I currently go to school with a 1-4 grading scale, so it has been hard to compare myself to other applicants in my top choice schools. Can anyone give any information as to how standards based transcripts are viewed in the admissions process?
My top choice is NYU, and I know that they typically look for students with mostly A’s and a few B’s. Would NYU want students with mainly 3’s or 4’s? I’m very sad and confused. In my school, teachers basically give you a 3 as an A. However, this causes the GPA to be significantly lower and I’m afraid that this will hurt my chances.
An unusual grading scale is not a feature of Common Core, although your school may have implemented it at the same time it was implementing Common Core. (Other things are sometimes mistaken for Common Core features when they are not, such as integrated math.)
Ask your school how the grades from your school’s scale translate to the usual ones. If there is also a 0 grade for failure, then it would really be a 0-4 scale which should be easy to translate.
Your school’s grading scale will be submitted with your transcript. If your school ranks, even if it’s only by decile, that will help clarify your grades as well. I would not worry.
As stated above, your school’s grading scale has nothing to do with common core.
I’ve head of high schools trying to change to this grading system and parents fighting it for the very reasons you state. I think Scarborough Maine is one school fighting this one out. Good luck. I would ask admissions your questions. Surely they are aware of this and deal with it.
Admissions officers deal with all kinds of grading systems (ex. there are different ways to weight GPA, some high schools do not weight, some transcripts provide write-ups instead of grades, there are different international grading systems) and they are all dealt with. As noted above your school’s grading scale will be sent as part of the school profile that goes with each transcript. It is a non-issue for admissions officers.
As an aside, try not to worry about things in the process that are not in your control.
So you have standards based grading and teachers who refuse to give 4’s? Does anyone give a 4? If you’re compared to students in your grade and no teachers give a 4, I don’t know that it will hurt you. If some teachers give 4’s for their subject and other teachers won’t give higher than a 3 for the same subject, that might be a problem.
I understand your concern though…while the scale is not in your control, you are trying to find schools that are possible for you academically, and this is hard when your school uses a scale unlike what is posted on college reports. Just ask your school counselor what your GPA would translate to on a 4 point scale, for that exact reason…so you can research schools that fit you.
In it’s own way, this IS a 4 point scale. A lot will hinge on the rest of the app/supp and LoRs. Will the GC label your coursework “Most Demanding” and explain how strong you are? Do you understand what NYU looks for?
At some 1-4 schools, the 4 is reserved for higher than an ordinary A. Pretty confusing. But adcoms have been through this.
But realize that NYU isn’t great with aid, if you need thst.
I got in NYU last year when I applied, with a 4.3 (or a little higher than that?) GPA and like a 3.8/9 unweighted?? My SAT was higher than 1400. Just giving your some stats, so maybe you could compare to yours. I think with this unusual grading scale, your standardized testing scores might matter a lot more, since they tend to associate certain scores with certain ranges of “expected” GPA’s for those scores.
