<p>Hi. I was wondering how big a role gpa plays in admissions to Barnard. I’m a sophomore now and my unweighted gpa is only a 3.6 because I overloaded with ecs and honors classees. I’m interested in Barnard and was wondering about some of the average stats for current admits. Does having a low gpa now hurt me when applying to colleges in a couple years? I appreciate any responses.</p>
<p>Well, it might hurt you. Below are some stats from BC's website for various things, including GPA [this is for the class of 2011]. But Barnard is very good at looking at the whole picture, and though your GPA may be below the average for admits, you still have a chance as long as you have great ECs and good standardized scores. And, passion for something is important--it's key. Try to convey who you truly are in your app, and you'll have a good chance. </p>
<p>"A highly selective college, Barnard enrolls about 555 first-year students and 100 transfers annually. Strong high school record, essays, recommendations, the SAT with writing and two SAT subject tests - or the ACT exam with writing - are required."</p>
<p>"Median SAT Combined 2050
Median SAT Math 660
Median SAT Critical Reading 690
Median SAT Writing 700
Median ACT 31</p>
<p>% Ranked in 1st or 2nd decile 93.4%
% Students ranked by their high school 48.6%
Average G.P.A. (100-pt. Scale) 94.64
Average G.P.A. (4.0 scale) 3.91"</p>
<p>The first thing, imo, is to take the most rigorous courses you can, which it sounds like you have done. Of course, the higher your GPA the better, but not having perfect grades will not be the end of the world. You can look on Barnard's website at the common data set (do a search and you will find it) to see the stats of students admitted over the past few years. I will say that Barnard seems to be a school that does a pretty good job of looking at the whole student, so over the next couple of years just do your best and find time to do what you truly enjoy. Develop your passions and don't worry specifically about numbers just yet.
By the way, I am a mom of a Barnard student. She is a junior and loves it there. I am not a college admissions expert or anything </p>
<p>Best to you!</p>
<p>It is better to have a low GPA with lots of honors & AP classes then a slightly higher one with easy classes - colleges like to see that you're challenging yourself. A 3.6 is still very strong esp with difficult classes. However, they have to look at the strength of your school and rank to place this in context (at some schools it's easier to get a 3.6 than others). But I wouldn't worry about it too much, especially as a sophomore. KEep up the good work and try to do as well as you can, and also keep in mind there are many other factors involved in admissions (essays, SAT/ACT scores, ECs etc).</p>