Is that gpa out of a 5 point scale or a 6 point scale?
Is
Is that 4.86 out of 5 or 6 point scale. This is for post #1139
Texas Universities are bound by law to accept the top 10% of graduates and A&M extends that auto admission by having the academic admission path. However, that still leaves out a lot of very smart and qualified applicants who then fall into the review admit category.
Included with every transcript that is sent to A&M, is a grading scale for that school. Every transcript goes through an analysis and they look at the studentâs GPA in relation to their schoolâs grading scale. Then, using the standardized test score, they establish a quartile rank for an applicant. So, what I think has happened in @highopes25 case, the school ranked her son X/XXX but based on the schoolâs grading scale that accompanied that transcript, the assigned rank by the school from last year didnât correspond with that of the new GPA/grading scale. Even though it hasnât been applied to the current Junior class, because they have not finished, it still is the new rule/grading scale.
John Cochran, the Admissions Officer on TexAgs, (it is now someone else) said that âWhen TAMU assigns the class rank, they donât consider any information from the school about previous yearsâ. This is what makes me think that last years grading scale is not longer applied to highhopes25âs transcript, but the new grading scale is, and was sent with it.
It is not the first time an applicant has seen their assigned rank below what the school assigned as well as we have seen an applicantâs assigned ranked higher in quartile than what the school assigned with X/XX.
In making admission decisions, for all pathways, they look at the rank and test scores, they then determine a projected GPA the applicant will earn at TAMU. They use algorithms to combine a studentâs rank and test scores and it produces 2.9, 3.0, 3.1, so on and so forth. Once they see what a studentâs projected GPA is, they begin weighing all the other components.
@DadinFrisco GPA is not considered at all in admission decisions. The only time GPA is looked at is in conjunction with a schools grading scale in order to assign a rank to an applicant who is from a non ranking school.
@eTown23
I really hate chancing applicants because we donât see the whole application file. That said, he will get an admissions offer. Which one, is what is up in the air. 37% but with his scores, could land him a full offer of admissions but if that doesnât come, an offer of first year at Galveston for Engineering would be my guess. Galveston is a branch campus and considered full admissions. Your son would complete the engineering core requirements of general engineering at Galveston and when he does so satisfactorily, he will apply to a major (called ETAM) and will TRANSITION to College Station (not transfer) to College Station for the remainder of his college career in engineering. Lastly, an offer of Blinn Engineering Academy.
Good luck!!
Thanks for the input, @Thelma2. If thatâs the case, it really stinks since the rankings are only in quartiles. Our very competitive district went from ranking to non-ranking this year supposedly to give students a better opportunity to get into schools. But if we have 500 students (weâre a little over that), and schools like A&M see our 51st ranked student the same as our number 125, then itâs really unfair. I can understand that may be what it is, but itâs a bad process. If think itâs our districtâs fault for going this route, but itâs unfair to the kids who are not being assessed properly. Sounds like it rewards those who didnât do as well during 4 years of work, but may be better standardized test takers.
@Thelma2, thank you for your feedback. Your insight is invaluable. I will look into the alternate paths, not being in the top quartile really hurts. Itâs good to know the chance of full admission so we could plan accordingly.
@DadinFrisco, as unfair as it may seems, please reassure your child that itâs not where you start, itâs where you end up. I went to the Univ of Houston, most of my staff graduated from better ranking schools. Encourage your child not to let this knock him/her off course. Those who work hard will always reap the reward, itâs a matter of time. Best wishes to your child!
When did you apply: Nov 27
When did you get your UIN: Nov 29
When did you receive your admission decision: Not yet
Are you an Auto-admit or Academic Admit or Review Admit: Review
Major/College of Choice: Computer Science
Class Rank: School does not provide class rank
SAT: 1220, R-610/M-610
Other info: Eagle scout and hoping to join Corp of Cadets
Mostly just trying to see if I got a chance '
@Pololive5 Eagle Scout is outstanding. Love that. Where did Tamu rank him for quarters? His sat is lower than average. If he gets Blinn Team he can still be in the Corps which is really cool. If he ranks top quarter, he may have shot at Team but not sure heâs get full admit. If he really wants Tamu⊠heâll have no problem reaching his goal just may have to take an unplanned route!!! Best of luck and keep us posted! Stay proud!
