Will I still have some sort of chance for Ivies or top schools if I have a 3.85-3.9/4.3 gpa scale freshman year? I am really worried this will affect my overall high school academic stats when applying for schools (I am also an asian girl). Please let me know what you think and if you have any advice, thanks!
A 3.85 is not a bad GPA
A/ You’re a freshman.It’s way too early to focus on top schools
B/ Calling a 3.85-3.90 GPA “bad” is beyond disingenuous
C/ GPA is but one part of the application.You also need high SAT/ACT scores, strong EC’s, well-written essays, and great recs.
Absolutely too early. I would suggest that OP stay off CC for the next couple of years and wait until grades/ECs/test scores are set.
You need to get some perspective n life if you think that 3.85-3.9 is a bad GPA.
no one said 3.85 is a bad grade. The question was (What is) Bad GPA for top school.
Or the OP want to know whether 3.85 is a good enough grade to ivies and top schools. She didn’t mean she had a bad grade. She is posting in “What are my Chances?”. So she was asking about her chance.
She’s a freshman, who knows? She took all honors classes and got 6 'A’s and a ‘B’.
I think the out of “4.3 gpa scale” was missed.
3.85-3.9/4.3 gpa scale = 3.58 - 3.62/4.0 gpa scale
So, the poster is not being disingenuous at all, but has a real question as to whether a B+ to A- GPA in freshman year might impact her chances at top schools.
The answer is that at the most competitive schools, a higher GPA is better, but you certainly have plenty of time to raise your GPA.
Your maximum achievable GPA is pretty close to a 3.9/4.0 by the end of junior year, so you definitely have not blown your chances at top schools.
No, it was not missed, at least not by me. I just **assumed/b, that the OP misspoke about (or does not understand) the grade scale. Just because a school gives A pluses with a 4.3 conversion does not mean that the scale is a 4.3
That was not the question as written. If that was the message to be conveyed, it was not expressed well.
No freshman should ask for chances. Nobody without an SAT/ACT score should ask for chances. If OP wants to be chanced, s/he should wait until s/he has standardized testing and also a listing of ECs; there’s a pretty standard format to use.In the meanwhile, s/he should work hard and explore some ECs
“A pluses with a 4.3 conversion does not mean that the scale is a 4.3”
What then would the scale be?
Presumably, a straight A+ student would then have a 4.3 GPA, or wouldn’t they?
That’s how it works at one of the highest ranked public high schools in the country, albeit with a somewhat bizarre GPA conversion where straight A = 96.00 and straight A+ = 99.00 scale.
4.0
Yes, but it would be a 4.3 on a 4.0 scale. Now I’m not saying that there are not high schools that call it a 4.3 scale, and that may be the case for the OP. However, in most cases, the denominator is whatever an A converts to.
And if there is a straight A+ student, particularly without test scores to back up, one should assume that questions of grade inflation will arise.
My divination of the short, ambiguous OP was a 4 point scale with 0.5 quality points for honors classes and year-long schedule of seven classes. Assuming PE was the only non-honors class, and she got all 'A’s and one ‘B’ gives
Unweighted: (6 x 4 + 3) / 7 = 3.857
Weighted: (4 (PE) + 4 ( Honors B ) + 5 * 4.5) / 7 = 4.357
which are kind of close to the reported grades. The point of the thread is “Are my Ivy dreams ruined now by getting that B?”.
Assumes facts not in evidence. Aside from the fact that many schools don’t offer honors courses in every academic discipline to freshmen (foreign language is a common example of where honors level often does not kick in until level 3), reporting an unweighted GPA on a weighted scale is more of an error than saying a 4.3 scale when it’s a 4.0 scale. Regardless, we’re getting OT. Bottom line, a 3/85-3.9 for a freshman is not bad, but they OP still has along way to go.
Np. This was just my entry in the “let’s guess what @tplay03 really meant” game you and @tdy123 had going. We’ll see who’s right if the OP comes back.
I agree with @skieurope. My school has the same 4.0 scale with A+'s converting to 4.3 system and I would bet 3.85-3.9 would put you in the top quartile of the class, closer to if not in the top decile. Definitely not a bad GPA, not necessarily a HYPSM or T20 GPA, but there’s tons of time to improve and GPA is only one piece of the puzzle. Fret not.
I always say that the plural of anecdote is not data,but I feel the need to point out that I’m attending one of these HYPSM/T20 schools, and I had a few grades less than an A in HS. GPA is but one portion of the application packet.
Everyone is correct in suggesting that it is far too early for you to be getting advince on your chances. However, its not to early to start losing the idea that you need to go to an IVY. Chances of admittance to an IVY league school are miniscule for everyone. If the admit rate is 5%, then 95% are rejected. Nearly every one of the rejected students had great grades and test scores.
Its not too early to start thinking about what you want from college and from life and to make sure that when the time does come to apply, you apply to schools you have a good shot at AND can afford. If you keep your grades up, you will have lots of good choices. In a couple of years, come back with your stats and this site will give you great suggestions depending on your wants and needs. Do not fall into the trap of having a “dream” school.
Not just Ivies, but your Stanfords and MITs of the world will have sub 5% acceptance rates and most of your Top 20 schools are going to have 10-15% acceptance rates.
Given how competitive admissions are and the fact that there is no secret method of being guaranteed acceptance anywhere, a good backup plan is needed, whether that is your in-state public school or one in the Top-50.
@skieurope my school has a grading scale similar to the OPs, and I still am confused on how I should report my weighted GPA when it is clearly inflated (about 0.1 higher than a scale where a 4.0/5.0 (AP) is the max that can be obtained).
Sorry, I am currently not a freshman I am a sophomore but I feel I didn’t do my best freshman year to clear that up!