Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry but some kids suffer from test anxiety or aren’t great taking a standardized test and yet still prove to be straight A students. There’s a reason why colleges are moving away from standardized test scores. Happy for you that your kid doesn’t suffer from that.

The top universities are bringing the SAT and ACT back including Yale, MIT, and Dartmouth. I think more will follow. Many high schools inflate grades so universities use tests in their holistic admissions process. MIT used data to show why it was important part of its admission decisions and that can be found online. Very interesting actually.

As an adult who was not a great test taker as a kid due to anxiety, it all worked out in the end. I have a great, fulfilling career and attended an Ivy for graduate school. I attended a private school, but due to not great test scores didn’t get into my top choices. Ended up being fine even though I did not live my high school. It prepared me for college and life and I’m thankful for that.

Don’t stress! Support your kids, find the right school for them and if you don’t get in there then supplement with activities, sports, other things. Life does not begin and end with private school.

Agree. For example and I'm using my son because this is all i to go by

13 APs, heavy math and science
4 years of Spanish (fluent and not his native language)
Never took an art or pyschology class
Took calc BC as a junior and now in multivariate calc
Only took honors classes for English as it's his least favorite subject, the rest are and were APs
AP phyics
has 3 math classes Senior yr
Cumulative GPA is a 4.25. Not the highest but totally reflective of his rigorous class load. His school counselor noted on his college apps that he took the most rigorous classes at his DC private high school and that his school doesn't have grade inflation.

Took the ACT and got a 33. One and done. He had a fleeting thought to try for a 34-35 but it was definitely fleeting. His GPA and ACT are a true reflection of his high school class load.

Now, at our local high school, I know of several kids who graduated with a 4.6 GPA or higher but could not break a 1200-1250 on the SAT after mulitple attempts. This is grade inflation. In other words, your GPA, class rigor and standardized test score should go hand in hand and be reflective of one another.

Very selective colleges and universities should definitely bring back standardized test scores. And for whatever it's worth, my son organized study groups for the HSPT and SAT/ACT to help with refamiliarization - also, he skipped algebra 2 in high school and the ACT is heavy on Alg 2. If your child suffers from test anxieity, give them the tools they need to help them overcome their anxiety - reviewing the material will help!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry but some kids suffer from test anxiety or aren’t great taking a standardized test and yet still prove to be straight A students. There’s a reason why colleges are moving away from standardized test scores. Happy for you that your kid doesn’t suffer from that.

The top universities are bringing the SAT and ACT back including Yale, MIT, and Dartmouth. I think more will follow. Many high schools inflate grades so universities use tests in their holistic admissions process. MIT used data to show why it was important part of its admission decisions and that can be found online. Very interesting actually.

As an adult who was not a great test taker as a kid due to anxiety, it all worked out in the end. I have a great, fulfilling career and attended an Ivy for graduate school. I attended a private school, but due to not great test scores didn’t get into my top choices. Ended up being fine even though I did not live my high school. It prepared me for college and life and I’m thankful for that.

Don’t stress! Support your kids, find the right school for them and if you don’t get in there then supplement with activities, sports, other things. Life does not begin and end with private school.

Agree. For example and I'm using my son because this is all i to go by

13 APs, heavy math and science
4 years of Spanish (fluent and not his native language)
Never took an art or pyschology class
Took calc BC as a junior and now in multivariate calc
Only took honors classes for English as it's his least favorite subject, the rest are and were APs
AP phyics
has 3 math classes Senior yr
Cumulative GPA is a 4.25. Not the highest but totally reflective of his rigorous class load. His school counselor noted on his college apps that he took the most rigorous classes at his DC private high school and that his school doesn't have grade inflation.

Took the ACT and got a 33. One and done. He had a fleeting thought to try for a 34-35 but it was definitely fleeting. His GPA and ACT are a true reflection of his high school class load.

Now, at our local high school, I know of several kids who graduated with a 4.6 GPA or higher but could not break a 1200-1250 on the SAT after mulitple attempts. This is grade inflation. In other words, your GPA, class rigor and standardized test score should go hand in hand and be reflective of one another.

Very selective colleges and universities should definitely bring back standardized test scores. And for whatever it's worth, my son organized study groups for the HSPT and SAT/ACT to help with refamiliarization - also, he skipped algebra 2 in high school and the ACT is heavy on Alg 2. If your child suffers from test anxieity, give them the tools they need to help them overcome their anxiety - reviewing the material will help!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry but some kids suffer from test anxiety or aren’t great taking a standardized test and yet still prove to be straight A students. There’s a reason why colleges are moving away from standardized test scores. Happy for you that your kid doesn’t suffer from that.

The top universities are bringing the SAT and ACT back including Yale, MIT, and Dartmouth. I think more will follow. Many high schools inflate grades so universities use tests in their holistic admissions process. MIT used data to show why it was important part of its admission decisions and that can be found online. Very interesting actually.

