<p>Just wondering if any of you had any clue/input: Do top-tier universities focus solely on GPA for transfer students, or do they take into account grades earned for individual classes?</p>
<p>I was a theatre/literature major at my old school, but am planning on dropping my theatre major when I transfer and focusing solely on literature. The thing is, my theatre grades weren't too amazing, but my literature grades were--as a result, my GPA isn't sky-high. I got straight A's in all of my literature/philosophy classes, even high level ones, but some Bs in my theatre classes. Since I plan on dropping theatre altogether, do you think these schools will take that into account? Without my theatre classes my GPA is about a 3.8-4.0...with them, it's a 3.4. Any advice/feedback? I'm so hoping these schools will see that I succeed well in high level academic classes. It's kind of ridiculous because I get such high grades in true academic courses and then for the classes I have to dance around and act like a monkey I didn't do well :(</p>
<p>They look at both. That much should be fairly self explanatory. If you’re applying as a literature major, your literature grades are going to carry a bit more weight in some respects than your other grades, but colleges are evaluating you as an overall student, and not just “a literature student.” They want to see dedication and real effort throughout all of your college courses, and not just the ones that you find more interesting or relevant. </p>
<p>That being said, a 3.4 GPA isn’t that bad. There are certainly plenty of schools that you won’t be able to get into, but there are many more that you’ll be able to easily get into. I guess this largely depends on what you mean by “top-tier schools.” Are you referring to Harvard, MIT, Yale, etc? Or are you referring to schools that would fall into the top 100, but not necessarily the top 10 or top 20?</p>
<p>Do you think Ivies and other similar caliber schools have an actual set cut-off? I’m doubting so, because they say they take pride in being ‘holistic’, but I’m worrying…does under a 3.5 definitely put one out of the running unless they’re some sort of celebrity?</p>
<p>Most schools/programs have some kind of GPA cutoff. I’m not sure about the Ivy League schools in particular, but I’d imagine they do too. </p>
<p>Really? I was under the impression that it was just a legend that they wouldn’t even consider applicants unless they had a certain GPA</p>
<p>Many schools plainly state that there is a GPA cutoff. There are often separate departmental cutoffs as well. I’m planning on transferring to UIUC this fall. They have a minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 for all students, but this can vary from department to department. I’m a physics major, and the minimum required GPA is 2.7. Some departments require a minimum 3.2 and some simply adhere to the 3.0 minimum. </p>
<p>The admissions process is a lot more complex than that though. If you’re applying as a literature major, your GPA for your actual literature courses is going to be considered as a separate data point, but your cumulative GPA for all of your courses will also be taken into consideration. One possible method of making a decision is that your cumulative GPA will determine whether you are admitted into the school itself, and then your major GPA will be used in considering whether or not you get accepted into the specific department to which you are applying. </p>
<p>That being said, even with a 3.4, I can’t imagine that there are many schools for which you will not make the minimum GPA requirements. It is indeed a myth that Ivy League schools will only consider applicants that have a 3.8, 3.9, or 4.0. Obviously the majority of their transfer students are going to have higher GPAs, but that’s not necessarily because of the GPA itself. It’s because students with high GPAs tend to also be well rounded students and overall good applicants. Keep in mind that making the minimum GPA requirement for your application to be considered is a lot different than being accepted. At top schools, you’ll be competing with pools of 3.9-4.0 students. Make sure you have a well rounded, and strong application. </p>