<p>Question for you all . . . . . . in your schools, are the top kids gpa/rank-wise generally the same kids that are also the high test scorers? </p>
<p>The reason I ask is that we just learned about a new full-ride scholarship tOSU is offering to 40 instate/10 oos kids, and to qualify, you must be in the top 3% of class and have a 34+ on the ACT so S qualifies. He said only one other kid in the school has a 34+ and hes not in the top 3%, and most the kids that have a 30+ are not the same kids in the top of the class. So he seems to think that he has a good shot at it. I wonder if this phenomenon is everywhere, or just in his school. </p>
<p>Ahsmuoh not sure if you knew about it its called the Eminence. Its not listed on tOSUs scholarship page. Someone posted a press release on CC recently. Class of 2012 is the first to get it. S wasn’t even going to apply because they typically don’t do much aid, but now he thinks it’s worth a shot.</p>
<p>Good morning 13’ers!</p>
<p>Congratulations on all who improved on the SATs, and condolences to all who aren’t happy with scores. I also hate that so much rides on the performance one test.</p>
<p>Congrats on the awards - Billiards, I love it!</p>
<p>DD is feeling better today. I kept her home today, to rest that brain and body! I had to wake her a few times last night to check on her, so we were both tired. She just got up a little bit ago and says that her headache has lessened and no dizziness. She asked to go to school (and I know she wanted to go so she could go to the softball game today, even if she can’t play.) She is royally ****ed at me now because I told her no.
In the scheme of things, missing this one day is tiny, but I don’t want to take a chance after everything I’ve read about girls and concussion. Even though she wouldn’t play, I want to keep her away from any stray ball or flying bats! Am I being overly cautious?</p>
<p>It’s going to be a rough day here - the daggers she is shooting my way are very sharp!</p>
<p>annie, I’d let her go to the game as long as she stays in the dugout. And I’d go and watch “the game.” But I’d really be keeping an eye on her. 
Glad that she’s feeling better.</p>
<p>Annie, I would have done the same think. You’re exactly right to be cautious.
Mommy, I am not sure who ranks where here since the county does not rank. D should be at the top, certainly top 10% but her test scores sure don’t mirror her grades. Other kids who don’t even always make honor roll are hitting home runs on the SATs. It’s driving D mad.</p>
<p>anniez: Sending my thoughts your way anniez. I would do the same- even if it means to be overly cautious. Health comes first. </p>
<p>MommyDearest: At my S’s school, they don’t rank- they do only decille and dont let us know until August. I am assuming that there will be a lot of over lap- high SAT high GPA kids and then few kids with HIGH SAT with slightly lower GPA (like my son) or with high GPA with low SAT.</p>
<p>S’13 was called to the counselors office with all of the other NM commended students. He said that it was “all of the usual suspects”, although he did comment that 2 of his friends (who have high grades) were missing. But, typically, at our school, there are only one or two NM semi-finalists and they are also in top 10. We don’t usually have any NM finalists! I really don’t know what kind of SAT scores the kids receive. They dont share with one another.</p>
<p>Very few kids at our school take SAT prep, other than the subsidized course offered through the district. D’10 started the course but quit after the first 2 sessions. It was really just supervised practice tests. S’13 didn’t even attempt it.</p>
<p>Thanks. </p>
<p>Regarding GPA, I think it puts way too much pressure as well. DD is currently ranked 11th out of 155 (I think) but she is likely going to slip this year because of other student AP classes and one B. When I first saw her rank I thought "great, nowhere to go but down…)</p>
<p>In her high school, rank is based on weighted gpa.</p>
<p>In my niece’s (much larger) high school, GPA was based on unweighted rank. As a result, my niece didn’t make the top 10%, even though weighted, she was at the top of her class and had the most impressive college acceptance list in the school.</p>
<p>I don’t know everyone’s rank or SAT score, but I’d say there’s a bit of a split. The super overachievers will be tops at both. Kids like my ds, an overachiever but not fanatical, takes the harder classes so has the lower GPA but that pays off with top SAT scores because of the preparation. Others, who are worried about GPA so take the lower-level classes, don’t do as well on the SAT, but they might have a higher rank.</p>
<p>MommyDearest13: at our school it’s kind of weird, if you take an AP course it is weighted and multiplied by 1.333, so a 4.0 becomes a 5.32. This years 1st and 3rd ranked kids (which every one in town knows because seniors who scores a 4.0 or higher are listed in the paper with their gpa and their picture - no pressure there!) also scored 34s on ACT. 2nd ranked student had much lower test score (she’s S’s friend and shared with him). She took a LOT of AP courses online, other 2 did not. We offer about 10 APs I think. According to DS’s friend if you make a mistake, online class allows you to correct your mistakes and get an A. As a parent I could careless if you get an A in the class and then don’t get a good score on the AP exam! I was told for incoming freshmen online APs will no longer be weighted.</p>
<p>Walker: LOVE the maniacal laugh!</p>
<p>Anniezz: So sorry for your DD! I haven’t let S’16 practice soccer yet either and he is less than happy with me too!</p>
<p>Just had a panic moment! Realized on this forum my kids are S’13, S’16, D’18, S’23 and D’26. WTH!!!</p>
<p>Oh my God momma! D’26??!?!? That just makes me laugh. You’ll be the Queen of CC by then. Forget the Ask the Dean section, it will be ‘Ask Momma’!</p>
<p>Annie - Glad to hear your D is feeling better. I agree that letting her go to the game is ok but remind her not to overdo it jumping and cheering and stuff.</p>
<p>SAT Subject Test scores weren’t too shabby
760 on Math II
770 US History</p>
<p>And with that Jr is officially done with test taking until next year’s AP’s.
