Anonymous
07/23/2025 12:40
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand. If it “takes blood, sweat, and tears to earn a 3.9 at NCS,” how did so many NCS girls go to ivies? It’s not adding up. What is the gpa at NCS for ivy admit?
3.7 hooked
3.9 unhooked
How many 3.9 unhooked? 5?
Large droves of NCS girls go to ivies and ivy plus, are they all hooked?
There were 11 Ivies this year out of 85.
How many out of 11 are unhooked?
3 categories:
-unhooked and top 20% student
-hooked and top 20% student
-hooked and not top 20% student
Roughly you could put 1/3 of the 11 in each category. Same as any strong private.
Is the top 20% cut off approximately at 3.9 gpa?
Definitely not. Maybe 3.7-3.8.
It's hard tell because the cum laude society is the top 20% but is based only on soph and junior year grades. the cut-off for this is generally a high 3.8/low 3.9 but there are girls with overall higher GPAs (across all 4 years)who don't make it because they had lower GPAs during soph and junior. So it's unclear
So it can be established that about 20% have a gpa approximately 3.9 based on sophomore and junior. The percentage could be higher if considering freshman grades. In total it is likely there are 25% obtaining a gpa of 3.9.
The 20% is more like 3.85+. Some years higher. Some of the cum laude girls have an overall lower GPA than non cum laude girls because freshman year brings them down.
That is a pretty normal distribution.
Makes me think "blood, sweat, and tears" is kinda exaggerating.
No,not an exaggerarion. Top 20% is more like 3.7+ most years. That’s actually pretty low. NCS girls do okay in admissions because many are hooked or have wealthy parents paying $$$$ for tutoring, test prep, private collect counseling that includes essay prep, and for activities that make them pointy.
To get the real cost of the grade deflation you’d have to look at the impact on the girls whose parents can’t afford all the extra support needed to be in the 3.9+ range.
no, 3.7 is low for top 20%. my daughter graduated 3.90 and was not top 20% 2 years ago.
There is a difference between Cum Laude and straight GPA though. CL is only two years. So could have a higher GPA and not be in CL.
The point is, if 20% gets 3.9, then it's not blood sweat and tears, it's normal distribution. There is a parent here trying hard to say 3.9 is really really rare, but it's not.
20% of 85 is 17. There were 17 girls in the class of 2025 with GPAs of at least 3.9? I don't think so.
No. There weren’t 17 girls with 3.9 GPAs.
Blood, sweat, and tears doesn’t have to mean really really rare. It means the girls who do get it sacrifice a lot to do so. Unless you’re a parent of an NCS girl with a 3.9+ GPA you have no idea what the girls go through.
So how many have 3.9 gpa? 1? 3? 5? 8? 10?
Nobody knows because no one knows everyone's GPAs, cum laude doesn't tell the whole story because of how it's calculated and everything varies by year. My guesstimate is >5 and <12.
So that's probably the top decile. The next decile probably comprises 3.8-3.9, the yet next decile is 3.7-3.8, so on and so forth.
The average gpa probably around 3.5.
This is a very typical private high school gpa distribution. The top decile does require strong work ethics, but it's true for any elite private high school.
Anonymous
07/22/2025 19:21
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand. If it “takes blood, sweat, and tears to earn a 3.9 at NCS,” how did so many NCS girls go to ivies? It’s not adding up. What is the gpa at NCS for ivy admit?
3.7 hooked
3.9 unhooked
How many 3.9 unhooked? 5?
Large droves of NCS girls go to ivies and ivy plus, are they all hooked?
There were 11 Ivies this year out of 85.
How many out of 11 are unhooked?
3 categories:
-unhooked and top 20% student
-hooked and top 20% student
-hooked and not top 20% student
Roughly you could put 1/3 of the 11 in each category. Same as any strong private.
Is the top 20% cut off approximately at 3.9 gpa?
