<p>Hey guys, I'm feeling a little jumpy about my GPA and just wanted to ask some questions to clear away my doubts. GPA is the first and foremost factor in admissions, right? Right now my GPA isn't so hot...3.79 uw last time I checked but 4.5 weighted. I'm taking 7 classes, one elective and one is a double period - so a full day. If I want to apply to Ivies, how does that look?</p>
<p>As I was looking on a lot of Chances threads, a lot of people have 4.0 uw GPA's, which I perceive is kind of scary, when I compare my own stats. </p>
<p>But...I go to one of the most competitive high schools in the state of Maryland, and I know for a fact that I've got one of the toughest if not the toughest, course schedule of all the sophomores at my school. Which...is apparently hurting me more than it is helping me. </p>
<p>Don't colleges take into account your grades in accordance to your course selection? Not to mention the high school you go to, their history with your school, and your high school's academic reputation overall. I'm sure if I took more than one elective class and had a lunch period, I'd have an easy 4.0, but I don't.</p>
<p>My dad has been chastising me and ever reprimanding what a mistake I made of "taking classes I couldn't handle," i.e., taking classes in which I couldn't achieve and maintain good grades. </p>
<p>And, as a curious question, is it smarter to go to a well-known and very competitive high school and not stand out that much due to the quality of your peers, or to a lesser-known and mediocre school and stand out because of its less academic rigor?</p>
<p>Please give me any input on this! Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>yea dude don't worry. I also had a 3.79 gpa, but still got into Yale, Stanford, and a bunch of other good schools. I did have a tough curriculum (12 ap's) and came from a high school with a rigorous academic reputation. I too was scared looking at WAMC threads cuz everyone getting into these schools had 3.9+. However, if u can, it would be good to improve ur gpa next year to maybe around 3.85 if possible. Good luck.</p>
<p>My school system adds 1 point to all honors/AP courses in calculating weighted gpa (WGPA).</p>
<p>How common is that? Do most school systems use that kind of weighted GPA calculation? I was browsing around and some people said only .3 or maybe .5 is added for honors/AP or only AP courses. </p>
<p>How varied are WGPA systems? Hopefully not a lot...cause then mine looks pretty inflated. :/</p>
<p>Ah I'm getting more B's this semester, inevitably, but I'm determined to have A's all across the board junior year.</p>
<p>You should realize that schools calculate GPAs using various methods. Whereas some schools count a 95 as a 4.0, my school counted it as a 3.5. What method does your school use?</p>
<p>I know for sure that for unweighted GPA we use:
A=4
B=3
C=2
D=1
E=0</p>
<p>To translate that into percentages - correct me if I'm wrong - a 95 would be a 3.8/4.0. So a 0.3+ difference compared to your school.</p>
<p>Oh well. I know colleges recalculate and recalibrate your grades/GPA in correlation to your courses against their own individual systems, etc. I guess I'm just really insecure about my precarious and flimsy GPA competing against a swarming horde of 4.0's for Ivies.</p>
<p>Hopefully my rigorous course selection will pull me through...better a lower GPA with tough courses than a higher one with easy mediocre classes, no?</p>
<p>A 4.0 isn't top 10% at some schools and does not exist at others. It is all about how that gpa ranks at your school. A 4.3 weighted at our school just makes top 10%! Those 4.3s arent going to Harvard though it would be top, top at many school and ivy material.</p>
<p>This is what I can't stand about college admissions. For some reason, even though I'm getting all A's and would be a valedictorian at a lot of schools, I'm punished for "only" having a 3.7 at a great high school and not being in the top quarter.</p>