Your 4.0 GPA means nothing now

In the world of fashion, things that are “in style” are usually hard to acquire. They’re sought after and hard to get. When you get one, you’re part of the exclusive in-crowd. But over time, knock-offs or supply/demand issues make these hard-to-get items a little easier to get, and soon it seems like everyone has the latest fashionable item. And when that happens, the powers that be decide that there’s a new and better “in style” item, and those trying to fit in focus on getting that. Happens all the time.

It used to be that way with a high (say, perfect 4.0) GPA. They were only for the few, those who studied on weekends and spent more time in the library than in front of a screen. When you heard that someone had one, you were duly impressed. You wanted one yourself, but probably didn’t want to put in all the time and effort. But then they became easier to acquire. Lax grading standards, COVID, and internal pressure to give out “A” grades have made the 4.0 quite common these days. And colleges (the fashion police, to keep up with the analogy above) know this. They fully understand that having a 4.0 isn’t impressive anymore - it’s a necessity.

So if everyone has a 4.0, how can they tell who the truly smart kids (the in-crowd) are these days? High standardized test scores - the newest fashion trend. Fact is, they only went out of style for a few years (say, the last five), but now they’re back and more desirable (to college admissions officers) than ever before.

Here’s the proof - and you might want to sit down for this one:

The University of California, San Diego states that 25% of its incoming freshmen who couldn’t do middle school math had a perfect 4.0, and many had taken pre-calculus or calculus in high school. They received “A” grades in challenging high school math classes, but couldn’t answer middle school math questions.

And it’s happening all over the country. A perfect or high GPA just isn’t impressive - it’s commonplace - which is hard for parents to grasp. So when your “A” student takes the ACT or SAT and gets a 25 or 550 math score, they assume that the test is “tricky” or “unfair”. However, the truth is that your child may have skirted through high school math without actually learning the material, and was given “A” grades. It’s not the test that’s unfair: what’s unfair is the fact that your school system misled you and your child into believing they were “A” students when they’re not, and you’re just now finding out.

So when colleges review applications, they see a LOT of 4.0 GPAs and “A” grades on transcripts. So much so that they gloss over this and now focus on the standardized test scores, which aren’t prone to grade inflation. These are the actual barometers of academic achievement. They know it, and now you know it. So while some colleges still list themselves as “test optional”, they’re really not. Most will say that on one page and then brag about the amazingly high standardized test scores of the incoming freshmen on another page. Be prepared for some disappointment if you don’t submit high ACT/SAT scores alongside your inflated GPA that nobody cares about anymore.

PS - if you’re loading up on AP courses and getting those inflated “A” grades here as well, know that some colleges - regardless of whether they’ll give you college credits for your efforts - will be looking to see how you scored on the corresponding AP Exams. If you’re not submitting 3-4-5 grades on the AP Exams, they’ll probably assume you didn’t take the AP Exams and might not weigh your efforts in the AP classes as much as you would like them to.