<p>when you are calculating the unweighted GPA, do you add any points for honors and AP classes? If not, how is it fair that someone in all regulars courses can have a 4.0 easily whereas the kids in the difficult classes, who are obviously smarter, have a lower GPA?</p>
<p>Don't add points for honors and AP when calculating unweighted GPA. This is not fair and it is why there is both an unweighted GPA and a weighted GPA. A weighted GPA adds points for honors/AP. Besides, colleges look at how difficult your courses are and you're much better off with a 3.8 with lots of APs than a 4.0 with no AP or honors.</p>
<p>At higher-level schools (such as Michigan,) the vast majority of applicants take all honors and AP, so there's no point to weighting.</p>
<p>That's the whole point of WEIGHTED GPA, you get extra 'weight' in more difficult classes. And aslso, some schools weight honors and APs differently than others. My school gives 2 extra points for honors and 4 for APs, but I know of some schools that just give 2 for each. So, an unweighted is the only fair evaluation. Plus, college admission people will see that you have a difficult schedule.</p>
<p>Weighting doesn't matter so much for your GPA as it does your class rank. Colleges can see your GPA and class selection and calculate what they will from it. They cannot, however, pull up the GPA and class selections of your entire school. Weighting lets your high school give the advantage to those in higher-level classes.</p>