my fellow CANADIANS,What do you guys think about this gpa?

International Students
1

<p>here you go</p>

<p>my gpa isnt really my forte</p>

<p>grade 9--92 (with 77 in englsh) but i just came to canada and skipped esl
grade 10--94 (everything >90)</p>

<p>end of gr 10 year, rank 5/450</p>

<p>grade 11 ( ahh damn, 83 in english, 87 in gr 12 accounting, not core though)
average 93, no rank yet</p>

<p>all courses are U/M level</p>

<p>my school is in toronto, large public, competitive, with tons of asians, anything above 80 is A</p>

<p>what do you guys think top school in US would look at my gpa? </p>

<p>does my mediocre gpa limit me to certain schools?</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

2

<p>i'm especially concerned about these 2 things:</p>

<p>my gpa trend 92-94-93? is it bad?</p>

<p>my 77 in gr 9 english and my two 80s in gr 11</p>

<p>how much do they hurt? especially the 80s in gr 11</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

3

<p>How can you honestly worry about going down 1 point when it's all within A range. Your much bigger issue is being an Asian international. There are just a handful of spots for such at each top college and the competition from all over the US and Asia is fierce. It comes down to ECs, national level honors, not GPA or even SATs. You need to be exceptional in all 3.</p>

4

<p>I told you explicitly that your 77 and 80 grades were going to hurt, especially since one of your 80s was in a non-core elective. But there is nothing you can do about that, so I would stop worrying, and focus on what you CAN do.</p>

<p>Specifically, your GPA trend isn't bad at all - it's very consistent. The fact that you dropped from a 94 to a 93 is so trivial that you shouldn't even be worrying about it. However, I would say your GPA trend lacks the numerical improvement that indicates a strong upward trend. </p>

<p>I also would not try to explain the "80+ is an A" excuse to the adcoms. The Ivies probably already know this, but it's not like they particularly care. There are other people out there who can get grades in the 90s, so it's not like they're at a loss for stellar applicants. If ever there's an area you need to emphasize right now, it's your extracurricular achievement/involvement.</p>

<p>That said, top US schools WILL look at your GPA in the context of the rest of your application. No, your grades won't limit to certain schools; you are free to apply to as many places as you wish.</p>

<p>Bottom line, don't worry about it.</p>

5

<p>thanks guys!</p>

<p>UCgradmary:
ya i just hate being asian when it comes to college application </p>

<p>big bro:</p>

<p>thanks for always replying my threads!
very constructive!~</p>

<p>thanks man!</p>

<p>now that exams are over, i'll go focus on my essay XD</p>

<p>again, thank you both ! =)</p>

6

<p>Are you looking at US universities or even Canadian ones like U of T, McGill and for what program ?</p>

7

<p>yes, i am looking at top US universities and top canadian ones</p>

8

<p>any program in particular ? Your grades look okay to me for U of T. Do you have any EC's ?</p>

9

<p>Your GPA is more than enough to get into any program in Canada, with the possibly exception of Mac Health/Art Sciences, Waterloo's business/accounting or nanotech engineering programs, or UofT's engineering science.</p>

10

<p>an above ninety GPA will get you into ANY program in Canada, no exception, even the ones 1of42 have listed if you have some extracurriculars. :)</p>

11

<p>Yeah, with the exception of Mac Health/Art Sciences, where I know several people with 90+% GPAs and decent ECs who got rejected. Not many, but some. Those two programs may be the only two truly very selective ones in the country.</p>

12

<p>well i have some nice ECs XD and teachers recs are gonna be good too =)</p>

<p>i'm not particularly worried about my chances in canadian universities, since i intend to major in business/economics =)</p>

<p>1of42, blue_sky:</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

<p>how do you think about US universities? any recommendation of schools i should apply to with this gpa and decent SAC+EC?</p>

13

<p>I think if you really really want to go to an US college, don't focus entirely on the ivies as they are highly selective and random at times depending on the competition, also go for schools like UMich. As well, to guarantee a much better chance at getting accepted to one of the schools, early action/decision not the best school (i.e. wharton, which is impossible for canadians), do one for a good school, i.e. dartmouth. This is the way I look at it, hopefully this will help.</p>

14

<p>
[quote]
do one for a good school, i.e. dartmouth.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I don't think Dartmouth would be a good idea either, actually. There's only one asian from metro Toronto in the Class of 2011, and the only asian student from Canada that got in ED took a crapload of APs (over 10).</p>

<p>It seems to me that ED appeals to a certain cohort of students, namely athletes, legacies, etc.</p>

<p>I already suggested that the OP apply to UPenn ED, since it was a school she wanted to attend, and wouldn't have minded turning down Yale for. Yale's really the only school that she would probably turn down UPenn for, so it would make sense to apply to Penn first.</p>

15

<p>nope, more than one asian in toronto
two asian friends of mine in T are currently going to UT w/o any APs (?!)</p>

16

<p>I was speaking for Dartmouth though. I'm pretty sure it's just one asian. Maybe 1.5, since I can't tell by the last name if the other dude's white, or yellow.</p>

17

<p>lol ya i've decided if i ED, then i would ED penn =)</p>

18

<p>IMHO, for ED, you have to not only think about where you want to go but also the chance of getting in. ED UPenn (not wharton) is fine, as it gives you a good chance of getting in, but if you ED wharton, the chance of getting in is still very slim, so you are just wasting the ED option. Why not go for the schools that will boost up your chances dramatically?</p>

19

<p>
[quote]
Why not go for the schools that will boost up your chances dramatically?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I've already talked to the OP about this. To be specific, she should go for the school that she thinks she has a reasonable chance at. If she thinks she has a reasonable shot at Yale, then it makes no sense to apply to Penn ED.</p>

<p>However, one usually has to be realistic and honest when applying to colleges. If the OP believes that her chances at Yale are very low, then it would be a smart move to apply to Penn. It's a move that's more likely to pay off.</p>

20

<p>does grade 9 count as high school?</p>