I currently have a 3.7 UW but a 4.45 weighted (out of 6). My UW GPA will likely be either a 3.66 or a 3.71 UW and a 4.5+ weighted at the end of this semester, which I worry is too low for the following schools: UNC (in state), UVA, UT-Austin, Wake Forest. I am studying extremely hard for the ACT when I take it next month and my EC’s are good, it’s just my GPA I’m worried about. Please let me know what you think. Thanks
A lot of schools will ignore weighted GPAs because some schools are way too generous in their method of weighing. And it seems like your school is pretty generous with it. Your unweighted isn’t horrible but you definitely need to make it ub with good test scores and extra curriculars. Keep working hard and you’ll be happy with the colleges you get into, even if its not one of the ones you listed above.
@diplomill yeah we get 6 points for A’s in AP’s and 5 for A’s in honors and so on and so on. I go to the best public high school in NC (U.S. News), which definitely will work in my favor. Also, UNC is my top choice and I’m in state so that is definitely on my side.
3.7 is on the cusp. If you have GREAT test scores, and strong ECs and essays, you have a good shot.
@intparent on the cusp of what exactly? I’m taking a lot of hard AP’s this semester and I’m worried about my UW dropping 
3.7 is on the low end of what top colleges will look at if you are not hooked. And with a 3.7, it helps a lot to have high test scores.
@intparent I’m just extremely worried about getting into Chapel Hill because I’ve dreamed about going there since I was 10 years old. Please note that I am in-state. I’m totally fine with getting rejected from UVA and other schools like that as long as I get into UNC
UNC Chapel Hill has a 53% in-state acceptance rate. If you go to the best public high school in NC (assuming “best” means “hardest”), have a good ACT score (31-33+?) and your EC’s are good I can’t imagine you getting rejected. If you’re really that worried, dedicate a lot of time to your college essays when the time comes and if those are above average you will have an excellent shot.
As per me your GPA, to be frank, is low. Those colleges typically take students having a GPA higher than 3.75, not saying that they don’t take students with lower GPAs but that is not always the case. On a safer side, if you get a good ACT and a good bunch of ECs you might have a good shot but UT Austin is a tough school to get into.
For a better chance, I think you’ll need to get your UW GPA up!
I assume the OP is a junior. Telling a junior to “get their GPA up” midway through the sixth and final semester that will likely count in their GPA isn’t realistic. Time to crack the books on standardized test prep.
If you have a stellar second semester you should be able to do UNC, for sure, which is a fabulous school. All others will be maybe’s
I don’t know why people insist that weighted GPAs aren’t important. I did not visit a single college where they did not declare that curricular rigor was the first thing they looked for. An unweighted 3.7 in an AP/IB-intensive courseload is preferable to a 4.0 in standard, less-demanding classes, according to every admissions representative I encountered. They will often apply their own, discrete weighting methods. It’s hard to “chance” you without ACT/SAT scores. I suggest you sit for both tests, at least once.
Because every school weights differently, and some don’t weight at all. And some high schools offer 20 APs, and some offer four (like my kids’ high school). They want to evaluate your difficulty of course load in relation to your peers at your high school. Certainly they want to see high course rigor. But typically taking EVERY AP course offered isn’t that path into top schools, either. After a certain level of rigor and a certain GPA, they are looking at other stuff.