GPA is only "considered?"

<p>I looked on the common data set, and GPA + class rank are only "considered" while essays, ECs, test scores, etc. are "very important." This stuck out to me as strange because everyone on CC says that GPA is by far the most important part of an application. Is it really true that GPA isn't considered as much as everything else like ECs, test scores, etc? I have a low GPA but great ECs, recs, test scores, course rigor, etc. Will my GPA be overlooked if everything else I have is great?</p>

<p>GPA is a 3 digit number. Different school has different ways of calculating GPA. Your transcript is what matters. An A is an A, regardless of what numerical value you assign it. Here on CC, GPA is focused because no one really wants to reveal and no one wants to read a entire transcript.</p>

<p>Depends how oustanding everything else you have is. Keep in mind that GPA varies from school to school, depending on how difficult your school was, where you come from, whether or not your school ranks in the top 100 high schools in the nation, etc. Also, the classes that brought down your GPA matter as well. If you’re a engineering major, then Bs in your language and music classes will hurt significantly less than Bs in math/science courses.</p>

<p>I think for GPA, they are looking for an upward trend overall. Remember, course rigor is factored extremely closely. I am pretty sure anyone can get a great GPA with basket weaving and a few other “courses.” They’re looking for high rigor in terms of courses and (if possible) high GPA. The two are not mutually exclusive!</p>

<p>How much can we trust these ratings of factors by considered, important, very important, etc.? They seem to vary by school, but are they actually accurate?</p>

<p>I wonder because I have a poor weighted class rank (~16%) at a top-50 HS type and yet a 2260 SAT and my counselor is giving me the “most rigorous” rating for my courseload. I’ve heard that top-10% is a prerequisite, so does my headscratching rank pretty much take me out of the running?</p>

<p>I believe that all of the following six categories are graded on an equally weighted 1-5 scale by the duke admissions committee:</p>

<p>The Objective Criteria:</p>

<ul>
<li>Rigor of courseload (in respect to schools offerings). You won’t be penalized for not taking 10 APs if your school doesn’t offer them, but the ‘most rigorous’ check box is pretty much a requisite for Duke because they like to see that you actively challenge yourself.</li>
<li>GPA/Class Rank. So, yes, GPA and class rank count but they really only account for 1/6 of the application combined.</li>
<li>Standardized Testing. Does anyone know if there is a cut-off?</li>
</ul>

<p>The Subjective Criteria:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurricular Activities. They like to see breadth, but with demonstrated interest in a particular area (presumably your intended major).</li>
<li>Essays. Yeah…</li>
<li>Teacher Recs. I have no idea how they gauge this one, but they want to know what your teachers think of you as a student as well as a person.</li>
</ul>

<p>I’m just an ED applicant so anyone feel free to correct me if I’m wrong in saying any of the above, but this is what I’ve dug up in my research.</p>

<p>@Anonymous_Poster. </p>

<p>You are basically correct with your understanding. I will say, though, that’s it’s not like they just look at the point total (out of 30) and say those above 25 are accepted and those below, do not. It doesn’t work like that. The scoring metric system is basically just to get a general sense of the applicant’s competitiveness, but then the decisions are made on an individual basis. </p>

<p>I will also say that as the application pool has gotten more and more competitive, the distinguishing factors between applicants usually arise in the ECs/essays/teacher recs and those factors are what ultimately determine an “accept” or “reject.” Once you are above a certain threshold of academics, they look to the other areas to see if you’d be a good fit. At that point, they don’t really care all that much if you’re ranked 1 out of 450 with a 2400 or 17 out of 450 with a 2150. If the person ranked 17th in their class shows more in other areas than the valedictorian applicant, they will be accepted while perhaps the valedictorian will not be. There are a few exceptions and basically an automatic admit for “academic superstars” (i.e. the admissions committee doesn’t place as much emphasis on the other criteria) but those are very very rare (being valedictorian with a 2400 doesn’t automatically qualify you for academic superstar status).</p>

<p>In other words, really solid academics credentials are a pre-requisite for getting into Duke in almost all circumstances and if you don’t have them, you will likely be rejected. But once you are above a certain threshold, it’s actually the other non-academic criteria that gets you in over other equally (or even slightly more) academically qualified applicants. Admissions to highly competitive schools these days are frankly, somewhat random, cruel, and seemingly unfair. But that’s what it’s come to when it’s a numbers game, and students who are academically competitive for a school like Duke will likely succeed wherever they end up. Good luck!</p>

<p>So even with a fully adequate SAT, rigorous schedule with most 5’s on AP, and overall indications of a highly qualiied student academically, the rank will keep me out?</p>

<p>^No. If your school is highly competitive, not being in the top 10% is not fatal at all. Duke is well aware of the quality of high schools, so they understand top 10% at one school is not the same as top 10% at another. In addition, if you class is relatively small, the differences may also be more pronounced than they actually are. Being 10th or 16th in a class of 100 means little difference. Having said all that, it’s obviously “better” to be in the top 10% if at all possible, but Duke doesn’t have that as a prereq. </p>

<p>UPenn, on the other hand, is known to basically have that as a requirement and they frequently have one of the highest “in top 10% of class” ranks in the country, which always helps their USN&WR rank…(Even though basically every top 20 school could have ALL their students in the top 10% if they really wanted…it’s, frankly, a stupid thing to base the quality of the school on in my opinion).</p>

<p>Thanks for all the replies – you were all really informative. </p>

<p>@bluedog: Just wondering, will applicants whose academic credentials aren’t solid get auto-rejected, even if they’re super solid in the other 5 categories? I have a really bad GPA (very competitive high school though; many people get into UPenn and other Ivies without being in the top 10%), 3.35 UW, but my courseload is the most rigorous and I have a 2290 with perfect SAT IIs and AP scores. I don’t know my rank, but I’m positive I’m not in the top 10% (won’t matter since my school doesn’t report rank). I’m afraid that the admissions won’t even look at the strongest part of my application, my essays and ECs, because of my GPA. Do you think that I’ll still be considered for admission even with my poor GPA? </p>

<p>Also, since the 6 categories are supposed to be weighted equally, is it possible to make up for a deficiency in one area by being extra strong in the others? Thanks!</p>

<p>Thanks bluedog. My achool is medium siZed but Yeah, I hope rank isnt taken too seriously in a record competitive class at a top-50 HS, the counselor even told me they were trying get rid of rank and said he spoke about my rank in his rec. I took the hardest courseload available and did well. I was hurt by weighted vs non-weighted electives and I hope the admissions are able to see past the arbitrary number. I feel that if my rank was withheld, I would have a very solid shot at Duke ED as my other stats would prove.</p>

<p>@NerdyAsianKid - Yes, a student can make up for a “weak” GPA by being exceptional in one or more of the other categories. I would say that being simply “solid” though is not enough to make up for a poor GPA, unfortunately. But you are guaranteed that AT LEAST two people will read the entirety of your application. They don’t just look at GPA/test scores and say “auto-reject” - they look at EVERYTHING in all 6 categories and then make that determination (or the determination that further analysis is needed with a committee discussion). So, if you can demonstrate that you’ll bring something unique to the university in another area, I’d highly encourage you to emphasize that in your application. It can make up for a subpar GPA. Good luck.</p>

<p>As far as GPA goes, do you know if they weight all years equal or place more emphasis on the later years of HS?</p>

<p>I hope freshman year isn’t taken as seriously as others, it was a brutal transition for me.</p>