Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What VA in-state options are considered safeties vs. reaches for 3.4 unweighted/3.8 weighted GPA with PSAT score 720 verbal and 670 math? (no hooks, no sports, ec is theatre)

tech/jmu are fairly likely.

I don't know about JMU, but I would say Tech is very unlikely with that GPA.

70% acceptance rate for VT, they're not that selective. Unless you want to major in engineering.

Anonymous wrote:3.4 unweighted is a high probability of dropping out of college, or at the very least taking 5 or 6 years to finish. Plan accordingly.

Completely untrue...stop making the parents on this board even more stressed if their children don't have a 4.0/5.0 gpa!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What VA in-state options are considered safeties vs. reaches for 3.4 unweighted/3.8 weighted GPA with PSAT score 720 verbal and 670 math? (no hooks, no sports, ec is theatre)

tech/jmu are fairly likely.

I don't know about JMU, but I would say Tech is very unlikely with that GPA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3.4 unweighted is a high probability of dropping out of college, or at the very least taking 5 or 6 years to finish. Plan accordingly.

Bullshirt! For the average college kid at the average university this is nonsense.

+100
PP is an idiot.

Anonymous wrote:

3.4 unweighted is a high probability of dropping out of college, or at the very least taking 5 or 6 years to finish. Plan accordingly.

Again, DCUM posters are insane. I would say a 2.4 student is probably unlikely to finish college, but an A-/B+ student really should be able to handle most of the VA instate publics. Do people really think that only straight A high schools students actually go to college and graduate on time?

Nope, only the crazies here on DCUM. You know, the ones who think a 3.4 GPA is shameful and will doom the student to a life of menial work. Or the ones who say if a child doesn't take pre-calc./calculus in high school, they won't be accepted to any college. It's such B.S. and very transparent scare tactics. My kid with a 3.4 got into five out of the seven schools he applied to, and is attending his top choice.

Anonymous wrote:3.4 unweighted is a high probability of dropping out of college, or at the very least taking 5 or 6 years to finish. Plan accordingly.

Bullshirt! For the average college kid at the average university this is nonsense.

Thank you for this great thread!

A question about school counselors -- there were a few mentions here about making sure the school counselor is clear on the student's preference for a particular school. Is this for the school counselor's written recommendation letter? Anything else?

My DD (HS sophomore) already has a strong preference and I'm wondering if she should let her counselor know now, as she'll be meeting with the counselor for course selection.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I suggest you look at the current 4 year grad rates. Not good. Most kids don't turn into better students at college ... they're exposed, they get to drink, they can skip class. A 3.4 gpa is a classic 5-6 year bachelor kid.

Ridiculous. My GPA was lower than that and I not only graduated on time, but got a Masters degree after. Many of my friends were the same way...they hit their stride in college and became even better students.

Agreed. I don't know that I had a 3.0 out of HS (I may have, but it was close). I went to a state school in PA and graduated in 4 years. Students do the same thing today.

Some schools offer a sizeable discount to out of state students who graduate HS with at least a 3.0. To keep it you have to maintain at least a 2.5 in college.

A student with a 3.4 isn't going to struggle.

Anonymous wrote:
I suggest you look at the current 4 year grad rates. Not good. Most kids don't turn into better students at college ... they're exposed, they get to drink, they can skip class. A 3.4 gpa is a classic 5-6 year bachelor kid.

Ridiculous. My GPA was lower than that and I not only graduated on time, but got a Masters degree after. Many of my friends were the same way...they hit their stride in college and became even better students.

Don't encourage the crazy poster

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suggest you look at the current 4 year grad rates. Not good. Most kids don't turn into better students at college ... they're exposed, they get to drink, they can skip class. A 3.4 gpa is a classic 5-6 year bachelor kid.

So they take 5 or 6 years. What's the big deal in the whole scheme of things? I took 6 years to finish undergrad, then went to law school. I'm currently working as a gov't attorney. Those extra years were a blast - more exciting than what I'm going now!

What's the big deal? Well, the extra 25-30K a year is a big deal to parents paying it. If you have loans that's extra interest. You're a fed lawyer, so that would have been two years closer to retirement.

Anonymous wrote:I suggest you look at the current 4 year grad rates. Not good. Most kids don't turn into better students at college ... they're exposed, they get to drink, they can skip class. A 3.4 gpa is a classic 5-6 year bachelor kid.

So they take 5 or 6 years. What's the big deal in the whole scheme of things? I took 6 years to finish undergrad, then went to law school. I'm currently working as a gov't attorney. Those extra years were a blast - more exciting than what I'm going now!

I suggest you look at the current 4 year grad rates. Not good. Most kids don't turn into better students at college ... they're exposed, they get to drink, they can skip class. A 3.4 gpa is a classic 5-6 year bachelor kid.

3.4 unweighted is a high probability of dropping out of college, or at the very least taking 5 or 6 years to finish. Plan accordingly.

Again, DCUM posters are insane. I would say a 2.4 student is probably unlikely to finish college, but an A-/B+ student really should be able to handle most of the VA instate publics. Do people really think that only straight A high schools students actually go to college and graduate on time?

3.4 unweighted is a high probability of dropping out of college, or at the very least taking 5 or 6 years to finish. Plan accordingly.