What is the deal with GPA's?

<p>Hey guys. I keep hearing different variations in regard to GPA's. Some say an "A" means 90-100, and therefore, if your average is above a 90, then you have a 4.0 UW (Btw, I am only discussing UW GPA's, seeing as my school does not weigh GPA's, regardless of the course). Others say and A+ , which is a 95-99 is a 4.0. But my college guidance said that we had to calculate GPA's by the 4 method, meaning that whatever our composite average was, we had to take that and multiply it by 4, then divide it by a 100. So, with my 96.7 average, I'd only end up with a 3.87! That's totally unfair. How do so many people have 3.9's and 4.0's? I'm in every honors course, and I work pretty darn hard....I want to get into a nice college! I haven't got a B in my life!</p>

<p>The reason that there are variations is because every high school is different. Colleges will evaluate you in the context of your school, and won’t compare you (as much) to students from other schools. Your high school will send their profile to the colleges you apply to to help them make those kind of judgments. A better indicator of your success in grades is probably your rank within your high school rather than your literal GPA.</p>