High schools debate the need for two kinds of GPA (academic weighted and unweighted). Is there a preference for any of these from the college side, knowing that GPA is so locally influenced that many colleges recalculate the GPA using their own standards?
Total (9-12) GPA - includes all courses with a A-F grading scale. “Courses” like advisory/staff assistant/etc. receiving a P or F grade are not included.
Academic (9-12) GPA - includes all grades but only courses noted as "academic". Essentially, these are our A-G courses (college prep). Does not include things like PE, SPED academic support classes, weight lifting, etc.
Academic (10-12) GPA - same as above but doesn't include 9th grade. This is on there because it This is on there because it best estimates the CSU/UC (California State or UCalifornia Collges) A-G GPA, which doesn't include 9th grade in the calculation.
Verdict from Jonathan Burdick, Admissions Leader at Cornell, University of Southern California, University of Rochester over the past 38 years
"As a long-term college guy I'd say it matters, but likely a bit less than (parents?) think. All things equal the admissions reading process would initially default to looking at the reported weighted GPA, but it would still be important to label or demarcate on the actual transcript which grades were weighted (and unless it's very simple, how much weight). These two ideas are separated because the reported GPA is much more likely to enter the student's record as a data point just because it's so much easier to find. And sadly, there's a non-zero chance that that data point persists all the way through to reporting, scholarships etc. But the actual admissions read, if it's serious, includes perusing the transcript as a direct source of important information."
That means that the courses a student chooses matter at least as much as GPA.
Last week, I posted a list of Forbes’ “New Public Ivies,” relatively cost-effective (compared to private institutions) colleges that propel students toward strong salary outcomes. Forbes has also created a list of “New Private Ivies.”
Unlike those on the Public Ivy list (see last week’s blogpost), which are highly competitive but reasonable reaches for many students, these colleges are mostly “Ivy overlaps” with extremely low admit rates. Though some of Forbes’ “Private Ivies” may be slightly less competitive than some colleges in the Ivy League, their admission rates are not necessarily lower than Ivy ED admit rates. This list encourages hopeful students to add more colleges that deny 85% plus of their applicants to already too-long college lists. That's not helpful, and it adds stress to the application process.
The ED or REA rates of admission to Ivies are similar to the general admit rates of these schools. A few of these schools have somewhat higher ED rates, but like the Ivies, they get many applications from all over the world. Here’s the list, in order of selectivity:
Boston College 15% overall, 30% ED
University of Notre Dame 11% overall, REA admit rate 15%
Carnegie Mellon University 11% overall, 12.5% ED
Emory University 11% overall, 32% ED
Georgetown University 10% overall, REA admit rate 12-15%
University of South California 10% overall, Both 9% ED/EA
Rice University 9% overall, 13%
Johns Hopkins University 8% overall, 15% ED
Northwestern University 7% overall, 20% ED (record high)
Vanderbilt University 6% overall, 15% ED
The “Ivy League” is a sports league of 8 colleges and 4 overlaps (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, Stanford University and Duke University), but its notoriety is often based on student salary outcomes. Forbes has calculated those salary outcomes for alumni and applied them to 9 colleges it is calling “Public Ivies” that graduate students with similar results. Applications have soared at the colleges, especially in our world of test-optional admissions (though test scores matter). However, many applicants to these colleges are Ivy-caliber with regard to GPA, rigor, test scores, and activities. If you have wondered why admission has become so difficult at these institutions, that’s the reason. These public colleges are also considerably more affordable than their private counterparts.
Binghamton University (New York)
Median earnings of $77,436 for alumni, out-of-state tuition of $26,160
Georgia Institute of Technology
Median earnings of $96,375 for alumni, out-of-state tuition of $32,940
University of Florida
Median earnings of $69,468 for alumni, out-of-state tuition of $28,658
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Median earnings of $139,900 for alumni, out-of-state tuition $50,106
University of Maryland – College Park
Median earnings of $134,700 for alumni, out-of-state tuition $57,873
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
Median earnings of $79,580 for alumni, out-of-state tuition of $58,072
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Median earnings of $118,200 for alumni, out-of-state tuition of $53,810
University of Texas – Austin
Median earnings of $137,000 for alumni, out-of-state tuition of $59,618
University of Virginia - Charlottesville
Median earnings of $80,584 for alumni, out-of-state tuition $78,214 to $90,378
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Median earnings of $125,900 for alumni, out-of-state tuition of $56,625
Important note: these are median salaries for alumni with 10 years of experience per Payscale, not for new graduates. I’ll share info about Forbes’ new Private Ivies soon.