<p>^^^I’ve never heard or seen of anything like that, primarily because how different schools do different variations of GPA would skew the chart. I mean there are schools where all A’s are a 4.0; some schools where an a in an honors class is a 5.0 and an A in an AP/IB class is a 6.0. Some schools have an A from 90-100 and everything between is a 4.0. Our school has a 92-100 an A but a 92-94 is a 3.7 and a 95-96 is a 3.8 and a 97+ is a 4.0 and then you add quality points for AP/IB etc. KWIM? And then there are schools that have grade deflation or inflation…</p>
<p>Yeah, I didn’t think there was. But I so often see people saying such things, I thought maybe there was. I just had a mild panic attack today realizing that my son’s school has NO AP or honors classes so his GPA is what it is 
Also they have this odd grading system in place to encourage collaboration and discourage grade grubbing. So all As are worth the same, all Bs are worth the same, etc. It’s really going to be interesting how all this plays out.</p>
<p>ree, that sounds like an interesting grading system!</p>
<p>I guess one thing you could try to do is correlate the stats on college websites about the SAT middle 50% and then the number they give for the average GPA of admitted students, or something like that. But seems like it could be a lot of work …</p>
<p>Reeinaz, from all the meetings I went to at school and colleges that came and spoke to us over the past 2 years (Brown, Harvard, Princeton, and a few others I didn’t get to attend) when we were in private, each school ranks and rates so differently, that you can pull your hair out trying to figure how these colleges evaluate students. They look at the school profile for sure, and a lot of schools have reputations for rigorous curriculums, be it public or private. They are judged separately, public and private, and even within private, they separate co-ed and single sex and then judge schools that are comparable. They are so used to this it is second nature.</p>
<p>Brown, at the time, for example, was very anti-SAT, and felt the most important part of the test was the essay and the admin dir said he hoped over the next few years, it would all go away except for the essay so they could figure out if kids were intelligent enough to formulate a thought and carry it through to the end. They preferred taking all 4 yrs into account to see a natural trajectory. Georgetown, on the other hand, does not count the SAT essay. So go figure. </p>
<p>They do realize that some public schools are AP heavy, while private prefers to limit the amount and schools like Philips Andover, which is the Yale of high schools, does not offer AP courses except for math and one computer science course. That’s it, simply because every course there is so difficult it is like taking an AP course. Its reputation carries it. </p>
<p>My d’s school was very rigorous as well, but they do have 21 AP courses, and if you remember, they make it impossible to get in, and favor the 3 or 4 kids who do take them. It’s a whole process of looking at your grades from middle school (which they never told them would count) plus straight A’s in freshman year to qualify for your first AP in soph yr, up to 3 in jr and 3 in sr. However, we had global scholars which would graduate you with distinction, and they also had honor in the music and theater classes. For math, all levels are regular, accelerated, honors and AP.</p>
<p>Then you switch over to public school, and you can hit the ground running with AP classes from freshman year and take whatever you’d like in the local public school that is by us and which my d may have to go to since she can’t go out of district. It is frustrating and confusing nonetheless. Her old school graded with A’s-D’s - and each plus and minus counted and honors classes got an additional 5 pt spread and AP 10 pts.
In Phillips Andover, they grade from 1-6. In the public school they use number grades by me. </p>
<p>Most private schools do not rank. They don’t list GPA’s either, just whether you made honors or high honors. </p>
<p>Colleges know if your school doesn’t offer AP classes as it says it in the school profile that is handed in to them. Ours was 4 full pages explaining in depth the rigor of the classes amongst other things. You should get a copy of your school profile and ask the guidance office what type of schools they would be compared to when your child applies. They won’t be judged with schools offering a lot of AP or honors classes.</p>
<p>S3 passed his driver’s test today! This is the last week of basketball. He will still have Cross Country every day and twice a day in a couple of weeks. We have not had a lot of progress on the summer homework (“Mom it is still July”). Hopefully some urgency will kick in soon.</p>
<p>tx5</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son!</p>
<p>And none of my 3 kids have made any progress on summer homework.</p>
<p>^ Congrats on the drivers license. It sure makes Mom’s life easier! S2 turns 16 in Sept - can’t wait!</p>
<p>Thank goodness for public transportation Car insurance is ridiculously high in Philly and my son wouldn’t even be allowed to drive <em>my</em> car so there is no point in his getting a license now. I told him I didn’t get my license until I could afford to buy my own car and pay for the insurance myself. He seemed fine with that. Truth is, the thought of him behind the wheel terrifies me. He trips while going up the stairs.</p>
