how to interpret GPA stats college provide for their admitted students.

[sacchi]

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Why are graduation rates listed as graduating in 5 or 6 years? I’d like to know the 4 year graduation rate so maybe I wouldn’t have to pay an additional 50K.

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<p>You can find the 4 year graduation rates (and a lot of other useful info) on NCES College Navigator
[College</a> Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics](<a href=“http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/]College”>College Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics)</p>

[starbright]

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I think high schools that don’t rank per say still send along information that lets the school know where the students fits in their high school class (top 5%, 10%, 25%, etc). It they didn’t, I would think they would be at a disadvantage with the top schools.

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<p>Kids school doesn’t do this- and does nothing at all that indicates rank because the school is too small, too selective, and variation is tiny. They place students very well despite not ranking in any way shape or form. It also really mellows the school environment; students are competing with themselves instead of comparing over their shoulder with someone else in the class (who really isn’t relevant in the big scheme of things).</p>

[starbright]

<p>

my point was that for a venture that can cost as much as a house, you would think there would be more info out there by both high schools, colleges and the feds. Why are graduation rates listed as graduating in 5 or 6 years? I’d like to know the 4 year graduation rate so maybe I wouldn’t have to pay an additional 50K.

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<p>I share your frustration yet it is what people are willing to put up with. Regarding 4 year, I think only useful it additional information is provided since college can take longer than 4 years for lots of desirable reasons too (co-ops, study abroad, and other wonderful opoprtunities that the best schools provide).</p>

[starbright]

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High Schools around the country are pretty well known by the top colleges.

Kids from unknown high schools, don’t despair. There are many, many high schools around the country. Top colleges just can’t know all of them. Still, these colleges do accept students from unknown high schools – schools that are brand new, mediocre, and even just plain lousy. A strong profile certainly helps a college understand the student in context. But mostly it’s about an individual student who has taken advantage of the available opportunities.

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<p>SOME highschools are well known to top colleges, but I do not believe that most universities know the vast majority of the 21,000 highschools in the country. They might want you to believe they do- it makes them seem so much more fair and diligent and as if each student is understood and hand picked. But it’s beyond their ability and not even in their interest to really know that level of detail. Why? Because it doesn’t matter for them- top schools could probably take any subset of the top 40% of applicants with XX SAT and XX grades and have a very capable, wonderful cohort indistinguishable from the next. The odds of ‘error’ here, from there point of view, is pretty low.</p>