this board really skews your thinking - and you can see the infighting now of what a B average really means, etc etc ad naseum. It can be very discouraging.

There are so many options, and so many of those options offer merit aid to B students!

This guy wrote a book called Who gets in and Why that's very eye opening. His website focuses on buyer and seller schools.

https://jeffselingo.com/which-colleges-are-really-buyers-and-which-are-sellers/

Highly recommend.

There are schools out there that actively WANT your kid to choose them. Don't approach the college process from a negative "you'll never get in" - focus on the schools where your kid will get in and will get offered money.

My 3.3 kid from DC got merit money at WVU, Towson, Hood College, to name just a few. Other friends are very happy at Salisbury State. One friend got a TON of money from Hofstra.

There are lots of options. Don't let this board fool you otherwise.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you’re on FB, there’s a group called something like: College Admissions for Awesomely Average Kids. The group is specifically for kids with under 3.5 weighted GPAs & 1100ish (or less) SAT scores.

Lots of good info on colleges that readily accept kids with these stats. You can search the page for your kid’s GPA to find “results” posts from previous cycles (note: for some schools, like JMU, they admit OOS kids with way lower GPAs than NoVA kids. So shoot your shot, just something to be aware of)

Any citation for this?

The FB group mentioned. Assuming people on there aren’t lying about their kid’s stats and the parents of WL/not accepted kids I know in NoVA lying about their kids stats, there’s several data points that a kid with a 3.2 weighted from Kentucky has a better shot than an identical student from FFX

Speaking of Kentucky…what a state. Uk has like a 3.5 avg gpa and 90% admissions rate, so B students regularly get in. Cool campus and town.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you’re on FB, there’s a group called something like: College Admissions for Awesomely Average Kids. The group is specifically for kids with under 3.5 weighted GPAs & 1100ish (or less) SAT scores.

Lots of good info on colleges that readily accept kids with these stats. You can search the page for your kid’s GPA to find “results” posts from previous cycles (note: for some schools, like JMU, they admit OOS kids with way lower GPAs than NoVA kids. So shoot your shot, just something to be aware of)

Any citation for this?

The FB group mentioned. Assuming people on there aren’t lying about their kid’s stats and the parents of WL/not accepted kids I know in NoVA lying about their kids stats, there’s several data points that a kid with a 3.2 weighted from Kentucky has a better shot than an identical student from FFX

there are many great school if you are not looking for high demand majors.

Indiana (not business)
Vermont
UMass Amherst
Penn State (not top programs)
College of Charleston
UNCW (not marine biology, film)
UNH
URI
Delware

Non-flagship state schools

Samford, College of Charleston, Flagler, Rollins

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids with unweighted 3.7-3.8 went to Virginia Tech (not engineering) and a midrange LAC (accepted to several in the 50-80 ranking range)

that's still an A average, not B.

Forgive her, she's not good at math

Anonymous wrote:My kids with unweighted 3.7-3.8 went to Virginia Tech (not engineering) and a midrange LAC (accepted to several in the 50-80 ranking range)

that's still an A average, not B.

My kids with unweighted 3.7-3.8 went to Virginia Tech (not engineering) and a midrange LAC (accepted to several in the 50-80 ranking range)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you’re on FB, there’s a group called something like: College Admissions for Awesomely Average Kids. The group is specifically for kids with under 3.5 weighted GPAs & 1100ish (or less) SAT scores.

Lots of good info on colleges that readily accept kids with these stats. You can search the page for your kid’s GPA to find “results” posts from previous cycles (note: for some schools, like JMU, they admit OOS kids with way lower GPAs than NoVA kids. So shoot your shot, just something to be aware of)

Any citation for this?

This is true for where I live now in MA

MA is ranked #1 in education. An average school in MA is better than most schools in VA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An unweighted "B" from where?

Very different to get B's from large, average HS school (private or public) where more than have the class has a 4.0 avg. And B's really mean C's.

But if your student is getting B's from Philips Andover and taking very rigorous courses and doesn't weight GPA or give out As easily despite only admitting top students.

Um, what? Bs mean Bs.

oh you sweet, naive, summer child ...

That means that A students are actually B students.

That was also stated earlier. A minus average these days is more similar to a B plus or B with grade inflation.

This is why you need to submit your SAT/ACT and AP scores everywhere you can. The standardized scores validate and confirm the GPA.

My kid was TO and got into a lot of the schools listed. College reps know the reputation of the HS your kid attends. They don’t need test scores for confirm the GPA from most private schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jesuit colleges and universities that aren’t Georgetown or BC. Excellent and practical educations that lead to great careers after a fun four years.

Agreed…Marquette, Xavier, fordham, Gonzaga, the Loyolas, depending on what they want out of it.

Im not OP but am in a similar situation and am struggling a little. Like Marquette has an average admitted student gpa of 3.6 — that’s more as than bs so not really a B average student. (And that 3.6 includes the hooked students, athletes etc.). I know everyone says there are lots of options but …. It’s not quite that easy.

It’s not, I agree. I have in h.s. With dyslexia that is trying really hard, but we know is going to be a 3.8w 1150 ish. But marquette has something like a 70% admission rate. I think it’s a top safety for Midwest kids that don’t get into notre dame or northwestern, which can skew the numbers. Xavier is probably the same.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An unweighted "B" from where?

Very different to get B's from large, average HS school (private or public) where more than have the class has a 4.0 avg. And B's really mean C's.

But if your student is getting B's from Philips Andover and taking very rigorous courses and doesn't weight GPA or give out As easily despite only admitting top students.

Um, what? Bs mean Bs.

oh you sweet, naive, summer child ...

That means that A students are actually B students.

That was also stated earlier. A minus average these days is more similar to a B plus or B with grade inflation.

This is why you need to submit your SAT/ACT and AP scores everywhere you can. The standardized scores validate and confirm the GPA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An unweighted "B" from where?

Very different to get B's from large, average HS school (private or public) where more than have the class has a 4.0 avg. And B's really mean C's.

But if your student is getting B's from Philips Andover and taking very rigorous courses and doesn't weight GPA or give out As easily despite only admitting top students.

Um, what? Bs mean Bs.

oh you sweet, naive, summer child ...

That means that A students are actually B students.

That was also stated earlier. A minus average these days is more similar to a B plus or B with grade inflation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An unweighted "B" from where?

Very different to get B's from large, average HS school (private or public) where more than have the class has a 4.0 avg. And B's really mean C's.

But if your student is getting B's from Philips Andover and taking very rigorous courses and doesn't weight GPA or give out As easily despite only admitting top students.

Um, what? Bs mean Bs.

oh you sweet, naive, summer child ...

That means that A students are actually B students.