The past two days, two of my A’s dropped to A- and I doubt they will go back up. I know everyone on here will berate me for complaining about this, but as the worst demographic, applying in the toughest major, to some of the best schools in the world, any reason to reject you will be a possibility. I know the small things add up at these elite schools.
My question is which school will look at my sign of the grade, and which ones will look at an A- and an A the same?
I know the UCs do. But who else?
Also, this last minute drop will hit my GPA pretty hard. Two level drops is quite a significant amount, and it will suffer. I am worried about this.
Advice?
Well if you are a Junior, there is not much you can do about your GPA. Having between an A and A- average puts you around the 3.7 - 3.8 GPA range. If you take all honors/AP’s, your GPA will be in a good spot for top colleges. Also how good your school is will also matter. Rather than focus on GPA at this point, focus on upping SAT/ACT scores, unless you are satisfied with these. Then focus on writing your best essay because that can really make an impact on your application. If it is absolutely amazing than your GPA won’t matter as much. EC’s as well will show you are more than just a GPA, more than just a number.
So, even if the GPA slightly hurts your chances, the drop won’t be enough to not apply to schools you want. A to A- won’t ruin your chances. A to B- might make the situation different.
When you apply, just be confident in your ability. If your GPA ruins you, than you are nothing more than a number, and colleges will see that. If your GPA slips but you have amazing recs, EC’s, and essays, your the perfect candidate!
Best of Luck
Your GPA is just fine! Take @stressedmhs 's thought on GPA to heart- Their mindset on stats is the best that I’ve seen in years. If your GPA ruins you, then you are indeed nothing more than a number. Take things into perspective here.
There are a lot of very good universities and colleges in the US. The only ones that will care about an A- versus an A are the ones that are a long shot for all applicants. A lot of people are very successful without going to a “top 20” university. I did get degrees from two “top 20” universities (or perhaps “top 3” for what I was studying), and have nonetheless spent most of my career working for bosses from less famous universities, and most of my best bosses went to either state schools or schools that I had never heard of (including a seminary school).
My advice: Do the best that your reasonably can. Take some SAT or ACT preparation. Make sure that you have realistic match and safety schools on the list of where you are going to apply. Relax and have some fun over the summer.