What do you consider an excellent average for teens?

[saratogadreamin09]

honestly, at least around here. Colleges don't exactly look at freshman year. The one my school sends out is your overall 10-12 GPA.

Everything Ive ever read is your high school years. High school is 9-12

 

[Cinderella94]

Everything Ive ever read is your high school years. High school is 9-12

That's true, but we've always considered freshmen year to be the least important, just like a previous poster.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

Freshman year... and usually the last half of your senior year as well.

 

[Cinderella94]

Freshman year... and usually the last half of your senior year as well.

The last half of the year for seniors at my school is basically a joke. Maybe not half, but at least quarter. Once they get their acceptance letters, they don't care.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

The last half of the year for seniors at my school is basically a joke. Maybe not half, but at least quarter. Once they get their acceptance letters, they don't care.

Isn't that the truth. We were sweating with my dd graduating early however it didn't matter.

Your JR year is your most important yr.

 

[saratogadreamin09]

Isn't that the truth. We were sweating with my dd graduating early however it didn't matter.

Your JR year is your most important yr.

So, I'll be taking 3 junior classes next year. Will they count towards being mosti mportant or will the 3 senior calsses I take junior year count?

 

[bluesaturn]

I just finished 9th grade, 96 was my overall avergae for 9th grade. All of my grades except one (stupid bio) were A's, and that one was a B. My class ranking is in the top 12 but I have no clue where. I'm taking 3 advanced classes, and 2 honor classes

I havent taken the PSAT's yet (i'll be taking them in october). I took the NEDT's and they predicted my ACT and SAT scores but I cant remember them off the top of my head.

I do a bit of community service at my church, I altar serve, and help out with dinners and other functions. Ive speant my whole life working on a farm and have experince doing farm work and learning values on the farm. I play softball and volleybal in school and am a member of SADD club.


Enough info?

My dream schools would probably be Georgetown and BC

College can be a crapshoot. Especially for the highly competitive schools. There are tons of kids with high GPAs/averages, involved in sports and volunteering and activities. So they just have to pick, and sometimes it can seem quite arbitrary. You just can't say, if you have a 4.3 you will get into Georgetown. Your acceptance can also depend on the "diversity" you bring to the school, which you probably can't control.

At this point in high school, you should just keep doing what you are doing. Focus on doing well on the PSATs (which will help prepare you for the SATs), getting those As, and getting involved in things you are interested in. Keep reading up on schools that interest you. I think one mistake most high schoolers make is getting set on one particular school and not keeping their mind open to what else is out there. Good luck!

 

[bluesaturn]

So, I'll be taking 3 junior classes next year. Will they count towards being mosti mportant or will the 3 senior calsses I take junior year count?

They mean your actual junior year of high school. So your third year of high school, whatever classes you took and grades you got will be considered especially important. Most because that's the latest thing you've done by the time you turn in your applications.

 

[Cinderella94]

They mean your actual junior year of high school. So your third year of high school, whatever classes you took and grades you got will be considered especially important.

Yep!

This is correct, as well as the other poster who said junior year is the one that really matters.

So, OP, the 3 senior classes you take your junior year, as well as whatever other classes you take that year, will count the most.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Here is 2008 requirements for Georgetown...

Admissions Data (2008):
Percent of Applicants Admitted: 19%
Test Scores -- 25th / 75th Percentile
SAT Critical Reading: 620 / 730
SAT Math: 630 / 730
SAT Writing: - / -

ACT Composite: 28 / 32
ACT English: 28 / 34
ACT Math: 27 / 33

You can go to www.collegeboard.com for the information that you are looking for.


As for my opinion, your grades are great and you should be proud of them...

Keep up the good work!

 

[PollyannaMom]

I think of 95 and above as excellent.

 

[allison443]

What is your class rank-I know you said you are in the top 12, what percentage is that? Like top 10%, or whatever?
Are your honors and advanced classes weighted when your class rank is computed?

My dd had two friends apply to BC this year, both had super high gpas with all advanced and AP classes, one kid was ranked third and one was fourth in the class of about 200 students. The one ranked third got in, the one ranked fourth did not get in. Both had varsity sports, community service, clubs, etc. It's hard to find a rational explanation sometimes.

Keep working hard and good luck!

