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You can’t compare your GPA with those of people at other schools because a 3.8 at one school means something very different than a GPA at other schools. Recently, a couple of us (myself included) responded to a thread saying that we had been accepted to Brown with a GPA of 3.7 or lower.</p>
<p>The C+ won’t help, and if your school is the sort where many people get 4.0’s, the GPA may be low, but that depends on your school and your courseload and your application. I believe there were 2 people in my graduating class of about 310 who managed to get a 3.8, and a large number went to Ivy League schools (maybe 80?). That’s not to say that you will definitely be fine, but…it might be worth talking to a guidance/college counselor at your school. Use Naviance if they have it. Ask to see the school profile that’s sent to the colleges.</p>
<p>Another possible metric is class rank, with most accepted applicants at schools that rank inside the top 10%. However, again, this is an imperfect metric and you will want to figure out how people from your school do when applying to Brown.</p>