It’s all about the right zip code and bank account combo.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the F even is a GPA over 4.0. That’s garbage. The highest grade you can get is an A which is a 4.0 so this nonsense to artificially inflate grades makes me insane. Haven’t hey also made the SAT higher scoring?

Smartest thing kids can do these days is to get an actual vocation.

You must be new here. A 4.1 GPA is like garbage for selective schools.

Except that not all schools weight their GPAs. For the most part, colleges know the difference between a 3.9 at one school, a 4.1 at another and a 5.0 (or whatever insane GPA some schools allow).

True, of course. Some private schools max at 4.0.

How do you differentiate the rigor to succeed in an IB or AP level course and one that covers less content and less advanced and challenging content? The current method is to give different weights to the courses according to degree if diffculty.

This is only the method in public high schools. Top tier private schools have eliminated APs. No weighting of grades. They assume colleges understand that all classes are rigorous and most surpass AP curriculum.

Private schools are eliminating AP because they don’t want to compete with public schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More numbers: 12% internationals admitted at Rice ED, Dartmouth 14% internationals admitted ED (new record high).

https://www.ricethresher.org/article/2020/12/record-number-of-students-apply-for-early-decision-at-rice

https://news.dartmouth.edu/news/2020/12/dartmouth-notifies-early-decision-students-their-admission

Full pay students.

These types of schools could fill their campus with full-pay US students, so there must be more to their selections than merely the revenue. There are many schools that rely on international students, but those are not the type being discussed here.

+2 This country is full of top performing kids that can pay the cost of full tuition at these schools. They could fill these schools many times over. My kid is at a top DC private and most families will be full pay in college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More numbers: 12% internationals admitted at Rice ED, Dartmouth 14% internationals admitted ED (new record high).

https://www.ricethresher.org/article/2020/12/record-number-of-students-apply-for-early-decision-at-rice

https://news.dartmouth.edu/news/2020/12/dartmouth-notifies-early-decision-students-their-admission

Full pay students.

These types of schools could fill their campus with full-pay US students, so there must be more to their selections than merely the revenue. There are many schools that rely on international students, but those are not the type being discussed here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the F even is a GPA over 4.0. That’s garbage. The highest grade you can get is an A which is a 4.0 so this nonsense to artificially inflate grades makes me insane. Haven’t hey also made the SAT higher scoring?

Smartest thing kids can do these days is to get an actual vocation.

You must be new here. A 4.1 GPA is like garbage for selective schools.

Except that not all schools weight their GPAs. For the most part, colleges know the difference between a 3.9 at one school, a 4.1 at another and a 5.0 (or whatever insane GPA some schools allow).

True, of course. Some private schools max at 4.0.

How do you differentiate the rigor to succeed in an IB or AP level course and one that covers less content and less advanced and challenging content? The current method is to give different weights to the courses according to degree if diffculty.

This is only the method in public high schools. Top tier private schools have eliminated APs. No weighting of grades. They assume colleges understand that all classes are rigorous and most surpass AP curriculum.

I think the admissions process is overhyped in DC area. It all depends on your kid stats and extracurriculars. A unique combination of both gets them into target schools. I would recommend hiring a college counselor to help with the admission process and essays, SATs if needed. It’s all about where your kid being happy, obtaining a valuable/non-barista degree, and graduating on-time without debt. Not every kid is destined for Harvard. Some might be happier at a SLAC or in-state school. My kid hated Cornell and UVA and only wanted to be at VA Tech.

Harvard takes most students from the mid-Atlantic states, almost 21%

which accounts for the local obsession

19% from southern states and a mix of the rest

Student needs to be sharp as a tack vs 90s well-rounded