<p>After doing research and talking to my GC, im almost sure im going to apply ED to dartmouth</p>
<p>the thing that worries me the most is my gpa.</p>
<p>3.4, 3.55, 4.0, 4.0
2300
34
I play 3 varsity sports, 4 leadership positions.</p>
<p>I'm banking on my huge rising trend to get into dartmouth</p>
<p>I know gpa - berkely, i was wondering how selective dartmouth is on
GPA. Average gpa = 3.7ish, but everyone I know who got in
had 4.0, at least 3.8 gpa</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>i think that dartmouth is no different tjan any other school in the sense that gpa, or at least such minor flaws in yours (still not bad), will not keep you out. i had a 4.0 UW and 4.6ish W</p>
<p>In The Dartmouth article about Class of 2009, they stated 41% of the incoming class were val. or salu. at their high school. However, I'm sure they look at upward trends. By having such great grades later in high school, when you are taking more difficult courses, the adcoms now know you are capable of doing the work. Also, if there is any reason why your earlier grades aren't as high, make sure you explain that somewhere in your app.</p>
<p>As far as GPA goes, it's important, but it's not going to make or break you - so long as it's reasonable. I think my application carried a 3.87 on an unweighted 4.0 scale. That's not a 3.7, I know, but it's certainly no 10.5 on a weighted 4.0 scale, as it seems some applicants have.</p>
<p>Keep a few things in mind:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Posters on CC tend to like ego-boosts
Many of our CC posters asking for their "chances" already know that they have a better chance than most - they have the perfect scores, more-than-perfect GPA, and found the cure for a rare tropical disease at age seven. Don't judge Dartmouth's - or any school's, for that matter - applicant pool based upon the "average" applicant posting their statistics on here.</p></li>
<li><p>The average GPA for incoming freshman to DC isn't a 4.0, or even 3.8
While talking to my on-campus interviewer - Dahly, I believe - I was informed that many, many applicants are admitted with GPAs lower than 3.6. In fact, a two-year-old * US News and World Report * profile of Dartmouth had the average GPA at around 3.65. </p></li>
<li><p>Progress throughout a high school career counts for a lot
As it appears, you've made steady progress thus far, and Dartmouth admissions officers will like seeing that. We all screw up - Ivy-bound students are no different. As long as an admissions officer can see that you rectified your errors early on, you're probably going to be just fine.</p></li>
<li><p>GPA is more than just a number
In other words, a C in Calculus is different than a C in Team Sports or Landscaping. Sometimes we bite off more than we chew - we take classes that we aren't prepared for, or we take too many advanced classes. My GPA for years 1 and 2 was 4.0; then, in year 3 I lost that, and declined, mostly because I had a rigorous schedule, both in school and out. Admissions officers will consider that, too.</p></li>
<li><p>If in doubt, talk about it
I was worried about my GPA, or more so, my class rank - 10 of 129 in a small, agricultural-oriented school in Nowheresville, Kentucky. So I talked to both of my interviewers about it. They asked me why I was concerned, and what caused the drop. They noted my comments, and I trust that what I told them there helped my admissions officers come to their decision. Also, if you're really desperate, attach something to your application, explaining the reasons for grades, mistakes you've made, and what you've learned. Drop a note to your referring teachers and guidance counsellor, too, letting them know that they might want to express that you are much more than the numbers can portray.</p></li>
<li><p>Relax
As my sagely English Teacher told me, "There's not a damn thing you can do about it, Brice, so stop whining." Hey, she's got a point. The numbers are on the page - so worry about things you can change: your overall appearance on the application; your emphasis on strengths and explanation of weaknesses; adding meaningful and impressive ECs; working (if you need to) on boosing SAT/SAT II/ACT scores; striving for leadership positions; and writing, editing, re-writing, re-editing, tearing apart, re-writing, and finalizing pristine essays. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Overall, I think you'll be fine. Good luck.</p>
<h2>-Bri</h2>
<p>Brice Douglas Lawrence Acree
Dartmouth, Class of 2009</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>I plan on applying ED to either Dartmouth or columbia.</p>
<p>I dont know if my grades knock me out of the running though.....</p>
<p>I hope my SAT and EC's make up for it</p>
<p>Haha, I'll post about this for the zillionth time but Columbia and Dartmouth are pretty different when it comes to lifestyle. I transferred out of Columbia to Dartmouth.</p>
<p>From my experience, they definitely look at upward trends. My gpa progression went something like 3.25, 3.7, 3.75, 3.85 and I got in. (My school also has a tough grading system though where no one's ever gotten a 4.0 is that makes any difference)</p>
<p>yea, the problem with your constant reiteration of that fact is that you assume that everyone else will have the exact same reaction to columbia. columbia wasn't for you as an undergrad, simple as that. and in the end, columbia's 98 percent retention rate speaks for itself.</p>
<p>Karma: Dartmouth and Columbia couldn't be more opposite if they tried. If it wasn't for some sports league, they wouldn't even know of each other. LOL</p>
<p>If you GC has helped you narrow it down to these two....</p>