Academics...What matters?

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by 33girl

And this is why they have things like the SATs. My hs best friend had MUCH consistently higher grades than I did, but her SATs were in the crapper - I don't think she even broke 800 - and so she didn't go to college.

Nowadays I think HS grade inflation is more of a culprit (in regular and AP courses) than WHOO HOO I IZ IN COLLEGE TIME TO PARTEE. Not to mention there are a lot more courses on how to ace the SATs.

Do sororities look at SAT scores? I have no idea--it's been a few years since I wrote a rec, and I don't remember providing mine in my Panhel apps.

I also used UT as an example because it's just the top 10%--you can go to a crappy HS, have a 4.0 and be admitted regardless of your test scores. That goes to say if you're just outside of the 10% and you scored a 1600, you're not guaranteed admission.

Even though people are pissed off about it, it looks like other states have considered that same option.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Do sororities look at SAT scores? I have no idea--it's been a few years since I wrote a rec, and I don't remember providing mine in my Panhel apps.

LOLZ, I forgot what we were talking about. I didn't really mean for sororities, I meant considering how academically ept someone is in general. But honestly, it might not be a bad idea for sororities to check it out.

This all gives me a little bit of insight on why some of the sororities at SEC schools are notorious on (allegedly) confining their membership to certain high schools. You know that if Judy got a 3.0 at Bear Bryant High, it's probably better than Tammy who got a 4.0 with all AP courses at Roger Clinton High.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by 33girl

This all gives me a little bit of insight on why some of the sororities at SEC schools are notorious on (allegedly) confining their membership to certain high schools. You know that if Judy got a 3.0 at Bear Bryant High, it's probably better than Tammy who got a 4.0 with all AP courses at Roger Clinton High.

That might be true, but there's also a good bit of classism and general provincialism thrown in there as well. My chapter wasn't like that so much because we were from all over the country (and in some cases, the world), but at a school where students are from the same general region, it's easier to gauge "what kind of girl" someone might be based on what high school she attended.

[33girl]

Oh, I'm sure. I was trying to give them a more high-minded explanation for it.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

but at a school where students are from the same general region, it's easier to gauge "what kind of girl" someone might be based on what high school she attended.

Or if you're from St. Louis. If you're from St. Louis the first question someone else asks you is "What high school did you go to?"

It excessively annoying if you're not from the area.

/randomaside

[ComradesTrue]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Or if you're from St. Louis. If you're from St. Louis the first question someone else asks you is "What high school did you go to?"

It excessively annoying if you're not from the area.

/randomaside

In the town that I currently live in, but am not originally from, people just succinctly ask "so where did you go to school?" And they don't mean college.

/continuing the random aside, because I find that completely annoying (not to mention life-limiting) as well.

[AOIIalum]

Originally Posted by Blondie93

In the town that I currently live in, but am not originally from, people just succinctly ask "so where did you go to school?" And they don't mean college.

/continuing the random aside, because I find that completely annoying (not to mention life-limiting) as well.

Same thing with Louisville. To this day, if I meet someone else from my hometown the first question is "Where did you go to school?"

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Or if you're from St. Louis. If you're from St. Louis the first question someone else asks you is "What high school did you go to?"

It excessively annoying if you're not from the area.

/randomaside

Ha ha! My college sweetheart is from STL, and after 5 years of dating him, I started asking that same question. I usually asked it as part of the "who do you know?" game--at my college, most of the STL kids came from a handful of schools.

He, on the other hand, was classist about it in that if people went to certain private (ie, non-Catholic) schools, or public schools in "certain" cities, he'd get all populist-snobby about it.

I found St. Louis to be one of the most provincial places I've ever visited, at least in that regard.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Ha ha! My college sweetheart is from STL, and after 5 years of dating him, I started asking that same question. I usually asked it as part of the "who do you know?" game--at my college, most of the STL kids came from a handful of schools. He, on the other hand, was classist about it in that if people went to certain private (ie, non-Catholic) schools, or public schools in "certain" cities, he'd get all populist-snobby about it.

I found St. Louis to be one of the most provincial places I've ever visited, at least in that regard.

It's incredibly class-based. Private school in STL costs more per year than your average college does. And they're also unusual in that most of them are single-sex. It's all who you know-where-you're-from-who-your-parents-are-how-important-are-you.

I nannied for a kid who was interviewing for JR HIGH.. Their plan was that if he didn't get in anywhere, they would rent an apartment in Clayton to establish residency because they were a 'good' public school. I just couldn't fathom dressing an 11-12 year old up in a suit to interview for schools

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

It's incredibly class-based. Private school in STL costs more per year than your average college does. And they're also unusual in that most of them are single-sex. It's all who you know-where-you're-from-who-your-parents-are-how-important-are-you.

I nannied for a kid who was interviewing for JR HIGH.. Their plan was that if he didn't get in anywhere, they would rent an apartment in Clayton to establish residency because they were a 'good' public school. I just couldn't fathom dressing an 11-12 year old up in a suit to interview for schools

There's a pretty funny book about a PR director's experience in a St. Louis private school (he disguised it, but a lot of St. Louisans were pretty sure it was MICDS), called "Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler."

Here in NYC, middle school interviews are a piece of cake. It's the KINDERGARTEN interviews that cause the gnashing of teeth. It's funny, I'm not even mortified by it the way that I might have been when I first moved here. In fact, it's probably going to be part of my life as a parent in NYC.