<p>For all the colleges I am applying to I am trying to get the applications in as early as possible. Chicago is the only school right now that I am looking to apply EA to. Obviously, the applications are due on November 1st which is before the end of the first quarter.</p>
<p>Essentially, will they see any grades? I actually really hope so because I'm really hoping for a high upward trend for senior year (my grades aren't terrible... my lowest grade is an 88 but unfortunately the unweighted system doesn't really care if you have an 88 or an 81). I had some issues at home the past couple of years so focusing completely on school has been a little tough! (I'm not a grade freak, I will always maintain that happiness comes before an A!)</p>
<p>If your lowest grade is an 88 (and you don’t have too many 88s), I think you should be okay with regard to GPA. GPA is really a point which Chicago admissions officers look at to see if it’s in Chicago range (3.8+ is probably most appropriate) and then pass it by to look at more important things like class difficulty, teacher recommendations, etc.</p>
<p>My school only gives letter grades, and A+=A=A-=4.0, B+=B=B-=3.0 etc.</p>
<p>I had 2 B’s, mostly A-'s, a handful of A’s and A+'s. Roughly a 3.88 UW GPA. Got in EA, so your 88’s should be fine, but they will not see your first quarter grades.</p>
<p>Chicago doesn’t even calculate GPA. They just look at your transcript; they’ll see the difference between an 88 or an 81. They WILL notice class rank, if your school ranks, but they’ll probably figure out from the school profile exactly how well you’ve done in school relative to your peers.</p>
<p>Your school is on the quarter system? You should ask your school’s GC, not CC.</p>
<p>Work on those essays instead of worrying about stuff you can’t change. ;)</p>
<p>I know, I’ve told myself that. Haha. Its nice to know that they don’t recalculate, as I’ve heard that but haven’t been very sure. As I said, I’m not a grade freak. Too many of my friends are and they’re such jerks (they think that they rule the world because they have a 103 average in HS… lol)</p>
<p>I go to a competitive public school that doesn’t rank. </p>
<p>On a side note, I really like UofC for putting so much emphasis on the essays, especially because they are really thought provoking ones. Haha</p>
<p>(wow, typos abound)</p>
<p>^ If it means anything, I had the second-lowest GPA of all the UofC applicants from my school last year and I was the only one who got in. Don’t get me wrong; grades are important, but class selection is too.</p>
<p>^Does that mean all the ppl who applied including you had really high GPAs?
Mine’s between a high 3.7 and low 3.8 :(</p>
<p>It depends on your HS on if grades are sent. My D’s HS sent first marking period grades (end of Nov) to all EA/ED schools (whether you wanted them to or not)</p>
<p>^^ I would imagine it depends more on your course rigor. A high 3.7 (I have a 3.78 lol… probably gonna be more like 3.85 for the midterm reports/first quarter) probably won’t be problem if you have difficult courses; that is it won’t be the deciding factor of your admission. Discounting freshmen year where everything is based on how you did in middle school, I’ve always taken the most rigorous courseload possible. (I’ll graduate with 8 APs under my belt and 6 of them Sr year, which is considered ridiculous even in my school. How people have taken 10-15 I’ll never know)</p>
<p>This is just what I have gleaned (I’m applying this year, obviously). I think the same applies for the SAT. I think when your score is between a 2100 and a 2300 for top schools it won’t be what makes or breaks your app.</p>
<p>@esthetique: I honestly don’t know my unweighted GPA, nor remember what my GPA was when I applied. If I had to guess, I’d say my unweighted was below yours, but keep in mind that this depends on the context of the school. My HS was rigorous, so I was still well within the top 20% of my class, probably around 15%.</p>
<p>I think you should be okay, as long as your test scores and ECs are looking good.
I don’t believe your first semester grades would be sent, though it depends on when your semester ends. You can always send up a follow-up to UChicago after the first semester is over and after you’ve officially applied.</p>