<p>anyone? just curious... </p>
<p>i was going through the SCEA thread and it seemed like damn near everyone accepted had a 4.0... which does not bode well for me</p>
<p>Well my unweighted GPA was around a 3.9, but this was due to the B+ I got in APUSH and Stanford doesn't really care if you have one or two Bs as long as everything else is in the A range. My weighted GPA was about a 4.7 though.
It's more about the course load than the actual GPA. A 4.0 with a moderately tough course load isn't looked at as well as a 3.8 with a very tough course load. Are you a junior or a senior? If you're a senior, there's really not much left you can do. If you're a junior however, definitely plan on taking a rigorous schedule next year (maybe around 5 APs, if you're school offers them. If it doesn't, its ok.) because Stanford likes people who challenge themselves.</p>
<p>Edit: Also, Stanford (and other top colleges) love to see improvement. I wasn't in honors science my first two years of high school but junior year I took honors physics, did well and this year I'm taking AP Physics C and am doing well. So if you're GPA is low due to w/e freshman and sophomore years and you really excelled junior and senior year (if you're a senior) then they'd look at that favorably.</p>
<p>I know two people accepted without perfect 4.0's-they are both excellent students-but go to a very demanding high school where A's are not given out liberally.</p>
<p>i'm a senior. i have a 3.7, and a 4.3 weighted. i just remembered that Stanford doesn't look at freshman GPA, so i wonder what it'd be when i recalculate. but i definitely stepped it up this year and last year, so the upward trend is good.</p>
<p>although i still haven't seen anyone who got in with a 3.7.</p>
<p>edit: i'm really peaking academically this year, though. i'm taking 5 APs, and my only B is in AP Chem. hopefully that will help me out on my midyear report.</p>
<p>There are tons who get in without 4.0 UW. I had 3.88 UW and got in... 4.69 weighted though.</p>
<p>A friend of mine got in with 2 Cs (semester grades); His ECs and test scores were spectacular though (founded local math tutoring org., nat'l level cellist, as well as a 2350 on the SAT).</p>
<p>After a certain point, GPAs don't really mean too much (a lot like SAT scores). I mean, is the difference between a 3.8 and a 4.0 so big as to mean that the student who earned the 4.0 is much more capable academically than the student with the 3.8? Of course not. Anything above a 3.7 is in the A range basically (A-s included) and it's not like having a 93 average vs a 97 will keep you out of top colleges, even HYPSM.</p>
<p>I was accepted without a 4.0 uw gpa. However, the few classes I did not receive solid A's in were classes were an A is, as another poster so eloquently put it, not given out liberally. I believe many schools send out a report to colleges with the average grades and range of grades for various classes. Our college counseling office also sends out a letter to colleges about our philosophy program where an A is given out once every few years, but most students are lucky to get an A on one paper.</p>
<p>My motto has always been: sleep little, work hard, no regrets. If you work your tail off and get a B, don't worry. Your work will show in another way (AP scores, academic awards, recommendations, etc).</p>
<p>My school does not do uw gpa, but my weighted cumulative gpa is a 4.3; I am going to guess uw it is a 3.8.</p>
<p>I had a 3.9 UW or so and received a likely letter, so don't worry--a 4.0 is not necessary.</p>
<p>thanks for the input guys. (i can't send PMs for some reason).</p>
<p>I don't think Stanford saw my UW GPA since my school doesn't release it, but I have two B's, so it definitely wasn't a 4.0.</p>
<p>I was accepted.</p>