Is anyone else's kid struggling?

Colleges & Universities Vanderbilt University
39

<p>@SusieAnn, I definitely understand your decision. Just make sure the state school you attend can still open doors for you.</p>

<p>@bud123 Perhaps this is the case with med schools. For other graduate programs and employers, GPA and test score is almost all that matters. Writing bs application essays and getting dime-a-dozen recommendations don’t make or break an applicant, but gpa and tests score usually can and do.</p>

<p>Business School: <a href=“http://poetsandquants.com/2013/08/01/inflated-gpas-good-for-mba-applicants/”>http://poetsandquants.com/2013/08/01/inflated-gpas-good-for-mba-applicants/&lt;/a&gt; (so MUCH honesty, I wish i had written this article myself)
Law School: <a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/law-admissions-lowdown/2012/11/12/learn-the-5-deciding-factors-in-law-school-admissions”>http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/law-admissions-lowdown/2012/11/12/learn-the-5-deciding-factors-in-law-school-admissions&lt;/a&gt; (GPA is #2, still pretty honest because the lsat is a big deal)
Employers: <a href=“Those Low Grades in College May Haunt Your Job Search - The New York Times”>Those Low Grades in College May Haunt Your Job Search - The New York Times; (8 years old, but still true)</p>

<p>Facts are facts. It’s all about the numbers and rankings. The same prestige-wh*<em>i</em>g, numbers-competition that Vanderbilt engages in at the undergrad level (i.e. getting students with great hs GPAs and test scores) is EXACTLY what grad schools have to do to compete in THEIR rankings. So yes, if you’re trying to get acceptance to Harvard Law, it’s still better to have a 3.99 at State U and a 173 LSAT score than a 3.01 at Vanderbilt and a 175 LSAT score.</p>

<p>Employers do the same thing, but they narrow it to schools. So if McKinsey, Goldman, Google, etc. doesn’t recruit at your school, it doesn’t matter what your GPA is. If they do, it matters…along with other factors, but it’s still their easiest way to weed people.</p>

<p>We all know it’s a game. Vanderbilt needs to play ball. All the other top schools do. That’s how they stay on top.</p>