We’re both aiming for UC Berkeley
And you need to ask such an obvious question? Why??
To me, it is not obvious. One has a higher GPA
Seriously? 3.9 Vs 3.82?
@GA2012MOM , I think it’s an interesting question and I’d like to know the answer as well. Not sure asking why the question is being asked is productive. I’d like to know the answer as well
3.9 and 5Ws every time.UCs do not care about Ws
I don’t think this is as simple as one number being higher than the other.
The 3.9 has five withdrawals attached to it. This seems to indicate that the GPA would be much lower than 3.9 had these five withdrawals not occurred. Perhaps even a great deal lower than the 3.82. The difference between a 3.82 and 3.90 is relatively insignificant, disregarding other factors. If looked at in terms of a single semester, the difference between a 3.82 and 3.90 could be as little as getting five A’s and a B- instead of five A’s and a B+. There is no substantial difference here in any practical sense. I don’t really know which would be considered ‘better’ by an admissions committee, but in my opinion a 3.82 with no withdrawals is better than a 3.90 with five withdrawals.
3.82 GPA with no Ws
5 Ws is kind of a lot
Some schools care about Ws, some don’t. I am not sure about UCB but I know that UCI does not care about Ws.
5 Ws is not a lot. I did not know what I was going to major in the first couple semesters of CC, did not know what transfer plan I wanted to follow, did not know if I wanted an associate’s degree or not, and I was getting conflicting messages from my counselors about class requirements. The whole point of CC is to figure your sh*t out and maybe get a few Ws along the way. My Ws occurred when I realized a couple days after the drop date for the semester that I did not want to major in Literature and I realized I wanted to transfer to UCI and my classes were nontransferable.
Most schools offer an “extra information” section in their application in which you can describe any situations which may have led to your W’s (if they are excessive and that school takes W’s into account) i.e. health situation, parent passing away, etc. I do not think 5 Ws are excessive. I think Ws would only look bad if they were for classes required for your major.
Having 5 Ws is not typical. The scenario you’re describing can also be interpreted as indecisiveness, fleeting interests, a lack of discipline to complete what has been started, and a failure to observe the “free” drop dates that are known ahead of time. I’m not suggesting that this will be a crucial point of consideration in the application, but it will be a potential point of consideration nonetheless.
Just wanted to update you all - we both got accepted to UCLA. Now, waiting for Berkeley…
Apparently UCs do not care too much about Ws!
If I were an admissions officer, I wouldn’t care too much for the student “trying to figure out their major” as an excuse for having 5 Ws. If somebody’s actually smart/committed and mature, they would still manage to do well in those 5 classes.
But if the UCs think differently then it seems that you’re gonna be fine.