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You Won't Believe This High School Valedictorian's GPA
Yahoo ^ | 05/20/2014 | By Suzi Parker

Posted on 05/21/2014 1:57:13 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd

Traditionally a 4.0 is considered a perfect grade point average, but Dhara Patel, a high school senior at Plant City High School in Hillsborough County, Fla., has earned an off-the-charts 10.03 GPA.

This is good news considering the new link between GPAs and salary. A recent study by researchers at the University of Miami states that a one-point increase in high school GPA raises annual earnings in adulthood by around 12 percent for men and 14 percent for women.

The study also shows that even a one-point increase in GPA doubles the likelihood of students completing college—from 21 percent to 42 percent—for both men and women.

“Conventional wisdom is that academic performance in high school is important for college admission, but this is the first study to clearly demonstrate the link between high school GPA and labor market earnings many years later,” says Michael T. French, professor of health economics at the University of Miami and corresponding author of the study.

To contribute to her astronomical GPA, Patel took 17 Advanced Placement classes. AP classes, which are on par with college courses, are often weighted, meaning that students who take them receive extra points. That helps those students accumulate a GPA way off the traditional 4.0 chart. While we are unsure if this is the highest GPA ever, we certainly can't find any other press about it. Ravi Medikonda, then a senior at King High School in Hillsborough County, Fla., earned a 9.3079 GPA in 2012.

Aside from the AP classes, Patel also spent nights, weekends, and summers studying at Hillsborough Community College. To add to her accolades, she’s earned her associate’s degree before even graduating from high school.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Education
KEYWORDS: gpa
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I'm guessing they give the high school drop-outs a 4.0 just for the hell of it.
1 posted on 05/21/2014 1:57:13 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
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To: Responsibility2nd

The one thing I do NOT like about this system is that the so called “extra-curricular” activities, like athletics, band, orchestra, theater, etc.. are only 4.0 classes.

So, those that excel in sports or arts as well as academics can never compete with those that only take academic AP classes.

I think this punishes students who are the typical type A students who excel in their sport or art, and unjustly rewards the bookworms, who do not participate in any sport, art, or club.


2 posted on 05/21/2014 2:02:32 PM PDT by SpinnerWebb (IN-SAPORIBVS-SICVT-PVLLVM)
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To: Responsibility2nd

When my kids were in high school (and I think when I was in HS, many years ago), you could get up to 5 points on the advanced placement type classes, so an A would get you 5.0, a B would be a 4.0 in that class, etc. And then the points would be weighted by some factor such as how many hours per week in that class, etc. But a person could only have a 5.0 GPA by having ONLY advanced placement classes through the 4 years of HS, which was impossible.

Maybe the article is referring to one semester’s GPA, not cumulative for all 4 years?


3 posted on 05/21/2014 2:04:09 PM PDT by NEMDF
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To: Responsibility2nd
To add to her accolades, she’s earned her associate’s degree before even graduating from high school.

Why?

4 posted on 05/21/2014 2:04:28 PM PDT by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: Responsibility2nd

“Traditionally a 4.0 is considered a perfect grade point average, but Dhara Patel, a high school senior at Plant City High School in Hillsborough County, Fla., has earned an off-the-charts 10.03 GPA. “

Waste of good time, energy and investment in family and friends.


5 posted on 05/21/2014 2:05:40 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion ( "I didn't leave the Central Oligarchy Party. It left me." - Ronaldus Magnimus, 2014)
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To: Talisker

If it’s a program where they can attend for free or at a bid discount (which most of these are), it’s a great way to save on college costs.


6 posted on 05/21/2014 2:05:48 PM PDT by nascarnation (Toxic Baraq Syndrome: hopefully infecting a Dem candidate near you)
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To: Responsibility2nd

Dhara is obviously a mean-spirited racist person in obama’s america. How dare she earn a 10.0 when she can share the 10.0 GPA with “lesser’ students...


7 posted on 05/21/2014 2:06:35 PM PDT by max americana (fired liberals in our company last election, and I laughed while they cried (true story))
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To: Responsibility2nd

The bumper stickers will have to be revised: “My third grade dropout kid can kick the a@@ of your 10.03 GPA kid.”


8 posted on 05/21/2014 2:07:30 PM PDT by SharpRightTurn (White, black, and red all over--America's affirmative action, metrosexual president.)
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To: SpinnerWebb

I’m not sure if I should laugh at your comment and ask if you are sure you thought that one through? I’m sure there are smart kids who play sports and can’t devote the time to quite as much as this particular student did, but this girl made a choice to forego other activities to focus on her school work - she deserves what she earned. There is no reason any student in band, orchestra, theater, or sports can’t take AP classes too.


