is 3.5 GPA BAD?

[Anonymous]

It depends on the high school how it would be looked at. At some schools it is still good enough for a top school. At others its considered average to below average but you could still get into average colleges like mid-level VA state schools/2nd tier MD state schools or average state flagship schools where you're competing against kids from overall worse school districts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, it depends on the colleges you are looking at. DCUM is overfocused on top 20 schools and such.

Schools like Tulane and Lafeyette have lower average GPAs according to their Common Data Sets. But, it's hard to know how any particular college has calculated the number they report.

Look outside top 20 schools. Look at T30-T80s and beyond. The higher ranked ones will be reaches, but possible if you have high test scores.

Tulane may have a "lower gpa" but it's 3.56 and the SAT is over 1400 and their acceptance rate is less than 20%. So not really an easy choice for someone with a 3.4 GPA.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the school, which is why your school will send a profile. Some schools don’t offer APs and don’t weight so those GPAs will be lower. The colleges know that and will see what percentile your kid is in the class. You can’t really compare on flat numbers. A college is not going to weight AP Basketweaving as much as Calculus, etc.

[Anonymous]

Shoot for JMU VCU GMU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has a 3.9 from a FCPA public (with a rigorous course load) and we’ve been told by a private college counselor that knocks many colleges (and I don’t mean ivies) out of reach for him. So a 3.5 with an average level of rigor is presumably going to have somewhat limited options, although there is always some 4 year college option for anyone who wants it and is willing to pay for it.

This^^^

There will be a college for everyone. However, if you only have a 3.4/3.5 UW gpa in HS, you probably do not belong at an Ivy/T20 school, unless you were at an extremely rigorous HS. Why would you want your kid who could only get a 3.4 GPA at a university where most kids had 3.9+ UW gpa and well over 1500 SAT? I wouldn't want to be or have my kid a school where they might be struggling to keep up.

However, my 3.55UW HS gpa DC graduated from a T80 university with a 3.4 GPA (which was dragged down by a freshman year attempt at premed courses, so there were several "lower" grades that kid never would have taken for their ultimate major) There was plenty of rigor for my DC at this university. DC is gainfully employed post graduation at a great company. If they had gone to a T40 school DC would have likely really struggled and felt like they were always at the "bottom" of the ladder and that's not good for mental health. Much better to be at a school where you are in the middle of the student population academically (unless being at the "bottom" is having a 1540 and 4.35 at a T20 school--at T20 schools and really T50 the difference between the top and bottom are minimal).

[Anonymous]

This discussion is pretty pointless without knowing what high school.

[Anonymous]

If you are at a rigorous high school taking all honors and AP level classes its not. I know kids with 3.5 that have got into T18 to T28 colleges.

[Anonymous]

No. It's great. 2.0 is bad.

There are hundreds of good colleges below the top 50 and above community college. It's not all or nothing here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This discussion is pretty pointless without knowing what high school.

And how many APs. And the scale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has a 3.9 from a FCPA public (with a rigorous course load) and we’ve been told by a private college counselor that knocks many colleges (and I don’t mean ivies) out of reach for him. So a 3.5 with an average level of rigor is presumably going to have somewhat limited options, although there is always some 4 year college option for anyone who wants it and is willing to pay for it.

That GPA, assuming it's UW, does not knock any college out. But if your kid doesn't have anything else to sell, they're not getting into an ivy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has a 3.9 from a FCPA public (with a rigorous course load) and we’ve been told by a private college counselor that knocks many colleges (and I don’t mean ivies) out of reach for him. So a 3.5 with an average level of rigor is presumably going to have somewhat limited options, although there is always some 4 year college option for anyone who wants it and is willing to pay for it.

That GPA, assuming it's UW, does not knock any college out. But if your kid doesn't have anything else to sell, they're not getting into an ivy.

My reading of the original post is that the 3.9 is a weighted GPA. If it's not, and the kid took multiple honors and/or AP courses (the OP said "rigorous" course load) at a DMV public school, that would imply there are several Cs in the transcript -- that poses a barrier to T30 schools if unhooked.

[Anonymous]

It’s just ok

[Anonymous]

It is not bad. Plenty of schools In the 50-100 range. More important - is there class rigor in that 3.5?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if someone has a 3.5 pga is it bad now? Will they have to attend a Community college?

30+ years ago it would've gotten you into state school with some luck but with all the bonus grade points today it's equivalent to a low B average

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if someone has a 3.5 pga is it bad now? Will they have to attend a Community college?

Which high school? private or public?