OK, so I'm shooting for UWM and my current GPA status is giving me a mini heart attack. Does anyone have any idea how they calculate GPA for admissions? Are they looking at unweighted or weighted or both?
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) typically uses the unweighted GPA when evaluating an application. This is where they consider only the letter grades from your core academic subjects (English, math, science, social studies, and foreign language), without the added weight for honors or Advanced Placement (AP) courses. So, if you're curious about your GPA in the eyes of UWM, an unweighted GPA is what you want to pay close attention to.
That being said, it's also important to highlight that UWM does look at your transcript in a holistic way, which means they consider not only your overall grades but also the rigor of your course load. So even while your unweighted GPA matters a lot, taking higher-level courses such as honors and AP can also substantially enhance your chances of admission because they demonstrate academic ambition and preparedness for college-level work. If you've performed well in these challenging classes, that's definitely a plus.
Remember, GPA is one of the many factors UWM uses to evaluate applicants. Your standardized test scores, essays, and extracurriculars also play a significant role in your application, so try not to focus too much on just one component of your application. Hope this helps!
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