3.7 GPA, top 5%-how will colleges look at this?

Applying to College
1

<p>My school is a pretty decent school with about 10-15 people going to top 20 colleges every year and with a good API score (850+).</p>

<p>Will my top 5% standing make up for my somewhat lacking GPA for top 20 schools? I took a fairly rigorous class load (not the most rigorous possible though).</p>

2

<p>In a word, yes.</p>

<p>They’ll see that you took challenging classes, and that you’re near the top of your graduating class. Am I guaranteeing that you’ll get into Princeton? No. Am I sure that selective colleges and universities will evaluate your grades in the context of your school? Yes.</p>

3

<p>^ This is particularly true for schools that are feeders to top programs like the OP’s.</p>