<p>D attends a non-competitive public HS where the top half of her class has 4.0 GPA. 6th and 7th deciles are filled with 3.9 GPA students (which means half A’s and half A-'s). Besides maxing out AP courses and getting an exceptional SAT score, what else can we do to make this girl stand out academically?</p>
<p>[No, this is not a ■■■■■ post.]</p>
<p>Academically: </p>
<ul>
<li>similar to home schoolers, test scores will become extremely important in your situation, including AP scores. (If A’s are given out like candy at Lake Wobegone HS in CT, I’m guessing that the AP pass rate is not very high.)</li>
<li>Take courses at a local college instead?</li>
</ul>
<p>She should take SAT II tests in her best subjects, even if they are not required for the schools she is applying to. She should take a couple of practice tests to make sure she can get scores good enough to help her before doing so. (How good “good enough” is depends upon the selectivity of the colleges she is aiming for.) If she’s a likely candidate for any of the special subject exams–math AMC, Science Olympiad, National French and Latin exams, etc., she should take them.</p>
<p>Outstanding commendations are always a big boost. Have her talk with the teachers before the end of the year and it never hurts to give them a “list” of areas you want highlighted. (example: her originality of thought, ability to grasp difficult concepts, what does she bring to the class (discussion wise), etc.</p>
<p>Some colleges require recs from one science/math teacher and one humanities so check the specific websites.</p>
<p>Meet with her GC and get a feel for how he/she will answer the questions on the GC survey and now is the time to check the transcript for errors.</p>
<p>Not all colleges require SATII subject tests, but if there is an area where she excels then a top test score should be looked upon favorably.</p>
<p>Congrats on your D’s great stats!</p>
<p>Look at the college application as “the story of me.” Make sure your D has a good story to tell.</p>
<p>Example: DS is a violinist and very creative. I suggested he try composing, which he loved. Went to summer music camp and had a professional orchestra play his very innovative composition. And he found something he loved.</p>
<p>Example 2: Time to write large, common application essay. My advice to DS: Write about what you love?" His impish (sarcastic) answer: Star Wars? Me: Why not?</p>
<p>I knew George Lucas based the mythological elements on Joseph Campbell’s writings. Had DS read some Campbell and watch a TV interview with him. Interest in mythology born. Gave him a really strong intellectually grounded essay about Star Wars.</p>
<p>Fast forward: DS in college. Studies classics and mythology and has written music for staged productions of Greek plays.</p>
<p>Everything he wrote in his application was true, and it made him stand out because it was different from other candidates, but very much his story. </p>
<p>He did quite well in admissions results.</p>
<p>Get your hands on the school’s college profile, if you haven’t already. See if there are any tweaks that can be made that will highlight your D’s strengths. If she has high test scores and the average test score for the entire school is significantly lower, make sure that average score is listed. If she’s taking lots of APs, but most students take few or none, make sure that the number of students taking APs and the number of tests seated is given. And so on.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your excellent suggestions.</p>
<p>ST - I did obtain “the” HS Profile … I presume it’s the one sent to colleges, but our Guidance Office is very circumspect about its documents. (Me: “I’d like a copy of my D’s transcript.” GC: “You don’t need that.”) The only performance data is the proportion of Seniors planning to attend college … oh, and comparison of HS SAT and ACT scores to state and national averages (slightly above on the SAT, slightly below on the ACT). </p>
<p>AP offerings are tilted toward non-elite students: Calc AB but no Calc BC, Biology but not Chemistry or Physics, etc. Dual credit is offered on a few specified courses at the local CC, but not with 4-year universities. Online course credit, but only on subjects not not offered at the HS.</p>
<p>What grade is your D in? </p>
<p>EPGY AP Physics is very high quality, but more difficult than AP Physics. (These are really the equivalent Stanford Classes). My D took PhysicsB and found this program very challenging but then smoked the AP test and the SAT II. She enjoyed it too. </p>
<p>It’s possible to take CalcAB but self-study (with a tutor perhaps, or with guidance from the AB teacher) the additional material and take the CalcBC exam. EPGY has these also. </p>
<p>I think that she stands out by being out of the ordinary, taking academic opportunities above and beyond (assuming that she can handle them and do well). </p>
<p>Good luck</p>
<p><a href=“Me:” title=“I’d like a copy of my D’s transcript.” GC: “You don’t need that.”>quote=“NewHope33”</a>
[/quote]
:eek::eek:
Unless your daughter is 18 and hasn’t signed the FERPA waiver authorizing you to access her information, you have the right to request and receive her school records. How can the GC get away with not supplying her transcript on request?</p>
<p>“I’m guessing that the AP pass rate is not very high.”</p>
<p>This is very likely correct … the HS doesn’t release this information (either). Historically, a quarter of 8th Graders in our school system choose to attend private high schools in the area. However, the economy has forced many parents to keep their kids in the public HS. My D’s best friends are in this category. I’m trying to find a way for D to keep her circle of friends AND prepare for college success.</p>
<p>BTW D’s top choice right now is Tulane … 45K applications for <2K freshman slots. Ugh.</p>
<p>If the AP pass rate is not very high in your school, then wouldn’t doing well make her stand out?</p>
<p>^Absolutely. But I need to get her into college first. My view, which may need adjustment, is that the lack of AP Calc BC, AP Chemistry and AP Physic will speak more loudly than a ‘5’ in Calc AB and a ‘5’ in U.S. History (presuming she’s even able to get these courses her Junior year).</p>
