<p>I think we all agree that GPA is only a measurement of how much work you do right? Well, if that was the case what's the difference between a 4.0 and a 3.5? It's pretty clear that you do the work if you can get a 3.5... And with a say 2300+ SAT, it also means you're capable of doing the work? As long as you have a decent GPA to show that you don't slack off, it should be fine. </p>
<p>Also, no offense to anyone, but I think a person who has a high SAT should be considered more than a person with high GPA. I mean SAT actually tells a bit about how you compare against other students. If you have a high GPA and a low SAT, it should actually be BAD, because it shows that although you work hard, you still fail (no offense to anyone). However, if you score high on the SAT but get a low GPA, it shows you have the potential and ablilty to do the work, and people can change so you might learn to work hard...</p>
<p>"I think we all agree that GPA is only a measurement of how much work you do right? "</p>
<p>No, we don’t agree on that. Someone can do a lot of really bad work and have a low gpa. Depending on the school and/or how bright someone is, someone can do only a little bit of work and have a high gpa.</p>
<p>“If you have a high GPA and a low SAT, it should actually be BAD, because it shows that although you work hard, you still fail (no offense to anyone). However, if you score high on the SAT but get a low GPA, it shows you have the potential and ablilty to do the work, and people can change so you might learn to work hard…”</p>
<p>H.S. gpa is the best predictor of college performance.</p>
<p>The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Sure, someone with a high SAT, low gpa has high potential, but colleges would rather invest in people who are already using their potential.</p>
<p>BTW, I’m the mom of a National Merit Commended student who graduated h.s. with a 2.9 unweighted and then managed to get a .46 average fall of freshman year in college. That’s because he didn’t bother to go to class. After flunking out, he never returned to college because he feels he’s too smart to need college. Hmmmm…</p>
<p>I know plenty of students who had higher h.s. grades than he did, but had lower SAT scores, and yet were honor students at colleges that were ranked the same as his. Some are now in graduate and professional schools.</p>
<p>NSM, you’re talking in extremes here. OP was talking about a 3.5 GPA kid not a 2.9er. Obviously someone with a 2.9 with sky high SAT’s probably has no business in a semi-competitive college. An un-hooked kid with a 3.5 can even go to HYPSM depending on the circumstances. OP, I think GPA means a lot of different things to different people. It really depends on the rigor of your school, the courses you took, etc. It’s very variable. Even though the SAT is indeed an equalizer for comparison, it is not similar to anything colleges will require of you. The only thing we can get from the SAT is if you’re really intelligent. As to which is the best predictor of college performance, neither really is a good predictor to be honest. Collegeboard did a study that found SATs were slightly better predictors at private schools while GPA was a slightly better predictor at publics. I don’t even know how they came to that conclusion considering kids with higher GPAs and SATs go to more selective schools where the GPAs are bound to be lower, but whatever let’s just assume they’re right for the time being. IMO though, if there’s anything that predicts college performance it is AP score performance. This tests if you learn well and what you are getting taught is rigorous. In this way your work ethic is tested (GPA) and your intelligence and rigor of your work is tested (SAT). Indeed, someone likely won’t get a 5 on Physics C if they slacked off in class or were taught at a rudimentary level. Elite UK schools seem to realize this and require A-levels for applicants. So, in the end, I think admissions should be based more on AP scores (and to a lesser extent subject test scores). However practically this isn’t a good idea because not everyone has access to rigorous AP classes. As a result admissions officers must rely on SATs, GPAs, and teacher recs for deciding who is cut-out academically to attend.</p>
<p>i kind of agree with the OP. Gpa is too unpredictable because each high school is different with different courseloads. I see people here with 4.0 GPA and 1800 SATs and thinking they can get into HYPS.I feel they have an easy courseload. If you have a 4.0 GPA and a 2100+ SAT then that shows you are capable and have potential. Having a high SAT and low GPA shows you have potential. Having 4.0 GPA and low SATs really don’t show anything except that you work really hard to get your grades. Unfortunately, just working hard won’t be enough in college. People underestimate SATs.. its not the best but it is a good predictor of people’s abilities and capabilities. GPA mostly deals with work ethic.</p>
<p>“Having 4.0 GPA and low SATs really don’t show anything except that you work really hard to get your grades.”</p>
<p>Another possibility is that one goes to a school that isn’t very good, and the teachers teach to the lowest common denominator. One could be getting a 4.0 very easily, and not do well on the SATs because one hasn’t been taught the basics including how to critically think.</p>
<p>^ that’s how my school is. There are 6 people tied for 1st with a gpa of 4.0 (including myself), however no of those people (with the exception of myself) have scored over an 1800 on the SAT. And in fact, 3 of those people have scored below a 1500.</p>
<p>Could someone explain to me how to calculate GPA, once and for all? I know many schools have their own methods, but that doesn’t seem to stop kids from posting their GPA here. Is it just based off A = 4.0 and B = 3.0? Or is it A+, A, A-…</p>
<p>hi i have been reading your comments and you seem to be knowing a lot about admissions. i would like to know if universities look at all 4 years of high school or just the 11th and 12th grade. also to do a bioengineering or chem engineering as a singaporean, can you suggest universities for gpa 3.2 and sat: cr:580, m-610, w-550, act:27.</p>