Many Uni students strive to receive a 4.0 GPA. While this may not account for the whole student body, it is fair to say that the motive behind this obsession over getting straight A’s is to get accepted into good colleges. However, the belief that you need to have a 4.0 GPA in order to get into colleges is a myth.

Contrary to common belief, colleges don’t care so much about a perfect GPA as they do about each individual student’s progress through high school. When asked about the importance of a student’s GPA for college admission, Uni High counselor Kristi Bandy said, “There really is no magic ticket or formula for getting admitted. There are kids that get admitted into ivy league schools with 4.0s, and there are kids that get into those schools without 4.0s. They [GPAs] are important, but they especially want to see an upward trend.”

Additionally, colleges look for well-rounded students that show that they have participated in activities that they have a passion for. It isn’t about the number of activities but about what the student has gained from engaging in the activity (CollegeBoard).

This is concerning for Uni students who put most of their focus on grades, because they often don’t develop their interests and passions in the midst of striving to receive perfect grades. “I do think that students do obsess over getting that 4.0 a lot, and sometimes in that process, students forget to learn.” Bandy said.

Many colleges also consider what classes a student took, not just how they did in them. According to the CollegeBoard website, highly selective colleges look for students who have taken more challenging classes, even if their grades are not as high as they would’ve been if they had taken lower-intensity classes.

“Colleges looks at students’ GPA, test scores, what kind of activities they’ve been in, how you’ve gone deep in those activities. They don’t want you to do 50 different activities and not know what to say about them.” Bandy continued. It is important for Uni students to not only focus on grades, but also find their passions and interests and participate in activities that really show who they are as a person.

Source: https://professionals.collegeboard.org/guidance/applications/decisions