<p>No, I think you are worrying too much about this. First of all, it will be obvious that your school doesn’t offer this. Second, neither of my kids took AP Chem or Physics (they’re chicken – it was offered) or Calc BC (wasn’t offered, did take AB.) Both were accepted to very selective colleges. You can PM if you are interested. I don’t want to take up common space with my kids’ story.</p>
<p>I think your D is well positioned. Don’t over think it. And I’m not kidding about the packaging of the application. It makes a huge difference, though it shouldn’t.</p>
<p>Her lack of Calc BC etc etc is supposed to be examined in the context of the school. If (a big if 
) the school profile says that it offers 5 (or whatever) AP courses, and lists them, and if (not a big if) your D has taken all of them, then she’s done all she can. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Sounds like you could gather some other parents to the cause of beefing up the school’s profile. Many private schools post their profiles on their websites; it could be edifying to other parents to compare your school’s lackluster version with the info on those other profiles. The stats won’t be as high, of course, but the argument could be made that if the public school doesn’t provide the info that the privates do, then the public kids will suffer in the admissions game by comparison.</p>
<p>They evaluate kids in the context of the school that they go to, so it shouldn’t be a “problem” not to have the CalcBC, AP Physics and AP Chem. </p>
<p>On the other hand, if she is mathematically inclined, which I gather she is by virtue of AP Calculus junior year, then what you might do is have her look over the following free website</p>
<p>[Download</a> & Streaming : Open Educational Resources : Internet Archive](<a href=“http://www.archive.org/details/education]Download”>Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine)</p>
<p>It has free lectures for AP PhysicsB, AP Physics C, and AP Calculus. </p>
<p>What she should do is take AP Calculus AB in school, but take notice of topics in Calculus BC that are missing from her AB curriculum (L’Hopital’s rule for example) and learn those on her own. She can probably self-study the missing topics. She could probably start series right after she finishes differentiation and learn those at the same time she does integration. </p>
<p>She could also self-study AP Physics. AP Physics B is algebra based and very broad. Physics C is calculus based (a co-requisite) but goes deeper. AP Physics B is typical of what a pre-med would take, and Physics C is typical of what a scientist or engineer would take. She could start Physics C and see how it goes. Physics C is broken up into two AP exams, Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism. If she’s self-studying and it’s too much, it would still be impressive to self-study just the Mechanics portion over the course of a year. This would provide a half-year of college credit.</p>
<p>I think mythmom put it very well. Good writing and excellent standardized test scores will clarify that her academics are sound in the greater scheme of things, not just in the context of a noncompetitive high school. I also think it’s important see what your D’s other strengths are since even among academic standouts it’s the other factors that can make a difference. she should keep up her good work and follow her enthusiasms.</p>
<p>NewHope,
Tulane offers a good number of merit scholarships and they seem to have been linked to SAT scores in the past. As someone pointed out previously, it would be of great benefit to her to score highly on the SAT’s in order to validate her GPA/ranking. [Scholarships</a> and Grants](<a href=“http://financialaid.tulane.edu/idxscholarships.htm]Scholarships”>http://financialaid.tulane.edu/idxscholarships.htm)</p>
<p>I agree with mythmom. If your D can show a passion that sets her apart it will help a lot. I won’t go into the details, but my son did this. His essay was not the typical, “How I won the race”, or “My first time on stage”, or “The season our team came in first place”. In other words, it stood out as unique and one could tell that my son’s essay was genuine. I think his essay did a lot for him, as well as his college interviews (he comes across well in person). To the OP, if you’d like to know how how my son approached his essays, feel free to send a PM.</p>
<p>NewHope, is she particularly looking for a math/science major in college? If not, I wouldn’t worry about AP Chem/Physics if they aren’t offered at her school. My math/CS kid only took one AP science, and not til senior year. S2 took AB Calc junior year and Stat senior year (which is actually more useful for his intended major than BC Calc).</p>
<p>To piggyback on what mythie said, the essays are key to standing out. S1 had to put together a resume junior year for applying for research internships, and it was so helpful to him in organizing his thoughts. I had S2 do the same thing – and he connected a lot of dots that helped him create the “big picture” for his essays. Turns out those wildly different ECs and interests had some underlying common interests/talents/
ways of thinking that gave really different essays a lot of cohesion. Having that resume also helps when it comes to apps – better to get that info organized early!!</p>
<p>S2 did this the summer before senior year. The toughest part of the essay process (at least for my kids) was developing the willingness to let their hair down and expose themselves (pardon the pun). It involved a lot of time sitting under trees, writing on Facebook, etc. – but the final product really showed what he’s all about.</p>
<p>Excellent SAT-II scores on subject tests would also help validate her grades.</p>
<p>What makes your D tick does not begin with freshman year of HS.</p>
<p>By way of example, both of my kids had long-standing interests that dated back to early elem. school. They worked that into their essays – for one, it was about how he developed a passion for programming; for the other, it was a specialized local camp he first attended at age nine that developed into a major source of community service (and is now somewhat related to his career plans) as he volunteered there every summer as he got older.</p>
<p>If she thinks well on her feet/interviews well, encourage her to interview with as many of the schools on her list as possible.</p>