Definitely not. Maybe 3.7-3.8.
It's hard tell because the cum laude society is the top 20% but is based only on soph and junior year grades. the cut-off for this is generally a high 3.8/low 3.9 but there are girls with overall higher GPAs (across all 4 years)who don't make it because they had lower GPAs during soph and junior. So it's unclear
So it can be established that about 20% have a gpa approximately 3.9 based on sophomore and junior. The percentage could be higher if considering freshman grades. In total it is likely there are 25% obtaining a gpa of 3.9.
The 20% is more like 3.85+. Some years higher. Some of the cum laude girls have an overall lower GPA than non cum laude girls because freshman year brings them down.
That is a pretty normal distribution.
Makes me think "blood, sweat, and tears" is kinda exaggerating.
No,not an exaggerarion. Top 20% is more like 3.7+ most years. That’s actually pretty low. NCS girls do okay in admissions because many are hooked or have wealthy parents paying $$$$ for tutoring, test prep, private collect counseling that includes essay prep, and for activities that make them pointy.
To get the real cost of the grade deflation you’d have to look at the impact on the girls whose parents can’t afford all the extra support needed to be in the 3.9+ range.
no, 3.7 is low for top 20%. my daughter graduated 3.90 and was not top 20% 2 years ago.
There is a difference between Cum Laude and straight GPA though. CL is only two years. So could have a higher GPA and not be in CL.
The point is, if 20% gets 3.9, then it's not blood sweat and tears, it's normal distribution. There is a parent here trying hard to say 3.9 is really really rare, but it's not.
20% of 85 is 17. There were 17 girls in the class of 2025 with GPAs of at least 3.9? I don't think so.
No. There weren’t 17 girls with 3.9 GPAs.
Blood, sweat, and tears doesn’t have to mean really really rare. It means the girls who do get it sacrifice a lot to do so. Unless you’re a parent of an NCS girl with a 3.9+ GPA you have no idea what the girls go through.
So how many have 3.9 gpa? 1? 3? 5? 8? 10?
Nobody knows because no one knows everyone's GPAs, cum laude doesn't tell the whole story because of how it's calculated and everything varies by year. My guesstimate is >5 and <12.
Anonymous
07/22/2025 17:40
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand. If it “takes blood, sweat, and tears to earn a 3.9 at NCS,” how did so many NCS girls go to ivies? It’s not adding up. What is the gpa at NCS for ivy admit?
3.7 hooked
3.9 unhooked
How many 3.9 unhooked? 5?
Large droves of NCS girls go to ivies and ivy plus, are they all hooked?
There were 11 Ivies this year out of 85.
How many out of 11 are unhooked?
3 categories:
-unhooked and top 20% student
-hooked and top 20% student
-hooked and not top 20% student
Roughly you could put 1/3 of the 11 in each category. Same as any strong private.
Is the top 20% cut off approximately at 3.9 gpa?
Definitely not. Maybe 3.7-3.8.
It's hard tell because the cum laude society is the top 20% but is based only on soph and junior year grades. the cut-off for this is generally a high 3.8/low 3.9 but there are girls with overall higher GPAs (across all 4 years)who don't make it because they had lower GPAs during soph and junior. So it's unclear
So it can be established that about 20% have a gpa approximately 3.9 based on sophomore and junior. The percentage could be higher if considering freshman grades. In total it is likely there are 25% obtaining a gpa of 3.9.
The 20% is more like 3.85+. Some years higher. Some of the cum laude girls have an overall lower GPA than non cum laude girls because freshman year brings them down.
That is a pretty normal distribution.
Makes me think "blood, sweat, and tears" is kinda exaggerating.
No,not an exaggerarion. Top 20% is more like 3.7+ most years. That’s actually pretty low. NCS girls do okay in admissions because many are hooked or have wealthy parents paying $$$$ for tutoring, test prep, private collect counseling that includes essay prep, and for activities that make them pointy.
