What College Admissions Officers Are Looking for When Reviewing Grades
A student’s grades are one of the most important aspects of their college applications. Whether a junior is starting to research colleges or a senior is working on applications, it is important to understand what college admissions officers are looking for when they review high school grades.
Grade Point Average (GPA): High schools typically report students’ GPAs as either unweighted or weighted. An unweighted GPA is the average of a student’s grades in each of their courses. It is usually reported on a 4.0 or percentage out of 100% scale. Weighted GPAs give weight in the calculation to AP, honors, or IB courses. Students can have a weighted GPA above 4.0. Colleges typically have their own processes for evaluating students’ GPAs. They typically pay close attention to grades in the core academic courses (English, math, history, science, and foreign language).
Rigor of Classes: In addition to evaluating a student’s GPA, colleges consider the rigor of their courses. Students applying to selective colleges should try to take honors or AP classes, if available. High schools provide school profiles to colleges which indicate what level of courses are offered at their schools.
Class Rank: Colleges will also review a student’s rank in their class if it is reported. Many schools do not rank students. Admissions officers know which high schools rank and which do not.
Required Years of Study: When researching colleges, students should review each college’s requirements for the number of years a student has taken each subject. For example, selective colleges often want to see that a student has taken the core courses in all four years of high school. Students should also pay attention to how many years of lab sciences each college requires.
Electives: In looking at the transcript, admissions officers also consider students’ choices of elective classes. Students should be thoughtful in choosing their electives. For example, if a student is considering majoring in psychology or economics, it is a good idea to take an elective course in that subject, if offered in high school. Colleges may or may not use grades in elective courses when calculating the student’s GPA.
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