High School Guide: Admissions, reviews, and advice

Michelle Nelson4 said:It’s just not mathematically possible to have exactly 79 points... you’d either be looking at a 78.xx or jumping straight to an 80.

Actually, you can definitely have a 79.xy score. 😉 To hit a perfect 80, you'd need to have maintained a straight 4.0 GPA through all four years of high school. A 79 is what you get if you earned an A in every single core subject but didn't quite maintain that perfect 4.0 average the whole time.

hiddendriver34 said:Actually, you can definitely have a 79.xy score. 😉 To hit a perfect 80, you'd need to have maintained a straight 4.0 GPA through all four years of high school. A 79 is what you get if you earned an A in every single core subject but didn't quite maintain that perfect 4.0 average the whole time.

I would have had an 8. Under what circumstances would it be a 5.0?

rowdypanther12 said:I would have had an 8. Under what circumstances would it be a 5.0?

Honestly, just hand her a cocktail, set her up under a beach umbrella on a lounge chair, and let her enjoy those 4.0 vibes. 😁

stormymarlin22 said:The entrance exams for all the STEM-focused academies cap out at 10 points. I think they mentioned that this year the exams will be standardized for all those schools, too. So kids just take one test at their top choice, and the score counts for any of those STEM programs they apply to.

So, things are actually worse than I thought. I don't really get why people aren't calling out those arrogant, insulting comments claiming someone isn't "cut out" for a specific school just because they don't ace the entrance exam.

Based on how this works, a student who is a straight-A student—someone going to a school where teachers don't just hand out easy grades—might end up with, say, 75 points if they have a couple of B's. On the other hand, you have someone who was an A-student only because of grade inflation, maybe sitting at a 3.7 GPA, and they walk in with 80 points. Now, if the entrance exam actually reflects real knowledge and the score ratio ends up being 9 to 7 in favor of that first student... well, according to some of the arrogant folks out there, that first student is just proving they don't belong in that school, while the second one is the one who truly deserves to be enrolled 🤣

hiddendriver34 said:Actually, you can definitely have a 79.xy score. 😉 To hit a perfect 80, you'd need to have maintained a straight 4.0 GPA through all four years of high school. A 79 is what you get if you earned an A in every single core subject but didn't quite maintain that perfect 4.0 average the whole time.

A score of 79 can only happen if you’ve already cleared the fifth year. Otherwise, the only way to land there is if someone cruised through their fourth year with a 4.0 and then maintained a perfect 5.0 for everything else.
Actually, whenever there’s a 4 involved, the result always ends up being some kind of decimal. 😁

My daughter is almost certainly going to have at least one B in her core subjects, which means she’ll likely end up with a GPA somewhere between a 3.1 and a 3.2. There might even be a chance she hits a 3.3 if we can find a school that doesn't weigh her geography grade quite so heavily. 🤣

It doesn't have to be that way—you could just pick a combination of irrelevant classes that slowly drags down your GPA every year. Like, say, 4.6 + 4.8 + 4.8 + 4.8 and suddenly you're sitting at a 79.

Edit: Actually, looking closer, I see you're aiming for that second decimal point, but... honestly, the post targeting a 79 wasn't exactly going for mathematical precision.😬

northerntiger9 said:It doesn't have to be that way—you could just pick a combination of irrelevant classes that slowly drags down your GPA every year. Like, say, 4.6 + 4.8 + 4.8 + 4.8 and suddenly you're sitting at a 79.

Edit: Actually, looking closer, I see you're aiming for that second decimal point, but... honestly, the post targeting a 79 wasn't exactly going for mathematical precision.😬

Oh, it’s definitely possible, but let's look at the reality here: most students either land comfortably above an 80 or they fall into that 7x.xx range with those extra decimals. Those rare cases where everything just happens to line up perfectly on a whole number? Honestly, they aren't exactly common...

In my daughter’s sixth-grade class, it seems like absolutely no one has achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA. I was actually quite surprised to find that not a single student reached that mark...
My seventh grader is currently sitting at a 4.8, and based on how things are going, I suspect her eighth-grade year will look much the same.

stormymarlin22 said:The entrance exams for all the STEM-focused academies cap out at 10 points. I think they mentioned that this year the exams will be standardized for all those schools, too. So kids just take one test at their top choice, and the score counts for any of those STEM programs they apply to.