To get the real cost of the grade deflation you’d have to look at the impact on the girls whose parents can’t afford all the extra support needed to be in the 3.9+ range.
no, 3.7 is low for top 20%. my daughter graduated 3.90 and was not top 20% 2 years ago.
There is a difference between Cum Laude and straight GPA though. CL is only two years. So could have a higher GPA and not be in CL.
The point is, if 20% gets 3.9, then it's not blood sweat and tears, it's normal distribution. There is a parent here trying hard to say 3.9 is really really rare, but it's not.
20% of 85 is 17. There were 17 girls in the class of 2025 with GPAs of at least 3.9? I don't think so.
No. There weren’t 17 girls with 3.9 GPAs.
Blood, sweat, and tears doesn’t have to mean really really rare. It means the girls who do get it sacrifice a lot to do so. Unless you’re a parent of an NCS girl with a 3.9+ GPA you have no idea what the girls go through.
So how many have 3.9 gpa? 1? 3? 5? 8? 10?
Anonymous
07/22/2025 17:18
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand. If it “takes blood, sweat, and tears to earn a 3.9 at NCS,” how did so many NCS girls go to ivies? It’s not adding up. What is the gpa at NCS for ivy admit?
3.7 hooked
3.9 unhooked
How many 3.9 unhooked? 5?
Large droves of NCS girls go to ivies and ivy plus, are they all hooked?
There were 11 Ivies this year out of 85.
How many out of 11 are unhooked?
3 categories:
-unhooked and top 20% student
-hooked and top 20% student
-hooked and not top 20% student
Roughly you could put 1/3 of the 11 in each category. Same as any strong private.
Is the top 20% cut off approximately at 3.9 gpa?
Definitely not. Maybe 3.7-3.8.
It's hard tell because the cum laude society is the top 20% but is based only on soph and junior year grades. the cut-off for this is generally a high 3.8/low 3.9 but there are girls with overall higher GPAs (across all 4 years)who don't make it because they had lower GPAs during soph and junior. So it's unclear
So it can be established that about 20% have a gpa approximately 3.9 based on sophomore and junior. The percentage could be higher if considering freshman grades. In total it is likely there are 25% obtaining a gpa of 3.9.
The 20% is more like 3.85+. Some years higher. Some of the cum laude girls have an overall lower GPA than non cum laude girls because freshman year brings them down.
That is a pretty normal distribution.
Makes me think "blood, sweat, and tears" is kinda exaggerating.
No,not an exaggerarion. Top 20% is more like 3.7+ most years. That’s actually pretty low. NCS girls do okay in admissions because many are hooked or have wealthy parents paying $$$$ for tutoring, test prep, private collect counseling that includes essay prep, and for activities that make them pointy.
To get the real cost of the grade deflation you’d have to look at the impact on the girls whose parents can’t afford all the extra support needed to be in the 3.9+ range.
no, 3.7 is low for top 20%. my daughter graduated 3.90 and was not top 20% 2 years ago.
There is a difference between Cum Laude and straight GPA though. CL is only two years. So could have a higher GPA and not be in CL.
The point is, if 20% gets 3.9, then it's not blood sweat and tears, it's normal distribution. There is a parent here trying hard to say 3.9 is really really rare, but it's not.
20% of 85 is 17. There were 17 girls in the class of 2025 with GPAs of at least 3.9? I don't think so.
No. There weren’t 17 girls with 3.9 GPAs.
Blood, sweat, and tears doesn’t have to mean really really rare. It means the girls who do get it sacrifice a lot to do so. Unless you’re a parent of an NCS girl with a 3.9+ GPA you have no idea what the girls go through.
Shouldn't a 3 9 GPA require hard work? What would it mean otherwise?
Anonymous
07/22/2025 15:11
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand. If it “takes blood, sweat, and tears to earn a 3.9 at NCS,” how did so many NCS girls go to ivies? It’s not adding up. What is the gpa at NCS for ivy admit?
