GPA/ rank vs. actual grades??

<p>After I got my 1st semester grades ( they were awful!!!) I seriously panicked so much!! They are a steep drop from other grades from last three years. BUT my GPA is actually higher because I took a lot of APs this year. So the question is do schools look at overall GPA ( both unweighted/ weighted) ( which one is more important?) or do they look at the A, B,C grades on your actual transcript?? Do they take into account the rigor of the student's schedule and how much time was spent on ECs?</p>

<p>They take into account course difficulty, but you still need mostly A’s to be considered at Stanford. I <em>think</em> unweighted is more important than weighted, though.</p>

<p>You’re expected to be taking the most or all of the difficult classes in high school to be competitive for admission. So probably not, since most of your competitors will have A’s and a sprinkling of B’s in those tough classes. Now, if some of those courses were at other colleges, there could be more leeway.</p>

<p>How much is a sprinkling of B’s?? Is it okay if they are all in AP classes? I heard that a B in an AP class is better than an A in a regular class. But do colleges look at GPA or your actual transcript with letter grades?</p>

<p>I’m in a somewhat similar situation as the OP. My grades are mostly strong but I have a handful of B’s. However, I’m taking the most rigorous course-load in my school so my Weighted GPA and Class Rank are really high. I’m hoping Stanford doesn’t look down on that.</p>

<p>Yeah ^ I got a B- in AP Bio, although 60% of the class got a B- or lower. Estimate class rank is still around top 10% ( is that bad, my school is realllllly small).</p>