Evaluating Your High School Transcript

calculate my real GPA
The New York Times published a piece written by the director of admission at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, offering insider tips about how admissions folks read high school transcripts. The entire article is worth a read, but here are the tips.

Tips and Tricks

First, avoid being a “GPA protector.” Don’t play it safe by enrolling in easy classes. An effortless “A” is not as impressive as a hard-earned “B” or “C.” Taking challenging classes throughout high school — including senior year — shows the people reading your application that you’re serious about your education and that you’re ready to thrive in college.

Next, plan ahead. Work with your guidance counselor to come up with a long-term plan to help you meet your college goals. Choices you make early in your high school career may affect your ability to enroll in classes later on that could make you a stronger candidate for college admissions.

Also, don’t be deterred by one bad grade. Colleges understand if you have one grade that’s not reflective of your usual ability. Don’t stress. Refocus and work hard. What’s important is that you’re able to demonstrate that you’re getting back on track.

Ask questions. As soon as you decide where you want to apply, get in touch with the admissions offices. Find out exactly what types of courses they value most. For most (including Holy Cross) it will be English, math, science, language and history. But, some particularly those with a specialized focus like music — may place greater emphasis on high school performing arts classes.

Remember, every high school is different. They may seem similar, but the curricula of high schools vary widely. Some have a very rigid class structure, while others may not even offer honors or A.P. classes. Not to worry. You won’t be penalized. College admissions officers will take the time to understand the curriculum of your school.

Lastly, beware of “urban legends.” As alluded to above, it’s dangerous to compare yourself to others in different high schools who have a similar G.P.A. or class rank and assume you’ll get accepted or rejected based on their experiences. Colleges evaluate students within the context of their high school, taking into account differences in grading scales, class size, course offerings and historical data.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant in Denver

Your Unweighted GPA and How Colleges Read Transcripts

students sitting in a classroom

Students and parents ask all the time about how colleges value weighted and unweighted GPAs. For example, what might be a good GPA for College of the Holy Cross?
Well, the admissions office there has an answer!

The admissions office at College of the Holy Cross shared its in-house analysis form with the New York Times, allowing a peak into how carefully colleges look at your transcript.
The form can be found here.  It’s interactive, and quite helpful to see exactly how admissions officers evaluate things.

Notice that they look not only at the GPA but at the curriculum you are taking. How rigorous is it?
Also notice that the admissions offices do keep track of your contact with them, including whether you visited, attended a college fair, or spent the night.
As you can see, your curriculum, your GPA, and your class rank are all very important.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant in Denver

Teaching with Twitter

The Chronicle of Higher Education posted an interesting article on professors using mediums like Twitter and Facebook in the classroom.  Sugato Chakravarty, a professor of consumer sciences and retailing at Purdue University, is testing a software called Hotseat that allows students to posts questions from their cell phones or laptops via Facebook or Twitter.
The results of the experiment are definitely mixed.  In some lectures, students take control and post questions that are off topic, often taking the lecture in an unexpected direction.  These unexpected questions can often lead to great learning opportunities.  However, Charkravarty has also caught a student cheating by posting a question to a classmate during a quiz.  (The student thought the posting would be anonymous, but requiring students to log in allowed Chakravarty to track the post.)
This is definitely taking teaching in a new direction and allowing professors to reach students through a medium they are comfortable with.  Some professors see this experiment as “potential for disaster,” but isn’t that part of the educational process?
Katherine Price
Educational Consultant
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