My cumulative GPA is about 3.70/4.00, and I feel that this is gonna hurt me really bad.
First I would like to explain how the grading scale works at my school.
A= 94+
B= 84~93
C= 74~83
D= 64~73
F= Below 64
No pluses/minuses
Therefore, the higest possible GPA is 4.00, and no one is getting it. Anyway, even if my guidance counselor explains this to colleges, would I still have a severe disadvantage at schools like Brown (my 1st choice) and Williams (2nd choice)? So far, I have taken only hard courses, and my counselor told me that I would actually have some advantages because I have been under the American curriculum for only 3 years.
I believe my SAT scores are pretty good. 2270 New SAT I, 790 Math IIC, 770 Chemistry, and 700 US History. Would these help me? I know GPA is the thing that counts more than anything else, but I would really like to know if good SAT scores can give me some advantages despite my “mediocre” GPA
<p>In general, high gpa and low SAT makes it look like the high school grades easy, and low gpa and high SAT makes it look like the student is lazy.</p>
<p>However, the gpa is considered relative to the high school. There are two ways that they can tell what the average gpa is like at your high school. 1) In addition to mailing your transcript, the high school will also include a "profile" for the high school. The info on the profile varies from hs to hs, but it contains info such as how many AP courses are offered and so forth. It will contain a statistical breakdown of the gpa at the hs to some extent. This will enable the colleges to judge what your gpa really means. 2) The colleges can also tell from your class rank both in absolute terms and also from what percentile you are in. Some high schools do not rank. In this case, they try go back to (1) and try to figure out about where you rank.</p>
<p>It would not hurt for you to ask your GC to say something in his/her rec about how the hs grades very strictly and you are near the top of the class, and so on.</p>
<p>Your SAT scores are very good. They don't split hairs between candidates' SAT scores after they reach a certain point. Try to stand out as an unique individual in the EC's, essays and recs. They want to see people with "passion" and long-term commitment in one or two areas rather than a long list of activities with little involvement in any. </p>
<p>I'm not sure what you GC could have meant about being at a disadvantage because you have only been in the US school system for 3 years, unless he/she meant that it was harder for you to succeed, but you have.</p>
<p>Yo Franken Chris, I guess you misunderstood my question.
And I don't need books like that because I bench 350</p>
<p>Ha... that was awesome frankenman.</p>