GPA not looking well

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>I'm really concerned about my GPA. I'm really looking forward for Stanford application, but please inform me if I have put myself at risk with my Unweighted GPA. </p>

<p>Freshman Year:
UW: 3.85 (1 B only)
W: 4.1</p>

<p>Sophmore Year:
UW: 3.52
W: 4.49</p>

<p>Junior Year:
UW: 3.57
W: 5.43</p>

<p>Leadership: President of service club (2 years including senior), captain of science competition club. 3 year membership in another service club (no positions ever held). </p>

<p>Rank: Top 20%</p>

<p>I worked pretty hard freshman year, but sophmore year was a different story. Please share your sincere comments in the trend and information given. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Yes, you have put yourself at risk.</p>

3

<p>Yes definitely. “I worked pretty hard freshman year, but sophomore year was a different story.” They dont want students who dont work hard.</p>

4

<p>Based on your grades, I would say that you have a very poor chance.</p>

5

<p>NJDS: It’s not that I was lazy but I just had a new level of coursework and my weighted gpa explains for it. </p>

<p>Could anyone explain why my weighted gpa won’t suffice for my unweighted? I know i have taken the hardest coursework offered at my school, so why do you guys think i don’t have any chance?</p>

6

<p>I never really pay any attention to weighted GPA, because I assume that all qualified applicants would have taken the most rigorous courseload and weighting systems vary significantly from school to school. Except at the most rigorous private high schools, most acceptees at Stanford have demonstrated great success (3.9+ unweighted) in the most rigorous courses.</p>

7

<p>How come UW: 3.57 is giving you W: 5.43
Do you have PE and art class ?
Not all classes give you extra point.</p>

8

<p>no i have all APs except one language class.
At most schools an “A” is worth:::: Ap classes are worth 6 points
Honors 5 points
Standard 4 points
“B” in all levels is just minus one point from the highest points possible for an “A”
Example: if I got a B in Ap class, then I would get only 5 points
if I got a B in Honors class, then I would get only 4 points</p>

9

<p>@OP: this is the classic stanford answer to a common question:
Question: “Would you rather I get an A in an honors class or a B in an AP class?”
Answer from Stanford: “we would rather you get an A in an AP class” and they have thousands of applicants who do. its not expected that you never get a B, but As are expected with Bs as the outliers.</p>

10

<p>In our school, AP gives you only 5 points.
How you can take AP without pre-req.
What AP’s did you take so far?</p>

11

<p>Stanford seeks students that stand out in multiple disciplines. I know very few people whose grades alone got them in. That being said, almost everyone here had great high school grades in the toughest classes, in addition to at least one other hook (athlete, legacy, fantastic artist, under-represented minority, disabled, extraordinary ECs, etc.). Depending on the hook, you will be given more leeway for your GPA. </p>

<p>For you though, I don’t really see a hook. Repeating what others have said, your activities won’t stand out in the Stanford pool. That’s what is really key: standing out. It’s like you’re given a menu of 50 food items at the world’s best restaurant. 49 of the options are scrumptious delights that you’d very much enjoy eating. On a lesser menu, about 40 of the options would be the best item. There’s really not much tangible difference from the 3rd to the 20th choice. For the 3rd and 4th choice, then, you are going to pick the items that pop-out the most. </p>

<p>That being said, there may be something that does not show up in a CC post. Stanford weighs the essay components heavily. If you want to have any shot, you must make sure that you put your best foot forward in the essays. Think about an essay only you could write. Something that informs and plays to the reader’s emotions. </p>

<p>Also, if you don’t get into Stanford, it’s not the end of the world. Palo Alto sucks. CS majors suck. The basketball courts are usually taken at the desirable times (and who wants to play with GSB students or the club team?). There are no thunderstorms, nor is there a close enough proximity to skiing (ideally we’d be at the base of Squaw Valley). The work is difficult. </p>

<p>Also the fact that there are so many great people makes it difficult to stand out once accepted. My talent was golf, but (unlike singing, acting, writing, programming, etc.) that’s worth absolutely nothing here. And the fact that no one at Stanford seems to give a crap about a high GPA anymore means that I have to write essays and be interviewed (I suck at essays and interviews) to get things that everyone else seems to get with ease.</p>