Which GPA matters most? UW or weighted?

[Anonymous]

Several kids in MCPS will get WGPA's like that...if they have many honors or AP classes plus middle school classes that have high school credit...Like French 6 or Algebra. If the child is in one of the science or math magnets Wheaton Biomedical, Blair math program etc. Then yes they can get a high weighted GPA because most of their classes are honors or AP plus they have the extra middle school component classes. Very few, but a few.

[Anonymous]

Some kids place out of world language 1 and 2 and avoid two non-weighted courses. I’ve heard rumor of people delaying PE and Tech until senior year as well.

[Anonymous]

The answer is weighted. The kid’s GPA is compared to the grade distribution at their school. Weighted GPA takes into account class rigor and grade. Only kids with lots of AP and good grades in them will be at the top of the distribution. You can’t compare GPA across schools because different schools offer different numbers of AP and Honors classes and weight them differently. Traditionally, standardized test scores allow colleges to compare student performance across high schools.

[Anonymous]

Unweighted in the context of course rigor. A straight A student with all on grade level classes is not going to be as impressive as a kids with straight A's who takes all honors and AP classes.

[Anonymous]

colleges recalculate GPA based on core subjects because they are aware of the grade inflation and the difference in GPA weighting among different schools.

[Anonymous]

+1. The weighted/unweighted doesn't matter because the college will do its own calculation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh and i say that because you are competing with kids like mine who is 4.89 with 15 AP classes, National Merit Semi Finalist and Valedictorian or Sudatorian depending on how senior grades go. In the DMV higher is way better because higher here is average.

Kudos on the achievements!

Kid’s school doesn’t offer that many AP classes. I hope colleges take that into account. There is no way kiddo could take 15, because they aren’t offered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some kids place out of world language 1 and 2 and avoid two non-weighted courses. I’ve heard rumor of people delaying PE and Tech until senior year as well.

Utterly stupid gamesmanship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The answer is weighted. The kid’s GPA is compared to the grade distribution at their school. Weighted GPA takes into account class rigor and grade. Only kids with lots of AP and good grades in them will be at the top of the distribution. You can’t compare GPA across schools because different schools offer different numbers of AP and Honors classes and weight them differently. Traditionally, standardized test scores allow colleges to compare student performance across high schools.

That’s good to know. Thanks!

OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The answer is weighted. The kid’s GPA is compared to the grade distribution at their school. Weighted GPA takes into account class rigor and grade. Only kids with lots of AP and good grades in them will be at the top of the distribution. You can’t compare GPA across schools because different schools offer different numbers of AP and Honors classes and weight them differently. Traditionally, standardized test scores allow colleges to compare student performance across high schools.

not all high schools send the grade distribution of the senior class to colleges, its very few that do that since it is looked at another way of ranking kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Several kids in MCPS will get WGPA's like that...if they have many honors or AP classes plus middle school classes that have high school credit...Like French 6 or Algebra. If the child is in one of the science or math magnets Wheaton Biomedical, Blair math program etc. Then yes they can get a high weighted GPA because most of their classes are honors or AP plus they have the extra middle school component classes. Very few, but a few.

Or Poolesville Science, Math, Computer Science program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Several kids in MCPS will get WGPA's like that...if they have many honors or AP classes plus middle school classes that have high school credit...Like French 6 or Algebra. If the child is in one of the science or math magnets Wheaton Biomedical, Blair math program etc. Then yes they can get a high weighted GPA because most of their classes are honors or AP plus they have the extra middle school component classes. Very few, but a few.

I have a child at Blair and have not seen a 4.89 on Naviance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh and i say that because you are competing with kids like mine who is 4.89 with 15 AP classes, National Merit Semi Finalist and Valedictorian or Sudatorian depending on how senior grades go. In the DMV higher is way better because higher here is average.

Kudos on the achievements!

Kid’s school doesn’t offer that many AP classes. I hope colleges take that into account. There is no way kiddo could take 15, because they aren’t offered.

The AP offerings are listed on the school profile that is sent with the transcript by the counselor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The answer is weighted. The kid’s GPA is compared to the grade distribution at their school. Weighted GPA takes into account class rigor and grade. Only kids with lots of AP and good grades in them will be at the top of the distribution. You can’t compare GPA across schools because different schools offer different numbers of AP and Honors classes and weight them differently. Traditionally, standardized test scores allow colleges to compare student performance across high schools.

not all high schools send the grade distribution of the senior class to colleges, its very few that do that since it is looked at another way of ranking kids

Please list the name of a high school, especially a public one, that doesn’t submit a grade distribution. Also, how do you know.

[Anonymous]

In MCPS, they do send a range but the top range is 4.51 and up. That includes a lot of students (at my DS’s school it is 26%). If students are in that category it’s not clear if they are top 10%, top 5% etc.