<p>Thanks for the update Avon. It sounds like you are making some headway on narrowing down the list.</p>
<p>Our school has the weirdest GPA computation I know of. You only get 4.0 if you got 100%, a 95 is 3.9, a 90 is 3.5, 85 is 3.0… I think every single number gets its own grade point, but they’re not all printed in the school handbook, just every 5%. So you could only have a 4.0 unweighted if you got 100% in every class. The weighting is only for AP classes and it is minimal. They multiply your numeric grade by 1.05, then you get the grade point for that numeric score. So 85 in an AP class counts as an 89 for GPA purposes and is worth 3.4 (but still shows as 85 on the transcript). 100 in an AP class counts as 105 and is assigned a whopping 4.1. so… No one has a GPA at or over 4. To do so you’d have to have 100% in every class, and have some of them be AP classes. </p>
<p>It stinks for scholarships that seem to just use whatever GPA your school computes. If you apply to a school that gets lots of applicants from our area, I’m sure they “get” how our GPA works out, but otherwise, I think the GPAs for our top kids just look really low :-/</p>
<p>Had a one on one meeting with a college coach, an ex Ivy Admission Officer, courtesy of H’s employer. Was informed that GPA will be recalculated by most top universities anyway. According to her, test scores come first, GPA then ECs.</p>
<p>I think it’s definitely true about colleges recomputing GPA however they choose, to consider only what they want to consider, and to make it more fair. (Of course it can never be truly fair because a certain grade is not equally easy to achieve at all high schools.) But for scholarships, they seem to use whatever the school computes “as is”. I have heard that many top colleges count GPA above test scores (as they show a long-term commitment to one’s studies versus a one-day test). My DS will be happy for anywhere that considers test scores > GPA > ECs because that’s pretty much his order of quality.</p>
<p>I would not go out and buy a jacket for college interviews for a still-growing kid. I can’t imagine any school “judging” a student harshly if he was “only” in shirt and tie, but I suppose some places might expect it. I’d probably make an exception if I my kid was in the running for a large scholarship.</p>
<p>One school DS is looking at seems to put class rank as top priority. That’s not good in DS’ case, as his rank is not that good compared to ACT and GPA. I guess there are a lot of smart kids in his class or they have taken more APs…</p>
<p>Want a weird GPA calculation? It was first used with class of ‘15, so won’t affect d, but somebody finally figured out that kids who take band/choir/art or DE English (2semesters of just comp) instead of AP English were getting hammered. So started with the class of 2015, .02 was just added to each AP or weighted class. Take 5 AP classes over the course of your hs career? A student with an unweighted 4.0 now has a 4.1. But, wait, there’s more. You also get a .02 add of for each semester you don’t take a free period. So, freshmen may have a weighted GPA already. Unweighted 4.0 with the 5 APs and 8 full semesters graduates with a 4.26. It’s probably more fair, but I find it confusing. And yes, kids whose schools weight honors PE are at a definite advantage for competitions that don’t recalculate.</p>
<p>My employer just uses the unweighted GPA. There were kids from one nearby school,however, that would come in with 4.0+. Took me a while, but I finally leaned that school gives A+’s and assigns a value of 4.33. So, a kid from there isn’t a 3.8/4.0 but rather a 3.8/4.33. More evidence why it’s so darn hard for colleges to compare students.</p>
<p>In our case, d would be better served by a college that looked at rank and/ or GPA and then test scores. (Yeah, not expecting much from the last ACT). Personally, when I look at a file, I like to look at rank. That tells me more than GPA or standardized test.</p>
<p>Wow – lots of different ways to do GPA. Heard back from our GC – they go by the letter grade. So it could work for you or against you. </p>
<p>AvonHSDad – too bad about Cornell! But great she liked Lehigh. That’s where these tours really are invaluable.</p>
<p>o’lives – I agree about using rank – unfortunately our school doesn’t rank (too small).</p>
<p>I heard through the grapevine (from a dear friend with son the same age) that student brag sheets are due. Were due. Before summer break (eek!). GC said S could get it to him by tomorrow. I guess/hope the GCs like to do their letters over the summer. Thank God my friend was paying attention.</p>
<p>It’s interesting to hear all of the good feedback on Lehigh. When S2 was applying (hs2011) I don’t remember it being mentioned much at all, however we seem to have quite a few visiting and looking into it from our group. It comes up on every search for S3, along with Bucknell and Villanova, so those seem like logical schools to group together for a summer visit.</p>
<p>S2’s university does not recalculate GPAs, however uses the profile to look at them in context. While looking at potential schools for S3 I have seen several who do recalculate and will tell you either on their website, during their admissions chat, or on their blog. If you’re unsure your student can call admissions and I’m sure they’d tell you if they do and their methodology.</p>
<p>OLives, it has to be confusing looking at all of the different methods. I know that S2’s HS changed their grading scale between soph & Jr year. So the profile reflected one grading scale for 9/10 and another for 11/12. Other schools made it easy and altered grades for 9/10 retroactively (kids were exceptionally pleased about that!). Not here…just two grading scales. TBH, the kids found no discernible difference before and after in the ease or difficulty of earning an A. Teachers don’t grade on a curve in HS, however there are extra credit points on exams…or not, graded hw…or not. Very small things here and there that can tip you to one side or the other and the same kids that were getting As on the old scale were getting As on the new scale despite the 3pt shift. I’m not suggesting any grand conspiracy on the part of the teachers, but I do think inherently they all have an idea of what it takes to make an A in their course and add, subtract, give extra or partial points (or not) accordingly. Not to the specific “student”, but to the work done or earned. Just my opinion in seeing an entire shift and the effects, or non-effects.</p>
<p>I am curious about rank becuase I have yet to see a transcript without one, even for graduating classes of 35! Is not ranking common in some places? I admit, I don’t see a lot of transcripts from the northeast or mid-Atlantic.</p>
