<p>Which one does UCLA put more emphasis on?</p>
<p>Also, in my county, we have college level courses labeled AL for advanced level. Are these weighted too? These classes include multivariable calculus, intro to biochemistry, intro to genetics, etc. They're not "AP" but they're definitely college level..</p>
<p>Some schools don’t offer APs so I wouldn’t say one is particularly more important than the other. They’ll look at how rigorous your courseload was (relative to what you could have possibly taken) and your whole body of work, maybe even compare to other people who applied from your school. Even if those AL courses aren’t included in the GPA they’ll definitely be factored in if you’ve done well in those. Don’t know if you would receive any credit for them but if you’ve managed to take a difficult courseload despite lack of APs don’t worry because it will be considered.</p>
<p>Because of the varying number of AP classes offered at different schools, they probably use your weighted when comparing you to students from similar backgrounds and your UW otherwise. A school like UCLA wants to see you get A’s in the most challenging classes, so most admits have very high UW and weighted. But given the choice between a high UW and a low W or a high W and low UW, I think UCLA prefers a high UW with a low W.</p>
<p>Actually, I’d say that both UW & W GPAs are important (that’s why they calculate both). You always want to take the most challenging courses offered at your high school. If someone says that UW is more important, then you might be tempted to think, “Then I won’t take a particular difficult class because it might mess up my UW GPA”. Wrong approach. UCs know when a person isn’t taking (avoiding) the most difficult classes, and you’re better off challenging yourself. The weighted GPA is important because it demonstrates that how well you’ve done in the advanced (weighted) classes. Like @smbc82 said, trying to do your best in the most challenging classes offered is the best way to go .</p>