<p>So just a little while ago, I read a Wall Street Journal article about colleges and how public state schools have become more competive over the years. It said how colleges like University of Florida and UC Berkeley have average GPA's of 3.99. AVERAGE:3.99!!! That means that a huge chunk of the class has that or somewhere near that!!</p>
<p>So my point is, if a person has a 3.85 (like me...) and is "below average" for a state school, how can I even begin to compete for Yale or other top tier schools?</p>
<p>Generally students that matriculate at state schools attend public schools that are not as good as the schools that feed the Ivy League and other top-tier private institutions.</p>
<p>Furthermore, state schools tend to focus more on scores (SAT and ACT) and GPA than they do on essays, so it's more likely that top-end state schools like Berkeley admit good students with otherwise boring applications.</p>
<p>Hope this helps. If your school is good, you should have no problem at HYPS with a 3.85. If your scores are in the 700s, it's your essays and extracurriculars that will make the difference of your getting accepted or denied.</p>
<p>That "3.99 GPA" statistic is nothing to worry about. It is probably weighted heavily. Go to collegeboard.com for the real college stats and academic profiles.</p>
<p>I wouldn't stress out about that...alot of the application is subjective...like, for example, my school is very tough at grading, and most colleges know that so my 3.65 looks good...however i think those average GPAs are weighted so that adds a TON of points...but basically we need to hope Yale sees something in us that makes us special...thats how were gonna get in...not by competing academically.</p>
<p>Yeah my school is very tough with a lot of smart kids.....also, I take all the honors classes that I can. Hopefully, the rigor of my app and my EC's can help get me into Yale....
Well, I can a little better tonight knowing that info....lol</p>