Your grade point average or GPA can determine the fate of your higher education. Many people feel that GPA is the endgame. That is not true as universities or colleges consider more than just your grade. However, GPA is a sufficient indicator of how you have fared through high school. This will have a bearing and thus you need to be aware of the various ways GPA is assessed during the applications and admission process. Of course universities and colleges have their own approach but there are general standards as well.
One key factor that bothers most students is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA. Many feel that a weighted GPA would be unfavorable for them while others feel that an unweighted GPA is unfair as they had signed up for more complex subjects or more comprehensive courseware.
Let us first understand the principal difference between weighted and unweighted GPA.
What is a Weighted GPA
Weighted GPA is a grading system that takes into account the kind of subjects you had signed up for and the kind of courseware you have studied. In other words, the depth of knowledge or the skills needed to acquire the same grade with weighted GPA as the grade with unweighted GPA would be much more demanding.
What is a Unweighted GPA
Unweighted GPA is a grading system where the exact courseware or even the subjects are not exactly taken into account. You are simply graded or given the points based on how you have fared in the exams. It doesn’t have any bearing to the quality of the courseware or to what extent you have acquired prowess or honed your skills in a discipline. Unweighted GPA can be considered more generic. Weighted GPA can be considered specific.
Example of These Two Systems
Unweighted GPA usually has four levels or grades. 4.0 GPA is considered A average, GPA 3.0 would be B average, GPA 2.0 would be C average and GPA 1.0 is D average. Any grade below that is considered as failed. Weighted GPA can be exactly the same. It would also mean the same grades or marks but it would mean that the exact subject and the courseware studied have been factored in. To put it simply, a weighted GPA 4.0 would be much more valuable than an unweighted GPA 4.0. Both are A grades given the standard practice but the weighted and unweighted factors show that the former is the score fared in a more complicated subject or demanding exam. The latter shows a more generic or easier exam. One of the simplest examples would be a major or honors and an ordinary or pass subject. A student with GPA 4.0 in an honors paper would obviously have a better grade than a GPA 4.0 in the same subject but as a pass paper.
If we have to segregate the weighted and unweighted GPAs, which many schools have started doing, then the grades would change by a level or by several in some cases. For instance, many schools now allot weighted GPAs wherein a GPA 5.0 is A average, GPA 4.0 is B average, GPA 3.0 is C average and GPA 2.0 is D average. The scale from 1 to 4 or D to A gets revised to have 2 to 5 for the same grades. Some schools have opted for higher grades.
The weighted and unweighted GPAs allow schools to rate the courseware. Hence, high level courseware can have weighted GPA of 5.0 for an A average result. Midlevel courseware can have a weighted GPA of 4.5 for the same A average result. Low level or the basic courseware can have a weighted GPA of 4.0 for the same A average result. This distinction allows students to showcase their merits much more effectively than having unweighted GPAs.
There is no standard that is accepted by all schools, colleges and universities. Every university or school that enjoys autonomy to a certain degree has the right to call the shots. Hence, they take a stand in regards to weighted and unweighted GPA. Colleges or universities typically check if you have challenged yourself by trying to opt for an honors or AP class. If you have been clocking the highest GPAs in a given subject but in a low level courseware then you need to up your game and sign up for an honors or AP class. If you can manage to get the same GPA with the most demanding courseware, then your application will be viewed and assessed very favorably during the admission process.
You should always pick a college or university and then check its admission process or how they assess the GPAs to know for sure if your unweighted or weighted GPA would get you in. Do remember that GPAs are not taken at face value, regardless of how great or poor they are.
