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@Big_Mike_13
3 answers, 3 votes
 • 3 years ago •
Admissions Advice

Do colleges look at weighted or unweighted GPA?
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I have a ~3.6 GPA, but if you count the 3 AP classes I've taken, it goes up to a 3.714. Which number do colleges look at, or does it vary depending on the school?

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@Cuttlefish88
14 answers, 20 votes
 • 3 years ago

I looked at some resources and apparently, colleges typically look more at the unweighted GPA because schools sometimes have different policies regarding their weighted GPA calculation process. Therefore, the weighted GPA is inconsistent in the admission office's eyes. However, it's different for each school. And I don't mean to come off as rude or condescending, but from what I've seen in my district and other people online, it looks like your unweighted GPA is better anyway, since 3.714 out of 5 for your weighted GPA seems a bit on the lower end. But in the end, don't worry too much about your GPA. Instead, try to select your classes based on how much of a challenge you want. Some people want to take higher-level classes because it "looks better," but others might take lighter classes because they value their unweighted GPA more. It's really up to you. Secondly, colleges want to see a progression in grade, so, even though I don't which grade you are in right now, if you feel like your GPA is going to hurt your applications, you should work to start the upward trend of your high school grades. Thirdly, grades are not everything in an application, and if you worry that your grades aren't really up to the "standards" of the colleges you want to attend, direct your efforts to extracurriculars and things that you are really passionate about. That way, you can still stand out by not only showing that your life is more than just school grades, but that you also have the drive to make the world a better place.

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[🎤 AUTHOR]@Big_Mike_133 years ago

@cuttlefish88 , I had a bad year at a bad school as a freshman and got a 3.21. I had a 4.0 as a sophomore with 1 AP class, and my first semester as a junior (which is my current year) I have a 4.0 with 2 AP classes, and I'm signed up for 3 AP classes next year. Does that improvement from 3.2 to 4.0 look good to colleges?

@Cuttlefish883 years ago

(1/2) Yes, that is a very good improvement, especially since you are gradually adding on more challenging classes. However, since you have a 4.0 right now, you really want to make sure that you keep that GPA for the rest of high school since anything lower could be interpreted as a decline. Also, make sure that you also build a good relationship with your teachers since when the time comes for recommendations, you want to ask a teacher who knows you really well, preferably one that saw you

@Cuttlefish883 years ago

(2/2) struggle in the beginning but after you reached out to this teacher, you were able to improve your grades. This teacher should not just be a person that taught the class that you were already good at and had little to no one-on-one interaction with you. And I mentioned it in the actual answer, but make sure that your non-academic profile is also good, not necessarily filled with random extracurriculars but instead ones that you are truly interested in.

[🎤 AUTHOR]@Big_Mike_133 years ago

@cuttlefish88 would sports coaches fit into that category? I play football and I wrestle, and have a good relationship with all the coaches (5+). Also, does the distinction that I moved between freshman and sophomore year help anything, or the fact that I'm a military child? I've seen responses to other questions that say the frequent moving helps show resilience/adaptability. Are either of those things I should put on a college application?

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Unweighted GPA: 3.7
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SAT: 720 math
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