<p>So a friend of mine was a Rabbi Scholar at Columbia. I have everything she did except for a perfect GPA. My GPA is a 3.96/4. Do Ivies value this less than a 4 or is it basically the same thing? I had an A- freshman year in Spanish and didn't know what colleges wanted back then. Everything else is an A or A+.</p>
<p>If your gpa is out of four, a- shouldnt factor in (at least at my school they dont, maybe yours is different). Anyway, a 3.96 will probably never make or break or admission into college, its essentially the same as a 4.0</p>
<p>It’s the same. 
And it’s truly excellent, congratulations
But to get into Columbia, you’ll need something spectacular in terms of ECs, and excellent essays.
Where else are you applying?
You should build your college list starting with two schools you’re 100% sure to get into, would like attending, and can afford. Then add various schools depending on selectivity, including Columbia if you wish. :)</p>
<p>Hi,
Thanks for the info and support guys! I have a mountain of EC’s such as private business, volunteer work, paid musician, varsity captain of 3 teams, helped organize fundraisers for breast cancer, etc.</p>
<p>I really want to apply to top tier BME ivy rigor schools such as UPenn, Stanford, and MIT. I guess it’s a craphshoot but I’m working on what I can to get in. I also added schools I can easily get into like my state school, etc. Money is a problem but also not a problem. My parents make far beyond the threshold for getting financial aid but not enough to be considered one of those people who could someday donate to the school.</p>
<p>And yeah, my school counts A- in the unweighted range but ignores A+ in it. I have like 45 courses and only one is an A-. Guidance refuses to calculate a GPA for a student who has more classes than any student has ever had before and is going to exclude many of my college classes (where I had an A+) to make their own jobs easier…ew</p>
<p>You’re really nitpicking honestly. You’re a very strong candidate but an A- will not kill you, so don’t stress yourself over it and don’t stress your school and guidance over it.</p>