What is the minimum GPA needed for a top school?

Anonymous
I'm not talking only about the Ivy but also the seven sisters, Williams, etc. That assumes good test scores.
Anonymous
5.7
Anonymous
Start here OP. https://www.collegedata.com/

Anonymous
Look at Naviance for your school.

National averages don't tell you anything since GPA scales aren't consistent.
Anonymous


Did you see the Naviance thread? Bethesda-Chevy Chase has a lot of data points. Here are unweighted GPAs averages and the lowest GPA (approximated) for admitted students at several top schools (including Seven Sister schools). Most want close to straight A's. The unweighted GPAs are high too:

Universities:
Brown- 3.93 average, lowest 3.8
Columbia- 3.85 average, lowest 3.35 (only outlier)
Cornell- 3.82 average, lowest 3.45
Dartmouth- 3.84 average, lowest 3.15 (only outlier)
Princeton- 3.93 average, lowest 3.81
Stanford- 3.9 average, lowest 3.55 (only outlier)
UChicago- 3.89 average, lowest 3.63
Yale- 3.94 average, lowest 3.8

SLACs:
Amherst- 3.87 average, lowest 3.73
Bowdoin- 3.9 average, lowest 3.79
Barnard- 3.9 average, lowest 3.8
Davidson- 3.86 average, lowest 3.48
Pomona- 3.89 average, lowest 3.78
Smith- 3.8 average, lowest 3.47
Swarthmore- 3.88 average, lowest 3.77
Vassar- 3.81 average, lowest 3.5 (only outlier)
Wellesley- 3.8 average, lowest 3.41
Wesleyan- 3.9 average, lowest 3.77
Williams- 3.87 average, lowest 3.65
Anonymous
*the weighted GPAs are high too. The scale above is out of a maximum 4.0
Anonymous
Essentially an unweighted 3.8-4.0
I used to tell my kids that no one was perfect, and a B wouldn't tank their college dreams.

Whoops.
Anonymous
Depends on what else student brings to table. Need superior SATs and ECs as well to get into the top.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Essentially an unweighted 3.8-4.0
I used to tell my kids that no one was perfect, and a B wouldn't tank their college dreams.

Whoops.


A single B might not. Several Bs will.

I'm telling my kid to let me know when they have below an A- in any class. Then we get to work to bring it up.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Depends on what else student brings to table. Need superior SATs and ECs as well to get into the top.


ECs don't matter as much as grades, rigor, class rank, test scores, letters of rec or essays.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Essentially an unweighted 3.8-4.0.


Yeah, but if the weighted GPA is only a 3.9-4.1, that shows the rigor wasn't there.
Anonymous
Dumb, dumb question from a parent with kids still in middle school, who missed this whole issue when I was applying to colleges a hundred years ago:

What does "weighted" mean on the issue of GPA?

Thank you, and I apologize for degrading the quality of your discussion with this question!
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Dumb, dumb question from a parent with kids still in middle school, who missed this whole issue when I was applying to colleges a hundred years ago:

What does "weighted" mean on the issue of GPA?

Thank you, and I apologize for degrading the quality of your discussion with this question!


Weighted means extra points for honors (0.5) and AP (1.0) classes.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Dumb, dumb question from a parent with kids still in middle school, who missed this whole issue when I was applying to colleges a hundred years ago:

What does "weighted" mean on the issue of GPA?

Thank you, and I apologize for degrading the quality of your discussion with this question!


Weighted means extra points for honors (0.5) and AP (1.0) classes.


In MoCo you get 1 pt extra for both - honors and AP/IB courses.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Dumb, dumb question from a parent with kids still in middle school, who missed this whole issue when I was applying to colleges a hundred years ago:

What does "weighted" mean on the issue of GPA?

Thank you, and I apologize for degrading the quality of your discussion with this question!


Weighted means extra points for honors (0.5) and AP (1.0) classes.


In MoCo you get 1 pt extra for both - honors and AP/IB courses.


Just shows that MoCo likes to pad their numbers.
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