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About Me
- Ted Liu
- Sugar Land, Texas, United States
- Born and raised in Shanghai, China, I have been in the States for over twenty (20) years, fourteen (14) of which as a guidance counselor at one of the top high schools in the greater Houston area. My career interest is mainly, as you have probably already guessed, in college consultation.
Good forum.
ReplyDeleteKids need more time to sleep.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jennifer, for your ecouragement.
ReplyDeleteFor the anonymous poster, here are some of my thoughts. There is no question nowadays kids are under a lot of pressure, but as parents, can we honestly say we know what exactly our kids are doing at any given time? The point is they are only kids and they need to be monitored/guided. So many times, my kids told me that they didn't go to bed until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, but when I asked them what time they actually started to do their work, not just sitting at the desk in their room facebooking etc. Their answer was often around 10:30. As you can see it usually not because they don't have time to sleep, it is more about study habits, priority setting, time management etc, etc.
Which class level to go? Honor or regular class?
ReplyDeleteIf a kid can't keep score A in a honor class, but he/she is quite sure to get A in a regular class.is it better to choose regular class?
For the 6 point base GPA, score B in a honor class is the same as score A in a regular class. But for the 4 point base GPA, the score A in a regular class looks better. Also to compare with GPA of kids in other states, the base is the 4 point base GPA, not the 6 point base GPA. Based on the above points, I think a regular class is better.
What is your comments?
Again, each school/college is different.... Before I get technical, two things I want to clarify. One is about the actual learning. More regirous classes will certainly better prepare the students for college in terms of not just knowledge and concepts, but also better study skills, time management skills, etc. Secondly, a more practical note, every single college that I have come in contact throughout the years, there are hundreds, they all tell me they would much rather to see a B from an Honors level class than an A from a regular one. Please keep these in mind while reading the following. And I am also assuming that you know the differnce between weighted and unweighted GPA.
ReplyDeleteSome schools do use what we called "unweighted" GPA, which basically means whenever they see an A, 4 points are given, a B is 3, C is 2 etc. But even within that unweighted system, the designation of a letter grade, A, B, C, D, and subjects counted can all potentially very different from school to school. Most schools look at both weighted and unweighted GPA to compare a specific applicant to the other applicants in the pool and his peers (rank). That is why we always say rank and GPA simultaneously in the same breath. As you already know our rank ties into the weighted GPA. So it is very hard to say definitively which is better. You have to know the schools you or your student are/is applying to in terms of what kind of system they use regarding rank and GPA. One more thing, please do not forget the importance of SAT/ACT in the overall college admission process. Hope this helps.
In addition to my earlier comments, here is one more point I would like to make. I understand it is usually very hard for a sophomore to see anything beyond high school, let alone say, to know what exactly the school(s) to apply. All I am trying to say here is, "Take as many honors level classes as you can possibly handle, you will be rewarded for your hard work, sooner or later."
ReplyDeleteThanks for your detail explanation. I think it is true for most good high schools or colleges if they are familiar with the weighted GPA. For curious, is the weighted GPA standard across USA? Or each state, each school has its own method?
ReplyDeleteI have one case to discuss here. One sophomore kid in Clements High wanted to transfer to another high school in Oklahoma City due to family relocation. She took all the honor classes and had three or four Bs. Her parents picked the best high school in that area and contacted the school. The result is that the kid does not qualify to enter that school because her GPA is not high enough by comparing with other students in the school. Her parents were very surprised. They know the new school's academic level is much lower than Clements but the school only uses unweighted GPA. These Bs in the honor class make her looks not good. The students in that new school mostly got all straight A.
What do you think in this case? Do you think Clements should provide a new transcript for the schools only use unweighted GPA with the changes of Bs in honor classes to As? Otherwise it seems not fair to the kid.
We provide both weighted and unweighted GPA. Most likely the case you were talking about involves a private school. Whatever admission criteria they are using, they are up to them.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to answer your 1st question. Sorry! Regarding the weighted GPA, yes, there are quite a few systems out there. Usually colleges use it to compare anyone to his own peers, meaning where he stands/ranks in the class. They then use SAT/ACT scores to compare him to the rest of applicants nation-wide. Many colleges often use those two factors to determine who gets in and who does not.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a while since both of us went through high school. I can only imagine how things have changed. Thank you so much for hosting this! I don't have any questions for now, but I definitely will check back. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words of encouragement. As I have been saying all along, it is because of students and parents like you that makes this school so great! ....
ReplyDeleteYes, you are right about things have changed quite a bit since when, a long time ago? ^0^
If I have a 5.2 weighted gpa as a sophomore (when I know I can make a 5.4), what are the chances I can get into a college such as A&M?
ReplyDeleteTop quarter and 1300 out of 1600 SAT for A & M. You can still realistically do it.
ReplyDeleteAP will begin on Monday, May 3rd, all students taking AP exams need to consult the list in the Commons area for exam times, locations, and materials that are needed to bring to exams. Students must report to their testing room no later than 7:15 AM for morning exams. If you have an afternoon exam, you will take 1st lunch then report to your testing room no later than 11:40 am.
ReplyDelete