How much does GPA matter? (3.9 vs 4.0)

skdbs815
Sun, 12 Jun 2016 19:09:13 +0000

I’m currently a sophomore, and I’m aspiring for top tier competitive schools.
During the first three quarters, I hover around an unweighted 4.0 on average, but at the end of quarter four and with finals, my GPA drops down to a 3.9 (this has been my experience freshman and soph year). And I can’t help but feel VERY frustrated with myself.

Is it possible for me to raise my overall GPA by that 0.1 in my junior and senior year? (I am taking more AP classes and challenging courses compared to soph year, but I think self studying subjects over the summer would help with my grades.)

Would a 3.9 or 4.0 make a difference when selecting students? Same with SAT/ACT scores. How much does it actually matter? Is it worth stressing out over?

I know the importance of having unique extracurricular, leadership roles, and a rigorous course. But could there be a case where a college chooses a student over another b/c of a 0.1 higher GPA, even if they were pretty much similar in other aspects? What would really make the difference?