@highhopes25 @AggieDreamin @DadinFrisco Looking at the DARS is really eye opening. It shows that for 2017-2018 19% of the students admitted to A&M come from schools that no longer rank. Thatâs up from 4.8% in 1999-2000. So non ranking schools is the trend. Coming from a âcompetitiveâ district that does rank, where there are about 3,800 students at my daughter HS - I get why schools donât rank. We have kids here, LOTS of them, that take AP classes in the summer - with no intention of taking the AP exams in the spring - for the sole purpose of getting extra As on the 5 point scale to factor into the GPA. Itâs CRAZY competitive here. We did not focus on grades. My daughter is a good student. While I did not think taking AP European History as a âfunâ elective at the same time as AP Lang and APUSH was a great idea, we didnât stop her.
Because of the competitiveness of her classmates - and being fine with As or Bs in all her classes - my daughter has a 3.3 unweighted/3.76 weighted GPA and that puts her at 40.1% in her graduating class. I had thought she would fall somewhere in the mid 30s. The top 10% GPAs at her school are unbelievable. Straight As and knowing how to manage the system to GPA exempt allowable non weighted classes.
Here is a link to the DARS https://dars.tamu.edu/Student/files/CDS_2017-2018.aspx
Of the 81% of the kids from ranked schools:
Top 10% - 60%
10.1%-25% - 28%
25.1%-50% - 10%
50.1-75%- 2%
And since all of the academic admits come from the top 25% category - It is probably more evenly split than you might think on review applicants coming from the top quarter and top half.
@AggieMomhelp thanks so much for answering questions! My oldest did not even apply to any TX schools so this is a very different experience for me with A&M. (Oldest applied early to 1st choice, was accepted by Thanksgiving and that was that).
@BlueBayouAZ it is just so frustrating. We moved from a high school with 6,000+ students because I felt she would get a better education at a little smaller school (2000) and as it turns out she would have been top 10% at her old school with her GPA of 4.806. I still do not understand how or why this Rank system, especially putting them in general quartiles, is at all valid or fair. These kids have worked very hard in a competitive environment just to get told that kids from non-competitve schools with lesser grades and AP classes deserve to be there more than they do. Our district stopped ranking for the same reason. Kids were killing themelves to get a few slots higher. All three of us would have been better off if our schools would have reported actual rank. Heck my daughters fate may literally have come down to one test in high school. Seems crazyâŠall being saidâŠstill trying to keep the faith. I think this stress is getting to all if us.
Here is my sonâs information:
Applied: 09/29
Received UIN: 10/2
Rank: 84/661
SAT: 1270 (Eng 620) (Math 650)
ACT: 26 (Science 27, Math 26, Eng 25, Reading 29)
Major: Mechanical Engineering
TAMU admission status: still in review
College of Engineering status: ?
Unweighted GPA: 3.85
ECâs: ROTC - 1 Year, FFA - 3 Years (Officer), PTSA - 4 Years (Board Member), SkillsUSA - 3 Years (Officer), NHS, NTHS
He has been to state competitions in both FFA Leadership activities and SkillsUSA. He won silver medal at State for Automated Manufacturing Design. He interned in the Engineering Department at a Sheet Metal Fabrication Company for 2 years and started his own CAD Design and 3D Printing business last summer. He raises pigs in FFA and also competes in Shop Project competitions where he has won Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion. He has been on the A Honor Roll for 11 our of 13 grading periods.
Wondering what his chances are of a full admit to College Station and then into Engineering program? He has been accepted to both Baylor and LSU but would prefer A&M over both of those. He is our one and only and all this waiting for updates is so stressful. Would love to know our future path by Christmas! 
