Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From several threads this week, it seems GPA is more important than rigor at ivy league schools. Below a certain gpa, ivy league schools become impossible no matter the rigor.

Outside ivy leagues, is there any t20 school that is more willing to take a high rigor (multi variable and a bunch of other high level science courses) but rank outside top 10% ( but still top 20, 30%, etc). What if they have 1580-1600 scores to validate?

Or do you think this type should focus on state flagships instead?

Public or private HS? If public, that’s harder.

Try your ED at Cornell and ED2 at WashU, depending on major?
Both love that high test score. Need a niche story though.

Anonymous wrote:Our school, all AP sciences, even if humanity major, so ap chem, bio, physics c & em. AP lit, AP lang, Calc Bc by junior year, multivariable by senior year, at least one of AP Euro or World, definitely APUSH and AP Gov, 4 years of language.

That will get you around top 10% of the class with respect to rigor. The majority of these will have taken community college/4 year college courses also, usually 4-6 classes

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so what is top rigor? 10 APs by junior year? 15? Calc BC v/s AB? Physics C v/s Physics 1/2?
APUSH + APLang and Lit plus all STEM APs? Do AP Precalc, HUG etc count?

Top rigor means the student took ALL the hardest classes available at the school. ALL. So if the school offers BC, student must take BC. If the school offers AP Physics C, the non-calc based AP Physics is not top rigor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From several threads this week, it seems GPA is more important than rigor at ivy league schools. Below a certain gpa, ivy league schools become impossible no matter the rigor.

Outside ivy leagues, is there any t20 school that is more willing to take a high rigor (multi variable and a bunch of other high level science courses) but rank outside top 10% ( but still top 20, 30%, etc). What if they have 1580-1600 scores to validate?

Or do you think this type should focus on state flagships instead?

Not at all true from our private or the neighboring private where we have access to SCOIR and know many kids and families. Ivies want both top rigor and top GPA unhooked, usually top3-5% especially if it is RD, minimally top10% plus all have to have very top rigor if unhooked. Hooked kids do not need top rigor for ivies, nor top rank. It is a different game for hooked kids. The only ivy that takes unhooked outside top10% rank is Cornell and those kids all have top rigor in all areas if they get in with a below 10% GPA. They also have been males.

+1. This. I have no idea where OP gets the idea that GPA is more important. It is very clear that top GPA, top test score, Max rigor, great ECs and great LOR are what you need for Ivies and top SLACs. Even at UVA (26), you need a 4.5 GPA, 35 ACT, and SAT 1510 at the 75th percentile to get in, and UVA is very clear they want to see maximum rigor.

My kid is unhooked RD at an Ivy. Straight As in top rigor, high scores, and great ECs and recs.

Nobody unhooked is getting in w/out top rigor.

My kid had Bs and got into Ivy (Cornell).
Private high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From several threads this week, it seems GPA is more important than rigor at ivy league schools. Below a certain gpa, ivy league schools become impossible no matter the rigor.

Outside ivy leagues, is there any t20 school that is more willing to take a high rigor (multi variable and a bunch of other high level science courses) but rank outside top 10% ( but still top 20, 30%, etc). What if they have 1580-1600 scores to validate?

Or do you think this type should focus on state flagships instead?

State flagships: UIUC, Georgia tech, Purdue
Tech schools: Stevens institute of technology, RIT, etc
LACs: Carleton, Grinnell

Any idea what GT and Purdue would do with the classic "upward trend", all As in five junior year APs with some Bs freshman year?

Anonymous wrote:SAT goes up to algebra 2 and some trig? So I would think grades in high math and science is important that is validated by 5s on AP exam.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so what is top rigor? 10 APs by junior year? 15? Calc BC v/s AB? Physics C v/s Physics 1/2?
APUSH + APLang and Lit plus all STEM APs? Do AP Precalc, HUG etc count?

Depends on your school. For ours I would say:

AP Lang and AP Lit
Foreign language through AP level
MV Calc
Bio Accelerated, Chem Accelerated, Physics, Accelerated, one AP science (Bio, Chem, or Physics C)
US History 1 Accelerated, APUSH, AP World, one other AP or DE social science

So for our school it’s about 8 APs in core classes, plus AP electives (like computer science or economics). You can get another science AP if you take a science class in the summer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so what is top rigor? 10 APs by junior year? 15? Calc BC v/s AB? Physics C v/s Physics 1/2?
APUSH + APLang and Lit plus all STEM APs? Do AP Precalc, HUG etc count?

Top rigor means the student took ALL the hardest classes available at the school. ALL. So if the school offers BC, student must take BC. If the school offers AP Physics C, the non-calc based AP Physics is not top rigor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From several threads this week, it seems GPA is more important than rigor at ivy league schools. Below a certain gpa, ivy league schools become impossible no matter the rigor.