3.7 hooked
3.9 unhooked
How many 3.9 unhooked? 5?
Large droves of NCS girls go to ivies and ivy plus, are they all hooked?
There were 11 Ivies this year out of 85.
How many out of 11 are unhooked?
3 categories:
-unhooked and top 20% student
-hooked and top 20% student
-hooked and not top 20% student
Roughly you could put 1/3 of the 11 in each category. Same as any strong private.
Is the top 20% cut off approximately at 3.9 gpa?
Definitely not. Maybe 3.7-3.8.
It's hard tell because the cum laude society is the top 20% but is based only on soph and junior year grades. the cut-off for this is generally a high 3.8/low 3.9 but there are girls with overall higher GPAs (across all 4 years)who don't make it because they had lower GPAs during soph and junior. So it's unclear
So it can be established that about 20% have a gpa approximately 3.9 based on sophomore and junior. The percentage could be higher if considering freshman grades. In total it is likely there are 25% obtaining a gpa of 3.9.
The 20% is more like 3.85+. Some years higher. Some of the cum laude girls have an overall lower GPA than non cum laude girls because freshman year brings them down.
That is a pretty normal distribution.
Makes me think "blood, sweat, and tears" is kinda exaggerating.
No,not an exaggerarion. Top 20% is more like 3.7+ most years. That’s actually pretty low. NCS girls do okay in admissions because many are hooked or have wealthy parents paying $$$$ for tutoring, test prep, private collect counseling that includes essay prep, and for activities that make them pointy.
To get the real cost of the grade deflation you’d have to look at the impact on the girls whose parents can’t afford all the extra support needed to be in the 3.9+ range.
no, 3.7 is low for top 20%. my daughter graduated 3.90 and was not top 20% 2 years ago.
There is a difference between Cum Laude and straight GPA though. CL is only two years. So could have a higher GPA and not be in CL.
The point is, if 20% gets 3.9, then it's not blood sweat and tears, it's normal distribution. There is a parent here trying hard to say 3.9 is really really rare, but it's not.
20% of 85 is 17. There were 17 girls in the class of 2025 with GPAs of at least 3.9? I don't think so.
No. There weren’t 17 girls with 3.9 GPAs.
Blood, sweat, and tears doesn’t have to mean really really rare. It means the girls who do get it sacrifice a lot to do so. Unless you’re a parent of an NCS girl with a 3.9+ GPA you have no idea what the girls go through.
Anonymous
07/22/2025 15:10
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This school, like many other private schools, lacks transparency in terms of gpa and ranking. Even parents don't know which one is correct, 3.7 or 3.9 to make cum laude.
Cum Laude is the top twenty percent of the class, so there isn't a GPA requirement, per se.
You should add that it only includes soph and junior years so there are girls in cum laude who are not top 20% in the grades that are sent with college apps (and girls who are top 20% in the grades that go to colleges that are not cum laude).
Just to clarify it also includes first semester of senior year so it is 2.5 years of NCS grades (this information is in the NCS community handbook for those who are interested in the qualifications)
Anonymous
07/22/2025 15:05
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand. If it “takes blood, sweat, and tears to earn a 3.9 at NCS,” how did so many NCS girls go to ivies? It’s not adding up. What is the gpa at NCS for ivy admit?
3.7 hooked
3.9 unhooked
How many 3.9 unhooked? 5?
Large droves of NCS girls go to ivies and ivy plus, are they all hooked?
There were 11 Ivies this year out of 85.
How many out of 11 are unhooked?
3 categories:
-unhooked and top 20% student
-hooked and top 20% student
-hooked and not top 20% student
Roughly you could put 1/3 of the 11 in each category. Same as any strong private.
Is the top 20% cut off approximately at 3.9 gpa?
Definitely not. Maybe 3.7-3.8.
