@inthegarden I so so want to believe that your D could apply without a score and be accepted to many schools on her list. Seems like most of us think applying TO is still risky. If I were you, I would dig deep into the TO plans of each school on her list. Some really do seem honest in this pursuit, most notably the ones who are already TO or the ones who now say they will have a pilot TO program for a few years, not just one.
We are trying to do that here. Do we believe Davidson? Yes. Tulane? Not so much.
We believe Tulane because they have been up front in saying they will limit TO acceptances. I donāt think many schools will be nearly as transparent.
@socaldad2002@AlwaysMoving thank you. Yes, here itās common to get high school credit for language courses, though only latin was 1 to 1 credit.
The GC told me it was not necessary to get it on the high school transcript, thatās why I asked here. She said it was possible to move it but to not count the grade, so I think I will go ahead and do that, plus the other posted suggestions.
Got it! I think many of the schools will be able to holistically evaluate applicants without test scoresā¦many admissions staffs are undergoing training this summer on how to do that. With that said, Iām sure itās easier said than done, especially if one has always evaluated apps with a test score.
I heard through a friend that the admissions software companies are working on new predictive algorithms to help with that. The friend does that type of algorithms and bid on the work. Without something like that itās hard to expect an app reader to tease out academic proficiency without just looking the quality of the HS.
Iām not sure what you meanā¦the predictive algorithms are generally used to predict yield, not to make an admissions decision. Are you saying there is a new type of algorithm that determines (rates/ranks?) academic proficiency?
@homerdog, thanks for the good wishes but you have emphasized in numerous posts how critical a high schoolās relationship with specific colleges is, with regard to chance of acceptance. You have also often decried the grade inflation rampant in less-than-stellar schools and how straight āAās at such schools donāt mean much and that AOs know the difference just glancing at a schoolās profile.
Anyway, neither Tulane nor Davidson is on our list. Too far, too reachy, maybe not the right social environment.
Additionally, my D āonlyā got a 3 on AP US History and AP Lang this year, which kind of casts doubt on her 780 ERW and preference for a history or humanities major. I would just like her to get another SAT test to confirm the high ERW (not expecting another 780, just something 700+) and get the math above her current 620, so she has a decent chance at one of schools within a half-dayās drive that she likes that just happen to be top-30 to -50. Right now her math score is below the 25 percentile for every school on her desired list. I donāt think scrapping APs AND SATs is going to cut it considering her average public high school background and her normal-kid APs. Plus, the thought of throwing away that 780 to go TO is just too painful. she has prepped for the math SAT for monthsā¦I think she has a chance for a 700 or at least closer to it. I also hate that college board has so much power but it is what it is.
Personally, I would not self-report the AP test scores of 3ā¦unless the particular school accepts a 3 for credit. For the schools where she does self-report AP test scores, those scores in NO way cast doubt on her 780 EBRW score (especially this year), at all.
Lastly, many schools, maybe most, donāt even consider AP test scores in the admissions process even if they are self reportedā¦so do a quick search to see how each school on her list treat those scores.
We just heard that our school district is going back full-time, five days a week. Iām pretty unhappy with this decision. I was hoping for a hybrid model (2 days in person, 3 at home). Frankly, iām worried about it. It is a big HS (2400 kids), and the hallways are crazy when the kids have to move from class to class. All kids have to wear masks, as do teachers and staff, and the school district worked with our local health department to determine that they could move the CDC-recommended 6 feet of distancing to 3 feet. So, my kid will be doing online for the semester. I am now hoping the district purchases an online virtual program that will have APs, otherwise, I may have to petition them for an exception while I pick out my own program for S21. This is a lot to process. Also, our COVID numbers are climbing. Many people here donāt wear masks and my kid also tells me that he doesnāt have a lot of confidence that the kids heās in school with will take all precautions.
@inthegarden I think your Dās score is a fantastic score and thatās one sitting! We had a AO from a top school tell our kids that most applicants take the test 3+ times (most of our kids only take it twice on the school days). I hope this cycle schools will look at scores with an open mind and realize that a lot of kids didnāt have the āsuper scoreā advantage this yr.
I donāt know if there are any merit chasers that need big money like I do on this thread but scores ARE absolutely needed for the purpose of big AUTO merit. Yes I would drive a days worth and stay in a Holiday Express if a needed. @havenoidea I think we live 5 hours apart. Boy I would not hesitate to make that drive.
@Mwfan1921, she got a 3 in AP gov (freshman year, terrible teacher, only three kids passed at all so I was proud of her). Sophomore year she did not take the AP computer science test, got a 4 on World History, This year she did not take the AP physics test so she could focus on Lang and History. Maybe the 3 reflects her true academic level, maybe not but I do think she would have gotten a 4 if there had been the multiple choice section of the test because reading with speed, accuracy and comprehension is her forte more so than writing. I do believe she learned a lot about history, considering her education since early March consisted ONLY of online assignments with a few YouTube videos, and grades without any feedback or corrections. No zoom classes or FaceTime meetings with teachers. Not one.
I think it would cast doubt on her record more to report the one 4. I think she should not report any APs at all. But with no APs and no SATs and the high school she comes from I think she will have no chance at the schools sheās hoping for (like William & Mary OOS), Richmond, Lafayette, to name a few. At this point I wish I had never encouraged her to look at these schools at all.
@inthegarden ā SAT verbal scores is much more important than AP scores, esp. this year with the truncated AP exams. 780 verbal is awesome (of course)!
I think youāre right to focus on getting another SAT score to bump the math up. So hard this year but I think itāll happen! Fingers crossed!
The company wanted to develop an algorithm that would help schools quickly ball park an applicantās academic preparedness. They already have something basic based on HS, rigor, and family background, but they were looking for something stronger. My friend has done this type of stuff for hiring software companies, so there were some similarities.
I assume top STEM schools like MIT and Stanford have done this type of analysis in house for years.
@carlson2 yes it is a small private school with about 750 students. I have no idea how they are getting the test for the whole school, I was very surprised when they announced it.
@inthegarden there are many times I think the whole process is not worth the effort and D21 should just apply in state, so many unknowns. The whole process for the selective school are stacked against the student. There are so many kids with similar GPA, riger and ecās, AO has to build a class from this group, but we do not knows what the institutional priorities. So it seems very random at times to me. The other part of me know D21 would be happiest at a LAC so as much as I want to just off the crazy train, I stay. D21 does not take a lot of my advice and thinks I am a bit over the top when it comes to colleges but at least I know I tried.
I am no expert but I would think self reporting a 4 is worth it and because of all the covid craziness I do not think AOās would assume worst for not reporting the other scores. There where so many issues with the APās.
We are not auto merit chasing because those schools typically are not the right size/location fit for my D, but since we will qualify for substantial financial aid, we are 100% meets needs schools $$ chasing- and those schools are highly selective. Like @inthegarden my D goes to an average HS without any hook up or tie to any selective schools. She is top 1%, could not have taken any higher rigor, but our school historically sends no one to any of the schools D is reaching for (they just donāt even apply). So we feel itās critical that she presents the solid standardized scores we believe she is capable of as an added piece to help bolster her application, holistic review or not. Thankfully we stayed local yesterday with only a 35 min drive to the test site, but I would have gone much further if it came to that. She had great testing conditions with a super organized site, but the surreal awkwardness of the entire experience and internal pressure was pretty intense and the test harder than the practice ones. Fingers crossed this was it- if not, we will keep trying. I feel like we are playing a game without knowing all the rules, so weāll just keep doing all we can to stack the cards in her favor in the ways we think might be to her benefit. There is much to possibly gain, and we have the time.