<p>So is it true that a Valedictorian with a 3.85 is just as strong as a valedictorian with a 4.0, assuming a class size of ~550?</p>
<p>Wouldn't they want to account for weighted grade inflation?</p>
<p>wouldn’t that depend on which top college you are referring to?..</p>
<p>also, there is a HS in PA that has 50 Valedictorians…ya think their rank counts? prob not…</p>
<p>They view GPA with rank and test scores and also the rigor of your classes</p>
<p>^^
Like HYPS, Columbia, Penn, Chicago, etc.</p>
<p>High schools with multiple valedictorians don’t choose valedictorians based on rank.</p>
<p>They look at both UW and rank. Both are important in the admission process.</p>
<p>You are compared to others within your school and others nationally; some schools give out A’s easier than others (sigh).
Weighted grade inflation will show when comparing you to other applicants from your school and again to the national applicant pool.</p>
<p>I don’t really think that made sense, but:
No - UW GPA isn’t replaced.
Maybe - GPA doesn’t dictate how strong you are.</p>
<p>Then again, a 3.85 valedictorian in a noncompetitive high school is not likely as strong as a 4.0 val from a super competitive school.</p>
<p>^That’s not necessarily true. My school has two val’s every once in a while, and they always have the same weighted GPA to the thousandths place. But those with tens of val’s I think tend to say everyone with a GPA above X is val. </p>
<p>OP, there’s a balance to strike between rank and GPA. Individual grades are important as well (ie, you’re better off with B’s in classes totally unrelated to your major/interests than in your prospective major), but rank is king.</p>
<p>The GPA is essentially meaningless as far as I’m concerned. All that matters is rank and the strength of the HS. Who cares if your GPA is 3.8; If you’re the valedictorian at an extremely competitive highschool, you are far better off than the valedictorians at the majority of highschools, no matter what their GPA is.</p>
<p>^
Non-competitive public, though. I took AP Chem as a sophomore and it killed me.</p>
<p>Colleges try to look at you within the context of your school. They obviously want to accept the best applicant, but there’s no way that they can accurately compare the quality of every school in the country.</p>
<p>Is it true that rank 1 with 3.85 is equal to rank 1 with 4.0? Can’t really be said, and it probably varies from college to college. Not sure how much they suspect grade inflation.</p>
<p>I see…</p>
<p>So would a 4.0er in the top 5% be stronger than a 3.85 Valedictorian?</p>