Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 17:14     Subject: Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:School context matters. If it's a top feeder like Harvard Westlake, there is nothing to worry about. They sent 3.2 to Chicago.


đź’Ż

Op should search that “levels” post about national private high schools.


There is no school in the country where unhooked kids from the bottom half of the class are going to Chicago. None.


HW in LA
Crossroads in LA
Packer in NY
Ransome Everglades in FL
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 17:05     Subject: Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

Anonymous wrote:MIT


Uh, nope. 3.4 is pretty much disqualifying.
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 16:40     Subject: Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP, please consider Oxford and Cambridge. These schools will not care about your GPA. They will look at your AP scores.
If she has AP scores. Some of these private schools discourage them…


I'd also say Oxbridge, if your kid is at all interested, would be an interesting shot. Kid would need to take APs and get 5s. Since most privates don't support APs, you'd want to look into that ASAP. Kid who is scoring 1550 would probably have a good shot for 5s on some of the easier APs (Comp Sci, Micro or Macro, Human Geography); if student really is a math genius than Calc and Stat should be easy. You can put off some APs until senior year, but then if the kid doesn't get the required 5s, the offer could be rescinded.

There's also a required math admissions test -- the TMUA that must be taken the fall of senior year. Seats for this test for US students can be tricky to find so plan ahead if you're considering. . . . .

The reason that Oxbridge -- I think Cambridge is the go-to for math in particular -- would be an interesting call is that your DC would have ZERO gen ed requirements. No foreign language. No history. DC could concentrate 100% on math. Plus, the campuses are gorgeous, the students are vibrant, and the traditions are rich.

Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 16:39     Subject: Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:School context matters. If it's a top feeder like Harvard Westlake, there is nothing to worry about. They sent 3.2 to Chicago.


đź’Ż

Op should search that “levels” post about national private high schools.


There is no school in the country where unhooked kids from the bottom half of the class are going to Chicago. None.


This. I don’t know why OP doesn’t ask the school’s college counselor. No need to wait until the meeting is scheduled by him/her. IMHO, a kid who can do research, has good stem grades and a great SAT, will look lazy for phoning it for things the kid isn’t that interested in. Full capability but low desire and follow through in areas of low interest.
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 16:03     Subject: Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:colleges need to move to gpa optional, the test is the most important thing it cuts out all the noise and fake school gpas


UofC and Vanderbilt do this for our no -DMV private.
ED0 - UChicago
ED1 - Vanderbilt or CMU


They definitely don't do it for our DMV Big3 private. The only kids getting into Vandy in 5 years are 3.9+/1550, top 10 in the class. It's kind of absurd.


A big donation can make the difference at Vandy but op didn’t say that was an option.
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 16:02     Subject: Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:School context matters. If it's a top feeder like Harvard Westlake, there is nothing to worry about. They sent 3.2 to Chicago.


đź’Ż

Op should search that “levels” post about national private high schools.


There is no school in the country where unhooked kids from the bottom half of the class are going to Chicago. None.
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 15:50     Subject: Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:colleges need to move to gpa optional, the test is the most important thing it cuts out all the noise and fake school gpas


UofC and Vanderbilt do this for our no -DMV private.
ED0 - UChicago
ED1 - Vanderbilt or CMU


They definitely don't do it for our DMV Big3 private. The only kids getting into Vandy in 5 years are 3.9+/1550, top 10 in the class. It's kind of absurd.
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 15:40     Subject: Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

Anonymous wrote:colleges need to move to gpa optional, the test is the most important thing it cuts out all the noise and fake school gpas


UofC and Vanderbilt do this for our no -DMV private.
ED0 - UChicago
ED1 - Vanderbilt or CMU
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 15:38     Subject: Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

Anonymous wrote:School context matters. If it's a top feeder like Harvard Westlake, there is nothing to worry about. They sent 3.2 to Chicago.


đź’Ż

Op should search that “levels” post about national private high schools.
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 15:03     Subject: Re:Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

Anonymous wrote:EA to Pitt for early acceptance. I would also recommend looking at RIT and Rose Hulman


This profile is not an early acceptance for Pitt for STEM. At a minimum, they will want to see first semester grades.
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 14:43     Subject: Re:Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

Anonymous wrote:University of Alabama starting next year will start accepting students with low GPAs providing that they submit a test score.
OP's DC can already get in - but it's not as strong of a program as other safeties. Without the merit money, it's not an attractive option
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 14:38     Subject: Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

*as the MAT major has a reputation for being "brutal"
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 14:37     Subject: Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

At the graduate level, Stony Brook is one of the top universities in the world for math. They have scholarships for women in STEM as well, and their MAT major is small andrigorous (most would-be math majors major in AMS, applied math and statistics, as the MAT), and according to reddit they are flexible with placement: https://www.reddit.com/r/SBU/comments/1ltgnod/comment/n1qsiwi/
Overall extremely good for academics, but the social scene can be a bit lacking.

MSU has honors sections not just of calculus, but also linear algebra, analysis, algebra, etc and an advanced math major that requires taking them.

NCSU: https://www.reddit.com/r/NCSU/comments/12w93ma/comment/jhesqmk/
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 14:36     Subject: Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

School context matters. If it's a top feeder like Harvard Westlake, there is nothing to worry about. They sent 3.2 to Chicago.
Anonymous
Post 01/20/2026 14:32     Subject: Re:Low gpa strong SAT with strong math focus

University of Alabama starting next year will start accepting students with low GPAs providing that they submit a test score.