Do A minuses hurt you?

smoda61
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:45:25 +0000

Just some general comments.

1) There are high schools that calculate GPA using A-s (like daughter’s HS). There are also those that do and do not use A+s (D’s does not). There are different weighting scales. D’s is our of an 8.0. Some schools do not weight at all. Harvard will recalculate your GPA using your transcript and using their standard (This is my understanding). So the math of your GPA only matters so much.

2) They will ask your counselor about the rigor of your curriculum and use of academic opportunities (ie APs, etc)

3) they will ask your couselor, in the context of all the students your couselor has seen, about you academic achievement, extracurricular accomplishments, personal qualities and characteristics

4) they ask for your transcript to include:

You may send us any legible transcript form or academic record that your school currently uses. A school profile, including a brief explana-
tion of your grading system, would be especially welcome. The transcript should provide at least the following information:
• Courses taken, years taken and grades, including courses failed or repeated.
• Courses currently in progress.
• Indication of honors, accelerated and Advanced Placement courses (if applicable).
• Test results, such as SAT Reasoning Test, SAT Subject Tests, ACT, AP, IB and PSAT.
• Schools abroad are asked to submit the results or predicted results from their examinations, such as the Abitur, IB and GCE
A-Levels.



4) Here is what they request regarding class rank:

Numerical Rank in Class
We understand that some schools, as a matter of policy, do not rank their students. However, the Committee feels that it must have some
indication of how the student has performed relative to classmates in order to reach a good decision. We appreciate your cooperation in
noting class size and class rank as nearly as possible. (If precise rank is not available, please estimate decile or give some other indication.)



5) Then there is a whole table of other rankings your GC must answer. Here is the link to the Harvard GC form: http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/forms/schoolreport_0910.pdf
(side note: I don’t think my daughter’s GC used this form. Oops)