As an adult who was not a great test taker as a kid due to anxiety, it all worked out in the end. I have a great, fulfilling career and attended an Ivy for graduate school. I attended a private school, but due to not great test scores didn’t get into my top choices. Ended up being fine even though I did not live my high school. It prepared me for college and life and I’m thankful for that.

Don’t stress! Support your kids, find the right school for them and if you don’t get in there then supplement with activities, sports, other things. Life does not begin and end with private school.

Anonymous wrote:Our kid got into St Johns with a 54 on HSPT not athlete and in Benilde program - we declined because we got into our first choice.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My catholic kid from a public school has straight A’s and extracurriculars, etc. but she did poorly on the test (below 60%).

Sigh.

I’m guessing we are stuck in public school.

Don't give up hope. My kid is just as you described (except not Catholic), and was accepted to both GC and SJC... and now gets all A's and one or two B's.

Thanks, pp.

Was that recently?

My understanding is that the mass exodus from area public schools has prompted a dramatic influx of applications to GC and SJC specifically. Both schools apparently have larger freshman classes this year because more students accepted than the schools had anticipated…and that means the schools are likely to admit fewer students this time around.

Current sophomore, so we were going through the admissions process two years ago. There were a lot of applicants then too (I want to say it was around 900-1,000 for 300 spots at both schools).

Last year it was over 1,200 applicants for 300 spots and they wound up over enrolling by about 10%.

How are y’all learning these stats? Is this information about the number of applicants verses the number of accepted students …is it in the acceptance letter when your kid gets in? I’m like, how do people know this?

Admissions officers share this info if you ask questions during the open house or tours.

My biggest takeaway is that most seats are essentially earmarked for siblings, athletes, and a balance for gender and race. And for catholic HS, there is some sort of wink-wink/nod-nod to ensure kids coming from parochial schools land somewhere.

This means your white kid from a public school or even non-catholic private has a small chance of getting in.

Don’t be too easily discouraged. My white non-athlete kids from public both got into every HS they applied to, including the Catholics. Many of their friends did as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My catholic kid from a public school has straight A’s and extracurriculars, etc. but she did poorly on the test (below 60%).

Sigh.

I’m guessing we are stuck in public school.

Don't give up hope. My kid is just as you described (except not Catholic), and was accepted to both GC and SJC... and now gets all A's and one or two B's.

Thanks, pp.

Was that recently?

My understanding is that the mass exodus from area public schools has prompted a dramatic influx of applications to GC and SJC specifically. Both schools apparently have larger freshman classes this year because more students accepted than the schools had anticipated…and that means the schools are likely to admit fewer students this time around.

Current sophomore, so we were going through the admissions process two years ago. There were a lot of applicants then too (I want to say it was around 900-1,000 for 300 spots at both schools).

Last year it was over 1,200 applicants for 300 spots and they wound up over enrolling by about 10%.

How are y’all learning these stats? Is this information about the number of applicants verses the number of accepted students …is it in the acceptance letter when your kid gets in? I’m like, how do people know this?

Admissions officers share this info if you ask questions during the open house or tours.

My biggest takeaway is that most seats are essentially earmarked for siblings, athletes, and a balance for gender and race. And for catholic HS, there is some sort of wink-wink/nod-nod to ensure kids coming from parochial schools land somewhere.

This means your white kid from a public school or even non-catholic private has a small chance of getting in.

Anonymous wrote:Sorry but some kids suffer from test anxiety or aren’t great taking a standardized test and yet still prove to be straight A students. There’s a reason why colleges are moving away from standardized test scores. Happy for you that your kid doesn’t suffer from that.

Anonymous wrote:I'm personally glad the Catholic schools prioritize those of us who have put our kids through Catholic school K-8. We've sacrificed and made Catholic education a priority and I'm glad the schools recognize this and want these kids in their schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm personally glad the Catholic schools prioritize those of us who have put our kids through Catholic school K-8. We've sacrificed and made Catholic education a priority and I'm glad the schools recognize this and want these kids in their schools.

Absolutely agree, this kind of loyalty and dedication should be a factor in admissions. I do wonder how much of an advantage it gives, like is it equivalent of a certain bump on GPA or HSPT vs a public school applicant? I am very curious how these kinds of things are weighted in admissions. I'm sure it's different in each school but curious nonetheless.

Anonymous wrote:Gonzaga, STJ and good counsel. He got into st Andrews and Bullis too with painfully low scores.

Dyslexic

Anonymous wrote:I'm personally glad the Catholic schools prioritize those of us who have put our kids through Catholic school K-8. We've sacrificed and made Catholic education a priority and I'm glad the schools recognize this and want these kids in their schools.

Anonymous wrote:I'm personally glad the Catholic schools prioritize those of us who have put our kids through Catholic school K-8. We've sacrificed and made Catholic education a priority and I'm glad the schools recognize this and want these kids in their schools.