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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Tests are an important objective cutoff.

"GPA is useless" (per the UVA Admissions Dean).  There are so many kinds and standards for GPA so as to  make it no help.  What really does matter is doing better than your high school classmates in the hardest classes in high school, however your high school communicates that (sometimes counselor recs).

The  most selective schools are looking for some passion and commitment to some other thing; be it academics, sports, experience.  They love to see the deep dedication it takes to reach high levels in these endeavors.

Forget all the clubs and volunteer hours.  Most college bound students do tons of these things and they rarely stand out.  [/quote]

Agree that the most selective schools are looking for some passion or commitment. Clubs and volunteering are one way to demonstrate this passion, but they aren't enough. What makes the difference is whether the kid has risen to state or national level in these activities. So band or orchestra might make them yawn, but if your kid has one a state-level music competition they will sit up again.

The combination of *unweighted* GPA + SATs still serves as a cutoff at most colleges. Apparently weighted GPAs (e.g., an A in an AP class equals a 5) aren't used much. I don't know about UVA, but many colleges reweight applicants' GPAs using their own weighting systems. Also, the college's regional admin officers are familiar with the rigor at the different schools in the region, so this adds more info the GPA stat.

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Unweighted GPAs are virtually impossible to create unless the college has a way to do it themselves.  Some schools use a 4.0 scale, some use a 5.0 scales, and I know of one that uses a 6.5 scale.  That's all before weighting.  In NY and NJ high schools use number values.  Some privates only use weighted.  Some schools built weight into the final grade.  It has gotten so crazy as to be hard to compare.  Oh and weighting matters a lot in schools that use class rank, so it cannot be ignored.  [/quote]

Public schools, for example all MoCo publics, provide both weighted and unweighted GPAs. If a private school is only providing weighted GPAs, the college's regional admissions officer will likely know enough about that private school to be able to interpret the weighted GPA. Also, lots of colleges do do their own GPA weightings.

Most colleges want to see your unweighted GPA if you can provide it, and if not, whatever GPA you can provide. DC went through this process last year and the most selective colleges wanted unweighted GPA if possible.

GPA is still really important, and kids shouldn't think that B-level work (however you want to weight it) is going to work at the most selective colleges just because some high schools use different scales than others. Colleges want to see that you've taken the hardest courses available AND that you've done well in them, as measured somehow by good grades.[/quote]

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