9 posted on 05/21/2014 2:08:03 PM PDT by WhyisaTexasgirlinPA
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To: Talisker

Technically, after two years of my college career I had an associates. Most people do. It’s just not worth mentioning since you’re going for a four year degree. However, doing it while in high school is something exceptional.


10 posted on 05/21/2014 2:08:07 PM PDT by thefactor (yes, as a matter of fact, i DID only read the excerpt)
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To: aMorePerfectUnion

I wonder if she has any friends? I kind of doubt it.


11 posted on 05/21/2014 2:09:26 PM PDT by Kirkwood (Zombie Hunter)
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To: nascarnation

She can also enroll as a junior at the University and have her Bachelor’s degree by age 20, Master’s at 21. She will likely do it on a full ride scholarship too. The kind of daughter dads love.


12 posted on 05/21/2014 2:10:40 PM PDT by DeFault User
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To: nascarnation
If it’s a program where they can attend for free or at a bid discount (which most of these are), it’s a great way to save on college costs.

Good point, I didn't think of that.

For the most part, though, this girl sounds like a serious case of OCD.

No doubt she wants to "change the world," is politically correctly "progressive" and has her eye on "government service."

Why am I not thrilled at what she might do with her life?

13 posted on 05/21/2014 2:11:15 PM PDT by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: SpinnerWebb

I teach AP classes. Most of my students are heavily involved in sports, music, cheer, etc. That’s the great thing about AP—kids learn how to balance their time. And honestly, most scholarship $ goes to the football, basketball, and baseball players.


14 posted on 05/21/2014 2:11:29 PM PDT by Aggie Mama
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To: WhyisaTexasgirlinPA; Aggie Mama

My comments are well thought out, thank you.

Athletes can, and do, take AP classes, and do quite well.

My point is that their activity, be it art, music, sports.. will ultimately bring down their GPA, as it is only a 4.0 class.

Those that only take 5.0 AP classes, with no extracurricular activity, mathematically will always have higher GPAs, because they have way more 5.0 classes in the average.


15 posted on 05/21/2014 2:15:30 PM PDT by SpinnerWebb (IN-SAPORIBVS-SICVT-PVLLVM)
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To: Responsibility2nd
Holy Grade Inflation!

I graduated from HS 40+ years ago, and I ended up top 10% of my class with a whopping 3.6 GPA.

Today, that might get me in the top third, or am I too optimistic?

16 posted on 05/21/2014 2:18:07 PM PDT by Night Hides Not (For every Ted Cruz we send to DC, I can endure 2-3 "unviable" candidates that beat incumbents.)
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To: SpinnerWebb

Where it makes a difference is in the top 10 rankings at the end of their Senior year.

Having to have 4 or more 4.0 classes in your GPA mix, even if you are a straight A student, will ultimately hurt your class ranking.

They are ranked lower because they participated and excelled in extracurricular activities.


17 posted on 05/21/2014 2:19:49 PM PDT by SpinnerWebb (IN-SAPORIBVS-SICVT-PVLLVM)
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To: SpinnerWebb
When I was a pup, 4.00 was a perfect GPA and you couldn't get any better. Those who wanted to delve further looked at the transcript and the difficulty of the classes taken, extra-curricular activities and all that.

Outfits that were too lazy to compare a 3.98 GPA in political science to a 3.80 GPA in chemistry, settled for a lesser class of incoming freshmen or lesser employees.

Now, we have lots of GPAs over 4.00 and almost nobody know what the hell they mean.

18 posted on 05/21/2014 2:23:17 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: Talisker

While I applaud her for all of the effort she has expended, weighting the HS GPA with classes from college, distorts the entire idea of a high school GPA.


19 posted on 05/21/2014 2:33:30 PM PDT by Delta Dawn (Fluent in two languages: English and cursive.)
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To: SpinnerWebb
It's statements like yours that are one of the reasons I weep for my country.

--

Congrats Jamal. You can't read or write, but here's your 4.0 GPA because you can throw a ball through through a metal ring.

And Jimmy, you don those tights really well. Those AP Chemistry students have nothing on you. That extra prancing you did right before curtain call? Valedictorian material for sure.

20 posted on 05/21/2014 2:43:28 PM PDT by Repeat Offender (Why are cops ROE more lenient against us, here in the US, than U.S. military's ROE's in a war zone?)
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