My daughter got her grades from the completion of her Sophomore year in HS and they were outstanding. I apologize if this comes across as bragging, but I’m asking a broader question about what Elite schools think. Her transcripts from the HS include all her grades from kindergarten. This is significant because she has literally 96-100% averages in every class. Ever. I’m astounded. I had no idea. She’s #1 in her HS class and has it all mapped out to be V of HS and more importantly #1 in her class of 400+ when she starts applying EA to her college of choice next fall. So a couple questions:
Will colleges see the same transcript we did? Probably a question for GC, but if so, I mean wow.
Do the actual percentage of the grades matter? When a college looks at grades/APs/rigor, etc, do they take into account how well the student did in those classes or will the A [(90-100) in her school] be enough? You would think that there's a difference between a 4.0 student with 91s and 92s and a student that's 97s and 98s.
Or, maybe I’m just a proud parent that is looking for any edge to help my girl reach her Ivy dream.
Yes, your guidance counselor can tell you exactly how the transcript to colleges is presented.
Yes, admissions officers look for course rigor as well as grades. Higher grades are always good.
Do keep in mind that academics are but one part what is needed for admission to top tier colleges. She would also need outstanding ECs, great recommendations, wonderful essays to have any chance.
The Ivy League colleges have acceptance rates under 10% (some under 5%) and MUST be considered a reach for any unhooked applicant.
I would advise your D not to have an “Ivy dream” but rather to focus on doing as well as she can in every aspect of her life and then she should have many great colleges options available.
Thank you Happy. I didn’t list all her accomplishments because I didn’t want to turn this into a ChanceMe thread. I was just curious about that aspect of GPA because I always read about W/UW GPA but rarely about the actual percent of the grades received. I went to a great school and had a 3.5 in engineering but to be honest I scraped by for those A’s. D is straight killing it though and it just had me thinking.
And about that Ivy League dream thing. Yes, I know. We have talked many times. She’s dead set. Arrow straight. How many clichés can I throw in? Her eyes are mostly on 3 schools and they are all lottery-winner tough. I’m using CC to advise her since her school’s GCs are overwhelmed and not useful beyond the local Universities. We are using the check the box approach and shooting for the best.
Boxes:
Grades: APs/Honors - Rigor/GPA/Class Rank
Standardized Tests - ACT/SAT IIs/PSAT
ECs/National Awards/Accolades
Essays (Next Summer)
LoRs (Next Summer)
Interview (for some)
I’d say she’s nailing 1, 2 and hopefully by end of next summer, 3. She works with her teachers and GC on a regular basis to shape curriculum and future classes. I think those relationships will come in handy for LoRs. Essays, well, frankly I have no idea. She will start next summer. My essay was written on the spot when I was invited to interview at my school so I have no experience there.
You know, maybe I’ve been itching to write all this down because it’s tough. I can’t get her to be a little more realistic and throw her EA/ED options at somewhere she may have a more realistic chance. But that’s me. I’m cautious. She’s a go-for-it kind of girl. Determined. Sorry for the rambling post. Thank you for the input.
My comment was made because the people I see who get hurt by the college admission process are the ones who focus on a few hyper-competitive schools and then don’t get in. The problem is that there are many more very worthy candidates than there are spots available. I also hate the idea of a young person allowing a college admissions officer who has never met him/her and who spends 10 - 15 minutes on the application play any part in determining his/her self worth.
It is great to shoot for the stars, but your D will need to understand that admission to these top schools are a bit of a crapshoot and she will need to expand her horizons to create a well balanced application list to include a number fo some less selective (match and safety) schools that she would be excited to attend.
Good luck to you both as you go through this process.