Hey!
So I’m a high school freshman and I am getting worried about college already.
I go to a top 5 US high school.
My question is, how would I convert my GPA (which is in percentages) to a 4.0 scale?
Thank you!
Don’t know, but it really shouldn’t be a huge deal to you right now and nothing you need to know either.
What is a huge deal is that you maintain the appropriate level of “alertness” and not let that cross over into “worried”. Just like in athletics, students do best when they’re aware, paying attention and the right level of keyed up. Too relaxed = poor performance. Too keyed up also = poor performance.
Be aware you need to do well in your classes, but don’t fixate on a certain % or GPA. Be aware you need to be taking rigorous courses and starting to explore, stretch, grow both inside and outside of school. But don’t worry or get too wrapped around the axle, especially as a freshman.
Good luck.
What should I be doing to get into a Ivy League?
You don’t. Unless the college asks you to convert (which is rare and then they will tell you how), you report using the same scale as appears on your transcript.
You shouldn’t be worrying about getting into an “ivy league”. You should be focusing on enjoying high school, finding out what ECs you are good at and love, and just in general doing your best.
Let me tell you a story:
My daughter moved schools after her sophomore year. The first high school school was the US News #1 STEM public magnet school with a 0-100 grading system. We moved internationally for work, so the second was a German International School with an IB program that has a 0-7 grading system. We never knew what her 4.0 scale GPA was. Colleges admitted her anyway and gave her merit scholarships. The only glitch we had was our State Public U that had an automated system for scholarships based on self-reported data. An email to admissions cleared that up and she was also awarded merit.
My point is, don’t worry about it, the colleges figure it out.
Don’t settle for Ivy League. Enjoy school, try things, meet people, learn who you are and what you like and then, a couple years from now, find a great school that matches what you want. Picking a brand name at this point closes off many wonderful choices later on.
Agree, you don’t covert your grades. You send the transcript as is and the college admissions officers will review the school profile that describes the grading system and figure it out. They get grades sent in using many different systems, weightings etc. and will sort it out. Plus, you are at a top HS so trust that your guidance counselors will pride the appropriate help when the time is right.
More importantly, it is way too early to think about specific colleges or group of colleges (especially the hyper-competitive ones). You don’t even have a GPA and you have no standardized testing.
You also need to recognize that HS should be an experience in and of itself – a time of learning and growth and not just a 4 year college application prep experience.
It is good to take school seriously and know that college will be on your horizon, but it is too early to start planning for specific colleges. I would highly recommend that you get off of CC until your junior year (except for the HS Life forum).
For now you should focus on:
–Working hard, learning, and doing as well as you can in the most challenging curriculum you can manage.
–When the time comes study for standardized tests.
–Continue your involvement in activities you care about and work towards making meaningful contributions to those activities.
–Enjoying spending time with your family and friends.
When the time comes (junior year) asses your academic stats (including GPA, standardized tests, course rigor) as well as your financial needs and apply to a wide range of reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (you will have to run a net price calculator for each school you consider) and that you would be excited to attend. You will need to expand your horizons and recognize that there are many wonderful schools out there where you can have a great 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life.