No they don’t. Lots of schools don’t calculate unweighted GPAs. My kids’ school didn’t. Some colleges may recalculate it if they desire from the transcript.
That said, I’m always amazed when students are in calculus (or beyond) and can’t calculate their unweighted gpa. It’s a simple algebra problem that anyone who has had algebra 1 should be able to do. My kids were not math whizzes- highest level math in high school for both was precalc- but both could calculate their GPAs.
Good point.
I guess they don’t have to give it, but virtually no school will use the supplied HS weighted number in an admissions decision. There are too many weighting methods. They need to compare apples to apples.
My son applied to 7 schools and none of them asked for a weighted GPA. They either wanted unweighted, or weighted based on their OWN formula.
I would prefer a bigger/more diverse school, but I’ve also toured smaller schools and enjoyed it.
I agree. Some take whatever the school publishes but most publish their own way (weighting) with unweighted being the simplest way to form a comparison vs others.
Then weighting to the school’s method as their step to check rigor. But still a comparison vs other apps.
Every student should be able to provide an unweighted on a 4.0 scale, even if their grades are weighted only or based on 100. If you know 92 is an A, then you have a 4.
It’s not that I can’t calculate my gpa, I just wasn’t sure if I would self-report it or if it would be recalculated.
Thanks for the input on the list.
I figured Michigan/Illinois/Purdue/etc. would he reaches. Is there anything I can do to help increase my chances there (i.e. EC’s, essays, SAT, etc) ?
Also, is there anything else I should add to the list? I’ve heard some recommend NC State and Penn state, but I don’t want to unnecessarily add more reaches.
Thanks again!
We don’t know your full profile - ECs etc.
What you can do is get great grades and to be active in the community or school. Continue if you have. Plus your LOR and essay quality. I think your SAT is no longer a focus with a 1490.
UMD is also a reach. NC State likely a target.
Your budget is key.
You can’t count on ROTC plus it’s a big commitment. Have you looked into Service Academies ?
U much is well over $70k a year. Can you afford over $300k? You cannot take loans - only $27k - and while your parents can take more, why ? so unless you can afford it, remove it.
On the other hand, UAH is $16k with merit. This doesn’t includes books, travel, etc but nearly 80% less.
So budget comes first.
You can’t count on ROTC and you don’t just ‘take’ loans. Nor would you want to strangle yourself.
You need a true annual budget. Then you pick schools.
Sure you can have a Michigan and ROTC on the list but if you can’t afford Michigan, then it’s a highly unlikely because it (affordability) would hinge on a ROTC scholarship. So even getting in also wouldn’t matter.
Don’t ‘I hear NC State or PSU are good. Research. Learn. NC State engineering is a mile from the main campus, etc. is that ok ? Some aren’t direct admit - Purdue, Texas A&M - so you may not be able to study the discipline you want. Are they ok ?
But first things first - talk to your family about what they can afford with no loans !!!
This is where budget definitely matters. These schools are all OOS for you and offer very little merit to OOS students. You need to talk to your parents about it before making your college lists.
Ok, thanks for the input! I will talk more with my parents.
UMich is definitely more of a financial strain, but I know some of the others schools are less (Purdue is frozen tuition and around 40k a year, correct?)
I’ll evaluate budget concerns with my parents for the list too. Thanks again!
I’ve looked into academies, and ultimately decided against it because of the very rigid structure and lifestyle while at the school.
I’ve done some research on PSU and NC State, but I’ll look into it more.
Non-direct admit to major/FYE doesn’t bother me- I actually like that idea more tbh, it seems flexible and allows me to explore a bit more.
The counter to that is you don’t necessarily get what you want.
If you don’t want a service academy, you likely don’t want ROTC.
My son just graduated Alabama. He starts his job in a few weeks. There are Ohio State, NC State, Auburn, Michigan State, Purdue and other grads.
Where you go, as long as it’s ABET, likely doesn’t matter.
I’m not concerned about the service commitment, if that’s what you mean about academies and ROTC?
I’ve heard ROTC has somewhat more freedom (with the exception of Texas A&M and VT corps of cadets), is this true?
Thanks for the input from your sons experience, that’s good to know. What was his experience at Alabama?
Study, study, study. Also participated in ecoCAR and sailing.
Academically it was tough.
Had two internships. Interviewed with 20+ last Fall and got 5 offers and a 6th in spring from his intern company. He had stopped at xmas (seeking jobs).
He chose Bama over Purdue as many do- not him but most do for the cost/huge merit. For dad (and your folks), it was great. I saved a boatload of money as Bama is aggressive with merit. At the time, I wish he chose Purdue and it may very well be a better school. I hear nothing but great things. But he likes warmer weather and while we are OOS for both, Bama was closer to mom. And job outcome wise my guess is he’s done similarly.
Interestingly his friend is graduating from West Point. They are sending him to Purdue for his Masters before he starts his service commitment…not engineering though.
Find the right school. The right fit. The first part of fit - budget.
The last thing you want is to strain your family financially or be held hostage to loan payments when you graduate.
Schools like Bama, Ole Miss, Miss State, Arizona, WVU, Iowa State, Mizzou, Missouri Science anbd Tech, Kansas annd K State, Nebraska and more can keep your costs lower and still deliver.
Noted. Thank you so much for the advice/input! I really appreciate it.
Do you think I should add some more of those schools you mentioned to my list or no?
Thanks again! My apologies for the amount of questions.
I think you should set your budget.
Then come back.
It’s not what just your family can afford but wants to afford.
Let’s say you visited one school, knew you can afford it and loved it, then in theory you are done.
It might be good to go see some schools. A VCU, Va Tech…different schools in environment and size. To really see what you like.
Is weather a factor ? Distance from home etc ?
Ok, I’ll make sure I set a specific budget with my parents and then reevaluate.
I’ve visited some schools on my list, not all. Distance generally isn’t a huge factor, only thing is not west coast, that’s a little too far for me. Anything else is ok pretty much.
I’ve lived in the south so I’m used to the heat, but I somewhat prefer colder weather? Flexible though.
First and foremost I’ll discuss budget concerns though.
Thanks again!
To reply to your comment above about recalculating GPA, when you apply to schools you will put on the Common App the GPA provided by your high school, you do not attempt to recalculate it yourself for application purposes. You want your reported GPA to match your transcript. The college will redo it the way they want. For coming up with solid college choices, it is good to have an unweighted GPA but this would only be used for planning purposes, not for applications.
That depends on the school. I’d do it like the application asks you to do it. All CA publics for example have the applicant recalculate using their formula and then verify once accepted.
The question is…does it matter? If you go to LinkedIn, the top employers for AE grads are all teh same, Boeing, NASA, Lockheed, Collins, and Northrop. An AE degree, especially with a high GPA from ANYWHERE will set you up with a nice career.
I believe CA schools are certainly the exception. I think there is a list of schools that make you enter all your individual grades for the entirety of high school and it is a pretty short list. Otherwise, if you are self-reporting a high school GPA, it is wise to put what the transcript states rather than a GPA using a formula you found on the internet that doesn’t match what the school will send.