How might I find my rank for quarters? @AggieMomhelp
âWe have kids here, LOTS of them, that take AP classes in the summer - with no intention of taking the AP exams in the spring - for the sole purpose of getting extra As on the 5 point scale to factor into the GPA. Itâs CRAZY competitive here.â
The quote above does not represent competitiveness, it is academically dishonest. At my sonâs school, you cannot take the AP course without signing an agreement to take the AP exam. You donât agree to take the AP exam; the school doesnât allow you to take the AP course.
Additionally, his school doesnât allow you to take AP courses during the summer. If you canât handle the load during the regular academic year, they sure arenât going to let you skate by with grade inflation during the summer.
What some people deem as âcompetitiveâ, others would deem as non-competitive.
All schools are not created equal.
@Thelma2 Yes! The gentleman that runs the Autism program have actually emailed back and forth a few times!
@Pololive5 Tamu will assign rank. You can check it in his AIS where it shows transcript received.
My sympathies to all parents/students who are living the agony of being review for admission to TAMU. Especially those whose stories Iâve heard recently of those students with high gpa but not ranked in the Top 25% or even worse, from schools which no longer rank their graduates and TAMU has placed lower than the first quartile.
I really donât understand that practice. Anyone who has earned an unweighted gpa of 3.5 has demonstrated that they care about doing well in school, they arenât just skating by. And these are TEENAGERS, they are still growing and maturing, just trying to figure out the whole world! Not all of them know how to study effectively yet, some are affected by things outside of classes and some teachers arenât teaching at even their best levels due to circumstances outside of their classroom. Why are kids being punished for making less than perfect As in all classes? No one is perfect.
If someone graduates from TAMU with a gpa of 3.5, they are graduating Cum Laude. Everyone who earned a 3.5 is Cum Laude, not just the first X percent. Why do HS students who have a gpa of 3.5 or higher not as appreciated? Why does it matter how many students at that school earned a 3.5 or above? Students can only control the classes that they take and the grades they earn. They have no control over what their cohorts achieve.
Why are students at schools which are very challenging actually penalized for going to that school? A very competitive school prepares the student for the rigor of TAMU classes. But it just isnât fair to penalize those students if the majority of students in a class earn As. It really frosts me when an A starts above 90 at one school and at 90 at another. Comparing those schools is NOT comparing apples to apples. But Universities donât take that into account, they donât care about the competitiveness of the HS.
I understand the intent of the Top 10% Automatic admissions. It gives all top students at all schools across the board opportunity to attend college.That is a good thing, but often, whatever choice to rank or not rank beyond the Top 10% penalizes someone else instead of creating opportunities. And quite often, Top 10% students from some schools are not ready for the rigor and pace of TAMU. Both of my Aggie daughters have friends who were Top 10% in HS but struggled in their Freshman year. And that happened to me many many moons ago. The HS I went to was abysmal. I was 2nd in my HS class, had a decent 26 on the ACT, was admitted to a very large public 4 year University and struggled to begin with. I figured out how to study and earned my degree with a gpa above 3.3.
Not all HS are actually equal. Not all public schools are equal, not all private schools are equal. In our ISD, the difference in average SAT scores between the top 2 HS campuses is over 160 points. The difference between the Top HS (where my daughters attended) and the ISD average is over 250 points. So a much larger portion of the student population at our HS has a higher SAT score (and gpa) but lower rank than other schools in the ISD. I donât understand why a studentâs gpa is only used to determine class rank, and schools with a higher percentage of high grades AND test scores are not appreciated.
A degree from TAMU is more valued than a degree from Podunk U. This is based on the selectivity of admissions, rigor of classes, employment opportunities, etc. Why isnât graduating from HS A not more highly valued than HS B? Students are only able to control the classes that they take and the grades that they earn, they are not responsible for what their cohorts achieve.
