<p>*I was getting a little frustrated by the turn in the current B+ parents thread so I'm starting a new one.</p>
<p>This thread is for parents of kids who have GPAs from 3.0 to 3.3. This would be weighted or unweighted. Please if your kid has a 3.3 GPA but it's weighted up to a 4.0, there are many more options open to your child and many more threads at CC for you. This would not be your thread. Similarly, if your child has a 3.5...again...out of the range of this particular thread. The parents here would be working on finding colleges that will accept their B to B plus student, perhaps colleges that may place more emphasis on areas other than GPA.</p>
<p>There are lots of B or B+ students who are fantastic kids and may shine in other areas...test scores...ECs....community service...or whatever. Or maybe they are kids who haven't found their groove yet. Either way, this thread is for encouragement, sharing of information, and support. Please...no "one up-ing". There is enough of that elsewhere on CC as we all know!</p>
<p>If you don't like the criteria, please feel free to start your own thread. I hope there are enough parents here whose children fit these criteria, however, to join me on this thread so we can post about our experiences.</p>
<p>Thank you! *</p>
<p>That thread in about a year's time is still very relevant but has gotten to be over 250 pages and is difficult to find information.</p>
<p>I would like to get this thread going. I know it may be a little too early, but younger son will be a sophomore this year. He is very bright but has learning difficulties and is barely making a 3.0 GPA, even though every teacher thinks he is not performing up to potential. He has some learning difficulties (including mild ADHD and fine motor skills) and also does not feel he is getting much of school as he is able to pick things very quickly but not able to respond properly to questions. He is out of the box thinker but that does not always endear himself to his teachers. Questions, suggestions?</p>
<p>I’ve followed the main thread, but haven’t posted because I also have son graduating in 2013. He is also very bright (esp math) and has ADHD - not mild and Aspergers. His GPA is slightly above this range, but not a lot. He choose a schedule next year that will either cause him to soar or sink - I worry, he doesn’t. I have yet to get my son to admit that there is a box to think in. He is going to two weeks of Math Camp this summer and it will be his first experience away from home - small steps to get ready for college.</p>
<p>Again I do not think we should be too rigid about this GPA cut off especially as student may bounce around but the idea is to have a discussion on bright kids whose GPA does not reflect their potential and is around 3-3.3 but there is no rigid cut off in either direction. If the GPA starts moving towards say 3.5 or 3.6, those kids have a lot more opportunities than say someone with 3.32 or 3.12. I would therefore would not discourage anyone who is around the cut off but we may not want it to go to far off.</p>
<p>Please post your suggestions, concerns, questions so that we can have an active discussion going.</p>
<p>I am ushering D off to college this summer - and now shifting focus to my S who just finished his freshman year. His GPA is 3.2. He has little interest in school, plays on the varsity golf team and is Mr. happy all the time. My D is the type A overachiever who graduated with a 3.97 GPA. Even she finally admitted that at least we don’t ever have to worry about S having a heart attack from stress as he has very little stress in his life. He studies for tests the night before or the morning of and usually does quite well. It is common for him to get 97 or 98 on a test to make up for daily grades for assignments he didn’t turn in. After completing the college search with my D I am not too paniced about finding a place for S, their are many good schools out there and I think this group of kids may just surprise us and find schools that fit them perfectly. When all the kids at a school have 4.0’s it is sometimes hard to tell what really does differentiates them…shouldn’t be an issue with the 3.0 - 3.3 group.</p>
<p>Do you have a list of colleges that we should start looking at which value intrinsic brightness rather than GPA’s? My S is the same. Pushed to the wall he will get a 100 in a test, but then he puts himself in a position where he getting a C and needs the 100 to get a B and gets the B. Every teacher tells us that if he applied himself he should be A student.</p>
<p>My son finished his freshman year with a 3.1. He’s a late diagnosed Aspie and we’re still working on trying to find what works for him regarding organizational skills. Mine is one who aces the tests and shows understanding of the material, but misses A LOT of assignments.</p>
<p>With this group of kids, I am a strong believer in the benefits of small schools, where they will not fall through the cracks; where they will get a lot of attention from teachers and administrators; and where small classes and in touch advising will prevent their drifting through courses.</p>
<p>I have the same problem, my S thinks that missing assignments is no big deal. On the other hand he is a very bright student. So your suggestion is a LAC? I was thinking that that only place that would take my son is the local massive state U</p>
<p>Small schools will not be what every kids wants, especially since they tend to be isolated and lack big time sports. I think, however, that college is more about learning than attending big time football games. I was delighted when my child decided a small school was a better fit than our massive state U. His first semester classes are all taught by full professors–no grad asistants anywhere in the school–and no class in the school has over 35 kids. That strikes me as an environment where a kid like yours would be noticed before he wandered far off track in attendance, assignments or focusing–and where he might find inspiration and focus.</p>
<p>Depending on your geographic preference, there are many such schools for B students, and many are generous with aid.</p>
<p>Well this will be my thread I think for my DS 2012. He has just started his Junior year and I worry constantly about this year and his grades. He doesn’t worry in the least. I can relate and sympathize with many of the posts so far. My DS us very bright, hard working… on things that are NOT school related, well adjusted and happy. He ended last year with a 3.1 GPA. Is taking his first AP’s this year, so far he has had no weighted classes because school only weights Ap’s. He is at a private college prep that sends 50% to Ivy’s and top 20 schools.