It's hard tell because the cum laude society is the top 20% but is based only on soph and junior year grades. the cut-off for this is generally a high 3.8/low 3.9 but there are girls with overall higher GPAs (across all 4 years)who don't make it because they had lower GPAs during soph and junior. So it's unclear
So it can be established that about 20% have a gpa approximately 3.9 based on sophomore and junior. The percentage could be higher if considering freshman grades. In total it is likely there are 25% obtaining a gpa of 3.9.
The 20% is more like 3.85+. Some years higher. Some of the cum laude girls have an overall lower GPA than non cum laude girls because freshman year brings them down.
That is a pretty normal distribution.
Makes me think "blood, sweat, and tears" is kinda exaggerating.
No,not an exaggerarion. Top 20% is more like 3.7+ most years. That’s actually pretty low. NCS girls do okay in admissions because many are hooked or have wealthy parents paying $$$$ for tutoring, test prep, private collect counseling that includes essay prep, and for activities that make them pointy.
To get the real cost of the grade deflation you’d have to look at the impact on the girls whose parents can’t afford all the extra support needed to be in the 3.9+ range.
no, 3.7 is low for top 20%. my daughter graduated 3.90 and was not top 20% 2 years ago.
There is a difference between Cum Laude and straight GPA though. CL is only two years. So could have a higher GPA and not be in CL.
Sure but you are splitting hairs. Very few kids not in cum laude would have a higher GPA than the kids in cum laude. Maybe there is a kid that has a bad first semester sophomore or junior year and otherwise near perfect grades but that’s a rare exception. When you see the kids who make cum laude, it makes sense, these are the academic/smart kids. Almost universally they are also top rigor, which isn’t weighted at NCS. The kids in cum laude fit the profile of the strongest students in the grade, regardless of it being only sophomore and junior year.
Disagree. There are always a number of girls who aren't in cum laude but have higher overall GPAs. My daughter's year it was at about 5 in this position. my daughter had about a 3.91 (not cum laude) and there were cum laude girls who had a 3.89. It's separated by a very slim margin in the end (0.01) so not including freshman grades really shuffles who gets it.
I’m always stunned by those who seem to know others GPA.
Anonymous
07/22/2025 12:40
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand. If it “takes blood, sweat, and tears to earn a 3.9 at NCS,” how did so many NCS girls go to ivies? It’s not adding up. What is the gpa at NCS for ivy admit?
3.7 hooked
3.9 unhooked
How many 3.9 unhooked? 5?
Large droves of NCS girls go to ivies and ivy plus, are they all hooked?
There were 11 Ivies this year out of 85.
How many out of 11 are unhooked?
3 categories:
-unhooked and top 20% student
-hooked and top 20% student
-hooked and not top 20% student
Roughly you could put 1/3 of the 11 in each category. Same as any strong private.
Is the top 20% cut off approximately at 3.9 gpa?
Definitely not. Maybe 3.7-3.8.
It's hard tell because the cum laude society is the top 20% but is based only on soph and junior year grades. the cut-off for this is generally a high 3.8/low 3.9 but there are girls with overall higher GPAs (across all 4 years)who don't make it because they had lower GPAs during soph and junior. So it's unclear
So it can be established that about 20% have a gpa approximately 3.9 based on sophomore and junior. The percentage could be higher if considering freshman grades. In total it is likely there are 25% obtaining a gpa of 3.9.
The 20% is more like 3.85+. Some years higher. Some of the cum laude girls have an overall lower GPA than non cum laude girls because freshman year brings them down.
That is a pretty normal distribution.
Makes me think "blood, sweat, and tears" is kinda exaggerating.
No,not an exaggerarion. Top 20% is more like 3.7+ most years. That’s actually pretty low. NCS girls do okay in admissions because many are hooked or have wealthy parents paying $$$$ for tutoring, test prep, private collect counseling that includes essay prep, and for activities that make them pointy.