 

[mumom95]

I have no idea what a 96 on a 0-4 scale is


Im taking 3 advanced classes and 2 honors classes, so Im not taking easy classes.

So is a 96 good? What kind of colleges would take that?

My sister is a associate dean at one of major public universities in this country. She was telling me the other day that larger Universities really have no way of distinguishing between honors and regular classes. They can usually tell AP classes because of the added GPA weight, but that if a kid gets a B in just an honors level course, it doesn't look as good as the kid that got the A in the regular level, because all the university sees is the A and the B, they don't know one class was honors and one wasn't.

She did say this is different in the smaller universities where they can sit down and look at the actual transcript.

 

[Sparx]

My sister is a associate dean at one of major public universities in this country. She was telling me the other day that larger Universities really have no way of distinguishing between honors and regular classes. They can usually tell AP classes because of the added GPA weight, but that if a kid gets a B in just an honors level course, it doesn't look as good as the kid that got the A in the regular level, because all the university sees is the A and the B, they don't know one class was honors and one wasn't.

She did say this is different in the smaller universities where they can sit down and look at the actual transcript.

as a college freshman, who just did teh whole college/scholarship application i can tell you that i never once, in the millions of pieces of paper i filled out, was i ever asked for my WEIGHTED gpa. colleges want UNweighted. class rank isn't very important either. my graduating class had 11 valedictorians.

i also work in a high school, and i'm the one that sends the transcripts to your sister. they are so loaded with information, i think they're only kept to prove that required classes were taken, and an offical gpa.

 

[ericamanda01]

The thing about really great colleges, they don't just look at your grades and the classes you have taken, they look at everything. They want to see what you did outside of class. Volunteer work, sports, hobbies, clubs, everything. Taking AP classes and acing them won't get you very far, because there are plenty of people that do that. They want the people that go the extra mile. You have to make yourself stand out.

 

[shortbun]

3.6 or 96 would be what I'd require to consider it 'excellent.' 4.0 or higher would be better/outstanding.

 

[golfgal]

I agree that a lot of colleges are not looking at weighted GPA's any longer. I do know that in DS16's class the kids are in an uproar over the #1 kid in the class because she is not taking honors/AP courses. She won't actually end up being the #1 kid because at graduation they weight the grades for that but for now it looks like she is #1.

Having a good GPA, many extra activities and being a good all-around student/citizen is going to be your best bet to get into school. I know plenty of 4.0's with no extras that had a hard time getting into college but I don't know of any B students that were involved kids that didn't get into their first choice of schools.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I wanted to add that in TX they have the top 10% rule. It does matter where you graduate and what your rank was.

And frankly when my dd was applying it did matter what her rank was.

They based her admission on her rank + her SAT score to get in.

ETA.....

If you want to scare yourself you can go to College Confidential.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/

 

[claudia]

I have no idea what a 96 on a 0-4 scale is


Im taking 3 advanced classes and 2 honors classes, so Im not taking easy classes.

So is a 96 good? What kind of colleges would take that?

Just remember that it's not only the grades that are taken into consideration, it will be your class rank, rigor of your courseload, SAT or ACT scores, as well as your extracurriculars. Also your essays and teacher recommendations will play a big part.

 

[claudia]

I just finished 9th grade, 96 was my overall avergae for 9th grade. All of my grades except one (stupid bio) were A's, and that one was a B. My class ranking is in the top 12 but I have no clue where. I'm taking 3 advanced classes, and 2 honor classes

I havent taken the PSAT's yet (i'll be taking them in october). I took the NEDT's and they predicted my ACT and SAT scores but I cant remember them off the top of my head.

I do a bit of community service at my church, I altar serve, and help out with dinners and other functions. Ive speant my whole life working on a farm and have experince doing farm work and learning values on the farm. I play softball and volleybal in school and am a member of SADD club.


Enough info?

My dream schools would probably be Georgetown and BC

go to collegeboard.com and check out the schools that you are interested in. For these schools you would need to have an SAT score of at least 2100-2200 or an ACT of 30-33, take the most rigorous classes that your school offers and ace them (keep your average at least where it is right now), stay in the top 10% and stay just as involved as your are with your sports and volunteer work. Joining the Honor Society when you are eligible would be a good idea as well. Another site you can check out is CollegeData.com once you have taken your PSAT's.....