He scored 2190 on the PSAT last year so I know that is high for this thread but I’m not really going to push him into applying to top schools where he may squeeze in with his tests scores but where he would die on the vine in that competitive environment. So, we are looking at schools for B students and hopefully he will get some merit aid with his tests scores.</p>
<p>There are so many great schools out there that I know he will find his place. He wants small LAC with under 2000 students near the mountains… outdoor freak!!</p>
<p>5boys, I think you are right on all counts. For small LACs near mountians, I can think of Alfred, Vassar, Juniata, Bucknell and Susquehanna–of course the Poconos nd Adirondacks are not the Rockies. And Middlebury and Bennington are near the Green Mountains</p>
<p>yabeyabe2… Great suggestions!!! We live in CA and went up to the PNW last Spring to visit a few schools while we visited grandparent’s up in Seattle. He really liked Lewis&Clark and Puget Sound. Actually fell head over heals in love with Reed College but I think the love affair will be over when he realizes how much brutal hard work that school requires. It’s hard to see that when you visit. So I’m helping research schools that are similar but maybe not so intense. He is going to a school for a semester in Vermont this Spring so we will be visiting schools back there on his Spring Break. So far some other other schools he is interested in are; Colorado College, Whitman, Hamilton, Warren Wilson, Sewanee, St Lawrence, Bates, Bard, and maybe Vassar and Carleton for reaches. He likes a kind of laid-back intellectual student body… his idea of a good time would be to go climbing, backpacking,rafting…etc. all day, and then sit around with friends talking about ideas all night.</p>
<p>Just wanted to bump this thread up a bit. The regular HS2013 thread has been a little disheartening to say the least. No AP’s or ECs for my kid.
My son’s school should be sending out reports to the students/parents any day now which is basically a warning for kids that could possibly fail the marking period. I guess theoretically, it gives them time to shape up. Last year my son would get them for at least three classes each marking period. I have no idea how he’s doing so far but was just notified that he has been ordered to attend math tuoring. I’m guessing that’s at least one interim report I should be looking for. When I asked how his math class was going, “Oh I had a few hiccups. But I’m fine now”. Gotta love the optimism right? Or is it denial? Guess he’ll find out soon enough.
But on an upside, after taking the PSAT he did admit that maybe he should’ve read the vocabulary books I had been begging him to read. They’re not even the boring lists of words but regular novels like War of the Worlds with SAT words highlighted and defined. Maybe he’ll eventually get that mom knows something after all? It seems that I have to keep reminding him that I did go to high school and college. ~sigh~</p>
<p>Reeianz,
Welcome to the “real world” part of CC!</p>
<p>Best of luck with the reports. Have you considered reaching out to his teachers directly to set up communication that does not depend on your son?</p>
<p>yabeyabe2 – love your posts, but I should note that neither Alfred nor Vassar are very close to the Adirondacks (that might be St. Lawrence or Skidmore). Vassar is close to the Catskills, while Alfred is on the Allegheny Plateau on the northern fringe of the Appalachians. Catskills, Poconos, Adirondacks – none of them would be considered real mountains by someone in Colorado.</p>
<p>Oh the school is great regarding communication. All of what I know it’s because I was either cc’d on an email that was sent to him or the teachers email me directly. It’s a relatively new issue that’s being worked on. Last year, I was always blindsided at the parent teacher conferences. So it’s a start.
College list? I think I come up with a new list monthly :(</p>
<p>This looks like a good thread for me to follow, and I am particularly heartened by the post about a child with ADHD/Aspie (I hope I am forgiven for my infinitely long first post a bit ago on my own thread).</p>
<p>I wanted to particularly reply re the LAC’s… the intensity of social experience and invovlement can be overwhelming for some, so to some it can be nurturing and safe, to others intrusive and pressure; flip side, larger population can allow student to get lost or make a private person feel safe. Another match issue.</p>
<p>As to Vassar – one of the few to reject my first b+/A- child, now a college senior, I would say it is a GPA 3.5 or above school unless things have changed or student is a superstar in some other ways.</p>
<p>silversas – Vassar’s admissions office also puts a high premium on standardized test scores. For unhooked applicants you’ll want a score of around 700+ per section on the SAT for a fair chance of admission.</p>