<p>Just wondering with everything centered around GPAs right now, what class are not included in the GPA at your kids’ high schools? Do you wish all classes were included or not? Would it make a difference in their GPA? Also, do adcoms really care about grades in those classes?</p>
<p>Some that don’t count here are sports, fine arts, newspaper/yearbook, some computer, school tv and aides. I don’t know if student teaching counts or not.</p>
<p>We were told that one class son was taking would count and that was the deciding factor in taking it. However, after 1st sem GPA was posted he learned it wasn’t counted. Since his other classes are weighted with AP, then it’s best in GPA terms that that one class, even with a 100, isn’t counted. </p>
<p>Also, do colleges care about grades in those classes? One teacher has been a horse’s rear since freshman year in not helping the students but taking their glory for herself. Son is, quite literally, the star of the class and is putting the hs on the map. However, last week the teacher not only stabbed him in the back but turned the knife so next year, senior son isn’t going to continue to get the teacher brownie points at contests or show up for non-required events but only do what he wants for himself. I’m afraid his “non-counted” grade will drop but then I agree with his stand.</p>
<p>At D’s HS, they only count Junior and Senior year in 5 major subjects for gpa. I’m upset because she got good grades in freshman and sophomore years!</p>
<p>He’s only going to do the events he wants to do this next year rather than do every single one like he’s done every year. He’s not going to devote all his after school hours to that class anymore.</p>
<p>His grade will most likely drop, not because he will be doing any less than the others but the teacher will be mad because he isn’t doing all that he’s done before. After the backstabbing, he bowed out of a non-required event which made teacher mad. I’m sure the adcoms will wonder why the lower grades ---- wait, they won’t see them since he’ll hopefully already have his early acceptance so no worries.</p>
<p>2bizee - So you’re saying a kid could have gotten C’s in his freshman and sophomore years but based on his excellent junior and senior grades he could be val/sal? Wow. That’s crazy.</p>
<p>At S’s school, arts classes as well as health/phys ed are not counted in the GPA. Until recently, arts grades didn’t even show up on the transcript; the parent arts support group was finally able to convince the administration to rectify that this year. As a member of that group, I’ve been among those advocating for us to lobby the administration to count arts classes in the GPA, but we are hearing that we will encounter strong resistance from parents whose kids’ GPAs would be pulled down by an unweighted A in orchestra. I find this somehow hilarious, until I consider the much larger group of kids (including my own) whose GPAs would be pulled up by that same unweighted A–and then it doesn’t seem so funny any more.</p>
<p>At D’s high school, gym and drivers’ ed don’t count toward GPA, although they are reported on the transcript. They don’t have classes for sports, yearbook, etc. , but they do for band and orchestra, and those grades do count. Everything other than gym and drivers’ ed counts. I don’t think gym and drivers’ ed should count, nor do I think ad coms give those grades any consideration.</p>
<p>At my school, PE, lower level tech ed (such as culinary or auto exploratory (as opposed to major), ASL, some senior english electives, and various other electives don’t count. It’s generally not a broad based policy, it really depends on the class.</p>
We don’t even have most of those offerings. As far as I can tell gym and maybe the one semester of health are the only classes my kids have taken that doesn’t count. What the transcript says is that they count only “academic classes”, but it’s pretty clear that the arts (both visual and performing) program (for which there is a special diploma recognition) does count. There may be some tech courses that don’t count.</p>