<p>I've heard that my A-s and A+s unweighted will be recalculated in a system close to 90+ = 4.0 = A, etc. and that if I have 90+ in all subjects, I'll have a 4.0 UW. Is that true?</p>
<p>I’ve seen at least 2 instances on CC where someone claimed to have called Stanford’s admissions office asking how they recalculated GPA’s, and the answer was that A’s were A’s, regardless of the pluses or minuses. I imagine this is also the case for other highly selective schools.</p>
<p>I would imagine that colleges do this and that a 90+ average is viewed as excellent anywhere, and my highschool does it as well.</p>
<p>This is not a case in which anyone can say “colleges do X.” Some colleges recalculate GPAs; others don’t. I’m not under the impression that colleges that recalculate all do the same thing, either.</p>
<p>Thanks. 10char</p>
<p>90+ in a class is usually considered an A. 90+ in a 100 GPA scale does not necessarily mean a 4.0, though. Someone can have a 90+ average without having all 90+ grades in their classes. It takes all 90+ grades to make a 4.0 GPA, generally.</p>
<p>I have all 90+ with a 90+ average. I just have a few unweighted A minuses.</p>
<p>Then you would have a 4.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale, without weight. Weight depends on the school.</p>
<p>They look at rank first and foremost. 90 means very different things at different schools.</p>
<p>I would think that they look at your transcript in terms of the classes you took, their rigor, and your grades in those classes “first and foremost”. Ranking systems can be broken (a student being penalized for taking Debate, as opposed to a “Shaving” class at a local college: at my school, the latter would receive much more weight, even if debate was replaced with an extra honors science class). So it’s safe to say that all things are taken as a whole, there is no one supreme number.</p>
<p>What about schools that have 7-point systems with no +/-? My school has a 93-100 A, 85-92 B, etc system, and my only B is a 92 (number grades not reported on transcript). Is there a way to let adcoms know this?</p>
<p>glassesarechic, your transcript will be sent with an accompanying high school profile. This will explain the grading system, ranking system (if applicable) and grade distribution patterns for your senior class. redroses is exactly right that you are evaluated within the context of your school.</p>
<p>Wishful thinking billymc. Having been a college counselor for 2 decades, I can assure you rank is king.</p>
<p>Also how could they recalculate after having taken a look at the rank?
For instance, my school has a grading of 92-94 as an A- and 89-91 as a B+. I got a B+ in AP history, a 91. But technically, to colleges, that’s an A since 90+ is an A. However, number grades aren’t seen on transcripts; letter grades are. So my letter grade is a B+, which can be anything from an 89-91. So how would colleges know that it’s a 91 and not an 89, which is technically a B? It’s hard/near impossible to recalculate GPA.</p>
<p>I’m like 6/140 at a competitive private school but we don’t release or record rank, except val/sal but we never submit that either. We do have Cum Laude which is usually the Top Ten but that’s it. I’ve taken all honors and AP courses, and I have had the hardest schedule compared to everyone else.</p>
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<p>Right, but they have no way of knowing where my B grade falls in our B-range.</p>
<p>Try a school that changed grading scales halfway through high school…
Two years on a 7pt scale, two on a 10 pt scale. It’s on the transcript. Admissions will figure it out.</p>
<p>You’re in very good standing.</p>
<p>Like assuming the rest of your high school career pans out with As you should be in good shape for HYPSM. Just get high SAT/ACT scores (2250+/34) and a couple of high SAT IIs and you’re all set academically. (The objective side of it, of course)</p>
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<p>They don’t know where anyone falls in the range unless their grades are on a 100pt scale, not a 4.0. They know that you got a B+, they know what a B+ is worth at your school, they know that the class was AP but not weighted, they know that you are in the top 10% of your class. They know an awful lot. It works out. It’s only one part of admissions.</p>