Hello,
I wasn’t sure what thread to put this post in… but is there any way in which I could raise my UW GPA?
For freshman and sophomore year, I finished with straight A’s and a 4.0. However, distraction and stress interfered with my junior year. I finished Semester 1 with a B+ in APUSH and a B+ in Chemistry Honors (rest are A’s). My GPA went from a 4.0 to a 3.9375.
For Semester 2, I’ve ended with a B in Chemistry Honors and a B+ in an honors elective. How much will my GPA go down by? I’m afraid that I’ll end up with a 3.8 or lower… is there any way I can reverse the damage? Or bring it back up to stay in the 3.9-4.0 zone?
A 3.8 is still a very good GPA but if you want to raise your uW GPA, then take some summer courses that you know you can get an A.
@Gumbymom Honors classes are weighted with a 0.5 in regards to GPA, but isn’t that only to raise your weighted GPA? If not, will taking 2 honors classes significantly improve my unweighted?
Each college has their own weighting system, so I would focus on your uW GPA. Taking 2 additional core courses during the summer and getting A’s will increase your uW GPA also even if they are not Honors courses.
GPA is only one part of a college application and like I stated that around a 3.8 uW GPA is fine and some colleges do not consider the +/- on the grades. You are doing well for taking a rigorous HS course load so if you want to take some summer courses, either at your HS or community college to pad your GPA, then go ahead and try.
I would also work on other aspects of your college application like essays and EC’s this summer. I do not know which schools you are targeting for college, but there are so many good colleges out there that a small drop in GPA will not make a huge difference in getting an excellent college education.
What are your test scores? What EC’s are you involved in at your HS?
Students should know how to figure out their own GPA. Well, at least in my time they should. Depending on whether your school calculates + and -, your unweighted GPA will be around 3.89-3.90. Taking extra classes isn’t going to help much. Get As the rest of the way and your GPA will go to around 3.92.
@Gumbymom
Oh, okay. I will be taking two honors courses this summer, so hopefully that helps bring my unweighted GPA up. I’ll be attending a STEM camp and SAT prep camp this summer, but I’ll definitely be focusing on getting my application started (my target schools are UF, FSU, and LACs).
I took my first SAT this year and scored very low (1200) for my target schools, so I’ll be spending a large chunk of this summer preparing for the August SAT.
I’m President and Founder of one club at my HS + Historian for a mental health awareness club. I’ve attended two summer camps (volunteer and STEM camp). I also play piano and I’m on the junior advisory board for a non-profit organization outside of school.
However you can still raise your weighted GPAs quite a bit by getting As in a bunch of AP classes.
Mantra for the HS student:
Do not think 'Every point I get off of a homework or test is a point away from going to Harvard."
Think: “I need to do my best, and there will be a college that is right for me when I graduate.”
Do not think “If I don’t go to an Ivy League School/Top20, I am doomed forever.”
Think: “No matter where I go, I can bloom where I am planted. I can get involved and shine.”
Do not think: “My life is over…the kid in my math class is taking 20 APs and I am taking 5. I will never succeed.”
Think: “I need to challenge myself, but only to the point where I can still do well.”