GPA Overview
What is the significance of top 10% (Please Read!)?
Being in the top 10% at any high school in Texas guarantees you admission into all public colleges you apply to, although your major may not be guaranteed.
Being in the top 5% guarantees you admission into the University of Texas at Austin (known as UT), which has a different standard because of its prodigiousness.
Weighted GPA
GPA stands for Grade Point Average. It is a number that reflects your academic performance There are two types of GPA, unweighted and weighted.
Maintain high GPAs to improve your college admissions chances and secure scholarships! Your weighted GPA rounds by class. For example, if you had a 99 MP1, a 100 MP2, and a 98 for Semester 2 average, then your final grade would be a 98, so a 5.8 or 4.8, depending on if the class is on-level or advanced/AP/IB.
Weighted GPA is used to calculate rank at Westwood. Since Westwood is not a ranking school, only those in the top 10% are ranked. Weighted GPA is calculated using only weighted classes.
What are Weighted Classes?
Weighted classes are all core classes (English, Math, Social Studies, and Science), language classes (Chinese, French, German, and Spanish), and Computer Science classes not including Digital Electronics and Mobile Application Development.
Why is Computer Science Weighted?
You may be thinking, "Why is computer science weighted?". The answer is because Computer Science classes count as language classes and some also count as math classes at Westwood. This site has more information on computer science recommendations on the electives page, which you can find using the search bar on the main page.
How to Calculate Weighted GPA
To learn how to calculate weighted GPA, please visit the How to Calculate GPA page, which you can search from the search bar on the main page.
Unweighted GPA
Unweighted GPA is calculated using all classes, including weighted classes.
It is on a 4.0 scale, meaning the maximum unweighted GPA is a 4.0. This site recommends having a 4.0, for Westwood grades are inflated. If you do not have a 4.0, you fall below a large percentage of students. However, you are not ranked based on unweighted GPA, but colleges do recieve it.
What Does Having Inflated Grades Mean?
Having inflated grades means that grades are higher than they should be. In essence, it is really easy to have an in most classes, depending on the teacher. You can find out more about teachers by visiting the course recommendations page. At other schools, students may have a 97 average and ranked number 1, but at Westwood, a 97 may not even be enough to be top 10%.
How to Calculate Unweighted GPA
To learn how to calculate unweighted GPA, please visit the How to Calculate GPA page, which you can search from the search bar on the main page.
How to Improve GPA
To improve your GPA, you should focus on taking easier weighted classes, such as AP Principles of Computer Science. More easier courses can be found on the course recommendations page.
Why GPA Does Not Matter That Much
Although having a high GPA is great for college applications, if you have strong extracurriculars/personal projects, you can make up for a lackluster GPA. Additionally, some colleges do not require that you provide them with your GPA and having a good SAT/ACT score can also help.