<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I'm in a private math-physics school (not in USA) and we have a pretty strict grading system...My marks are average..or maybe better than average, but nowhere near all A's.
The probability of my SAT score being perfect (or very close to) is very high..so, what are the chances that my not-high-enough GPA will be disregarded and I'll be admitted anyway?</p>
<p>GPA is always the most important element of an application, followed by rigor of curriculum and standardized test scores. Then come the intangibles. No college is going to disregard your GPA, no matter how high your scores. In fact, mediocre grades coupled with very high test scores can harm your application -- you get the slacker label.</p>
<p>That said, your GPA will be evaluated in the context of your high school's grading policies. If there's significant grade deflation at your school, that will be taken into account.</p>
<p>If you have a 3.0 and a class rank of 1 out of 100, I don't really see a reason why that would be considered necessarily worse than a GPA of 3.8 and a class rank of 13 out of 100. If you're a top student at your school, who cares what number the GPA is?</p>
<p>^^Yes, that's the situation in which context becomes relevant. I took the OP to say that her marks are around average or slightly better than average among her peers. If that is the case, superb scores will not counterbalance mediocre grades.</p>