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Woodland Mist Academy

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Posts posted by Woodland Mist Academy

    Common App: Optional Questions

    in The College Board

    Posted

    I have searched old threads, but can't find info about this. (Please feel free to direct me to a link. )

    Some of the optional questions are irrelevant for homeschoolers. I was going to leave them blank, but when I do a preview, it feels unfinished to have unanswered questions. (Some questions don't appear on the preview if you don't answer them, but some do.)  I'm trying to decide about listing number of APs available and max number that can be taken. Same for honors. If anyone actually answered this, what was your approach? If you left it blank, I'd be interested in knowing that as well. 

    I know this probably won't make a difference either way, but I just want to make sure I've thought through everything. (ad nauseam)

    GPA Scale

    in The College Board

    Posted

    On 9/1/2018 at 12:31 AM, daijobu said:

     

    Not that I can see.  I'm getting 4's and 5's and arguments for both sides.  I got a response on hs2coll for 4.0.  But this is from the Common App help page:

    image.thumb.png.7168b30ebc7c8370b00108acabd6eb06.png

     

    On 9/18/2018 at 11:49 AM, Sebastian (a lady) said:

    Back to the question of 4.0 vs 5.0 scale.  If some of the courses are weighted, that can put you above a 4.0.  But unless all the courses are weighted, the student can't get to a 5.0.  They might have the highest marks possible in every course and have something like a 4.6 through weighting.

    I remember a couple years ago there was a Common App question asking what the highest gpa possible was. I don't know if that question still exists.

    I used a 4.0 scale even with weighting.

    I keep coming back to this....

    Unless schools are offering AP everything, including AP Health & PE (which doesn't exist), is it possible to have a 5.0? 5.0 makes sense to me in general, but going by the Common App's answer above, there is no correct choice on the Common App., is there? The highest possible grade is somewhere between 4.0 and 5.0.

    • Like 1

    Can I count WTM Biology as Honors ...(more info re lab)

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    I would be inclined to call the class Honors Biology and in the description include the WTMA class, the local Academy intense lab, and anything else you'll be doing at home. In other words, I wouldn't rename the WTMA class to be honors (without contacting them), but would feel comfortable giving an honors biology credit that included the class.

    I'm sure there will be a range of opinions though. Credits and honors designations are murky!

    • Like 2

    Common App Pretend Application

    in The College Board

    Posted · Edited by Woodland Mist Academy

    So that's not an issue anymore? It wasn't for me, but I thought maybe I just got lucky. (I should have known that wasn't the case. ?)

    Oh wait, the thread is about it shrinking documents. Different issue. So, is the shrinking still a problem for some people?

     

    GPA Scale

    in The College Board

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, RootAnn said:

    Also, I'm reporting DD's GPA to only the tenths place. That's normal, right?

    That's what I did. Although I think that's another -- depends on who you ask ---sort of question. 

    GPA Scale

    in The College Board

    Posted · Edited by Woodland Mist Academy

    4 hours ago, alewife said:

    At my local school and my oldest's college, an A+ is given the same numerical value as an A.  At oldest's school, an A+ is awarded a 5 (they are on a 5 pt scale) and an A+ at our local high school is worth a 4 (they are on a 4 pt scale).  My younger college kid is awarded a 4.3 for an A+ (they are on a 4 point scale).   All the options make my head hurt.  I think you can do whatever you want. ? 

    I got the brilliant idea (*cough* *cough*) to just do what the local private and public schools do. How silly of me! ?  I found exactly what you described. So much variation! One school even gave quality points by percent. There are seven quality point increments between 90%-100%.  Forget chocolate, I'll take my cocoa powder straight out of the jar.

    • Haha 2

    GPA Scale

    in The College Board

    Posted

    2 hours ago, RootAnn said:

    WMA: Does that mean I'm going to have to answer that # tied at rank question, too? I vote zero as well. No one else tied at that rank in this school.

    Probably. I just did today. (I can't remember now if there was an option way back at the beginning to mark that you don't rank. I might be getting that part confused with the Common App) I do know that I answered the tie question today on the scholarship form.

    • Thanks 1

    GPA Scale

    in The College Board

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Sebastian (a lady) said:

     

    GPA can compare students within a high school and maybe within a district.  It really isn't useful to compare students across districts or from various states.  

    I had one college say during their admissions briefing that they were required to collect data on gpa, but that they didn't use that number in admissions decisions, because their was too much variability across applicants.

    Too bad it's not that way at all schools and for all scholarships. But I guess they have to use something. I suppose there's no perfect way to compare. 

    • Like 1

    GPA Scale

    in The College Board

    Posted · Edited by Woodland Mist Academy

    1 hour ago, daijobu said:

    Can we also solidify this:

    Is an A+ in a non-honors course a 4.3 or a 4.0?

    Is an A+ in an honors course a 5.3 or 5.0?

    Hmm... Are your honors courses 5.0? What scale are you using? I'm asking because I've always seen honors as in-between AP and reg. So reg=4, honors=4.5, AP=5.

    Are you using a 6.0 scale?

    GPA Scale

    in The College Board

    Posted

    15 hours ago, alewife said:

    I don't include the senior year grades on the transcript when the application is submitted and indicate that grades through the end of junior year are listed on the transcript.

      I do list the current year grades on the midyear report that is usually due in February. (Not every school requires a mid-year report, though). 

    I have never dealt with weighted gpa's because I could never completely understand the process and I don't think weighted gpa's were a factor at the schools my kids applied to. (otherwise, I would have muddled through and listed some sort of weighted gpa, too)

    Thank you! After I posted I went through everything again and realized I had made an error in my previous calculations. Counting this semester or just counting through the end of junior year, the difference in the weighted grade was minuscule with her particular mix of classes. I was worried over nothing. Again.

    • Like 3

    GPA Scale

    in The College Board

    Posted

    Also, I just remembered some local schools factor in + and - . A+ gets 5.33 instead of 5.  If some scholarships are given without using a universal scale for GPA , some students will miss out just because of how the grades are calculated. I really need to let go of the idea of fairness or that this process should make sense...

    • Like 2

    GPA Scale

    in The College Board

    Posted

    Do you include the grades so far this year on the Common App and transcript? At what point would you list the current year's grades? For example if you submit it now - no, but in October or November -yes? There's a place to mark what date the grades are included through. Would it be appropriate to include the current grades through whatever date it's submitted? If the weighted scale is used and grades for the current year aren't included yet, the senior AP and honors classes don't count, correct? In other words, the GPA would be higher once those grades are included because of the weight of APs, DE, etc. If applying early, the lower GPA might be what the decision is based on. Or am I misunderstanding?

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