<p>I've heard that your GPA means nothing without context. Is this true? The reason I ask is this:</p>
<p>Freshman Yr: 85 GPA both terms
Soph: 94, 96
Junior: 100, 100
Senior: projected 98-100 first term</p>
<p>What will schools like Harvard think of my 91.9 (3.7) GPA? Is it just too inherently low? Is it ameliorated by my upward trend, that my grades got much higher as my courses got much harder? I guess what I'm trying to get at is am I at a disadvantage? Will these schools look at my app more skeptically than, say, someone who had a consistent 95 throughout high school?</p>
<p>Other stats:
2300 SAT (1500)
SAT 2s: 800 USH 770 Lit 770 WH
710 Spanish
APs: 5 WH 5 USH 5 USGov 5 English 5 Spanish (non-native)</p>
<p>Pretty good ec's, not incredibly extensive but quality over quantity, no?</p>
<p>Assume recs and essays are great because I'm pretty sure they are.</p>
<p>Please help. I want to adjust my expectations now so I don't set myself up for disappointment.</p>
<p>Your Common App is your chance to pull together your best self-presentation. You have to assess where your lower grades were, whether those are classes like phys ed or the academically important/challenging courses. But, the rest of the story- the real responsibilities and impact in your ECs, what all shows through in the app, how your strengths show in the essays- every bit needs to be on point.</p>
<p>What will schools like Harvard think of my 91.9 (3.7) GPA?
That it’s low</p>
<p>Is it just too inherently low?
Probably</p>
<p>Is it ameliorated by my upward trend, that my grades got much higher as my courses got much harder?
Somewhat</p>
<p>I guess what I’m trying to get at is am I at a disadvantage?
Yes</p>
<p>Will these schools look at my app more skeptically than, say, someone who had a consistent 95 throughout high school?
Probably</p>
<p>You must realize you are competing for a slot with <10% probability to start with and your record has some warts. Not real big ones and mostly the blemishes have healed over but there are warts. Make sure you have a good safety school you can afford and would be happy to attend and apply anywhere else you feel like.</p>
<p>Thanks for your response. I do have safety and match schools on my list. While I am certainly not setting all my hopes on Harvard, it sure would be nice to get in. Would I have a better chance at schools like Stanford and Princeton, who disregard freshman year? My GPA sans freshman year would be a 4.0 (97.5 as opposed to a 91.9 previously)?</p>
<p>lilahrosie, just be realistic. Harvard is a reach for everyone no matter who you are. So apply, say a silent prayer and proceed to apply at other places. Include other places that are not a reach for you so you know you will be accepted somewhere.</p>
<p>Fogcity, GPAs used by Stanford and Pton for admission do NOT include grades from the freshman year of HS. Freshman grades do still influence admission since class rank is a component.</p>