You can't go by GPA alone.


Are kids who aren't in any honors classes even applying to colleges though?




Really?

Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 14:46     Subject: Where do average students land?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Truly average students. 3.0-3.5 UW GPA, 1200-1300 SAT, regular EC like casual sports or a job. Motivated but not a striver. What 4 yr colleges do these type of kids attend and find success after attending dmv catholic hs?


Depends on if you want/need aid. If aid is needed then you are looking at regional publics and less competitive privates. If aid isn't needed then it is possible to get into some OOS publics, like Penn State.


I'd add that an SAT score of 1300 helps a lot. Most average kids don't have one that they are submitting which limits their choices because some merit requires an SAT score.

Also, 8 AP classes is pretty good.



+1 Remember that there are kids with no honors or AP classes with the same GPAuw, and your kid is in a league above that due to the rigor of the class schedule. You can't go by GPA alone.


Are kids who aren't in any honors classes even applying to colleges though?


Short answer: yes, they are.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2026 14:41     Subject: Where do average students land?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Truly average students. 3.0-3.5 UW GPA, 1200-1300 SAT, regular EC like casual sports or a job. Motivated but not a striver. What 4 yr colleges do these type of kids attend and find success after attending dmv catholic hs?


Depends on if you want/need aid. If aid is needed then you are looking at regional publics and less competitive privates. If aid isn't needed then it is possible to get into some OOS publics, like Penn State.


I'd add that an SAT score of 1300 helps a lot. Most average kids don't have one that they are submitting which limits their choices because some merit requires an SAT score.

Also, 8 AP classes is pretty good.



+1 Remember that there are kids with no honors or AP classes with the same GPAuw, and your kid is in a league above that due to the rigor of the class schedule. You can't go by GPA alone.


Are kids who aren't in any honors classes even applying to colleges though?
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2026 08:38     Subject: Where do average students land?
JMU is not that difficult. I know a kid who got in off the waitlist with a GPA around 3.3 or 3.4, test optional, in state.