And I feel your pain over student who take AP classes in the Summer, etc. When my youngest daughter was having difficulties in Freshman Pre-AP Bio (while she was in recovery from, and less than a year after suffering a Level 2 Concussion) I went to a couple of local tutoring places. I was astonished to find out that it was a common practice for students from her HS to take tutoring in Science and Math classes during the summer, using the same text book and syllabus for the actual class. The tutoring place said that these students then âdidnât have to study so hard during the school year so they could participate in other electives so that they would be well roundedâ!!! My daughter had been telling me that some students were asking questions from chapters well ahead of where they were in class and the teacher would take up class time answering those questions instead of actually concentrating on what they were supposed to be working on. And this teacher only taught from PowerPoint but the students had no access to those lessons outside of class, so if she didnât finish the lesson in class, my daughter was lost. BUT there were students making As in the class and the teacher said that she had to make the tests hard enough to challenge everyone. At least most of the students who were making As probably had taken the tutoring over the summer! Is that fair?
My daughter said that her teacher didnât seem to care much about most of the class, just the more advanced students and that she sat at her desk to teach from the PowerPoint and had limited after school hours. I had heard that this teacher was a good teacher but didnât understand what was happening to my daughter. We transferred our daughter to a regular Bio class in mid Semester thinking that would help, maybe this class was just too tough for her to handle while still recovering from the concussion. But then teacher #2 failed to tell my daughter that they were allowed to use their notes on tests, and they were on a different chapter when she moved to that class, so she started out with a low grade in that class. And within a couple of months, Teacher 2 was arrested for making and taking drugs. So the class finished the year with many different substitute teachers. My daughter earned a C for the first Semester and either an A or B for the second semester. If my daughter had not passed the EOC, I was going to hit the roof. But she passed the EOC. However, she no longer liked Science. Before the concussion, she liked Science and Math. Her Science teacher during her concussion recovery in 8th grade was great and my daughter still enjoyed Science until the Biology fiasco. And we found out that Bio teacher #1, who had always been a good teacher before my younger daughterâs year, had undiagnosed terminal cancer during the entire school year. So of course, she wasnât teaching at her usual level as she was very ill. I wonder what my daughterâs experience in that Pre-AP Bio class would have been like if she was in a class where the entire class was just learning the material for the first time and had a teacher who was healthy and engaged in teaching? Maybe she would still like Science.
My daughter ended up with a High School 3.5 unweighted gpa, ~4.7 weighted gpa, ACT 27, SAT 1250 (E 670, M 510) and graduated at 53% of her HS class. That is just 2 Câs, each in one Semester for a Pre-AP or AP class Science or Math class, everything else was an A or B. She was offered Blinn-TEAM for Fall 2017 and is currently a Sophomore on Blinn-TEAM. So she is one of the 1-2% of TAMU students who graduated below 50% of their HS class. And she is thriving and LOVES being and Aggie in Aggieland. She joined her first choice Sorority and another on campus activity, and earned a 3.4 last year.
Sorry to rant. The moral of this is that the students who go to competitive HS are well prepared for TAMU and will most likely thrive at TAMU. The hard part is getting admissions, and I donât think that is fair. Just be open to Blinn-TEAM or the Engineering academies. And if your child receives an offer of less than what you hope for, appeal the decision.
@AggieMomAgain thank you so much for your story and moral support! I agree but recognize that unfortunately there isnât much we can do but hope that for future classes they come up with a more fair system. I am encouraged that your daughter was offered Blinn Team and loves it. My daughterâs scores and GPA are similar and would be more than happy to take Blinn Team if offered. At this point, we are just nervous about getting any offer at all.
Totally agree with this. My daughter busted her butt and earned a 5.02, was slightly under 12%. Sheâs not a great test taker, so her SAT is below par. I was hoping that her high GPA / ranking would offset that. Everything I see points to her having gotten in last year. But now with bunching her in with a quarter of her classmates (about 75 slots below her), the tests are so much more important. I feel like her getting in is unlikely.
I was mad last night and wrote to the superintendent and board. They should not have sprung this on us in their last year of school. If we had known the ramifications, I would have eased her junior yearâs classes and just had non-stop SAT reviews. What they did in Frisco was irresponsible.