<p>I know this topic has been covered, and I have read threads where this is mentioned and discussed....unfortunately, I'm unable to search on the exact question with which I need help...so bear with me, and thanks for any help you can provide.</p>
<p>My daughter's school does weight. She has taken a fairly rigorous course load this year (junior, just completed). However, she is in a performing arts school and her major is theatre. She is likely to be applying to mostly LACs, also in theatre or related major. </p>
<p>My question is: when re-calculation of GPA is done for admissions purposes, will they throw out theatre?? is this considered one of the "bunny" classes they will not use? (I have seen PE and home ec and stuff like that listed)... this is a real concern as in my daughter's school, her theatre class has an advanced weight and is taught like a college-level course with high expectations (and it is two blocks, so it counts for 2 grades). In her case, she works very hard in there as it is her primary interest....and as a result, it counts for 2 weighted A's.</p>
<p>Can anyone speak to this or have experience with it?</p>
<p>Many schools will recalculate GPA using only core courses… English, history, math, science, foreign language… of course they will look at her work, grades, and commitment to theatre, but As in theatre course generally will not make-up for Cs in core courses at LACs or schools that require students (even in arts majors ) to meet a specific academic standard for admissions.</p>
<p>This is a question to ask the admissions office at each of the schools she applies to. They may each have a different answer.</p>
<p>Very few schools will tell you if and how they recalculate GPAs. Really all you can do is just see what happens. You’re getting to the point where you just have to have faith and breathe .</p>
<p>^ EmmyBet, guess you’ve picked up by now that is not necessarily one of my strengths, eh? </p>
<p>Thank you, KatMT. was not so much thinking theatre could replace the core content grades, but rather since theatre would be a major. that admissions would find it relevant to her GPA. her core content grades are pretty good also, but her GPA would definitely be improved with the addition of the weighted theatre A’s.</p>
<p>I was hoping there was some industry standard for this. bummer.</p>
<p>Your daughter’s guidance counselor will send a school profile along with her transcript. That profile helps the admission committee understand the grading system, and the rigor, of her curriculum. Universities evaluate students from a very wide spectrum of grading scales and policies and my understanding is that they generally do recalculate GPAs to make them more fairly comparable, however, what their formula is remains a bit of a mystery and my guess is each college applies a slightly different methodology. If she is applying to a theatre conservatory, this will be generally less of an issue. With LACs, they do seem to recalculate based on core academic classes and, alas, that doesn’t usually include theatre. However, since your child is coming out of a performing arts high school, that will be explained and may be very helpful to her GPA. The one thing I do know is that large, state, public schools seem to employ a fairly strict and rigid first cut in admissions based on numbers and private schools, and even some of the smaller public schools, look much more holistically at a student’s transcript and application. Also, if it is an audition-based program, the theatre departments can, and do, work to persuade admissions if the adcomms are on the fence and a program really wants a student that they feel will be a great fit for them. But again, much more likely in a private university.</p>
<p>Haha, I’m sure you know everything I say is with full sympathy! My theatre kid went through a lot of BA applications, as well as BFA, and I also had an older D who went through the admissions process. My only takeaway is that if they make reasonable choices for their list (within the understandable shroud of mystery) things will work out just fine. My theatre D had about 6 different GPAs, based on weighting, non-weighting, core courses, rigor, however anyone could want to calculate it. Some were close to a 3, some inched toward 4. I know many of her schools judged her very quantitatively by GPA (particularly large public schools, as lightingmom says) and others used a “holistic” process that only they understood. Some of the BA programs she applied to had radically different acceptance rates (lower) than in years before, so it was no use going on stats, either.</p>
<p>A good list that provides lots of options, a good amount of “likelies,” and as many reaches as the kid can personally tolerate, where every school has at least enough individual appeal, will assure you that there will be good choices in the spring, and a happy outcome. The three best pieces of advice we ever got: 1) only apply to schools you want to go to - then you will never be disappointed; 2) only apply to schools where you can see yourself happily living for 4 years; and 3) remember that you can transfer if it turns out you are not happy.</p>
<p>Keep asking questions about programs and the process - and know that your D is wonderful just as she is and that many, many schools will see her that way.</p>
<p>Thank you, this is the info I needed. I look at what she has to offer, and do feel as if schools should think she is a good candidate … but everything I read says the trend is that it’s becoming more and more difficult to get admitted into so many schools, because so many kids are applying to so many schools. I just wanted to see where we stood with her likely GPA. Even when I see the question posed on these boards: “did your school look at weighted or unweighted GPA?”, it’s all over the map.</p>
<p>I wish there were more constants to this process …</p>
.</p>