We did. It was cute! (and fast!)
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What about Flagler or Jax U or UNF? Are these targets for students with this GPA? I know UNF will require SAT so thatās a crapshoot. Anyone familiar with the areas or anything about these schools ? Thank you.
The College Boardās website might be helpful for GPA questions.
On the admissions tab, it will list percentage of students by GPA, which (I assume) it takes from the schoolās Common Data Set. So for Flagler college it shows this (source):
One of the issues with Common Data Sets and GPA is that some colleges use weighted GPAs while others use an unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale. If 90+ percent of students are at a 4.0 and its admissions rate isnāt in the single digits, then I assume itās weighted. Looking at Flagerās info, Iām assuming these are unweighted numbers, and could be a reachier option for a kid in this GPA range.
Of course, referring to the source is always a best practice. Section C11 has the GPA information, and for the upcoming yearās data set, should be released by students who submitted a test score and students who didnāt (source to download the CDS template of choice, whether Word, Excel, PDF):
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Yes! The problem is determining if they use weighted or unweighted. I figured the same as you: if they accept like 90% of students but most have GPA of 3.7 then I assume to be weighted. Itās so confusing and I wish there was some asterisk somewhere to let us know what data they are using. Thank you for the info.
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I donāt know whether it said this on previous CDS sets, but the directions on this one do indicate that the college should share GPAs on a 4.0 scale, which to me sounds like, use an unweighted GPA.
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If any of the supportive parents in this thread have suggestions for merit possibilities for a 3.48 student, please consider contributing to their thread linked below. 
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The instructions have said this for a number of years. Some schools clearly ignore itā¦I definitely have seen a number of higher acceptance schools with a large percentage of enrolled students with perfect 4.0 on a CDS. That fails sniff test to meā¦College advisors have told me same ā that it is sometimes listed as weighted on CDS, and we donāt even know what scale they use or what they include.
I always assumed as some schools donāt actually have easy access to pure UW if they had recalculated for admissions purposesā¦and, of course, some kids donāt even have UW GPAs on transcriptsā¦
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If your kids need a confidence boost, we have found Niche direct admissions kind of fun to see! Lots of matches for my kid with a GPA in this rangeā¦some with substantial merit. Kid has followed up with some to complete the full acceptance processā¦ It is nice to have an acceptance in hand! The school isnāt our kids 1st choice, but honestly think theyād be fine attend the school.
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Also a tip - if you add the DA schools to school list, you are more likely to get the āofferā of acceptance. As soon as kid added 2, they got instant offers. Some proactively sent them, and some only do if you add them it seemsā¦
This list of hidden gems might be of interest to this group (my own kid is at one listed here and having a good experienceā¦)
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at least a few of those are on Niche Direct admissions and made my kids āoffersā list too!
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Im excited for our next college tour this weekend. Fit is always important but finding it is even more so with D25. I have already learned that I canāt totally guess how she will feel about a school after a tour. Last set of tours the ones I thought she would like most dropped to the bottom and the one I added on just because we had time ended up being her favorite so far.
She thought she wanted a safe tight knit campus but Stockton was too isolated for her. Rider was fine but she has liked other schools more. I added on Saint Josephās which she hadnāt even looked at before we went because she saw āPhillyā and thought it would be too urban. When the tour showed a nicer suburb plus compact campus and many service opportunities, she really felt like she would thrive there.
This weekend we are pushing to see how many acres is ātoo bigā for her and seeing if she maybe does want a bit of school spirit and sports at Central Michigan U. Cost wise we could likely get it to around 20k/yr which would be within range. We are going to eat the residence hall food and go to a football game this tour. D25 is excited there is a Tropical Smoothie Cafe across the street from campus.
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My D was accepted to Susquehanna University with a $44,000 presidential scholarship bringing COA to $32,000ish. She has an unweighted 3.25 GPA and a weighted 3.47. Thereās some really great schools out there who would love to have our kids in this range. She was test optional for all apps. Itās her number 2 school and has really boosted her confidence to know a school really wants her just as she is.
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This x1000. Helping our children realize there are many amazing schools that want them just as they are is super powerful.
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Hi everyone- so much of what has been posted above describes my S25 who is a 3.0 student and frequently drops below that to then rush to get grades back up. My life is a roller coaster watching this all unfold and we as parents worry every day, afraid S25 might not be able to manage college.
The focus has been on small, religious LACs as this is the environment S25 wants to be in.
What has helped your kids the most with being on top of assignments and homework?Weāve tried getting S25 to use a planner several times to no avail. Or at some point is it best to just cut them lose to figure it out on their own?
S25 has also struggled with staying on top of assignments 9th-11th. He has tried a couple of different options to see what he thought worked best. I like an app for personal stuff and used Excel at work so letting him know to choose something that works for him with the tools that are most accessible. He did end up liking the planner over apps as he likes to write things down and see everything laid out. He has a dry erase board to write down weekly assignments/ reminders. Also used sticky notes for reminders or a to do list.
It was important for him to choose as it was frustrating before since he wasnāt sticking with anything consistently. I thought about just cutting him loose, but figured this would be the last opportunity before college and he was willing to try at this point. Will probably start pulling back 2nd semester if things are going well.
Good luck and let us know if you find anything else that has been helpful.
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S23 improved as HS came to a close and now that he is studying what he wants, it is less of an issue. I see some evidence that he spaces stuff, but rarely now. He is a strong student and good communicator so typically gets some grace from professors near as I can see.
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Need some advice/opinions.
My son has A+ through B- on his transcript and no Cās. All CP courses with one honors each year (French). Now senior year he is taking honors Anatomy and Physiology for his science and AP Psychology and AP art studio. He has a C+ in the anatomy and C+ in Precalculus as final grade for Q1.
I confirmed with his guidance counselor that they send Q1 grades to the colleges. I kept hearing it was only mid year grades in January but our school sends Q1. So now the schools will see these C+. Seems a bit odd that some schools send Q1 and some donāt. It could work in your favor obviously but they wonāt have each applicantās Q1 grade to make fair assessments.
My question: Should he email the admissions counselors at each school and explain that he added some rigor senior year to explain the grades or should he not draw attention to it?
I would not draw attention to it. I think unless thereās a family emergency or something really drastic going on, itās best just to leave the application for the admissions officers to interpret. They can see that heās added more rigor and thatās great!
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As Iāve mentioned up thread, our state has now implemented Direct Admissions. High schools can opt to participate, and D25ās high school does. Unless a family opts out, the high school sends all their seniorsā transcripts to ~50 participating 2 and 4 year colleges across the state. In October, students receive an individualized list of schools that have accepted them. At that point, students click on the schools that interest them, and then they have officially applied. It is free, and there are no essays or LORs required (except for a few majors at a few schools.)
We spent 15 minutes last night with D25 going over the list, picking the schools, and clicking the boxes. Then you just hit āsubmit.ā Very easy and stress free. A lot of quality schools participate. Actually only about 4 schools donāt participate (Carleton, Macalester, St. Olaf, UMN-Twin Cities) and she isnāt interested in these schools anyway.
Iāll keep updating with any further steps or details.
She may also apply to a couple of schools in Portland where we have family, but is unsure.
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