<p>I'm in my junior year of highschool and currently have an unweighted gpa of 3.53 and a weighted gpa of 4.15. I have a composite ACT score of 32. I'm going to be applying to JHU and i'm worried that my GPA may be too low. Will my ACT score be able to make up for my GPA?</p>
<p>Your ACT score is not particularly high and will not make up for a low GPA. </p>
<p>You should have some matches/safeties.</p>
<p>Your GPA with a 32 ACT implies laziness. Obviously schools look at other things like essays and ECs, but JHU will be a reach.</p>
<p>^ That’s not always true. There are several factors that can tamper a GPA and one’s academic record. In some cases it’s laziness but in others it’s not. But like you said there are other factors in an application.</p>
<p>Your GPA is not that terrible and you can still get it up this semester. You will have many choices. But do think about some safeties, just for peace of mind. Good luck!</p>
<p>In general, the pairing of high standardized test scores with a less impressive GPA can be problematic. It can lead admissions officers to suspect that you may be a bit of a slacker. If you’re not, you need to give them some evidence to counter that inference.</p>
<p>Generally, if your GPA doesn’t match your standardized test scores, you’ll have trouble gaining admission to the colleges where students with test scores like yours usually go. In that sense, high test scores don’t usually make up for a less impressive GPA. The reason for this is that really selective colleges and universities (such as JHU) start out by selecting the students who have both high test scores and comparable achievement in high school. (And why wouldn’t they?) And generally, they’ve filled their entering class before they’ve run out of these high-GPA, high-SAT/ACT students.</p>
<p>On the other hand, high test scores aren’t completely useless. They may help you get into a somewhat more selective college than the ones that students with a GPA like yours often attend, or they may get you a scholarship or an invitation to the honors program at a college where you are admitted.</p>
<p>All that haven’t been said, I’m not sure there’s a huge mismatch between your ACT and your GPA.</p>