Weighted GPA or Unweighted GPA?

Most colleges will use the unweighted GPA as the best reflection of your high school performance. As they say, “an A is an A.” A B in an Advanced Placement course does not mean that you somehow really got an A in that course…you still did B work, according to your teacher. So while the weighted GPA will reflect the relative rigor of your high school coursework, the unweighted GPA reflects your actual performance in those courses.

A Weighted “B” is NOT an “A”

How do colleges calculate GPA for college? Don’t be lulled into complacency when you get a “B” on that AP history test by telling yourself that B work equals an A in a less rigorous course. The fact is that colleges will pay closer attention to your unweighted GPA than to an average that is artificially inflated.

Furthermore, many colleges today are “stripping” GPAs of any fluff courses, such as gym, art, music, business, or other courses not considered to be sufficiently academic in nature. Padding your GPA, therefore, is not really possible by getting a straight-A average in chapel or woodworking or glee club. Colleges want to know how well you do in your academic core subjects: English, math, science, social studies, and foreign language.

Bottom line: your GPA matters.

PS: You might want to look at my post on how to calculate your “real” GPA.

Published at Sun, 04 Apr 2021 20:22:03 +0000

Article source: https://greatcollegeadvice.com/blog/weighted-or-unweighted-gpa/