<p>I just remembered that some years ago, I happened to talk to the regional rep in charge of our region. He is a veteran rep, very senior in the adcom hierarchy, highly respected by one and all, not only at H but at other colleges. Our high school is just a couple of minutes’ walk away from his office. He did not know that a long-term GC had become dean and was no longer GC. He did not know that the school had changed to a block schedule, he did not know… well, the list could go on. Perhaps familiarity had bred neglect. But the fact is that he did not know of major changes that had happened at the school next door.</p>
<p>calmom: Are you saying that a transcript filled with A’s and one filled with B’s will be looked at the same way? Colleges (including Harvard) are constantly reminding us that the component of the package they value the most it is the transcript.</p>
<p>Calmom-- Yes, of course Harvard was only a possibility, not a certainty, with better grades, hence my use of the word “possible”. You have made it clear that you don’t think the school violating the district policy for years of entire classes of students is a problem- either for my son or the other students affected. I do. No student of my son’s school had ever been admitted to H. The profile is a “rah rah” document that trumpets all the fabulous opportunities of the school- primarily intended for parents who visit on parent’s night. It does not put the school in context of the district in any meaningful way.</p>
<p>To answer other points brought up, he received a “C” on his final transcript, I believe Harvard only received this after he was on the extended waitlist. As a side note, I believe that if my son had wanted to attend Harvard he would have had an “A” in that class, no matter what the scale. In my heart, I think he wanted to be accepted, but was profoundly conflicted about going (the only two Harvard students he had met rubbed him the wrong way; being a teenager, he promptly extrapolated them to represent the entire Harvard student population). My real sense of loss is over merit offers he may have received from other schools that accepted him. BUT, as I keep saying, the question now is just how to fix it for the future and if he will use the transcript later (both of which I think are pretty well answered already).</p>
<p>Yes, he had amazing LOR’s-- (one teacher gave him a copy for his files, the second had a close relationship with him and was very vocal about his talent). His official IB grades are near perfect (entirely separate from the school grading system). He also had, as near as we can tell, an amazing interview experience with an intervieiwer who really lobbied hard for him. And, amazing, unusual ecs, etc.</p>
<p>I agree that the grades on the transcript should have reflected the grading policy. I am not clear, however, if the school profile is showing the correct grading policy or not? That was what I was asking earlier. In other words, a transcript is interpretted in the context of the School Profile document and I can’t tell if that document was correct or not. Your situation is not good if the School Profile had the correct grading policy on it but then your son’s grades were not recorded accordingly. Then again, you kinda also have a problem if the School Profile is not correct as that isn’t good for anyone. I already shared with you that our School Profile had soooooo many incorrect pieces of information on it that it would have been detrimental to anyone interpreting the transcripts. It was very outdated and we had to point this out to the principal who had it overhauled after I gave her all the errors on it and why this was really gonna hurt students. Luckily we checked this before any documents were sent to colleges.</p>
<p>Wait, you get college credit based strictly on AP exam grade (5 - highest), class grade is not important in getting college credit. Class grades are curved, aren’t they? AP exams are not graded by school.</p>
<p>Yes, the credit is determined solely by the exam grade. Of course, many schools cap the number of AP credits far below what top students have available. AU caps it at 30, as I recall, they were among the most generous! Many cap at 15 or so.</p>
<p>Well, in D’s HS, they could take no more than 3 AP’s in one year, very few were available anyway and no AP’s were allowed Fressman year. Still couple top graduates (out of class of 30-50) usually go to top Ivy’s. GPA is only one side of stats. Top colleges just know the names of some HS and rigor of their classes. And rightfully so, as D. has mentioned that her Honors (non-weighted) HS Chemistry has prepared her for college Chem much better than other kids’ Chem AP classes and that is how she was hand picked by Chem. prof for paid assistant position (as a result of having almost all Chem tests graded at over 100%). This info is known to colleges and all that GPA gimmicks will not make any diff.</p>
<p>MiamiDAP, I honestly do not believe that top college admissions reps could locate my son’s school on a map, much less that they have any info whatsoever on grading, course rigor, etc. I understand that many high schools are on the “map”, so to speak, but the overwhelming majority of middle of the road publics in the middle of the country really are not.</p>
<p>I do not know. They are professionals and that is their job. D’s HS of 160 kids total had Harvard and other top school rep’s on grounds every year, and we are not anywhere close to them. You migh underestimating information available to them and how it is being processed with computer programs this days.</p>
<p>I agree with Deidre on post 68. Most elite colleges don’t know much about our rural public high school. When my kids attended, only one or two classes had the AP designation but we had Honors classes that were quite rigorous. My kids were well prepared for highly selective colleges and fared very well at them in fact. I don’t know that any adcom would know the rigor of our Honors classes. Actually, I think my kids did more writing and also reading from primary sources than what it sounds like many AP classes do which are test oriented. </p>
<p>Anyway, adcoms from certain colleges don’t know much about our HS. Just as an example, one of my advisees who attends a private school just sent me a copy of a letter she got from an adcom at Brown who is in charge of her region and I asked the mother how the adcom even knew her daughter was applying to Brown and the mom told me that the GC called the adcom at Brown and told her about this student. This is not the common thing in this here neck of the woods. My D did end up at Brown though.</p>
<p>I cross posted with MiamiDAP. Please be aware that adcoms from the Ivies or other elite schools did not visit our HS! And yes, they are visiting the high school where my client goes…a private school and I don’t wish to give away where it is but it is FAR from these elite colleges…a LOT farther than where we live.</p>
<p>
This is not necessarily true, MiamiDAP, it depends on the college. At both my sons’ colleges they don’t reward credits for APs, the student simply is allowed to be placed in higher-level courses in those subjects. </p>
<p>
And right there, Deirdre, your son saved you thousands and thousands of dollars at AU, at cost per credit hour.
Congratulations again!</p>
<p>(I think Harvard is one of those schools that does not award credits for APs)</p>
<p>Unfortunately I got to this post four years too late, but the same exact thing happened to our daughter. We ended up talking it over with the counselor, but the deadline for applications had already passed. The standard and advanced scales matched up exactly to those you listed, so I’m wondering if it might have been the same school. What was the school called?</p>
<p>“marite-- Nope, no plusses or minuses, just A,B,C,D, F, with no weighting. For years this has meant the kids with highest gpa are typically not in the most challenging classes. In an interesting response to this, the school does not have vals or sals, although students with 4.0’s (typically 1 or 2 per year) are recognized at graduation. The class speaker is selected by faculty from speeches submitted by any interested senior.”</p>
<p>This is exactly the same as the high school in my district. They also don’t rank. Colleges actually have to look thoroughly at their transcripts, but most admission offices at the “top” schools, know the school. </p>
<p>This school has no problem getting many kids into all the top schools in the country, including all the Ivies, except for some reason, Princeton.</p>
<p>Wow, I thought Marite was back for a minute there ;).</p>
<p>Grrrrr…I had no idea this old thread. Didn’t even think to look at date.</p>
<p>If he still wants to go to Harvard, demand they recalculate that high school GPA, and resubmit to Harvard. Maybe he can transfer.</p>
<p>MODERATOR’S NOTE:</p>
<p>Due to this thread being almost four years old, it will be closed. If others wish to discuss this topic in a more timely context, please feel free to start another thread.</p>