Is weighted or unweighted GPA more important?

[Anonymous]

Kid is a junior and currently has 4.0 UW and 4.95 W. Looks like he may get a B semester grade for an AP. Given the number of credits he will earn if this is his only B he’ll end up with 3.97/4.91

How much will that matter?

[Anonymous]

It doesn’t matter. The colleges do their own thing regardless.

[Anonymous]

Colleges use their own system to evaluate no matter what your school reports.

[Anonymous]

It’s only early Oct. There are about 12 more weeks in this semester. That is enough time to bring grade from B to A

[Anonymous]

One B is not going to tank their chances.

[Anonymous]

There is no appreciable difference. Both GPAs will get him in the door and all the other aspects of his application will make the decision.

[Anonymous]

It is unlikely it will matter at all except:

- if it is a class your kid wants to major in

Or

- lots of other kids from your have a 4.0 and they are also applying

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is unlikely it will matter at all except:

- if it is a class your kid wants to major in

Or

- lots of other kids from your have a 4.0 and they are also applying

This is MCPS so practically everyone has a 4.0 - however as far as rigor my kid’s record will be up there among the very top students in the county, but some of those other kids will have 4.0. So which is more important in that case? Will 3.97 rule him out?

And no, it doesn’t look likely that he can get the grade up - the teacher is absolutely resolute that no one will get higher than a B in his class.

[Anonymous]

We don’t have many 4.0s, maybe 2 kids per year. Then a few 3.9 and 3.8s. But looking at school data, unfortunately rigor is not important in college admission. The unweighted gpa is critical for T20, in particular for ivy and ivy plus. The highest rigor 3.7 kids are locked out of many, but not all, top schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is unlikely it will matter at all except:

- if it is a class your kid wants to major in

Or

- lots of other kids from your have a 4.0 and they are also applying

This is MCPS so practically everyone has a 4.0 - however as far as rigor my kid’s record will be up there among the very top students in the county, but some of those other kids will have 4.0. So which is more important in that case? Will 3.97 rule him out?

And no, it doesn’t look likely that he can get the grade up - the teacher is absolutely resolute that no one will get higher than a B in his class.

Both are impt: rigor and grades. Neither trumps the other. Why not ask the counselor to address it if it’s true that literally no one ever gets higher than a B in this teacher’s
Class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s only early Oct. There are about 12 more weeks in this semester. That is enough time to bring grade from B to A

AND there’s enough time to get even more B’s! It happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have many 4.0s, maybe 2 kids per year. Then a few 3.9 and 3.8s. But looking at school data, unfortunately rigor is not important in college admission. The unweighted gpa is critical for T20, in particular for ivy and ivy plus. The highest rigor 3.7 kids are locked out of many, but not all, top schools.

I concur. Colleges don’t seem to care about rigor that much. The only expectation is you take 1 AP in each core area. After that honors are sufficient. In your major area, take all AP’s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have many 4.0s, maybe 2 kids per year. Then a few 3.9 and 3.8s. But looking at school data, unfortunately rigor is not important in college admission. The unweighted gpa is critical for T20, in particular for ivy and ivy plus. The highest rigor 3.7 kids are locked out of many, but not all, top schools.

I concur. Colleges don’t seem to care about rigor that much. The only expectation is you take 1 AP in each core area. After that honors are sufficient. In your major area, take all AP’s.

I agree as well. It goes contrary to DCUM thought but from our private rigor does not seem to matter. We have a younger kid who we are keeping in more on-level classes for this reason. No reason to push ahead if it doesn't matter and just leads to more stress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have many 4.0s, maybe 2 kids per year. Then a few 3.9 and 3.8s. But looking at school data, unfortunately rigor is not important in college admission. The unweighted gpa is critical for T20, in particular for ivy and ivy plus. The highest rigor 3.7 kids are locked out of many, but not all, top schools.

I concur. Colleges don’t seem to care about rigor that much. The only expectation is you take 1 AP in each core area. After that honors are sufficient. In your major area, take all AP’s.

PP. there are a very limited number of top schools that care, so these highest rigor 3.7 kids often end up there, if they also have a high test score to prove they can do the work. But more don’t care and look at gpa only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have many 4.0s, maybe 2 kids per year. Then a few 3.9 and 3.8s. But looking at school data, unfortunately rigor is not important in college admission. The unweighted gpa is critical for T20, in particular for ivy and ivy plus. The highest rigor 3.7 kids are locked out of many, but not all, top schools.

I concur. Colleges don’t seem to care about rigor that much. The only expectation is you take 1 AP in each core area. After that honors are sufficient. In your major area, take all AP’s.

PP. there are a very limited number of top schools that care, so these highest rigor 3.7 kids often end up there, if they also have a high test score to prove they can do the work. But more don’t care and look at gpa only.

This is OP. I’m asking about a highest rigor 3.97 student. Does that make a difference from 3.7? (It should IMO, but what do I know)