<p>I'm a white male that attends one of the top high schools in Massachusetts (really competitive). I am a junior and have weighted GPA of 4.2, my school does not calculate unweighted GPA's, so I'm not sure what my unweighted GPA is. My school doesn't rank. I've taken all honors courses except for history freshman and sophomore year, but this year I'm taking everything honors but accelerated history and chemistry. I play varsity baseball and football. I participate in the Speech and Debate club, Model UN, Spanish Club, and Engineering club. I tutor middle school students twice a week throughout the year and volunteer at a children's camp every year. I have 120 hours of community service (60 is required by my school). I also recently went on a trip with my Church to New Orleans to aid to the community down there (what I wrote my essay on). I've had a job since the summer of sophomore year. I also have two great recommendations from my teachers. I got a 1950 on the SAT and a 29 on the ACT. What are my chances for USC; I'm thinking about applying to the school of natural sciences or engineering.</p>
<p>You can calculate unweighted GPA on your own by bumping your honors classes down to a 4.0 scale. It’s pretty easy, and having an UW GPA will give you (and other posters here) a better idea of your chances at the colleges you are considering.</p>
<p>Your ECs are really good and the sports will help as they show long term commitment.</p>
<p>Are you taking any AP classes? Those will also make the admissions committee give a second look to your application and demonstrates your ability to participate in rigorous academic work. If you take AP classes and do well on the tests, this can also give you a boost.</p>
<p>I think you might be a bit on the fence with the average SAT/ACT scores. If you can somehow bump up that SAT to a 2100+ or bump the ACT to somewhere in the 32 range, I’d say you’d be a competitive candidate. As of now, I think you’re definitely an “on the fence” candidate.</p>
<p>Thanks, I’m confused as to how to calculate my unweighted GPA. I’ve heard many different methods and have gotten the impression that there is no standard way to calculate an unweighted GPA.</p>
<p>That’s true, but you can give yourself a rough idea (which is helpful) by calculating it. Also, your counselor should be able to give you your UW GPA as some colleges require it for applications.</p>
<p>If your school uses 5.0 = A for honors classes, then calculate your GPA using 4.0 = A for your honors classes. If your school uses 5.0 = A for all classes, then just bump everything down a level? (Unless there’s another way for these instances? Not sure, as my HS was 5.0 for honors classes only.)</p>
<p>So would that mean subtracting 1 from my weighted GPA because an A is now a 4?</p>
<p>A 4.0
a- 3.7
b+ 3.3
b 3.0
b- 2.7
c+ 2.3
c 2.0
c- 1.7
d+ 1.3
d 1.0
f 0.0</p>
<p>Okay thanks…so theres no +.5 for honors classes?</p>
<p>Unweighted means that all classes, both “regular” and honors/AP are given equal “weight” – so no. An A in a regular course is the same as an A in an AP course in an unweighted scenario.</p>
<p>You can’t just subtract 1 whole point because not ALL of your classes are honors/AP; you’ll still have to add and divide like regular GPA calculation.</p>
<p>While you’re working on your UW GPA you can also take a look at the link below. Assuming your UW GPA works out to a 3.75ish number, then your GPA will be about average and your ACT/SAT is at the 25th%-tile. The rest of your profile looks good. I would suggest practicing/studying for the ACT/SAT and retaking them in September. With a 2100/31 you become a lot stronger candidate. Engineering schools generally have higher requirements than the average (especially for math), so right now Viterbi is probably a reach.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1011/FreshmanProfile2010.pdf[/url]”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1011/FreshmanProfile2010.pdf</a></p>