<p>Our high school district in CA does not do class rankings, so I don’t know what kids do who apply to a school that uses that as an admissions method. As a matter of fact, a friend with a daughter in another school in our district was telling me the battle she went through with trying to get a ranking for her daughter who was eligible for a substantial scholarship. They would not do it, and you can bet any further donations to the high school went instead to make up what the daughter lost in scholarship. We are on a strict 4 point scale, with another point added for AP and Honors courses, no adjustments for plusses or minuses. Since we are in CA, I think they default to the way UC computes GPA.</p>
<p>Our school (northeast) does rank, but I think there is a trend not to where it seems to cause divisive competition between the students. Our kids don’t see their ranks usually until the beginning of senior year, though they can request a transcript earlier.</p>
<p>Our school does rank, they see it as early as freshman year (which I think is WAY too early, but it’s on the transcript). I think it’s far more common in our state not to rank then to rank. We still only have one Val and Sal. I know there are schools that award Val to anyone over a 4.0. Our school is large. That would be over 100 students in each graduating class, and you would have Vals that are not in the top 10%…so not very practical for us. </p>
<p>For grading, numerical grades are kept for each quarter & midterm/final until the year end grade is calculated. They are then converted to a 4.0 scale with an A being 4.0, B+ 3.4, B 3.0, etc (no minuses). APs are weighted 1.0, honors in grades 9/10 are not weighted but are prereqs for APs so they are necessary and will certainly be looked at when a school considers rigor. There are no honors levels in 11/12 (a huge pet peeve of mine in a school so large).</p>
<p>I do know that S2’s university has spoken on their blog about getting transcripts without rank and commented it’s simply more math. Given the profile and transcript they can figure out a students rank (or close enough for their purposes), so simply not including it isn’t really doing much. When you look at a school’s CDS where they state the percentage of the class that was in the top 10% also note how many are actually reporting rank. I’ve seen it in the mid 40%, so for any given school you can get an idea of how many are reporting rank. I’m not saying that the number would be drastically different if 100% of students were reporting rank. I’ve just found it interesting to see the percentage that don’t. I do see where if an official rank is needed for a scholarship, as noted above, then it absolutely would be an issue (and as a parent I would be beyond frustrated!).</p>
<p>A good illustration of the differences between GPAs. I don’t think anyone has ever graduated from our HS with a GPA over 4, though it is theoretically possible to achieve.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback re: interview attire. I think I’ll just tell S to wear a shirt and tie (which he will consider a form of torture), and skip the jacket… the longer I can put off that purchase, the better! Plus, it could be pretty toasty even in PA in July!</p>
<p>I read somewhere that over half of high schools nationwide no longer rank? The reasoning, as I understand it is that in many schools, it’s meaningless. If you live in an affluent suburb where parents are college grads, and 90%+ of students go to college, then a student could be ranked 75th out of 500, but still be an impressive student…in a school that is packed with impressive students. However, in another district, that same student could be a valedictorian.</p>
<p>Our district says they do not rank, yet they always have a valedictorian and salutatorian, and all kids in the top 10% get recognition. The GC even slipped and told me what S’s class rank was last year. So, I can’t figure out how they can say they don’t rank! I am assuming they mean that they just don’t report it to colleges? I have heard that it’s better for the student if the school doesn’t rank at all, than if the school reports to colleges that the student is “In the top 25%” though…since that top 25% could mean many things…</p>
<p>Our school does not rank and I believe that is a county wide policy. I can only hope that the school profile and reputation help DS, given his unimpressive GPA. It is HARD to earn an A at his school and tests are regularly curved.</p>
<p>2014novamom - respectfully, and I really, really do mean this in the nicest of ways, your son’s school is an absolute exception, nationally known, and even if rank were given it would be seen in context of the peer group, the curriculum, etc. There is a good reason they don’t rank at your son’s school. It would be quite out of context with other applicants and colleges know this. I highly doubt that your son’s GPA is anywhere near ‘unimpressive’ when put in context with his school, which again is well known. I’m not trying to ‘out’ you, but you have graciously posted links from your awesome guidance dept or I would never be so forward. Your son’s school is not an unknown factor by any college, anywhere. They get it, and will know how to ‘read’ his transcript. I have every confidence that your son will be very successful in admissions!! :)</p>
<p>note: Just so it doesn’t sound so odd, I’ll add I’m a native so am familiar with the school. Have a friend who taught there, have friends whose kids are alumni, my S2 has several friends and fraternity brothers who are alumni.</p>
<p>I posted this in the Texas colleges forum, but I figured I’d post it here too since I know there are a few other Texas folks here (or have kids looking at Texas schools.)</p>
<p>I went to the ApplyTexas site to print out the optional essay prompt for my son, and saw that they are changing all the essay prompts for the upcoming application season! He was just about to start working on his essays, since he’ll be applying in little over a month… Glad he hadn’t started yet! </p>
<p>Thanks for the reassurance, blueiguana. I am a worrywart by nature, and seeing all the amazing stats and ECs posted on CC makes me wring my hands. I am sure he will get in somewhere and that he will be happy there IF we have chosen where to apply wisely. It’s that IF part that keeps me up at night. I’m trying not to let DS see that so I come here to share my anxiety, ha ha!</p>
<p>On another note, today is the first day of summer and DS is making the most of his free time. I told him that I would not bug him about apps until July 1 and he is free and clear (except for work) until then. He went to a party last night, is off with a group of friends to someone’s lake house this afternoon for an overnight (coed, gulp!) and then another party tomorrow night. I am happy to see him relaxed and enjoying himself with friends.</p>
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