all scenarios are for a weighted gpa!
let’s say a person has a 95 gpa. they’ve basically had straight 95’s all throughout high school.
another person has the same gpa. they have grades mostly between 93 and 97 that balance out.
another person has the same gpa. they have some grades that are 99’s and 100’s, and others that are in the 80’s.
how do colleges compare their gpas? assuming they all have the same course rigor. they have the same overall weighted gpa, but how will colleges consider the differences?
First, my understanding is that colleges unweight GPAs. But if all these hypothetical people have weighted GPAs, then it’s pretty obvious that the kids with the highest grades will have better stats. Not really sure what your question is. You said they all have the same rigor. Highest grades win. Kid with 80s isn’t going to be in as strong a position.
Colleges weigh the grades using their own scale. So a college might give you .5 extra for honors courses and 1.0 for AP. They convert it all to a GPA scale.
I think it depends.
Some colleges will look at weighted GPAs (university of Alabama comes to mind). Some will recalculate GPAs and reweight differently than the high school does. Some will recalculate unweighted and take out non core classes. Any of those recalculation might change how the overall GPA is viewed.
Aside from that, some college might view the individual grades based on the major if the college allows students to apply for a specific major or school within the university. For example, a university that allows students to apply specifically to an engineering program might look a bit more positively at the student with the wider range in grades if those at the higher end are in math and science.
It definitely depends. Some colleges don’t weigh GPAs at all. Some give more weight to APs than to honors classes and some don’t, and I’ve heard anecdotally that some give even more weight to specific APs – and not just BC vs AB Calc.
This is why you need to know what you’re looking at when you apply. If you don’t have the highest GPA in the world but took 15 APs, you need a school with holistic admissions that cares about rigor.
One of my Ds only had about a 3.6 UW, but took so many honors & AP classes that she’s been offered a lot of honors programs and top scholarships at small LACs.
Depends on the college. Most public schools look at the weighted GPA on your transcript. Private schools tend to look at your unweighted GPA. Some schools recalculate your GPA based on core classes.
and thanks!