<p>Let me get this straight…</p>
<p>Your school has a 7 point scale with AP “A”=7, B=6, and presumably, C=5, D=4, F=3? You don’t actually get 3 GPA points for failing an AP class do you? That would be statistical manipulation at its worst.</p>
<p>Regardless, colleges will either recalculate your GPA on a 4.0 UW scale or 5.0 Weighted. If not that, they will look at your transcript and see primarily "B"s with the occasional “C” or “A”. </p>
<p>Now here’s the harsh part; don’t count to much on the rigor of your high school to help you either. Sending 30 out of 550 (roughly 5.5%), students to top 25 colleges is hardly excessive for a well funded suburban school. Furthermore, that statistic is only impressive to colleges if you’re one of the 5.5%. Most if not all high schools grade on an absolute level and not a curve. You are a “B” level student because those have been your grades, not because you’re surrounded by high level performers. While attending a school know for its “toughness” will help, it’s not going to vault you over students from other schools with substantially higher GPAs.</p>
<p>My suggestion is to get all "A"s in next year’s APs, get your GPA to 3.0/4.0 and realize that Cornell and Hopkins are going to be difficult ,(not impossible), schools for you to get into.</p>