I heard that schools such as the University of Michigan and Stanford use the flat grading system ( A = 4, B = 3, C = 2 D = 1, F = 0), correct me if I’m wrong. Do all colleges use this grading system when recalculating? Also, my high school will only send my weighted GPA how will they look at it? Thanks!
Colleges may recalculate high school GPAs by their own methods. Some use their own weighting systems and/or their own methods of choosing which courses to include.
Some do, some don’t. If they do, they may have their own formula. Some do not count freshmen grades, some count only core subjects. If your school only show wGPA, it will be likely recalculated as there is no standard in wGPA.
I don’t think Mich does anymore, if memory serves.
(we had a bit of a discussion of this in thread last year or so http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20543807#Comment_20543807 )
But basically, they all have their own ways of “interpreting” GPA whether they actually recalculate or just have a good eye for determining the applicant’s GPA relative. Simply because they get students from 5 points systems, 100 pt systems, more traditional 4 point systems, those that use +/-, those that don’t. Those where GPA including “fringe” courses like gym, those that only count “academic” etc. all schools have some way they determine how indicative a student’s HS GPA is of the student’s academic ability and application.
Whether they actually do math or just know how to understand the GPA in context, few schools just take the GPA as submitted and fail to contextualize.
@CaliDad2020 There was only one year UMich stopped recalculating GPA. It has been resume the year after but it has been changed to include also freshmen grade.
By the way, it was 2009 when UMich stopped recalculating GPA. It resumed in 2010. So your info is way outdated. This has been discussed many times in this forum.
Here is currently on the FAQ of their website:
Some schools recalculate GPA and it can be done a multitude of different ways (ex. unweighted, academic classes only etc.)
That’s why I wrote “if memory serves” - cause in my case it usually don’t!
Basically the overall point is - any competitive school will contextualize a student’s GPA to their performance in core academic courses and try to level the playing field however they think is best to compare apples to apples.
Some do the math, some just “interpret.”
My daughter moved schools after her sophomore year. The first school was the US News#1 STEM magnet school with a 0-100 grading system. We moved internationally for work, so the second was a German International School with an IB program that has a 0-7 grading system. We never knew what her 4.0 scale GPA was. Colleges admitted her anyway and gave her merit scholarships. The only glitch we had was our State Public U that had an automated system for scholarships based on self-reported data. An email to admissions cleared that up and she was also awarded merit.
My point is, don’t worry about it, the colleges figure it out.