<p>Yes, we’ve all heard the marks don’t matter as much as you think, but frankly, we all know its there. Im currently going into by grade 11 year in Canada, and I was wondering what would be an acceptable average for your grade 10 (sophomore) year. </p>
<p>Thanks to whoever can answer this question.</p>
<p>I’m no authority haha, but I’ve always heard a 3.8+ on a 4.0 unweighted scale is optimal.</p>
<p>90%+ will do you fine.</p>
<p>You should be among the strongest students in your class.</p>
<p>Marks don’t make much difference in the sense that almost everyone has outstanding grades. A 3.8+ unweighted with a 4.3+ weighted is about the usual for admitted students.</p>
<p>so would there be like a general rule of thumb when converting gpa to percentile?</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your help everyone.</p>
<p>There’s no rule of thumb; it depends on your school. If there’s one common feature for Harvard students, it’s that almost all of them were considered really special at their high schools – maybe for academics, maybe for a particular activity like sports or theater, maybe for being a leader and getting things done, and often for more than one of those categories. Also, they tend to be really ambitious to accomplish things, some noisily, and some more quietly.</p>
<p>So absolute grades are really not important. What’s important is that you clearly be among the very best students at your school, taking the most challenging courses available, and (unless you are a stone Stephen Hawking-type genius) that you are contributing meaningfully to your community in other ways, and that you are setting lofty, tough goals for yourself, and not settling for what is easy.</p>