Calculating a 3.7 unweighted GPA to weighted

Hey y'all. I'm unsure about how to calculate my weighted GPA, if my unweighted is 3.7. Can someone guide me through this conversion and what it might mean for college applications?

Calculating a weighted GPA will depend on the specific grading scale your high school uses. To give you a broad idea, however, here's a simplified calculation process.

Typically, in a regular course, an 'A' grade might be worth 4.0 points. However, advanced and AP classes often carry more weight. For example, an 'A' in an honors, AP, or IB course might count as 5.0 instead of 4.0.

So, if your unweighted GPA is a 3.7, it means that on an unweighted scale (where an A in any course—regular or advanced—equals 4.0), your average grade is somewhere between an A- and a B+.

If you want to calculate a weighted GPA, you'll need to consider the number of higher-level classes you've taken. If you've been taking a lot of honors, AP, or IB courses and you're earning good grades in those classes, your weighted GPA would be higher than your unweighted GPA.

Suppose you have mostly 'A's and 'B's in your regular courses but have 'A's in two AP classes. Your weighted GPA calculation would look something like this:

Regular Classes: (Grade Points x Number of Classes) + AP/IB Classes: (Grade Points x Number of Classes) / Total Classes.

To be more tangible, if you have 3 A's (4 points each) in regular classes and 2 'As' in AP classes (5 points each):

Weighted GPA = [(4 x 3) + (5 x 2)] / (3 + 2) = 22 / 5 = 4.4

Please note that every school might handle weighted GPAs a bit differently, but this should give you a general idea.

One important factor to remember when considering the weighted GPA and its impact on college applications: While some colleges do look at your weighted GPA to see how you've performed relative to the rigor of your classes, many colleges recreate their version of your GPA. They may even disregard the weighting and focus primarily on the rigor of your curriculum.

Hope this helps! If you know the specifics of your school's weighted grades, you can get an even more accurate calculation!