What's the deal about UT not looking at GPA?

<p>I've seen theloneranger posting that UT doesn't look at GPA, is this true?</p>

<p><a href="http://www.utexas.edu/student/admissions/research/HB588-Report10.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.utexas.edu/student/admissions/research/HB588-Report10.pdf&lt;/a>
From the Longhorn's mouth</p>

<p>The reason they don't look at GPA is because it varies differently from school to school. Some will use a 4.0 scale, some a 5.0 scale, some an 8.0 scale, some a 100 point scale, etc. There are also varying levels of weight for honors and AP courses, ranging from none to 1 point out of 4 or more. Also, a 4.0 at Highland Park High School is a very different achievement from a 4.0 at Podunk High. Plus, what does a 4.0 really mean if 20% of your class is above it.</p>

<p>Their research has shown that one's class rank in HS is a significant predictor of success at the college level. Specifically, kids who are motivated to succeed in HS tend to be motivated to succeed in college.</p>

<p>I read and saw this under the PAI thing</p>

<p>= Average SAT/ACT of school attended in relation to student's own SAT/ACT</p>

<p>Would me having the best CR + M score in my school give me a few extra points? Not trying to dog on my classmates, but they are aren't the brightest. My CR + M (1220) would be average in a different school, but at my school its higher than MOST peoples SAT score with all 3 sections (literally). I'd say the average CR + M is around 850 at my school. I think only 1 other person had above a 1200 besides me</p>

<p>Yes, but nothing significant.</p>

<p>From what I've been told, those criteria are used to bump kids with borderline PA levels (excluding the essays) up to the next level. For example, if you were just about average (3 or 4) but were from a poorer area or had the highest scores in your school, you'd get the 4. This is from a guidance counselor, though, not an admissions officer, so I'm not entirely certain.</p>

<p>And your score is about average for students accepted, btw. UT doesn't look at the writing score at all.</p>

<p>thanks for the answer</p>

<p>What about those schools that rank in an odd way? I only ask because if they look at rank over GPA, they will be rather confused by anyone coming from my school. I am a suma grad (over 100 GPA) but because of the screwed up ranking system, I am behind people who take easier classes and have 93 GPAs. </p>

<p>Would it be a good idea to have a school profile sent to UT, to show how the ranking is done? It really worries me that they take rank over GPA. I'm just barely outside the top 10%. I'm like top 11.6% -_-</p>

<p>saxofiddle, if you are from a Texas highschool, I'm sure the admissions rep for your area already has a profile and is probably aware of the strange ranking system. If you are from out of state, then I would send a profile.</p>

<p>Good luck!!!</p>

<p>saxofiddle, they won't adjust your rank regardless of the school's system they use. Some schools only use unweighted grades and some weight them heavily. Some only count academic courses and some will count things like woodshop and driver's ed and football. Some will only count a few years (in DISD, it's the 16 courses you earned the highest grades on), and some may even count classes you took in MS. They base it entirely on what your school sends in. Some schools send in multiple rankings, weighted and unweighted, and everything I can tell says that they will simply use the higher ranking.</p>

<p>If you have a good SAT score and good GPAs, you should get in anyways. It won't hurt you very badly in the formula because you are so close to top ten in the formula it will almost be the same.</p>