word of caution for U Chicago applicants

nemom
Sat, 03 Oct 2009 02:15:23 +0000

As a mom who is edging into the waters, and therefore fooling with data a good bit, I’ll note that I’ve noticed that a considerable percentage of kids do not submit class rank. (You can find out percentages by looking at the common data set.) So, for example, if only 30% of the applicants submit class rank, it may not be a very valid measure.
I’m not sure how to handle the GPA. The range in rigor in high school classes is tremendous. I’ve seen classes that are not even officially honors which require far more than AP classes. I know of teachers that never curve. I know of other teachers that curve hugely - a AP class that had a high B average , yet not a single kid got a 4 on the exam.