GPA for Harvard - what's the benchmark?

I'm a junior trying to figure out the lay of the land for college applications. Anyone has an idea on what GPA you'd ideally need to make it to Harvard? I've set some high aspirations for myself and I'm just excited (and slightly nervous) to see how it pans out!

Harvard, like other Ivy League universities, has quite high expectations when it comes to GPA. In the latest admission cycle, the average high school GPA of Harvard's incoming freshmen class was approximately around a 4.18. The majority of admitted students had a GPA of 4.0 and above (on a 4.0 scale), which indicates that grades and course rigor are heavily emphasized.

However, remember that academic strength isn't wholly defined by your GPA. Having a strong course load, that is taking Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, is also extremely significant. They are interested in how well a student can handle challenging courses. If you're doing well in rigorous classes, that will certainly help demonstrate your academic prowess.

In addition to numerical factors, the overall strength of your application relies on other non-quantitative aspects as well. Your extracurricular activities and leadership experiences (especially if they demonstrate a passion or 'spike'), strong essays that illustrate your unique voice and perspective, recommendation letters that vouch for your character and potential, and more - all of these will play a role in the holistic review process.

So, it's important to focus on maintaining or increasing your GPA, but also remember to give due importance to other parts of your application profile.