<p>There is no one answer to the more AP verses higher GPA question. It depends a lot on the student and the schools that he/she is applying to. For the very selective schools, one should be taking more AP classes AND getting a high GPA in them. For the next tiers down, you need to do a little research. The best places to get the info are the school’s admission requirements and reading the school’s “common data set” (do a goggle search on the school name and “common data set” to find it). </p>
<p>The common data set (CSD)contains all kinds of statistical data; like what percentages of admitted students fell into various GPA ranges. For Cal Poly Pomona, 68% had GPA’s higher than 3.25, 17% were in the range from 3.00 to 3.24. (so that leaves %15 with GPAs less than 3.0) The average GPA was 3.41. Impacted majors will tend to boost the GPA levels, but IMHO a 3.1 would not be considered safe.</p>
<p>Many schools do consider strength of schedule (even outside the very selective ones) and according to the CP Pomona CSD they do. You should check the school website to see if they limit the number of AP classes that they consider. Some schools will limit the number of AP classes in their weighted GPA calculations but they still consider them for strength of schedule. If in doubt, call the school; they will be happy to answer any questions.</p>