<p>That was my thought initially as well but after speaking with my son he said they use the following conversion chart:</p>
<p><a href=“Calculate Your GPA With Our GPA Scale | The Princeton Review”>http://inquiry.princetonreview.com/leadgentemplate/GPA_popup.asp</a></p>
<p>That may or may not be accurate. The 84 GPA is an average of all the grades. To get an accurate GPA on the 4.0 scale you need to evaluate each class individually, add the numbers up and divide by the # of credits. A number of very high B grades can pull the calculated GPA down.</p>
<p>On second look at his transcript they have both the GPA and the conversion to a 4.0 scale showing the ~ 2.9 gpa.</p>
<p>What’s important to know here is what your EFC approximately is, what the NPCs for some schools that are on your list are, and what you are willing and able to pay. You can then first find some sure things that fit your budget, starting with local schools to which your student can commute and are state priced or tend to be generous to local students. Then start branching out from there to schools with contingencies and that are possibilities, to the lottery tickets.</p>
<p>"""he said they use “”</p>
<p>WHO is THEY? </p>
<p>I’m assuming “they” means the students at his school as directed by the counselors. Looking at his unofficial transcript the conversion they do matches that of the princeton review link posted above.</p>
<p>Ok, just a little rant. Why do schools offer a sliding scale on ACT score for merit awards but have a fixed GPA requirement. Looking into the Oklahoma State suggestion above and they require a 3.0 GPA but offer awards from 24-30+ on ACT. Why would a 24 ACT + a 3.0 GPA be stronger than a 31 ACT + a 2.8 GPA? Especially given that he attends one of the strongest schools in the state. </p>
<p>I know it is what it is but still doesn’t make sense. </p>
<p>Perhaps because the school values the GPA more.</p>
<p>Yes, that much is clear, but I given that not all high schools are of the same difficulty, a 2.8 at his school which requires testing for admission is not the same as a 2.8 at the school down the street that accepts all that apply.</p>
<p>A 2.8 at any high school is not going to be competitive for most college merit aid awards. It just isn’t.</p>
<p>yeah, that’s my frustration (mostly with my child). Would have been better off going to an easier HS and having his ACT suffer a bit as a 3.1 and 28 ACT trumps a 2.8 and 31 ACT.</p>
<p>Actually, for many of the most generous merit awards, an ACT of 31 would be on the low side.</p>
<p>There is an old saying on this forum…“love the kid on the couch”. </p>
<p>You need to work with what your kiddo is bringing to the college application table.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Agreed. And few large public Us will consider that but most smaller privates will, in my experience. S’12 had a 2.97 or something - just under 3.0 which automatically disqualified him form merit at, say, U Cincy, but did get him quite a lot of merit at private LACs. These LACs knew his school had a generally challenging curriculum and also took into consideration that the school did not weight GPA but he had taken several AP courses.</p>
<p>Indeed. LACs like DePauw, Earlham, Beloit, Denison, Wooster, OWU, Centre, Coe, Cornell, Blackburn, Knox and Illinois College may be his best bet for merit money.</p>
<p>In fact, Blackburn is fairly cheap even without a discount.</p>
<p>Hmm. Blackburn is a new one for me. Thanks.</p>
<p>Oklahoma State was a bad example, but nevertheless the student would qualify for a number of the OOS tuition waivers in the linked list - all of the Louisiana colleges, for example.</p>
<p>Take a look at Hiram College in Ohio (not far from Cleveland). It kind of specializes in “B” students. Average HS GPA at Hiram is 3.24. Your child’s ACT would be way above average, however, and Hiram just might give some good aid (especially if the HS courses were, in fact, demanding).</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.hiram.edu/about/profile”>http://www.hiram.edu/about/profile</a></p>
<p>Hiram is a very solid school, with excellent academics. Listed in “Colleges that Change Lives.”</p>
<p>Lawrence U. in WI for private (It’s in the Colleges That Change Lives) </p>
<p>Have you looked at the Midwest Student Exchange for state universities in the Midwest?</p>
<p>@mr1234,
What is your child’s class rank?</p>
<p>This can be expressed with precision… as in number 72 in a class of 214… or in a range, as in the top 25%. If the school does not publish this, ask them. Often they can tell you, although they frequently do not release the info to the students at large.</p>
<p>If your child is in the upper half of the class, especially if in the upper 25%, then you might need to work the system a little bit to get colleges to understand that his grades do not represent his true performance.</p>
<p>By the way, I agree with people who think that an 84% should equate to a 3.0 at a minimum. An 84 is, and always has been, considered a solid “B” which is what 3.0 means.</p>
<p>@NROTCgrad his school does not publish class rank or make it available. Doubt he’s in the upper 25%, but his school is a very strong school with average composite ACT score of nearly 29. </p>
<p>My initial thought was the same on the 84% when I looked online but at his school you need an 85% for a B in a class and while I somehow overlooked it the first time his transcript does convert the 84 to a 2.8.</p>
<p>I appreciate the response and will add Hiram to the list, as well as Lawrence @MOMINWIS </p>
<p>Spent some time today on the phone with Denison.</p>