Outside ivy leagues, is there any t20 school that is more willing to take a high rigor (multi variable and a bunch of other high level science courses) but rank outside top 10% ( but still top 20, 30%, etc). What if they have 1580-1600 scores to validate?

Or do you think this type should focus on state flagships instead?

Not at all true from our private or the neighboring private where we have access to SCOIR and know many kids and families. Ivies want both top rigor and top GPA unhooked, usually top3-5% especially if it is RD, minimally top10% plus all have to have very top rigor if unhooked. Hooked kids do not need top rigor for ivies, nor top rank. It is a different game for hooked kids. The only ivy that takes unhooked outside top10% rank is Cornell and those kids all have top rigor in all areas if they get in with a below 10% GPA. They also have been males.

+1. This. I have no idea where OP gets the idea that GPA is more important. It is very clear that top GPA, top test score, Max rigor, great ECs and great LOR are what you need for Ivies and top SLACs. Even at UVA (26), you need a 4.5 GPA, 35 ACT, and SAT 1510 at the 75th percentile to get in, and UVA is very clear they want to see maximum rigor.

My kid is unhooked RD at an Ivy. Straight As in top rigor, high scores, and great ECs and recs.

Nobody unhooked is getting in w/out top rigor.

My kid had Bs and got into Ivy (Cornell).
Private high school.

Private high school is a different pool from public high school.
If they are familiar with your private high school's rigor, it's going to be fine.

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so what is top rigor? 10 APs by junior year? 15? Calc BC v/s AB? Physics C v/s Physics 1/2?
APUSH + APLang and Lit plus all STEM APs? Do AP Precalc, HUG etc count?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they are willing if upward trend and high rigor, especially for younger boys with high test scores in all areas.

Younger boys? What does that mean?

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so what is top rigor? 10 APs by junior year? 15? Calc BC v/s AB? Physics C v/s Physics 1/2?
APUSH + APLang and Lit plus all STEM APs? Do AP Precalc, HUG etc count?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From several threads this week, it seems GPA is more important than rigor at ivy league schools. Below a certain gpa, ivy league schools become impossible no matter the rigor.

Outside ivy leagues, is there any t20 school that is more willing to take a high rigor (multi variable and a bunch of other high level science courses) but rank outside top 10% ( but still top 20, 30%, etc). What if they have 1580-1600 scores to validate?

Or do you think this type should focus on state flagships instead?

Not at all true from our private or the neighboring private where we have access to SCOIR and know many kids and families. Ivies want both top rigor and top GPA unhooked, usually top3-5% especially if it is RD, minimally top10% plus all have to have very top rigor if unhooked. Hooked kids do not need top rigor for ivies, nor top rank. It is a different game for hooked kids. The only ivy that takes unhooked outside top10% rank is Cornell and those kids all have top rigor in all areas if they get in with a below 10% GPA. They also have been males.

+1. This. I have no idea where OP gets the idea that GPA is more important. It is very clear that top GPA, top test score, Max rigor, great ECs and great LOR are what you need for Ivies and top SLACs. Even at UVA (26), you need a 4.5 GPA, 35 ACT, and SAT 1510 at the 75th percentile to get in, and UVA is very clear they want to see maximum rigor.

My kid is unhooked RD at an Ivy. Straight As in top rigor, high scores, and great ECs and recs.

Nobody unhooked is getting in w/out top rigor.

My kid had Bs and got into Ivy (Cornell).
Private high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From several threads this week, it seems GPA is more important than rigor at ivy league schools. Below a certain gpa, ivy league schools become impossible no matter the rigor.

Outside ivy leagues, is there any t20 school that is more willing to take a high rigor (multi variable and a bunch of other high level science courses) but rank outside top 10% ( but still top 20, 30%, etc). What if they have 1580-1600 scores to validate?

Or do you think this type should focus on state flagships instead?

Not at all true from our private or the neighboring private where we have access to SCOIR and know many kids and families. Ivies want both top rigor and top GPA unhooked, usually top3-5% especially if it is RD, minimally top10% plus all have to have very top rigor if unhooked. Hooked kids do not need top rigor for ivies, nor top rank. It is a different game for hooked kids. The only ivy that takes unhooked outside top10% rank is Cornell and those kids all have top rigor in all areas if they get in with a below 10% GPA. They also have been males.

+1. This. I have no idea where OP gets the idea that GPA is more important. It is very clear that top GPA, top test score, Max rigor, great ECs and great LOR are what you need for Ivies and top SLACs. Even at UVA (26), you need a 4.5 GPA, 35 ACT, and SAT 1510 at the 75th percentile to get in, and UVA is very clear they want to see maximum rigor.

My kid is unhooked RD at an Ivy. Straight As in top rigor, high scores, and great ECs and recs.

Nobody unhooked is getting in w/out top rigor.

My kid had Bs and got into Ivy (Cornell).
Private high school.