Now that the third marking period of Cherokee is coming to a close, students can review their class grading in report cards individually pushed out to each of them on Genesis. It is common knowledge that grades and GPA, or grade-point average, play a huge factor in colleges’ judgment on your admissions; the better the grades, the higher the chance you have of getting on top of your community service hours and extracurricular activities.
The report cards pushed into Genesis’ “grading” category include an unweighted GPA, but what does that mean? First, it must be understood that there are two kinds of GPA calculations: weighted and unweighted. The difference between the two may seem simple, and for the most part, it is. The main characteristic of an unweighted GPA is that it is calculated by finding the average of your classes’ grades using a point system. Most schools, such as Cherokee, utilize a 4.0 scale when grading unweighted categories, with some other common ones being a 3.0 or 5.0 scale. Each class gets a point depending on the grade letter. For a 4.0 scale, an A is worth a 4, a B is worth 3, a C is worth 2, a D is worth 1, and an F is a 0. The higher the GPA, the better. Now, this is very simple, and it’s the system Cherokee uses, but some colleges or high schools utilize the weighted GPA, which they convert from an unweighted GPA.
Much like unweighted calculations, weighted GPAs use an averaging point system. Unlike unweighted, different classes hold a different point value, hence the name. The weighting of the class depends on how advanced it is. For example, your Cherokee college prep and accelerated classes hold a lower value than honors classes, which are then beat out by AP classes. Another difference in weighted GPA is that the most commonly used weighted GPA is a 5.0 scale, with other common ones used being 4.0 or 6.0 scales. Now, if you take CP/ACC classes, the point system on a 5.0 scale would be an A worth 4, a B worth 3, and so on. Now, this is where it gets interesting: If you take an honors class, the value gets an extra 0.5 added on. So, now an A is worth 4.5 and so on. Proceeding even further, college-level classes such as an AP class get you an extra 1.0 added to your GPA. For example, an A in an AP class is 5.0 weighted. These honors and AP classes are forgiving as well, as the added point values are also applied to F grades, making it impossible to get a 0 added to your GPA from honors or AP classes.
Of course, it is obvious your grade-point average plays a large role in your acceptance to colleges, but why? Well, colleges most likely won’t accept those with low GPAs, obviously, but they can also be used as a fallback. When colleges look at exams and see that people got low scores on them, they take a close look at the GPAs of those students to see if the exam score was a coincidence. But your GPA doesn’t have to be your fallback. If your GPA is high enough under other factors that colleges check, such as exams and extracurriculars, you could get a scholarship to college. This doesn’t mean you must take all AP classes in the strive for the 5.0 GPA you think you need. Most colleges give at least partial scholarships for a 4.25+ GPA in a weighted category of a 5.0 scale.
It might sound like a GPA is a magical gift that will solve all your problems, but on the contrary, it only plays a portion of the role in your overall high school or college experience. While colleges do look at your GPA, they also look at your behavior reports, extracurricular activities, and involvement in school events. This applies especially to those looking for a scholarship – the National Honors Society is a huge help in getting that full-ride or even partial scholarship to college. The requirements for that club are all A’s and B’s, sure, but right next to them on that list are being a part of three clubs per year and doing community service hours.
Don’t take high school for granted: stay on top of your grades and schedule to the best of your ability, but give yourself some breathing room to join clubs, hang out with friends, and maybe play on a sports team. College may sound scary, but as long as the person applying has a solid application, along with the grades portion, of course, they have a good chance of getting in. Remember to always keep track of grades, and don’t brush off low scores, improve on yourself as if you’re going to the gym to get stronger.
