High ACT but gpa in low 3s

OCtoSV

Active member
My child attends attends a public high school ranked in the top 50 in CA. We are looking at a college admission scenario where the ACT is high (close to perfect) while the gpa is in the low 3s with a very difficult schedule since freshman year. The admissions portrait will have 4 years of sports and a club presidency.

Does anyone have a child who applied with a similar set of credentials, and if so, what type of schools did your child get into?
 
OCtoSV said:
My child attends attends a public high school ranked in the top 50 in CA. We are looking at a college admission scenario where the ACT is high (close to perfect) while the gpa is in the low 3s with a very difficult schedule since freshman year. The admissions portrait will have 4 years of sports and a club presidency.

Does anyone have a child who applied with a similar set of credentials, and if so, what type of schools did your child get into?

You're looking at Cal States and small private liberal arts schools.  Alternatively, you can also look at large out-of-state publics.

GPA is too low for most UC's and top tier large privates, unless your child is a recruited athlete, minority, or legacy.

You might think that the high ACT and other mitigating factors would be enough to overlook the low GPA, but these days, there are so many applicants who check off all of the boxes and still can't get into their top choices.  The schools these days really do have their pick of the litter.
 
Is that weighted or unweighted GPA?    How many honors (AP, IB, Honors, etc?)

UCLA puts up wonderful admissions statistics by class year.  It is, frankly, scary.  JIMHO, your teachers need to know and agree that your kid is targeting this tier by 6th grade because frankly, that raw grade point is well within the bias zone.
http://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_fr/Frosh_Prof19.htm

Even CS might be a reach depending on how low the low 3 GPA is.
https://www.collegesimply.com/colleges/california/california-state-university-fullerton/admission/
 
If you cannot get into a desired 4 year university right out of high school, you still have a chance by attending community college and transfer after 2 years.  It's like a second chance to reset your GPA, because the university is more interested in your college GPA than HS GPA at that point.
 
nosuchreality said:
JIMHO, your teachers need to know and agree that your kid is targeting this tier by 6th grade because frankly, that raw grade point is well within the bias zone.

This part I don't understand.  Why would their teachers in middle school need to know?
 
Liar Loan said:
nosuchreality said:
JIMHO, your teachers need to know and agree that your kid is targeting this tier by 6th grade because frankly, that raw grade point is well within the bias zone.

This part I don't understand.  Why would their teachers in middle school need to know?

Actually, 5th grade.  :)

It works like this,  5th grade sets the recommendation for what level classes you're taking in sixth grade.  If you're not in the advance courses to path line to the honors courses and maintain the B's in them starting in sixth, you can't be in it in 7th.  Then 8th. Etc.

To get into the honors/AP/IB course in 10th.  Keep in mind it's 10th and 11th grade Honors/AP courses that count in admissions.

Please reference sample Math course chart on page 33 of the Irvine UDS course catalog.
http://uhs.prod.iusd.org/sites/univ...ents/pages/20182019uhscourseofstudy041718.pdf

JIMHO, it's just like the club league sports track.


Then there is just the super jaded part of it in that 20% of your kid's grade from a given teacher is really just that teacher's expectation of what your kid's grade is. level is your student.
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone. The unweighted gpa today is 3.2, by end of junior year could be 3.5. 3 semesters of foreign language offered through a local CC with a B which should help for weighted, along with several APs that are/will be As/Bs. So Weighted may get into the 3.8 range by end of high school. Legacy at the large private research university in LA not named Caltech, which actually outside of the Ivies is the only school where legacy matters. UC definitely seems to be a reach, though the top Bay area high schools generally get a lot more slots than LA/OC schools simply because there are more of them in the top 50. We work with a private college counseling service that has been very valuable and will hopefully really help come application/essay time as they use algorithms based on the thousands of students that have gone through their program to target the applications.

Looking forward to PSAT/NM notifications today!
 
