<p>I've just realized that at the end of junior year, my GPA will be a 3.8 UW, whereas by the end of senior year, it should be a 3.9 UW. My school has told me that it only reports weighted GPAs (mine will be like a 4.3/4.43, I believe) but I've heard many selective schools recalculate GPAs, since weighting systems vary from school to school, which means they'll look at my UW.
The difference between a 3.8 and a 3.9 might seem negligible, but 95% of Yale students (my number one school) had a GPA of a 3.9 or above. I'd really rather not be in the 5% :P
To get to the point: if I apply to Yale EA, will only my GPA up to the end of junior year be recognized? Is it possible for me to send in my first semester senior grades, or will those not be considered? Thank you! </p>
<p>No, your senior grades wouldn’t be ready on time…Yale’s SCEA deadline is Nov. 1st. Your decision would likely be out before the grades themselves. Sorry /: I really think it won’t make a difference, though, as long as you’re coursework’s rigorous enough. Also, Harvard/Yale/Princeton are deferral heavy, so if anything that would make them consider the grades.</p>
<p>If your UW GPA is 3.80 by the end of junior year, there is no way it’s going to be 3.90 by the end of senior year, let alone the middle of senior year. (Your max is 3.85.)</p>
<p>Say you get a 4.0 UW 1st semester and you have a 3.80 now. Assume you take the same number of classes each semester. (3.8*6 + 4.0)/7 = 3.829. There’s no reason not to apply based on such a small movement. Just make sure your midterm grades are all solid - you’ll get lots of conflicting advice on that, but there’s always a strong chance they’ll ask for midterms, so always act as if they are going to be viewed.</p>
<p>First semester grades won’t be ready in time. If you apply RD or get deffered, they will look at your first semester grades, although I do believe it is to your advantage to apply EA if that is your top choice school. A 3.8 won’t kill you they are looking at multiple things, not just grades.</p>
<p>From @MrMom62’s calculations, the difference is even more insignificant. Go ahead and apply SCEA. 3.8+ UW is usually the rule of thumb, so like @shawnspencer said, they’ll move on & look at other things.</p>
<p>@MrMom62 hey, sorry for the late reply. My GPA wasn’t actually a 3.8, it was a 3.8something (I wasn’t sure about the number). Haha, sorry about the confusion.
So I used this online GPA calculator <a href=“High School GPA Calculator”>A T Still University of Health Sciences GPA and Admission Test Requirements. By the time I graduate, I’ll have taken 24 classes (6 per year). I’ve gotten 2 B’s (in the past 18 classes), putting my GPA at a 3.89. With straight A’s in the remaining 6, I could get up to a 3.92.</p>
<p>@shawnspencer (I love Psych!) Okay, so I know that first semester grades won’t be done before I apply, but they’ll certainly be done before results come out in March. Can I send those grades in as a supplement or something?</p>
<p>If you are having a strong senior year, you can always have your counselor mail or email your 1st quarter senior year grades in addition to your semester grades later. DD did this last year and got into her ED school. It doesn’t hurt for admissions officers to get a peek if your senior year is going well. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>@funfatdaddy okay, that’s basically what I wanted to know! thank you!</p>