Admissions GPA

Colleges and Universities A-Z California Institute of Technology
1

<p>Hi Ben,</p>

<p>Does Cal Tech recalculate each applicants' GPA on a scale so that everyone is on the same level? If so, are all classes included, or just the advanced courses? Also, if yes again, are extra points added for an extremely rigorous schedule (all APs but one sport)? </p>

<p>I had a slip up in freshman year. Basically, I got a B both semesters in preAP English and a B second semester in regular Theatre Arts(contested, because I did turn something in, but by next fall, teacher had thrown out all papers and there were no records of it so i got stuck with the B). The next year our school changed to a much easier grade-inflated GPA system where anyone taking honors/AP courses would get the max 4.5. Advanced classes were worth 5.33 for an A and 4.33 for a B. So after getting all As in both sophomore and junior year in all advacned classes but a sport, I am still mid-30th out of 610 in my class. </p>

<p>There are 21 number 1s in my school and all but 3-5 had the easy PreAP english teacher and I was not one of them. On the scale we have, the number 1s have a capped GPA of 4.5 and mine is 4.44.</p>

<p>Does the freshman year hurt me? </p>

<p>Thanks alot.</p>

2

<p>We don't recalculate GPA. In fact, since each schools has some absurd and different system, we just have a standard sheet typed up that has all your grades on it, which we look at as we start reading the file; the red flags are B's in math/science... it is not all that frequent to see a transcript without a blemish like a B in art/English at some point.</p>

<p>In any case, your freshman year issues won't hurt you, especially since if I had to pick a class we care least about, it's freshman year English or Theater. You won't get the small extra boost that comes from being #1 in your class, but you're still around the 5th percentile of your class, so you're in the running. Just impress us with what you do outside of class; certainly nothing in your transcript kills you, even if it doesn't blow us out of the water. You come in looking about average in our applicant pool gradewise, so we are ready to see what it is about you that should raise you higher into the segment we admit.</p>