<p>I recently emailed the NU admissions with questions in regards to GPA. From what I gather, NU does not unweigh your grades.
"Thank you for your interest in Northwestern. Northwestern does not calculate GPA; it only looks at the statistic if it is provided by the student's high school. Questions regarding whether your seventh semester grades count towards your cumulative GPA should be directed towards your high school. There are GPA no cutoffs or benchmarks that applicants must meet to qualify for admission. It is just one of many factors which the Admissions Committee evaluates in the application process and many schools do not even provide us with one. </p>
<p>Please let me know if you have any other questions."
My unweighted GPA is, unfortunately, subpar. My weighted GPA isn't that much better, but it does take my course rigor into account. Weighted, I have a 4.19. At our school, an (A+/A/A-) in an Honors/AP level course is a (5.3/5.0/4.7), a (B+/B/B-) is a (4.3/4.0/3.7), etc. An (A+/A/A-) in an academic level course is a (4.3/4.0/3.7), a (B+/B/B-) is a (3.3/3.0/2.7). A 5.3 GPA is unachievable at our school because 4 years of Physical Education is required to graduate, and gym is not weighted. Foreign language classes are also not offered at the Honors/AP level until the third level. My GPA isn't that great, but it does show a significant upward trend.
Freshman: 3.7 out of a possible 4.96
Sophomore: 3.8 out of a possible 4.96
Junior: 4.72 out of a possible 4.96, maximum of 5.13
When I say "out of a possible xGPA," that GPA is the highest possible GPA a student can recieve with his course load. I opted to not take spanish 3 at the Honors level because I took a third AP class during my junior year, so If I recieved straight A+s, I would have gotten a 4.96. If I had taken Honors Spanish 3 and recieved straight A+s, I would have recieved a 5.13. I'm three weeks into my senior year of school right now, and I've still maintained straight As. I think I will be able to do so for the rest of the year. I'm not entirely sure if they impact my cummulative GPA in time for NU to see it, and so I asked. As the response above states, they adhere to the high school's methods, and I'm not sure if the seventh semester counts. I will be asking my counselor first thing on Wednesday. But for now, I will assume that it does not count.
SAT: (superscored)
Critical Reading: 750
Writing: 730
Math: 710
composite: 2190
ECs:
football (9,10)
wrestling (9,10)
tennis (10,11, planning on 12)
newspaper club (11, planning on 12)
student council (11, planning on 12)
debate team (11, planning on 12)
*I just joined Youth and Government this year! (:
I help out at a homeless shelter every Monday during the fall/winter
I'm a three time participant of the Relay for Life cancer fundraiser
My interests shifted from athletics to more academically oriented ECs after my sophomore year, and my grades reflect that change.
Course Rigor:
Minus the Honors Spanish 3 class, I've taken the most rigorous courses our school has to offer. I've completed 5 AP courses, and I am taking 4 right now as a senior.
AP Course/Test
AP Gov: 4
AP Microecon: 4
AP Envi Sci: 5
AP USH: 5
AP Lang & Comp: 5
AP Lit: n/a
AP Macroecon: n/a
AP Bio: n/a
AP Calc AB: n/a</p>
<p>So I realize that my credentials pale in comparison to the competitive NU applicants, and I probably won't get in. But since NU does not recalculate GPA, and applying is free (from what I've heard, you don't have to pay to apply if you live in the neighborhood), I figured, why not? It's a great school, and you never know, miracles happen! So what do you guys think? For what it's worth, I'm retaking the SAT I, and taking the SAT IIs this year. I just want to break that 2200 wall. D:<</p>