<p>Personally, I think part of the problem is rampant grade inflation in NC public and private school systems. Some kids have unlimited access to honors/AP classes (i.e. no restrictions on registering) so they can have every single class be either “honors” (/5.0) or AP (/6.0). Plus, it’s very easy to get “As” in some schools because the classes aren’t very challenging. That increases their GPAs to the numbers like 4.75, 5.45, etc. Some schools obviously don’t have this sort of a policy, but it’s definitely present in at least a good portion of the NC public school system. (Just to note: I’m bitter because I chose to avoid this system, since I knew that I wouldn’t be challenged academically, by going to a prep school on scholarship, and subsequently, while I got an amazing education, my deflated GPA might be the factor that gets me rejected from UNC)</p>
<p>^ I will defend North Carolina’s weighting system to an extent. Yes, it does give 6.0 to AP classes, but most NC public schools require the honors or regular class to be taken before hand, which in turn lowers the 6.0 (I would call this a restriction on registering). Further, NC public schools operate on a 7-point scale, which is different than the 10-point scale used by other states, such as New York, and makes earning an “A” a more difficult feat, and it cuts down on grade inflation. Also in many counties (but not all, Wake and Mecklenburg Counties are notable exceptions) the augmented grading scale is used, which only give 6.0/5.0/4.0 to grades of 96+. Yes, 6.0 is higher than many states give for AP, but this is checked by North Carolina’s other grading policies. </p>
<p>Also, in defense of allowing students to take all honors and AP classes, in many schools having honors classes is used to separate the people who actually care about their education from the general population. Honors classes are somewhat harder, whether they deserve to have 5.0 weight instead of the 4.5 and 5.0 for AP that some other states use is debatable, but the main reason for having them is to allow kids who care to be educated without the interruptions that come from student who could honestly care less. Also, we don’t offer honors classes in every subject until junior year. Until then students are confined to the four core classes for honors, and the rest are regular electives. I know your goal was to get a better education by going to a boarding school; so it doesn’t make sense why you have objections to students taking an insane amount of AP classes, they are just trying to to better their educational experience like you are.</p>
<p>Also, 4.75 GPAs and above are the exception, not the rule. Even in some of the easier schools it is hard to get an “A” in a AP class. Yes there are people who get straight "A"s while taking 5 AP classes, but they are tough to find.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the information. I hope, then, that for admissions purposes UNC would look past an applicant’s “below average” weighted GPA and look at the unweighted GPA in conjunction with taking the toughest courses (mostly AP classes for junior and senior year)?</p>
<p>Thanks, Tony, I think that was a very thoughtful post. Of course, my perspective is colored by my bitterness (which I’m sure will pass once my anxiety dies down) and limited because I have very little experience with NC public schools aside from the anecdotes that my friends provide from their schools.</p>
<p>Don’t worry too much about the subject tests. My son (OOS) did not submit any and already got a “likely letter” from UNC.</p>