Assuming no fantastic hook, below what GPA would significantly impair an applicants chances at these schools? I don’t mean to the point where it’s like “don’t even try”, but I to where the applicant would need to pull significant weight above what is already expected for these schools in other areas.
I guess that’d be below 3.6, those schools do accept applicants with GPAs below that but the same is a very rare case, above a 3.7 is fine.
@DigitallyShrewd - Sounds good. My main concern was my 3.8 UW, haha. I thought it might set me back significantly.
Nah, as far as you’re strong in other aspects, a 3.8 is good. Best of luck.
I have a 3.8 UW as well (I’m a junior, though) and I’m stressing out like mad over it, so I know how you feel! 
http://features.thecrimson.com/2014/freshman-survey/admissions/ shows a heavy population at 4.00, fewer at 3.90, and fewer still at 3.80. Below 3.80 GPAs look rather sparse; these are likely to have some extremely unusual (even by the standards of Harvard admits) attribute that got them admitted.
Of course, a high GPA must be in the most demanding course selection while in high school, must come with reasonably high test scores, and must come with high level extracurricular achievement or some such.
@ucbalumnus: Does it affect anything if the biggest thing bringing down my GPA is freshman year (my GPA w/o freshman year is a 3.9)? My school doesn’t send the GPA, just transcripts, so they’d have to calculate it themselves, and thus be forced to see the steep upward trend.
Just kinda nervous because my best friend is applying SCEA to my first choice school (it’s her second choice) and she has a 4.0 UW, but 50 pts lower on the SAT (marginal lol), slightly less EC’s (w/ no leadership), and does not have a hook (I do). However, I’m concerned that her grades will kick me out of the running entirely, because if they take one of us it will only be one. However this is a really shitty attitude to go into it with lol.
It depends on the school. Some schools would skip the freshmen grades in GPA recalculation. But for Ivies and tier one school, without fantastic hook itself would be an obstacle already. 
@billcsho, it’s Princeton, meaning it will factor out freshman year grades. But it’s still now a 3.9 against a 4.0 haha. You mean not having a 4.0 would be an obstacle or not having a hook would be an obstacle?
I mean it the lack of fantastic hook would make the admission difficult even for students with 4.0/2400. Nevertheless, 3.9 vs 4.0 isn’t the major factor as there is no standard in GPA and it is mostly depending on the course rigor.
Do all ivies factor out freshman yr gpa? Because that would instead hurt me unfortunately
@ndemazita, No, only Princeton and Stanford as far as I know. But it’s usually weighted lowest of all the years.
But what if a student was taking AP classes freshman year? Do they still ignore 9th grade?
@Neatoburrito, Princeton and Stanford do not include freshman year grades when calculating GPA. However, they will see your course rigor. 
GPAs are worthless imho. I mean, there are lots of kids who have taken biology twice, once in middle school, then again as a sophomore, before they take AP Bio. Then there are those who only take AP Bio. How are these two As equal? I see kids posting their classes and they’ve had “preAP” this and that, or have AP classes split over two years and various other forms of watering down rigor.
No wonder SATs and subject tests end up being so important.
I didn’t know Princeton and Stanford disregarded freshman year grades. IMO, anything lower than a 3.7 is a liability and the liability curve gets steeper the lower you go. No Ivy considers you a “go” if you have a 4.0 though. Even a 3.9 isn’t a GPA guarantee. They look at the student all around. If you look on some of the scattergrams, you see that even 4.0’s get denied. It’s hard to spot, but under all the blue and green dots, there are a few red dots on the 4.0/2400 corner.
Weighted GPA to me is worthless because colleges just strip you of it anyways. It’s merely a puff tactic to say you have a 6.5/7 GPA or whatever. Unweighted GPA isn’t as worthless but it still doesn’t affect much because every school is different (their class rigor, their teacher quality, etc.)
Phrase this scenario in your brain. Kid A goes to a top Catholic school that costs hefty coin to attend and gets a 3.9 GPA overall. Kid B goes to your regular ol’ public school and gets a 3.9 GPA. Based off of just GPA alone, which carries more weight? Which matters? Who will get accepted? The short answer is “I don’t know.” You know in your brain that they may not be equal but it’s not as clear-cut to decipher who is superior.
This is why SAT’s and ACT’s are really important. They’re standardized tests that separate the wheat from the chaff.
Move on in the scenario. Kid A gets a 2000 after some intense prep class because duh, they go to the coin school. Kid B does some prepping too but actually independently gets a 2150.
There are so many factors to admission besides GPA that I don’t think colleges should focus on it so much in the room. Just like everything else in the process (essays, SAT/ACT scores, recommendations) the GPA doesn’t define the student. It’s the WHOLE package that really matters and puts the puzzle pieces together.
When I see subject headings like the one above, I’m inclined to attempt paraphrasing the old line (apocryphally attributed to salespeople at Gucci, Tiffany, et al):“if you have to ask the price, you probably can’t afford it.” The most elite colleges reject hundreds, if not thousands, of eminently qualified applicants every year. If you’re not sure whether you have the chops to qualify, unfortunately, you probably don’t.
@woogzmama I know that my statistics mean that I do deserve to apply to the top schools, and to have my application read and considered carefully. Obviously, I do not deserve entrance at any school whatsoever, because no one deserves acceptance no matter his/her scores, but I am confident that my statistics are in line with those of accepted students, in general and that I “have the chops” to qualify for entrance at the top schools. Unfortunately, they are a crapshoot and so that does not mean I will get into any of them.
What you posted indicates that you are qualified, indeed. I know that my previous post was snarky, but it was more in response to the heading, not your actual qualifications. You obviously know that you are a strong enough student to have a chance, and you don’t need me to validate that.
What do you think is the limiting factor? Is your theory that they will only take one from your school or …?