<p>Congrats tx5! D2 has 2 more in-cars and will be licensed at the end of the 2nd one - odd but how they do it here. Her next in-car is Saturday and I’m kind of hoping her last one will take a few more days after that LOL - not ready to add her to the insurance ($$) or for her to legally be able to drive. D1 has now had her license for 3 years as of yesterday (they are 3 years and 3 days apart in age, LOL) - but D1 was always the more level headed about driving so it was easier to imagine her driving solo!</p>
<p>reeinaz - I hear you! I’ve made DH do all the driving with D2 because she stresses me out too much driving and I had no problem with D1. Just D2 is as stubborn as I am and we are very alike so that combination in the same car with me as a passenger can go no where good, LOL! I am hopeful I will get over it eventually but probably not before thoroughly irritating her, ah well, that’s part of parenting, right? :)</p>
<p>Ds2 has all the paper work to get his license, but I’m holding off as long as possible. He is technically good, but I worry about him in traffic. He’s easily distracted.</p>
<p>Turns out his scheduling issue isn’t a biggie at all. Right now, anyway. He just needs to find a one-semester elective he can take sixth period in the spring. Waiting to hear what his options are!</p>
<p>Of the three, S3 was definitely the better student driver. He was very confident and wanted to drive. At first it was incredibly nervewracking but he wanted to drive every where we went so eventually I got used to it and by the end I found myself actually calm.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your S tx5! My D has been driving on her own since March. She is very active and I have driven her both near and far over the years. Since she got her license, I no longer have to drive her to practices, scrimmages, games, club meetings, lessons, work, friends’ houses, church activities, movies, shopping, etc. Driving is a scary proposition with a young person, but it is a rite of passage that gives the responsible and respectful teenager the ability to grow and flourish. I have welcomed this independence, but am sometimes wistful for the days I used to lift her into the carseat and we would drive and sing along to Sesame Street tunes. Ahh…the seasons of life.</p>
<p>Oh, and no progress here on summer assignments either. D left today for fh camp followed by the beach with teammates. She will be gone a total of 10 days, so she took some work with her. I doubt she will crack a book, though. What is it that saying about good intentions…</p>
<p>No summer assignments at my son’s school. He’s at least been reviewing 50 words a night from Direct Hits. His internship ends next Friday and I’m sure he will spend his final month of vacation playing the PS3 he bought with his first payscheck. Or more precisely, the PS3 I bought him with money from his frst paycheck. Yes, I have no one to blame but myself :)</p>
<p>no summer assignments here either and while I asked that they be reading, and I know my D needs to do some of the recommended items for her AP English class I know she won’t think about it until much closer to start…</p>
<p>Mine has lots of summer assignments. In fact, she will have to do some reading on her vacation at night. On the driving front, she now can drive on the freeways and loves to drive 65mph.</p>
<p>Mine likes driving fast on local roads and slow on major ones - and not pay attention to the speedometer, hence my stress :)</p>
<p>Our visit to Southwestern University today went well, although S2 felt that it was “too small” and “too brainy.” Its a financial safety for us, but if he doesn’t want to go there - I guess it’s off his list! The good news was the S2 finished some of his summer reading during the six hour drive. Next visit…University of Puget Sound in August.</p>
<p>Hi everyone we just returned from our College Tours and it was very interesting!</p>
<p>UNC-Wilmington - D’s first choice, she attends Marine Science Camp there every summer and feels at home. My Husband and I were surprisingly satisfied and think that it will be fine for Undergrad.</p>
<p>Duke- D was up sick the night before but still managed to tour, she was surprised by how much she liked it. This is her second choice but recognizes with an admission and a decent financial package it would be her first. DH and I both really like Duke and we feel that D is a candidate for admission but with Duke nothing is a guarantee.</p>
<p>UNC-Chapel Hill- D thought it was okay, DH and I both like it but won’t be crushed if D decides not to apply.</p>
<p>Appalachian State- D felt it was too small, but we will be vacationing in Boone again.</p>
<p>Emory- This really surprised me, D was overwhelmed by the size of Atlanta! We have lived all over the world and I never thought D would be concerned with city size…boy was I wrong! So for that Emory is out.</p>
<p>Also last Spring we visited FSU when they had their Marine Lab Open house- D was having a not so great day and I think it spilled over into her opinion of the school, so FSU is not her favorite…but D realizes that she will be applying as a safety. Plus I am going to take her to a football game and soccer game in the fall and hope she enjoys it there this time.</p>
<p>I have to say that I was very satisfied with how interested D was in the actual tours, up until now I have done much of the research and then shared it with D…but once we arrived on the campus she really was participating. So in the next few months, we will be touring Rollins, Florida Atlantic, and University of Miami… After that we will decide if she wants to tour some Schools in the North East or if she is satisfied with her list.</p>