Can someone please clarify. I often great Juniata references as a good college for b students, but then it’s average gpa is 3.7. world this be a reach school for someone with a lower 3 gpa, some honors classes taken? Thank you.
Look at section C11 here: https://www.juniata.edu/offices/research/fact-book/CDS_2017-2018.pdf
Probably a good plan, though perhaps your child will get less merit aid than someone with higher grades. I would just be cautious if they are a science major. While the school is strong in science, those classes are not easy. Still, my child is having a wonderful experience at Juniata. It has a big heart!
I am with you OP, it’s highly unlikely the average of Juniata’s class of 2021 had an unweighted HS GPA of 3.7. Does your school have Naviance, and if so, how do your GPA and test scores measure up?
Regarding the average GPA, don’t put much credence in that number on the CDS. We don’t know how Juniata calculates it, and there are no guidelines from CDS telling schools how to calculate this (or how to populate any other CDS fields for that matter). You could certainly call someone in institutional reporting and ask, they are typically willing to share their methodology.
There is huge variability in the way schools calculate CDS GPA, and many schools choose to leave that field blank. Many schools DO NOT recalculate every student’s GPA, they simply take whatever GPA is on a student’s transcript, and sometimes transcript GPAs only reflect core classes, sometimes all courses, sometimes are weighted, sometimes unweighted (some high schools have taken to reporting only weighted GPAs in core classes on transcripts in order to benefit students, similar to the decision to eliminate class rank).
For example, for weighted GPAs above 4.0, some schools will simply count that as a 4.0 unweighted GPA for purposes of the CDS average gpa calculation. Obviously, this practice results in a misleadingly high average GPA, as we all know that a 4.2 weighted GPA could be a 3.2 or 3.8 unweighted, depending on the school’s weighting methodology. Perhaps that is what Juniata is doing, but no way to know unless they tell you directly.
Good luck!
I’d alsi very surprised on that GPA.
I don’t think Juniata is a reach. My child has had a great experience, pm me with any questions.
My daughter is having a wonderful time at Juniata. She’s a double science major and came in with a 4.0 unweighted, and her classes are hard. I believe the 3.7. Maybe the non-science courses are easier, but for someone coming in with a STEM major I’d say they need to be with the top students of their HS class to succeed.
I think the mean GPA for this year’s incoming freshman class was 3.7 (higher than it had been in the past). That was my daughter’s GPA (unweighted) in a good public high school. She got generous aid (maybe 1/2 her costs). She is a science major. She takes school seriously, and is working hard, but is doing fine (not 4.0 mind you–but then again she is not aiming for med school). As others have said, she is VERY happy at Juniata. The school does have a big heart. It is not intimidating, rather it is welcoming. The faculty really seem to care. The small size personalizes the experience. I know my daughter (who was admitted to more highly ranked schools) made the right choice in picking Juniata.
I am so happy to hear how many kids are loving Juniata! My kid has been accepted and we’ve visited twice. Everyone is so genuinely nice. The students seem like nice kids (not pretentious, etc.) We like that there is no Greek life. I feel like the “fit” would be good socially and it sounds like academic challenge is there as well.
My child narrowed it down to Juniata and a more highly ranked/selective school. I thought she was going to pick the other one, but this week decided on Juniata!
Her HS GPA is a 3.96 UW/4.6 W (honors and APs) with an ACT in the 95th percentile.
Congratulations! I think she will be very happy there.
Congratulations. Feel free to message me if you have any questions
Thank you @CollSearchSite ! I confess that I was having concerns about it being rigorous enough or it feeling like an extension of high school. But I think that was partly because I had actually talked myself out of Juniata and talked myself into her other contender that I thought she was going to pick.
Thank you @jmnva06 - I may take you up on your offer!
We are looking forward to orientation this summer!
We received a letter a couple of weeks ago from Juniata saying that the GPA of the incoming class is a 3.76 and the average SAT is 1214. Correct me if I am not remembering correctly! But both numbers had gone up.
The OP questioned the 3.7 (since CTCL says it is an A+ school for B+ students). I wonder if the good merit is attracting more higher stats kids these days??
For anyone currently looking at Juniata I thought I’d put my son’s stats here for at least 2020 reference. Just got his acceptance today in the portal with $31K merit (Calvert Ellis Scholarship) plus $1k/ year for an alumni connection. (We weren’t going to fill out the form for that as it felt like cheating but the alumna convinced us).
3.3 UW
3.66 W
Mostly Honors and 4 AP’s total
Humanities focused
Good music performance participation and leadership
Good EC and volunteer participation though nothing special.
Managed to take the ACT once with a 28 (34 Reading 24 Math) No SAT’s
Large competitive public HS in NJ where he’s at the bottom of average by rank.
Very good demonstrated interest
Good essay that really just showed the dreamy quirky kid he is in his real voice (no high achievements)
He had a wonderful experience there at the open house in February before the world fell apart, so it’s high on his list. If anyone reading this has current opinions, praise or warnings (very concerned about finances there as with many LAC’s at this level).
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@BktoNJ - what school did you son decide to attend?
My DC is a sophomore at Juniata and has been enjoying their nearly 2 years there. It is a very unpretentious school with a very warm vibe.
I feel like the school has handled the COVID situation well (it is probably easier for them vs other schools since they are small and in a small town). Kids came home for spring break in 2020 and then found out they had to finish the semester at home. They went back in fall of 2020. Most classes were in person. Lots of COVID testing. DC child has one hybrid class this semester. The kids really did a great job of following the rules last semester and keeping the cases super low.
While a lot of the normal activities and traditions didn’t happen, the school seemed to keep them busy with things like yoga and just dance on the quad. A surprise build-a-bear type of activity, little give-aways, etc.
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He finally decided on St. Olaf on Friday. Juniata was right up there. It feels a little bittersweet to let some options go.
My DC committed to Juniata today. Loved the student centered staff and faculty.
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