OCtoSV said:
Thanks for the feedback everyone. The unweighted gpa today is 3.2, by end of junior year could be 3.5. 3 semesters of foreign language offered through a local CC with a B which should help for weighted, along with several APs that are/will be As/Bs. So Weighted may get into the 3.8 range by end of high school. Legacy at the large private research university in LA not named Caltech, which actually outside of the Ivies is the only school where legacy matters. UC definitely seems to be a reach, though the top Bay area high schools generally get a lot more slots than LA/OC schools simply because there are more of them in the top 50. We work with a private college counseling service that has been very valuable and will hopefully really help come application/essay time as they use algorithms based on the thousands of students that have gone through their program to target the applications.

Looking forward to PSAT/NM notifications today!

USC might offer Spring semester enrollment if you have been a generous alum.

I disagree with your assertion about legacy.  It matters at most private schools, not just the Ivies and USC.

I also echo momopi's recommendation about attending a JC first.
 
WTTCHMN said:
OCtoSV said:
Thanks for the feedback everyone. The unweighted gpa today is 3.2, by end of junior year could be 3.5. 3 semesters of foreign language offered through a local CC with a B which should help for weighted, along with several APs that are/will be As/Bs. So Weighted may get into the 3.8 range by end of high school. Legacy at the large private research university in LA not named Caltech, which actually outside of the Ivies is the only school where legacy matters. UC definitely seems to be a reach, though the top Bay area high schools generally get a lot more slots than LA/OC schools simply because there are more of them in the top 50. We work with a private college counseling service that has been very valuable and will hopefully really help come application/essay time as they use algorithms based on the thousands of students that have gone through their program to target the applications.

Looking forward to PSAT/NM notifications today!

USC might offer Spring semester enrollment if you have been a generous alum.

I disagree with your assertion about legacy.  It matters at most private schools, not just the Ivies and USC.

I also echo momopi's recommendation about attending a JC first.
JC works for sure, but it's a compromised college experience and eliminates high end on campus job recruiting the first 2 years. USC loves transfers - they redline admissions by zip code to minimize financial aid requests.

The USC/Ivy data point is anecdotal but i have seen it mentioned several times in various articles, especially after the Varsity Blues scandal broke. If you saw from the recent lawsuit Harvard admits legacies at a 6x rate. Does Northwestern or Chicago? Don't know. I can only hope USC does.
 
I went to USC and want no part of paying that tuition. I?ll be happy if my kids go to a UC school. I already put my kids on a strength program and will push them into tennis so they can get athletic scholarships.
 
OCtoSV said:
JC works for sure, but it's a compromised college experience and eliminates high end on campus job recruiting the first 2 years. USC loves transfers - they redline admissions by zip code to minimize financial aid requests.

The USC/Ivy data point is anecdotal but i have seen it mentioned several times in various articles, especially after the Varsity Blues scandal broke. If you saw from the recent lawsuit Harvard admits legacies at a 6x rate. Does Northwestern or Chicago? Don't know. I can only hope USC does.

But a compromised experience compared to what alternative?

Is 2 years at IVC + 2 at years USC a compromised experience compared to living at home all 4 years while going to Cal State Fullerton?  Because a CSUF commuter is what you're looking at with a 3.2 GPA.

In addition, most firms aren't recruiting freshmen and sophomores on campus.

I can assure you legacies very much matter at Northwestern and Chicago, as well Stanford, Duke, Georgetown, Williams, Amherst, and everywhere else in between.
 
eyephone said:
jajji said:
My kids aren't even in elementary school yet. Is it really this crazy now?

It?s not crazy. Life is tough. What do you expect?
Who said it was going to be easy?

I was referring to OP's kid having a near perfect ACT score and people suggesting community college because of his GPA. To mean that suggests overinflation of high grades, and a lack of common sense of admissions committees, or a severely flawed algorithm in the admissions process.

I'm aware life is tough and never suggested it was going to be easy lol. Been through med school and residency. Quite aware of the rigors of life.
 
jajji said:
eyephone said:
jajji said:
My kids aren't even in elementary school yet. Is it really this crazy now?