Are we absolutely sure the math entrance exam is identical for Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Luciana, Brooklyn Tech, and even the local magnet schools?

northerntiger9 said:It doesn't have to be that way—you could just pick a combination of irrelevant classes that slowly drags down your GPA every year. Like, say, 4.6 + 4.8 + 4.8 + 4.8 and suddenly you're sitting at a 79.

Edit: Actually, looking closer, I see you're aiming for that second decimal point, but... honestly, the post targeting a 79 wasn't exactly going for mathematical precision.😬

Yeah, I wasn't really paying attention to that either. We still have a whole year before we need to worry about those kinds of details. 😂

Jeffrey Edwards5 said:Are we absolutely sure the math entrance exam is identical for Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Luciana, Brooklyn Tech, and even the local magnet schools?

I'm pretty sure it's different for Springfield since they don't even have a STEM track.

For the STEM schools, they’re all testing on the same day at the same time and everyone accepts the results, so I guess the questions would be identical too. Not that I've actually seen that written down anywhere explicitly, though.

edit: okay, found it, it says it's a unified exam.

chiquita said:exactly.

But honestly, why get so worked up and pass all that anxiety onto your child? You’re becoming hysterical and overreacting...

Because apparently, "everyone will find their place in the world" and "no one is going to be left behind"... 🙄

Oh, really? Please, tell me more. I went from having this incredibly cool, composed kid to someone who is currently falling apart at the seams just because we have fewer school options available now. But sure, let's pretend it doesn't matter since the GPA isn't a perfect 5.0—it's only a 4.8, so maybe she's just not cut out for that prestigious language academy she's aiming for. ☕ It's not like her English grade was a 5.0 from middle school through eighth grade and she absolutely crushes it. She had a 4 in math and geography back in seventh grade, and now she'll likely be taking math and biology... 🤦

Jeffrey Edwards5 said:Are we absolutely sure the math entrance exam is identical for Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Luciana, Brooklyn Tech, and even the local magnet schools?

Actually, Des Moines uses biology, chemistry, and physics for their exams.
The other schools on this list are STEM-focused academies located right here in New York City, and they all use the exact same exam this year. That’s actually why the registration window was shortened so much—they have all these exams scheduled within just a few days of each other.

I just went to check my GPA out of pure curiosity, and I'm a little confused. 😂The lowest score listed was an 85.43?
Man, we’re going to have to write motivation letters soon just to get into high school. 😂

So, I guess it just comes down to those entrance exam scores

rustyowl7 said:Oh, really? Please, tell me more. I went from having this incredibly cool, composed kid to someone who is currently falling apart at the seams just because we have fewer school options available now. But sure, let's pretend it doesn't matter since the GPA isn't a perfect 5.0—it's only a 4.8, so maybe she's just not cut out for that prestigious language academy she's aiming for. ☕ It's not like her English grade was a 5.0 from middle school through eighth grade and she absolutely crushes it. She had a 4 in math and geography back in seventh grade, and now she'll likely be taking math and biology... 🤦

There are more language-focused schools available now, so what's the deal with the eighteenth?

hiddendriver34 said:There are more language-focused schools available now, so what's the deal with the eighteenth?

Down here in San Diego, we only have two language schools, even though we have so many surrounding suburbs pulling people in...

It honestly feels wrong that someone with a 4.8 GPA has to sit around stressing over whether they’ll actually get an acceptance letter.
What’s the best strategy here? He actually has a better score for MIT. 🤣 anyway, there’s no way to appeal the decision once it's made.

rustyowl7 said:It honestly feels wrong that someone with a 4.8 GPA has to sit around stressing over whether they’ll actually get an acceptance letter.
What’s the best strategy here? He actually has a better score for MIT. 🤣 anyway, there’s no way to appeal the decision once it's made.

Of course it isn't normal. Then you get those people acting all high and mighty, claiming that if you don't have a perfect 4.0 every single year, you don't belong in a top prep school. 😂Honestly, the whole system is so backwards it's starting to feel like Stockholm Syndrome.

rowdypanther12 said:Of course it isn't normal. Then you get those people acting all high and mighty, claiming that if you don't have a perfect 4.0 every single year, you don't belong in a top prep school. 😂Honestly, the whole system is so backwards it's starting to feel like Stockholm Syndrome.

Honestly, I don't even know whether to laugh or cry. I was at the recent school awards ceremony (just gathering some info), and the homeroom teacher is insisting that she definitely has what it takes for a prestigious high school. Well, apparently, she knows her own worth in person, even if our esteemed American experts might argue otherwise ☕