If this athlete scores in the 90th percentile or better on the SATs, then being a great/recruited lacrosse player with a 3.5 in non-honors will get him into all of the aforementioned schools and -- if he is already garnering this kind of attention from lax programs -- probably even better. The SAT has been, and will always be, the real determining factor in college admissions.
Expecting a 3.5 GPA in non-honors classes to now achieve a 90th percentile SAT performance is unrealistic. The Mathematics section alone, without Algebra II/Trigonometry mastery, will fall well short of the 650 score which immediately takes you out of the 90th-percentile.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
With rank in class often not disclosed, grade inflation (and in some cases recently grade deflation), and no real way to differentiate High School X's non-honors curriculum from High School Y's honors curriculum, the SAT always makes the difference.
There is a common misconception that rank is not revealed. With your child's transcript, your High School will send a school profile document. If you have not seen it, you should request a copy. That document will disclose the grades associated with each decile in the graduating class along with the top level courses offered in each academic discipline. Assuming that your child's rank - or at least decile - cannot be determined demonstrates a clear lack of understand of the college admissions process.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
For example, Regis High School has no AP classes, yet every NY public high school offers every conceivable AP class.
Regis specifically deals with this in their academic profile.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
I would venture a guess that the non-AP classes at Regis are, on average, more competitive and probably cover more ground than the AP curriculum elsewhere.
That would be incorrect.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
On the other hand, AP classes at one of the trophy publics (like Bronx HS of Science) are probably even more competitive.
Advanced placement is consistent across most High Schools - the actual end-game performance on the exam measures the effectiveness.
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Fortunately for the average student lacrosse athlete applying to college, neither school plays lacrosse.
Focus on academics, the major selection process, and location/alumni network. All three of these will have longer lasting effects on your child over and above the impact of lacrosse.
Completely disagree. Grades are not dispositive of SAT performance. A kid playing on three teams who did not elect honors or who opted out is going to score the same, give or take a percentile. And the competitive Catholic schools like Chaminade and Regis that do not technically offer AP have classes that are in fact harder than most similar AP courses in the publics. I know because I have asked and have seen the curriculum.
In my high school the two kids who scored over 1450 on the SATs both had high 80s in non-honors. Our valedictorian had a 1300. Grades "may" be indicative but they are not determinative of SAT performance.
