4.0 and The Bigger Picture.

Your friends are being ridiculous and, more to the point, they are missing the point. You will get into plenty of colleges with a 3.7 or whatever conforms to an A- average. You may even get into some of the best colleges in the country.

When grades are that high, the difference maker is not skimpy thousands of a percentage point; the difference maker instead is other things, including:

• SAT scores, but that's a similar issue to grades when you're talking about the population with the highest of the high marks
  
• Admissions essays
  
• Desire for incoming class diversity
  
• etc.

Financial aid isn't supposed to matter at the Admissions level and hopefully it truly doesn't.

If not having an absolutely perfect transcript concerns you that much, make sure to apply to at least one or two "safe schools". And take heart -- many of us did not have perfect transcripts and we still went to college, and rather good colleges sometimes. Check this link out if you still don't believe me: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php

So relax and tell your friends they're wrong. Because they are.

Babemomlover--

Welcome to A2K.

Your AP classmates are a little short of common sense if they really believe that itty-bitty fractions in a GPA are going to doom you to a community college.

The "Best" schools have literally thousands of applications from students with excellent academic records. A solid 4.0 GPA shows that you can meet standards that have been set for you. (So does a GPA of 3.99 or 3.7 or 3.5)

The "Best" schools are also interested in what sort of goals you set and achieve for yourself. They look at both school and community activities. Part of your college education will come from your college professors. An equally important part will come from your fellow students.

You know from your high school experience that grades are only one part of a personality. So do college admissions officers.

Noddy and Jespah have both given you fine advice.

GPA is certainly one of the factors universities consider in admissions, but is by no means the only factor. SAT / ACT scores, sports and other school activities, and numerous other factors are considered.

4.o and the bigger picture
y is it such a big deal about grades?

While I don't know a lot about this, one word of caution I'd add to the above is that I understand that grades are given out differently these days. 4.0 is no longer "perfect." People get extra credit or take AP classes or something, and the high grades given out are more like 4.5. So a 4.0 today can be seen by colleges as equivalent to a 3.5 or so on the scales that we're used to.

I just did a quick search and couldn't find anything specific about this. I remember it came up in terms of a local high school's valedictorians -- they were tied at something like 4.41 GPA. (I can't swear to the ".41" but I'm certain it was significantly over 4.0.) I also remember something about it in one of the NYT College supplements.

Re: 4.o and the bigger picture

Because kids are insecure, and often look for some objective proof of their own self-worth.

They found something that they can gloat over; someone secure would not be trying to make you feel bad about yourself.

Babe, have no fear. Your GPA may get into most colleges but it will never exclude you. I was an excellent student--perhaps an overachiever--and I got into the best schools on scholarships with one C and three Bs on my record.

Indeed, as a long-time member of my university's admissions committee (for my department) I was more impressed by a cum laude than a summa cum laude. The latter seemed to me to be a bit neurotic. Of course I would never voice this perception nor let it consciously influence my evaluations on students' applications.