How much weight does a 4.0 from George Washington University carry?

Transfer Students
1

I’m curious as to how much respect a 4.0 from GW garners. Will Ivy league schools respect the institution? Or will it be looked upon as an easy, non prestigious university where top grades don’t mean much.

2

I would imagine that where you got your 4.0 matters less than how you got your 4.0. The rigor of your coursework will be more impressive than where you got it from. If you got a 4.0 from taking all 1000 level general ed intro classes, then I wouldn’t see that as being much different from taking similar courses at a community college. Conversely, if you took upper level classes and still pulled a 4.0, that would be impressive anywhere.

3

Not much wiggle room to take upper level classes as a freshman. You need prerequisites…

4

Does your GWU not give credit for AP/IB? Or did you not take any AP/IB? That usually gets a lot of students out of some pre-req courses.
Rigor could also be measured in types of classes. Getting an A in biology or chemistry is more impressive than and A in geography.

5

I had credit for exams but it still doesn’t get you out of 1000 level courses, you just can skip one prereq so you would be in a 1002 instead of a 1001. And yeah that makes sense regarding Biology vs. Geography, but if someone is majoring in History or something like that than naturally their classes maybe scene as easier, but still they are applying for that major so its almost irrelevant.

6

Must just be different from school to school then, which makes sense. I was able to skip the majority of my pre-reqs due to APs (and some placement testing).

True, you are also competing against those applying under the same major. Either way, Ivy League schools are a tough shot.

7

As a parent of an accepted student at GW, I have a question. Why are you looking to leave there? Is there something that you see is not living up to your expectations at the university? If so, would you mind elaborating? Thank you.

8

@geekmomma4life‌ GW is a great school. DC is a fantastic place to attend college, and the professors at GW are very esteemed and talented. Also, internships are readily available everywhere. I’m leaving for academic reasons, notably that a major I’m interested in is not offered at GW. I’m sure your daughter/son will enjoy the university.