<p>From reading some chance threads and other threads I have seen that some schools weight AP's as a 5 and things of that nature, at my school an A in a AP course adds .0244 to the GPA every semester, so over 1 year an AP course adds .0488 or .05 to a GPA. Is this equivalent to weighting an AP as a 5? Also if it is not, then do colleges know the manner in which GPA's are calculated, does that show up on the guidance counselor report?</p>
<p>Most colleges re-calculate your gpa once they receive your application. No worries.</p>
<p>Your transcript gives this information. It will even show if your grading scale has been changed during your hs years. Adcoms are very aware of differences in grading scales, and they vary far more than you would imagine. I would echo the previous poster in saying that some schools wills recalculate your grade, using only your core classes (math, English, science, history/sstudies, and foreign language). Say goodby to that lousy B+ in PE in 10th grade…but also wave by-by to chorus, band, art, etc, that helped to cover that C in Chemistry. Depending on the student it can help or hurt your GPA. This is not true for ALL schools so it’s important to check with those you plan on applying to. You will then have a better understanding how you are being looked at at each school. Remember, this is just one of many pieces of information, and all students are being looked at the same.</p>
<p>I agree with Zala… college recalculate gpa’s to their scale so as to put all applications on the same level. My D’s school gives 1 pt for AP, .5 for honors some schools do not weight. all apps are made equal.</p>
<p>Many schools recalculate GPA but a good number do not. One of your jobs as a college prospect is to figure out what the colleges you are interested in attending actually do.</p>
<p>Once you have figured out whether or not they recalculate it becomes your job to figure out how good a job your high school does of explaining its grading system in the supporting documents it will provide to college admissions offices. </p>
<p>Although some high schools might well provide information about the grading system on the transcript (as per blueiguana), I am not aware of ANY high schools in this part of New York State that do so. However, the High School Profile usually contains this information. Find out if your school provides the info on either the Profile or transcript or on a stand-alone document. If it does not you may need to sit down with your guidance counselor to request that the issue be addressed on his/her recommendation letter. </p>
<p>Be proactive and never assume anything.</p>
<p>Hudsonvalley51 - I was not aware of any schools that didn’t offer this information on their transcripts. When we have visited schools the question always comes up ‘Do you know/how do you know that our school has a different grading system’. The answer is always ‘We are well aware of grading scales throughout the country and they vary widely.’ This is a hot topic in state schools as our grading scale has been different from neighboring counties until this year.
Your advise to be your own advocate is very, very sound. Even at my S’s school (where things are spelled out very well), I have asked that he see guidance to make sure there are no mistakes on his transcript.</p>