GPA measures your academic success in classes in several formats,
the most common of which is on the 4.0 scale (Generally A
= 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, with varying conventions
for A-, B+, etc.). GPA can also be measured on a 100 point
scale (some schools, such as Philips Exeter has an 11 point
scale). GPA is a relatively easy way to rank students within
the same school, and, since all students will have a GPA,
is important to colleges who want to see how you've performed
in school.
There are several issues about GPA that are important
to the high school student seeking college admissions:
GPA is not uniform across all high schools:
The high school in rural Montana and the high school in
the middle of New York City will differ in many ways, GPA
ranking being one of them. Some schools choose to weight
GPAs, making it possible to get more than a 4.0 (e.g. some
schools weight AP courses as 5.0). Colleges know that there
are discrepancies in the GPAs that they receive and so they
will look at how you compare to your classmates (since your
classmates will be under the same GPA system) as well as
the courses that you took to attain your grades (since some
courses, like APs, are somewhat more standardized in difficulty).
Colleges will also note the difficulty or reputation
of your school. Getting a lower GPA within a challenging
school that routinely sends students to Ivy League institutions
can oftentimes be better than being a valedictorian at a
less competitive high school, in terms of college admissions.
Some colleges will even "add" grade points (e.g.
+.3) to your GPA if you went to a certain high school as
acknowledgement of the rigorous curriculum.
Should I take hard classes or easy classes?
The answer is that you should take classes that interest
you and that challenge you without being overwhelming. Don't
take a class just because you know you'll be assured an
A. It's not a guarantee that a more challenging class =
a lower grade. Even if you do earn a lower grade, colleges
will see that it was in an advanced class and take that
into account.
Remember that your GPA is only a symbolic indication
of your classroom success - the real indicator is how much
you learn and grow through the class. Set realistic
goals for yourself, and keep in mind the GPA range of the
colleges that you are looking for - realize that there are
plenty of people without perfect GPA attending wonderful
institutions. Enjoy your classes and have a fantastic learning
experience.