HS freshman-yr grades debacle -- what to do?

Applying to College
1

<p>Just received our son's freshman year grades and we are very disappointed and upset. For his 4 academic classes he got two B's, a B- and a C. He's at a nationally known private hs where the grading is incredibly tough. WHIle he is very bright he has a slight LD and accommodations for extra time but that doesn't seem to have been enough. </p>

<p>I wish he could start all over at another, easier high school but it seems so disruptive. My son would hate the idea of repeating 9th grade, I'm sure,and flat out refuse. So what can we do? </p>

<p>If we stay where we are, I don't know if he will ever be able to raise his grades, given the tough grading teachers, the academic/ driven superkids all around him. If he leaves this "name" school with a B- (or worse) average, what kind of schools will he be able to get into? </p>

<p>How do admissions counsellors look at the GPA of an LD kid at an elite school? DO they cut some slack to students in this situation?</p>

2

<p>you would really want your son to repeat ninth grade because he got 3 B's and a C. <em>sigh</em> how about not putting so much pressure on the kid.</p>

3

<p>Uh...Don't repeat 9th grade. If this school is nationally known, then it probably has a good college counseling office and recognition among adcoms at most schools (at least the selective ones). They will know the level of rigor at your son's school.</p>

<p>Also, the secondary school report will make everything clear. If 75% of students get a B or below, then it will show up there and your son's grades will be put into perspective. Rank also tells the adcoms how your son stacks up against others at his school. It isn't all about GPA. If most other kids are getting better grades, then either he needs to study harder, get more accommodations, or you need to readjust your view of him and realize that he isn't an academic superstar.</p>

4

<p>My son had a b/b- average from a highly regarded/rigorous private high school and was admitted and is thriving at a top 20 LAC
Colleges do know the level of rigor at high schools and do in fact account for that in admissions
Tell him to hang in there, go for extra help when he can, I bet he will be fine</p>

5

<p>Ask for class rank or at least decile or quartile or quintile or whatever. No offense, but take it easy. My parents never pushed me and while that hurt me a little bit, in the long run, it taught me self-discipline. If you are not exaggerating the competitiveness and difficulty of the high school, then he should be fine.</p>

6

<p>TO clarify, I don't think I realisitically would put him in a new high school - especially given that it's almost July. Way too late -- and way too extreme an action. I think I was just venting/fantasizing about wiping the slate clean. </p>

<p>One of you replied that colleges would consider his GPA based on his class rank. But his hs doesn't calculate ranks. Short of emailing every other parent and asking how their kids fared (absurd, yes...) how would I find this out? </p>

<p>ALso, my big question, which I would love to hear answered by an adcom: do schools look upon the GPA of an LD student somewhat differently?</p>

7

<p>I doubt that the schools look at an LD students' gpa differently than others. HS gpa is the best predictor of college gpa.</p>

<p>I can not think of any reason why you would want your S to repeat 9th grade. Instead, you might want to consider whether he and you'd be happier at a less competitive h.s. where he may attain higher grades and therefore have more confidence in his academic abilities. If your S is happy where he is, however, I don't suggest transferring. </p>

<p>Your S's grades now are good enough for him to go to a four-year college as virtually any h.s. graduate in the US can find a 4-year college that will accept them. One can have a successful life (however one measures success) wherever one goes to college.</p>

<p>I went to Harvard, younger S is at Rollins, a good, but not top 25 LAC. I have been amazed at the range of opportunities and mentoring that S has had at Rollins, opportunities that I didn't have at Harvard, which was more of a swim with the sharks environment. </p>

<p>S (who had the intelligence and ECs to have gone to an Ivy, but had about a 2.7 gpa because he underperformed) has blossomed academically (and some of his classes required him to write the kind of papers I was expected to write in grad school) and socially, becoming a leader in campus organizations, and trying out new activities. He has had excellent professors who stood out for being excellent teachers (something that can be rare at top college, which choose profs mainly on their research), and has had college-funded opportunities to do things like attend a week-long conference for professionals. S's grades also have been much higher than his h.s. grades even though in many respects his college assignments were harder (S had taken AP and IB intensive curriculum in h.s.).</p>

<p>So... my advice is to look for colleges that match your son's grades, personality and interests, and have a good LD program. Finding the best place for your S to flourish -- academically and socially -- is what's important, not getting your S into the most well known or competitive university possible.</p>

<p>Also, there's a chance that your S's grades will improve in h.s., which happens with some students, particularly with some boys, who as a group tend to be late bloomers.</p>

8

<p>It might make you feel better to meet with the college advising office at his high school now and review what outcomes have been like for graduates from his school with similar records. Our high school produces scattergrams that show admissions results for each year for our school's graduates...they are far more predictive than a college's national norms or averages.
It may also be time to revisit the accomodations he is getting and see if there is more that should be done to support his learning. Summer is a great time for meeting with an educational psychologist to see what additional accomodations are warranted.</p>

9

<p>WOW - such insightful stories and ideas to digest. Thank you, especially, Northstarmom, TransitionSuccess and Siliconvalley mom for your extremely helpful posts, which DH and I are reading and re-reading. (Who needs a summer book club when you've got CC?) Of course, anyone else want to chime in, I'm all ears!</p>

10

<p>Another thing to consider is that colleges really like to see an applicant's grades improve over their four years in high school. I mean, obviously they'd rather have a kid with a 4.0 every year, but they realize that freshmen in high school are only 14 years old. If your son can push those B- and B grades up to B+ next year and then B+ / A- as a junior, that will show the college effort and real maturity.</p>

11

<p>wow it seems like you want him to succeed, and not your son. I think you should let him decide what to do, if thats even the issue, and if he want to go to an elite school he will get good grades next year, but no matter how much you guide him he is gonna be on his own soon so I suggest start now and let him make his own decision and let him do what he wants to do not you.</p>

<p>my parents told me this back in 9th grade, when I showed them my first marking period report card which I god a B in english and i thought they were gonna freak out cause they always did back in elementary days, "I dont care what you get on your report card son, cause this determines you not me, however well YOU do is how YOU will live your life. I do not have to guide you anymore because I know you will try your best because your grade affects you and how you will live your life, not mine, so I do still expect you to do the best, but whatever you do is for your benefiet and not mine."</p>

<p>This had stuck to me. If your son isnt very motivated try this method of letting him off on his own, I am sure he will succeed.</p>