How do admissions offices compare weighted GPAs to unweighted GPAs?
Some do & some don’t. Don’t get caught up in striving for a 5. whatever HPA.
The review and evaluation of grades in the admissions process, whether in GPA or individual courses is not based solely on the numbers. Each school does it in their own ways according to how it fits into their decision making process. There are innumerable grading systems throughout the country and the colleges know how to differentiate them in ways that allow them to make the comparisons they need to make the judgments and distinctions central to final decisions. Some schools factor in weighting, some do not. Some ignore the numerical representations and just look at the grades, some distinguish between grades earned in the upper class years and underclass ones. Some minimize art and PE. In the end, academically, the best thing anyone can do is to do the best they can in the most challenging, but appropriate, schedule. One does not want to overreach, but you done want to just slide by either.
Admission offices assess student achievement within the context of a student’s school. Some schools recalculate averages to develop a consistent number for each applicant. Other schools achieve the same equity by a contextual and holistic application read. But, regardless of the specific process involved, admission readers assess course rigor and academic achievement based on the offerings and scales provided by the high school.
Admissions offices will usually unweight all GPAs and then consider the rigor of the curriculum in context.
Here is my video response to the question.
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