To get the real cost of the grade deflation you’d have to look at the impact on the girls whose parents can’t afford all the extra support needed to be in the 3.9+ range.
no, 3.7 is low for top 20%. my daughter graduated 3.90 and was not top 20% 2 years ago.
There is a difference between Cum Laude and straight GPA though. CL is only two years. So could have a higher GPA and not be in CL.
The point is, if 20% gets 3.9, then it's not blood sweat and tears, it's normal distribution. There is a parent here trying hard to say 3.9 is really really rare, but it's not.
20% of 85 is 17. There were 17 girls in the class of 2025 with GPAs of at least 3.9? I don't think so.
Anonymous
07/22/2025 12:02
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand. If it “takes blood, sweat, and tears to earn a 3.9 at NCS,” how did so many NCS girls go to ivies? It’s not adding up. What is the gpa at NCS for ivy admit?
3.7 hooked
3.9 unhooked
How many 3.9 unhooked? 5?
Large droves of NCS girls go to ivies and ivy plus, are they all hooked?
There were 11 Ivies this year out of 85.
How many out of 11 are unhooked?
3 categories:
-unhooked and top 20% student
-hooked and top 20% student
-hooked and not top 20% student
Roughly you could put 1/3 of the 11 in each category. Same as any strong private.
Is the top 20% cut off approximately at 3.9 gpa?
Definitely not. Maybe 3.7-3.8.
It's hard tell because the cum laude society is the top 20% but is based only on soph and junior year grades. the cut-off for this is generally a high 3.8/low 3.9 but there are girls with overall higher GPAs (across all 4 years)who don't make it because they had lower GPAs during soph and junior. So it's unclear
So it can be established that about 20% have a gpa approximately 3.9 based on sophomore and junior. The percentage could be higher if considering freshman grades. In total it is likely there are 25% obtaining a gpa of 3.9.
The 20% is more like 3.85+. Some years higher. Some of the cum laude girls have an overall lower GPA than non cum laude girls because freshman year brings them down.
That is a pretty normal distribution.
Makes me think "blood, sweat, and tears" is kinda exaggerating.
No,not an exaggerarion. Top 20% is more like 3.7+ most years. That’s actually pretty low. NCS girls do okay in admissions because many are hooked or have wealthy parents paying $$$$ for tutoring, test prep, private collect counseling that includes essay prep, and for activities that make them pointy.
To get the real cost of the grade deflation you’d have to look at the impact on the girls whose parents can’t afford all the extra support needed to be in the 3.9+ range.
no, 3.7 is low for top 20%. my daughter graduated 3.90 and was not top 20% 2 years ago.
There is a difference between Cum Laude and straight GPA though. CL is only two years. So could have a higher GPA and not be in CL.
Sure but you are splitting hairs. Very few kids not in cum laude would have a higher GPA than the kids in cum laude. Maybe there is a kid that has a bad first semester sophomore or junior year and otherwise near perfect grades but that’s a rare exception. When you see the kids who make cum laude, it makes sense, these are the academic/smart kids. Almost universally they are also top rigor, which isn’t weighted at NCS. The kids in cum laude fit the profile of the strongest students in the grade, regardless of it being only sophomore and junior year.
Disagree. There are always a number of girls who aren't in cum laude but have higher overall GPAs. My daughter's year it was at about 5 in this position. my daughter had about a 3.91 (not cum laude) and there were cum laude girls who had a 3.89. It's separated by a very slim margin in the end (0.01) so not including freshman grades really shuffles who gets it.
Anonymous
07/22/2025 10:46
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand. If it “takes blood, sweat, and tears to earn a 3.9 at NCS,” how did so many NCS girls go to ivies? It’s not adding up. What is the gpa at NCS for ivy admit?
3.7 hooked
3.9 unhooked
How many 3.9 unhooked? 5?
Large droves of NCS girls go to ivies and ivy plus, are they all hooked?
