Which of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton puts the most emphasis on GPA?

[APScholar18]

This is directly from Yale’s website:

“While there is no hard and fast rule, it is safe to say that performance in school is more important than testing. A very strong performance in a demanding college preparatory program may compensate for modest standardized test scores, but it is unlikely that high standardized test scores will persuade the admissions committee to disregard an undistinguished secondary-school record.”

Does this hold true for all the top 3 ivies or just Yale?

[gibby]

I think this holds true for Yale and ALL selective colleges, including Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Stanford and the rest. The reason being is that a student’s transcript, and their associated GPA, is a 3-YEAR WINDOW into a student’s scholastic potential, whereas an SAT/ACT test is a 3-HOUR WINDOW into that same potential. So GPA > than SAT/ACT, provided the GPA has demonstrated course rigor, such as AP/honors classes.

This is one reason that Harvard seems to place MORE emphasis on curriculum-based tests than they do the ACT/SAT: http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/11/harvarddean-part2/

We have found that the best predictors at Harvard are Advanced Placement tests and International Baccalaureate Exams, closely followed by the College Board subject tests. High school grades are next in predictive power, followed by the SAT and ACT. The writing tests of the SAT and ACT have predictive power similar to the subject tests.

It’s also why in a recent survey, 54% of incoming Harvard Freshman reported having a 4.0 GPA, with the average GPA being 3.9 – regardless of SAT/ACT score. And those figures include student’s that were recruited athletes, URM’s, legacy’s and developmental cases.

[momofmusician17]

My son was in a program with a young man who was highly gifted in math and was light years ahead of kids his age. His GPA was not stellar as he never did well in academic subjects in which he wasn’t interested. He aced the SAT. I know that he did not get into Yale or Harvard; however, he did get into Oxford and is currently studying there.

[T26E4]

Your asking this question portends trouble. At schools that hover in the 5-6% accept range, trying to pry into trends to see which accepts a broader (lower) GPA range isn’t good. Re-read gibby’s stat about 54% incoming H students with a 4.0 again.

I get it. Applying to HYP is tough for everyone. That’s why it’s essential for any sane person to apply to a breadth of schools. Good luck

[IxnayBob]

IME, AOs at these schools read a transcript with care. My son’s GPA wasn’t a 4.0, but it appears that the reader came to see that while DS wouldn’t be a wise choice if you were looking for someone strong in Foreign Language and Ceramics (ie, where he got some B grades), he would handle the other subjects without difficulty.

[lostaccount]

T26E4, lol. The truth is that one A- isn’t going to interfere with your getting into these top schools.

[APScholar18]

My question has been misinterpreted I am not asking if a 4.0 is necessary for HYP. Rather I am asking which of these schools value GPA much more than SAT.

[gibby]

^^ Harvard, Yale and Princeton ALL value an applicant’s transcript, course rigor and GPA more than they do their ACT/SAT scores. Here’s yet another example from Princeton: http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/24/guidance-office-princeton-answers-1/

We look first at the transcript that is sent by your secondary school, and we evaluate the rigor of your program and the grades you have received. If you are in our applicant pool, we expect that you have taken the most demanding academic program offered at your school. You will be challenged when you get to our campus, and we want to be sure you are well prepared to handle our college courses.

Admission officers understand that standardized tests measure quantitative ability, critical reading, an understanding of some subject areas, and writing skills. Combined with your grades, they only partially predict first-year performance in college. They do not predict, however, other values we hold in high esteem at the college level, such as motivation, creativity, independent thought, intellectual curiosity and perseverance.