In my last school year, I took health as a night class. I pretty much rushed through it and didn’t care much about it because at the time, it didn’t count for any GPA, and I knew that the knowledge of health wouldn’t help me much down the road.
This year, my school district made all classes count towards the unweighed GPA. As a result, my GPA is around a 3.97 rather than the 4.0 it should be. Except for health, all of my other classes (including several AP classes and Pre-AP classes) are 98+.
Will this 1 low grade and the resulting GPA decrease hurt me if I apply to competitive universities?
Nothing more to say. I wanted to let my sarcasm voice come out (something about only 4.0s are accepted into top schools) but refrained. Relax. You are too tightly wound that this point.
A perfect GPA is of course preferred to a nearly perfect one. That being said your GPA is a very small part of what will get you admitted. Perfect 4.0s are routinely rejected by top schools. As are perfect test scores and the combination of both of these things. It’s just plain not enough. GPA and test scores are two things that can literally be emulated by every single student. Focus on the things which are unique to you, things which cannot be shown on the app of any other student. That’s how you will get accepted.
Additionally, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it now. Put it out of your mind and move forward, what will be will be but dwelling on it will only further distract you from other activities and studies.
Sorry to bump this thread, but recently I’ve found out that if I take health again, it won’t override the previous grade, but it will still show on my transcript.
Theoretically, it seems that I could take it again to make the point that I’ve progressed and improved. Is it worth it to take it again?
If it makes a difference, the first grade I got for health in night school was a 82 during sophomore year. If I were to take it again, it would be during this summer so that it would appear on my transcript.
Note: I also plan on keeping A+ grades for my other classes, and I also plan to have excellent extracurriculars/teacher recommendations if that helps people to answer my question.
OP, your adcoms will be smart enough to look at the transcript and see it was health. Now, let it go and focus on more important issues, like understanding what the top colleges look for. And that includes clear and reasoned thinking, not falling apart over one B, in a subject most hs treat as a secondary class.
wong: you’ve missed the fact that every respondent has scoffed at your mis-focus over your health grade.
You’re also the person who posted about the difference between being 1st, 2nd and 3rd and if there was any qualitative difference in being president or vice president on your EC list.
Please move off this path – this type of attitude is in people a company hires and then regrets it afterward. You seem to be over concerned about g aming every option to appear your best – rather than internally chasing academic interest and the welfare of your fellows. I believe every respondent is an adult – not anyone that you’d impress with your 4.0. Please try to understand the eye-rolling nature of your “dilemma”.
As a rising junior, OP’s problem seems to be he really doesn’t know what the top colleges look for. It’s not about P vs VP, ranking val vs sal, 3.97 vs 4.0, etc. Look into what holistic is about, read up on what your targets look for, including the level of thinking and action. If you don’t try to understand that, all the high school status won’t get you to a tippy top. And it’s a life lesson.