It?s not crazy. Life is tough. What do you expect?
Who said it was going to be easy?

I was referring to OP's kid having a near perfect ACT score and people suggesting community college because of his GPA. To mean that suggests overinflation of high grades, and a lack of common sense of admissions committees, or a severely flawed algorithm in the admissions process.

I'm aware life is tough and never suggested it was going to be easy lol. Been through med school and residency. Quite aware of the rigors of life.

SAT/ACT is a test you can hack. Grades in school - not as much. Some colleges are now test optional although most of the elites haven?t gone that route yet (UChicago being the exception). Will be interesting to see if the SAT/ACT is still needed in 5/10 years.
 
OCtoSV said:
WTTCHMN said:
OCtoSV said:
Thanks for the feedback everyone. The unweighted gpa today is 3.2, by end of junior year could be 3.5. 3 semesters of foreign language offered through a local CC with a B which should help for weighted, along with several APs that are/will be As/Bs. So Weighted may get into the 3.8 range by end of high school. Legacy at the large private research university in LA not named Caltech, which actually outside of the Ivies is the only school where legacy matters. UC definitely seems to be a reach, though the top Bay area high schools generally get a lot more slots than LA/OC schools simply because there are more of them in the top 50. We work with a private college counseling service that has been very valuable and will hopefully really help come application/essay time as they use algorithms based on the thousands of students that have gone through their program to target the applications.

Looking forward to PSAT/NM notifications today!

USC might offer Spring semester enrollment if you have been a generous alum.

I disagree with your assertion about legacy.  It matters at most private schools, not just the Ivies and USC.

I also echo momopi's recommendation about attending a JC first.
JC works for sure, but it's a compromised college experience and eliminates high end on campus job recruiting the first 2 years. USC loves transfers - they redline admissions by zip code to minimize financial aid requests.

The USC/Ivy data point is anecdotal but i have seen it mentioned several times in various articles, especially after the Varsity Blues scandal broke. If you saw from the recent lawsuit Harvard admits legacies at a 6x rate. Does Northwestern or Chicago? Don't know. I can only hope USC does.

Make it loud and clear on the app that you?re willing to pay full sticker and your kid will get in somewhere decent. The low gpa is too much of a liability for the elites but the ACT and a willingness to pay will allow colleges to take a flyer on him - to offset the costs of the kids they really want. 
 
jajji said:
eyephone said:
jajji said:
My kids aren't even in elementary school yet. Is it really this crazy now?

It?s not crazy. Life is tough. What do you expect?
Who said it was going to be easy?

I was referring to OP's kid having a near perfect ACT score and people suggesting community college because of his GPA. To mean that suggests overinflation of high grades, and a lack of common sense of admissions committees, or a severely flawed algorithm in the admissions process.

I'm aware life is tough and never suggested it was going to be easy lol. Been through med school and residency. Quite aware of the rigors of life.

My comment was for parents that were shocked that their kid turned out to be average. (The parents can see it throughout the school years and life.) Did the parent do all that they can do? (Tutoring, good parenting)

A lot of people are going to laugh it off. But maybe the student could of went to an easier HS.
 
bones said:
SAT/ACT is a test you can hack. Grades in school - not as much. Some colleges are now test optional although most of the elites haven?t gone that route yet (UChicago being the exception). Will be interesting to see if the SAT/ACT is still needed in 5/10 years.

Hack to what degree. OP's kid made a near perfect score. For the ACT only the top 1% or so test takers make a near perfect score. If it was such an easy hack, then it would be larger than 1%. On the other hand, what's the % of kids who have high GPAs? Some high schools have so many valedictorians that it's diluted the meaning of it.

2 million people take the ACT, only <1% get a near perfect or perfect score. that's 20,000 kids. Most colleges would be lucky to have his kid.  He should not go to a CC. If he ends up there because of a GPA game, that's sad.
 
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