There were 11 Ivies this year out of 85.
How many out of 11 are unhooked?
3 categories:
-unhooked and top 20% student
-hooked and top 20% student
-hooked and not top 20% student
Roughly you could put 1/3 of the 11 in each category. Same as any strong private.
Is the top 20% cut off approximately at 3.9 gpa?
Definitely not. Maybe 3.7-3.8.
It's hard tell because the cum laude society is the top 20% but is based only on soph and junior year grades. the cut-off for this is generally a high 3.8/low 3.9 but there are girls with overall higher GPAs (across all 4 years)who don't make it because they had lower GPAs during soph and junior. So it's unclear
So it can be established that about 20% have a gpa approximately 3.9 based on sophomore and junior. The percentage could be higher if considering freshman grades. In total it is likely there are 25% obtaining a gpa of 3.9.
The 20% is more like 3.85+. Some years higher. Some of the cum laude girls have an overall lower GPA than non cum laude girls because freshman year brings them down.
That is a pretty normal distribution.
Makes me think "blood, sweat, and tears" is kinda exaggerating.
No,not an exaggerarion. Top 20% is more like 3.7+ most years. That’s actually pretty low. NCS girls do okay in admissions because many are hooked or have wealthy parents paying $$$$ for tutoring, test prep, private collect counseling that includes essay prep, and for activities that make them pointy.
To get the real cost of the grade deflation you’d have to look at the impact on the girls whose parents can’t afford all the extra support needed to be in the 3.9+ range.
no, 3.7 is low for top 20%. my daughter graduated 3.90 and was not top 20% 2 years ago.
There is a difference between Cum Laude and straight GPA though. CL is only two years. So could have a higher GPA and not be in CL.
The point is, if 20% gets 3.9, then it's not blood sweat and tears, it's normal distribution. There is a parent here trying hard to say 3.9 is really really rare, but it's not.
Anonymous
07/22/2025 09:45
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand. If it “takes blood, sweat, and tears to earn a 3.9 at NCS,” how did so many NCS girls go to ivies? It’s not adding up. What is the gpa at NCS for ivy admit?
3.7 hooked
3.9 unhooked
How many 3.9 unhooked? 5?
Large droves of NCS girls go to ivies and ivy plus, are they all hooked?
There were 11 Ivies this year out of 85.
How many out of 11 are unhooked?
3 categories:
-unhooked and top 20% student
-hooked and top 20% student
-hooked and not top 20% student
Roughly you could put 1/3 of the 11 in each category. Same as any strong private.
Is the top 20% cut off approximately at 3.9 gpa?
Definitely not. Maybe 3.7-3.8.
It's hard tell because the cum laude society is the top 20% but is based only on soph and junior year grades. the cut-off for this is generally a high 3.8/low 3.9 but there are girls with overall higher GPAs (across all 4 years)who don't make it because they had lower GPAs during soph and junior. So it's unclear
So it can be established that about 20% have a gpa approximately 3.9 based on sophomore and junior. The percentage could be higher if considering freshman grades. In total it is likely there are 25% obtaining a gpa of 3.9.
The 20% is more like 3.85+. Some years higher. Some of the cum laude girls have an overall lower GPA than non cum laude girls because freshman year brings them down.
That is a pretty normal distribution.
Makes me think "blood, sweat, and tears" is kinda exaggerating.
No,not an exaggerarion. Top 20% is more like 3.7+ most years. That’s actually pretty low. NCS girls do okay in admissions because many are hooked or have wealthy parents paying $$$$ for tutoring, test prep, private collect counseling that includes essay prep, and for activities that make them pointy.
To get the real cost of the grade deflation you’d have to look at the impact on the girls whose parents can’t afford all the extra support needed to be in the 3.9+ range.
no, 3.7 is low for top 20%. my daughter graduated 3.90 and was not top 20% 2 years ago.
