The 10 toughest schools to get into are...

[DocRafiki]

BH - you have no PM button??? I do appreciate your kind words.

 

[DocRafiki]

As for the over-4.0 grade scale, it was my understanding that very few high schools did that, and that those kids' grades were scaled back down by the admissions people so they could compare them with schools on a 4.0 scale.

 

[ead79]

DocRafiki, I'm not sure how many schools do it, other than knowing that all the schools in this immediate area do so. I have never heard about college admissions boards scaling the grades back down. They might, but I do believe they take into account how challenging the coursework was. In other words, they give preference to students who took advanced courses and earned nearly all A's with a few B's over someone who got all A's in regular classes, but wasn't viewed as having challenged themselves.

 

[my3kids]

DocRafiki is correct. Many selective colleges and universities are beginning to not look at the weighted GPA but the actual grade on a 4.0 scale. This is a relatively new phenomia, and will affect many who are currently enrolled in AP or Honors classes.

That said, admissions offices absolutely do look at the course the student took versus the levels of courses available.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

My niece had a weighted GPA last year at her high school.

It is the same grading scale in our county.

Lori

 

[my3kids]

This is the US News & World Report listing of the top colleges in the country:

Sort by: Rank
1. Williams College (MA)
2. Amherst College (MA)
3. Swarthmore College (PA)
4. Carleton College (MN)
Pomona College (CA)
Wellesley College (MA)
7. Davidson College (NC)
Middlebury College (VT)
9. Haverford College (PA)
10. Bowdoin College (ME)
11. Wesleyan University (CT)
12. Claremont McKenna College (CA)
Washington and Lee University (VA)
14. Vassar College (NY)
15. Grinnell College (IA)
Smith College (MA)

 

[danacara]

Originally posted by my3kids
This is the US News & World Report listing of the top colleges in the country:

Sort by: Rank
1. Williams College (MA)
2. Amherst College (MA)
3. Swarthmore College (PA)
4. Carleton College (MN)
Pomona College (CA)
Wellesley College (MA)
7. Davidson College (NC)
Middlebury College (VT)
9. Haverford College (PA)
10. Bowdoin College (ME)
11. Wesleyan University (CT)
12. Claremont McKenna College (CA)
Washington and Lee University (VA)
14. Vassar College (NY)
15. Grinnell College (IA)
Smith College (MA)

All great schools, but this is the list of top small liberal arts colleges, not top colleges in general.

Friends who have gone there absolutely rave about Davidson. They have tee-shirts there that say "Davidson - Princeton of the South." We're not so sure, hey, but if it makes them happy

MIT gave me no money at all. They offered about a sixth of what Princeton offered. I think they channel all of their money into research as opposed to undergraduate support. Still, I loved it there when I visited. They put me up in a fantastic sorority house.

I am surprised at Dan's anti-Harvard sentiment. There must be a good story behind that one

Dana

PS - can't resist ... at the top of my lungs ... WITH EVERY HEART AND EVERY VOICE, bid every care withdraw! Let all with one accord rejoice, in praise, of old, Nassau! In praise of old Nassau we sing, hurrah hurrah hurrah ... our hearts will give as we shall live, three cheers, for old, Nassau ... Princeton Princeton Princeton! (after every game, every show, etc ... I miss that!)

 

[my3kids]

Yes, that is the US News rankings of liberal arts colleges, not small liberal arts colleges....all liberal arts colleges. I mentioned they differentiate between various classifications of higher education, the only way to really make a fair comparison. Trying to equate Northwestern to Washington & Lee doesn't make any sense...they are both top tier at what they are.

This is doctoral universities, their other national classification:

Sort by: Rank
1. Harvard University (MA)
Princeton University (NJ)
3. Yale University (CT) 4. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology
5. California Institute of Technology
Duke University (NC)
Stanford University (CA)
University of Pennsylvania
9. Dartmouth College (NH)
Washington University in St. Louis
11. Columbia University (NY)
Northwestern University (IL)
13. University of Chicago
14. Cornell University (NY)
Johns Hopkins University (MD)