<p>I was wondering if a 3.89 unweighed gpa is rather low for ivy leagues or top tier schools.</p>
<p>No, it isn’t, assuming you’ve been taking a difficult course load.</p>
<p>I’ve heard it’s ok to have one or 2 Bs. But it also depends on the high school.</p>
<p>If your class rank is still good (at least top 5%, depends on the quality of your school though)</p>
<p>How GPA is viewed significantly depends on class rank because some high schools have grade deflation and the valedictorian doesnt necessarily have a 4.0 or close.</p>
<p>As far as class rank goes you want to be in the top 10% at least to not immediately be cut out but ideally top 5 or 1% to really be competitive.</p>
<p>^^^^My school does not rank so I don’t know how that’s going to affect everything. And I know some of my friends have a 4.0 because they didn’t take as much ap as I have, if any at all.</p>
<p>ugh i’m in the exact same situation. my gpa is only going to be a 3.89(2 B’s in a challenging high school…why couldn’t i be in an easier high school ;( )!! am i screwed for all of HYP??? SAT is around 2350…</p>
<p>oh BTW the B’s were one in freshman, one in sophomore and the SAT is like 800/high 700/high 700</p>
<p>I think that you’re competitive for top schools.</p>
<p>It’s not. Just remember that they’ll look at the whole package, excluding GPA and SAT. You need to be well-rounded, not just study-study-study.</p>
<p>Correct me if im wrong, buy I hear that ivies care more about rank than GPA.</p>
<p>You’ve latched on and continued an old thread, and I’m reluctant to reply. Perhaps you can start a new thread specific to your question.</p>
<p>
3.89 is almost dead on the average GPA. The CDS indicates Princeton had an average HS GPA of 3.89. Penn was 3.90. The median at these schools would be slightly higher than 3.89, but certainly not high enough to exclude you from being accepted. I was accepted to ivies + S + M with just a 3.4/3.5 HS GPA. </p>
<p>As others have said, they look at your whole transcript rather than just the GPA value. They look at what classes had the lower grades. For example, a low grade in a junior year class that is closely tied to your prospective major would likely have more impact than a lower grade in a freshman elective. Some colleges recalculate GPA, excluding certain types of classes or even excluding your full freshman year. Some consider how easy it is to get A’s in your school, both due to grade distribution and how selective the student body is. All schools that use a holistic approach consider far more than GPA, test scores, and other stats.</p>
<p>School profile matters. If your school doles out 3.89s like candy, then its not good. If its really hard to earn it, then it is good. To further break it down, the rigor of your coursework is factored in as well. The 4.0 in college prep classes is usually not as good as a 3.8 when numerous AP classes are in the mix.</p>
<p>my weighed GPA is a spot on 4.70(out of 5, Honors and AP classes are given 5 for weighted, CP classes 4 for weighted), just to give you guys an idea of my course rigor.
also, all my 3 subject tests are an 800. will that help???</p>
<p>A lot applicants to the Ivies have around a 3.9-ish GPA with rigorous courses, so minute differences in GPA shouldn’t matter a great deal. I think the essays and LORs really set the admitted students apart from the “typical” Ivy applicant.</p>
<p>That GPA, if you’ve taken a challenging course load, should be good enough to be competitive. But HYP take into account a lot more than just GPA and SAT, and you should make sure you actually like the schools, instead of just wanting to look prestigious.</p>
<p>^yeah, i actually do love those schools, especially princeton and harvard(not just because they’re so highly ranked). i would never pick a school based on its prestige alone. i just want to make sure my stats are good enough so that I can make my college decisions without any restrictions on where i can apply.</p>
<p>If you look through the Common Data Sets or stats on the US News site, you’ll find that many very selective private schools (such as Yale) do not show an average GPA. For the ones that do, the number is sometimes lower than it is at much less selective schools. For example, compare Princeton’s 3.87 with UCSD’s 4.0.</p>
<p>Many Ivy applicants (and enrolled students) come from private high schools or highly competitive public schools where relatively few students maintain a perfect 4.0 average. Their GPAs are interpreted in the context of other information (including class rank and course rigor).</p>