Screw the hugs…just get me to the Mimosas!!!
Off to catch up on the previous 3 pages on this thread :)</p>
<p>TX5: Congrats on a great banquet and to your S’s awards!!! Way to go!!!</p>
<p>I am wondering whether our school administration is smart or pandering with its ranking system. To stop students gaming or becoming too competitive, any student with a 4.0 or above is ranked #1 and is called a valedictorian. APs and IB classes are weighted one point higher but the honors classes are not. HS classes taken in middle school are not weighted either. I think the pushy parents like it because their kids are frequently the vals. I suppose I will be one with D13. They basically put all the Vals who are interested in speaking at graduation into a hat and randomly choose one to give a speech.</p>
<p>On the one hand, this many-vals is great because it minimizes competition to be the #1 student–an honor that really matters to no one. The school figures that the very selective colleges will look beyond rank/GPA and pay attention to the rigor more than grades. On the other hand, I find it a bit weird to have up to 10 percent of the class into the category of valedictorian (we are heavy IB/AP school with lots of high achieving kids with type-A families). Sort of like giving a trophy to kids every time they just participate in a sporting event. Also, the kids think that grades, scores and honors equal intellectual achievement and begin to think if they get val they are guaranteed admission into top schools …one kid said to my son who had no special awards at Graduation–how did you get into top 20 school if you weren’t even a val or graduated with honors? In fact my son did not even finish in the top 20 percent of the class…to me that indicates serious grade inflation since he had a WGPA of 3.7… I think many of teh vals are going to get a shock when they get to college and find they are not actually geniuses.</p>
<p>Ann: NO…you can never be to cautious when it comes to a head injury. H had a concussion a few years ago and suffered with Post Concusive Disorder for a good 6 months or so. Give her lots of good wishes from us in So Cal :)</p>
<p>famm, at ds’s school, about 35% of the class would be a val under that scenario!</p>
<p>MDmom, congrats on the great scores.</p>
<p>Thought I’d report back that all the tests for ds came back negative – not mono, no infection. So what caused the 101 fever? Weird. We’ll just have ot watch for recurring issues. When I was 17 I was diagnosed with IBS. I think we’ll keep a real close eye on his diet …</p>
<p>Our state has a state wide GPA system. No online courses. For us the Val, Sal etc. is really the kid who took the hardest classes and made the best grades. On transcripts kids are listed rank without weighting and with weighting. For example w/o weighting son is 1/423 as are the two who are really ahead of him. With weighting he is ranked 3/423. Weighted gpa is used for Val, Sal. There is no way to game the system for the top spots. Now you can throw in a bunch of PE’s and get a higher GPA but that isn’t going to change at least the top 20 or 30. The state also determines cutoffs for honor graduates.</p>
<p>Hi Everyone! I’m a long-time lurker who is now de-lurking. </p>
<p>I have a question about AP test scores. I understand that we should get the results sometime in July. My D’13 will probably take additional AP tests next year. If all goes as expected with regards to choice of college, I would hope that she will go for orientation/class scheduling sometime in June '13. Does anyone know if the colleges receive the AP results sooner than July so that scheduling can be done?</p>
<p>fineartsmom: I appreciate the schools motive in that it is trying to minimize the unhealthy competition between students and you identified correctly in kids misunderstanding/not able to distinguish between intellectual knowledge and grades. I think most compitition in high schools stems from the fact that you are competing against a student from your school to get a spot at X college. So if one of the classmates have a 50 more SAT points, students feel pressured to keep up. I am not sure how far this is true about competing from students from one’s school.</p>
<p>Promom: Yes, the colleges receive them before you do. Lot’s of times they will post them on the student’s portal before the student receives them.</p>
<p>SATs: Congrats on all the great scores and sorry to those disappointed. D1 was a horrible multiple choice type test taker. Her SAT’s first round were about 1400 and second round about 1600. She just graduated from college with a degree in Math and a3.45 GPA (which would have been much higher if not for the semester prior to her back surgery). So the SAT is not everything!</p>