<p>Hello, I am an international applicant and i was surprised to find that many American students have grades over 100%. Where i am from a grade of 100% represents perfection and nothing higher can possibly be given. When I see others with grades of 105% all I can think about is the massive grade inflation Americans are notorious for. Not that they may not be extremely intelligent individuals its just that such a grade should not be possible. Do American universities recognize this? Or are international applicants at a disadvantage because our school boards believe nobody is "above perfection"?</p>
<p>Do not look at or worry about American grades or GPAs. They are irrelevant to international students unless your school is an American school abroad. Yes, American colleges do recognize that international systems are different. International applicants are at a disadvantage because of the extremely high level of competition at most schools that offer $$ to them, not because of different grading systems. </p>
<p>Also, it should be noted that at almost every US school, a grade over 100% shows up as an A+, and colleges will see that as the same as your 100-97% or whatever the A+ range is at your school.</p>
<p>In our state, numerical grades are converted to GPA scale with a bump for honors and AP. So a 100 average in a class might equal a 4.2 but the scale doesn’t go above 100 so those grades don’t increase GPA (105 would still equal 4.2) </p>
<p>“at almost every US school, a grade over 100% shows up as an A+”</p>
<p>Really? Only some classes at my school gave A+s, and it didn’t affect (randomly based on whether the teacher decided to. Some didn’t even know that they could give an A+. And the percentage was also subjective.)</p>
<p>But over 100% is a sign of a really easy class, serious grade inflation, or too much extra credit. Either way, don’t worry about it. What US schools do won’t be compared to yours.</p>