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I guess my question would be is if UMich is so familiar with FCPS grading, why do they take a B+ (including AP/IB) which is 90-93 and recalculate it to be a straight B which could be as low as 80%?
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<p>But, again, IMO that is not the proper question to ask. A better question is whether Fairfax kids are accepted into UMich at a lower rate than, say, kids in Montgomery County. In other words, is there any difference between acceptances based on relative HS rank? Does an A- average at Montgomery and class rank of 15% (just making up a number for example), do better than a Fairfax kid with a B+ at rank of top decile?</p>
<p>Both counties have great schools and both have families with $$ -- which UMIch needs. Their adcoms are smart and highly professional folks. There is no reason to believe that they can't tell the difference.</p>
<p>Check out the presentation. I went through it and was really surprised at some of the discrepancies between SAT scores & GPA, GPA between different counties for the same grades, etc. I'm actually really happy this has happened. IMO, the grading system was more difficult, and so we argued that it was helpful in the long run because it would help students adjust to college grading systems. I was against fairgrade (even when I was in HS), but I fully support it. I just wished this happened a few years ago so I could have reaped the benefits. i would have had a 4.0 UW. :(</p>
<p>Dean J, I know that UVa looks at the school profile and takes everything into account. IMO, you guys are great. The problem is, there are a lot of schools that don't. So, I think it'll give students in Fairfax a better chance to get into some great schools. Also, there is a psychological effect of seeing As vs. B+s. Which looks better?</p>
<p>A
A
A
A
A
A</p>
<p>B+
A
A
B+
A
B+</p>
<p>In Fairfax, the one with B+s would have had a 3.75 while in another district, they would have had a 4.0. And even if both of these theoretical students were on the same intellectual level, the one with all As looks smarter. It's just human nature. There are some students here at UVa that were valedictorians of their class, with above a 4.0 W and I look at them and wonder how the heck they became valedictorians. The top 15-20% of my class would have beaten them academically. We had to fight to get above a 4.0. And even then, it was in the hopes of reaching a 4.15.</p>
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But, again, IMO that is not the proper question to ask. A better question is whether Fairfax kids are accepted into UMich at a lower rate than, say, kids in Montgomery County. In other words, is there any difference between acceptances based on relative HS rank?
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<p>If it's not the proper question to ask do you know the answers to the ones you are posing? Otherwise it is "pure speculation"</p>
<p>I'm not sure if I am posting this in the right "thread" or whatever, but I am new to this site and had some questions that I was hoping to get answers on. I have always been in all academic (or regular) classes, besides this year (junior), I have AP English and Honors U.S. History classes. I have a B+ in AP English and an A in Honors U.S. History. My cumulative GPA is a 3.6, and I had always thought that even though this wasn't as high as those with 4.2s and up, I was on a 4 point scale and they were on a 5, so our GPAs would be adjusted accordingly. I recently learned this wasn't exactly the case, though I can never get a clear answer out of anybody. I am just frustrated that many of my friends who have all honors classes simply pull Bs and maybe an A here or there and have way higher GPAs than mine. So when the time comes for college applications, are their GPAs, lets say its a 4.2, going to be only on a four scale, instead of a 5?</p>
<p>I am a student attending Fairfax High School, and I must say I am really DISSATISFIED with this new system. I mean, the county can give us numbers and weighted points all they want but those numbers really don't mean anything. Also, I really don't think a 90 equates to an A. Of course, this is relative and it may be that I think this way because I was raised in FC, but still, 90 seems to low a number to be called an A... I also have a problem with this system being retroactive. It doesn't account for the fact that students who had straight A's in the past without Fairgrade are now at an equal level with those who had 1 A and 6 B+s. And with this whole weighted average thing - don't colleges look at UW more so than W anyways? On top of all these crazy changes, school starting at 8:30? I'm no expert with school systems, but I feel as though it is being degraded...I can confidently say that I am the hard-working student that I am today because I lived in a county whose expectations were not only demanding but beneficial. Not so much anymore...</p>
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If this bill gets passed, would that turn all my 93s (Bs in my district) into As?
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<p>It is way too early to tell. The FFX thing that passed last week still doesn't have any specs on what is an A, what is Honors, what will happen to IB 1 level classes or multi year AP classes. Right now there are more ?'s than answers.</p>