There is a difference between Cum Laude and straight GPA though. CL is only two years. So could have a higher GPA and not be in CL.
Sure but you are splitting hairs. Very few kids not in cum laude would have a higher GPA than the kids in cum laude. Maybe there is a kid that has a bad first semester sophomore or junior year and otherwise near perfect grades but that’s a rare exception. When you see the kids who make cum laude, it makes sense, these are the academic/smart kids. Almost universally they are also top rigor, which isn’t weighted at NCS. The kids in cum laude fit the profile of the strongest students in the grade, regardless of it being only sophomore and junior year.
Anonymous
07/22/2025 08:24
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand. If it “takes blood, sweat, and tears to earn a 3.9 at NCS,” how did so many NCS girls go to ivies? It’s not adding up. What is the gpa at NCS for ivy admit?
3.7 hooked
3.9 unhooked
How many 3.9 unhooked? 5?
Large droves of NCS girls go to ivies and ivy plus, are they all hooked?
There were 11 Ivies this year out of 85.
How many out of 11 are unhooked?
3 categories:
-unhooked and top 20% student
-hooked and top 20% student
-hooked and not top 20% student
Roughly you could put 1/3 of the 11 in each category. Same as any strong private.
Is the top 20% cut off approximately at 3.9 gpa?
Definitely not. Maybe 3.7-3.8.
It's hard tell because the cum laude society is the top 20% but is based only on soph and junior year grades. the cut-off for this is generally a high 3.8/low 3.9 but there are girls with overall higher GPAs (across all 4 years)who don't make it because they had lower GPAs during soph and junior. So it's unclear
So it can be established that about 20% have a gpa approximately 3.9 based on sophomore and junior. The percentage could be higher if considering freshman grades. In total it is likely there are 25% obtaining a gpa of 3.9.
The 20% is more like 3.85+. Some years higher. Some of the cum laude girls have an overall lower GPA than non cum laude girls because freshman year brings them down.
That is a pretty normal distribution.
Makes me think "blood, sweat, and tears" is kinda exaggerating.
No,not an exaggerarion. Top 20% is more like 3.7+ most years. That’s actually pretty low. NCS girls do okay in admissions because many are hooked or have wealthy parents paying $$$$ for tutoring, test prep, private collect counseling that includes essay prep, and for activities that make them pointy.
To get the real cost of the grade deflation you’d have to look at the impact on the girls whose parents can’t afford all the extra support needed to be in the 3.9+ range.
no, 3.7 is low for top 20%. my daughter graduated 3.90 and was not top 20% 2 years ago.
There is a difference between Cum Laude and straight GPA though. CL is only two years. So could have a higher GPA and not be in CL.
Anonymous
07/22/2025 07:54
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This school, like many other private schools, lacks transparency in terms of gpa and ranking. Even parents don't know which one is correct, 3.7 or 3.9 to make cum laude.
Cum Laude is the top twenty percent of the class, so there isn't a GPA requirement, per se.
Common sense says it wouldn’t vary that much from one year to another. 3.7 to 3.75, yes. 3.7 to 3.9, not.
Anonymous
07/21/2025 19:03
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This school, like many other private schools, lacks transparency in terms of gpa and ranking. Even parents don't know which one is correct, 3.7 or 3.9 to make cum laude.
Cum Laude is the top twenty percent of the class, so there isn't a GPA requirement, per se.
You should add that it only includes soph and junior years so there are girls in cum laude who are not top 20% in the grades that are sent with college apps (and girls who are top 20% in the grades that go to colleges that are not cum laude).
Anonymous
07/21/2025 18:53
Subject: How to Get A's in NCS English in 9th Grade?
Anonymous wrote:This school, like many other private schools, lacks transparency in terms of gpa and ranking. Even parents don't know which one is correct, 3.7 or 3.9 to make cum laude.
Cum Laude is the top twenty percent of the class, so there isn't a GPA requirement, per se.