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Jadon’s Playbook
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Grades & Classes

Your grades are the steady foundation everything else sits on. The good news: you have years to build them up, one semester at a time.

Start here

What a GPA actually is

It is just one number that sums up how your classes are going. There are two versions, and it helps to know the difference.

Your GPAGPAGrade point average: the single number that summarizes your grades. (grade point average) is the single number that summarizes your grades over time. You will see it written two ways, and they measure slightly different things.

  • Unweighted GPAUnweighted GPAGrades on a 4.0 scale where an A is 4.0, no matter how hard the class was. sits on a 4.0 scale (an A is 4.0) and treats every class the same, no matter how hard it was. Think of it as your raw report-card average.
  • Weighted GPAWeighted GPAGPA that gives extra points for harder classes (honors, AP, IB), so it can go above 4.0. gives you extra points for harder classes (honors, AP, IB), so it can climb above 4.0 (often up to 5.0). It rewards you for challenging yourself.

Colleges look at both, so you do not have to pick a favorite. They want to see a strong average and a record of taking real classes.

A friendly target

The range to aim for over time

Here is the honest range strong schools tend to see. It is a destination to build toward, not a bar you have to clear today. You have years of semesters ahead to climb into it.

3.9-4.0Unweighted GPA at the most selective schools2Average admitted student, at schools admitting under ~10%
3.95-4.0UCLA unweighted, middle 50%7More than half of admits had a perfect 4.0
4.4-4.6UCLA weighted, middle 50%7Higher than 4.0 thanks to honors and AP credit

The part most people miss

Rigor is the secret ingredient

What this means for you

A few smart moves

None of this needs to happen overnight. Pick the honors and AP track at a pace that keeps you happy and healthy, and let it add up.

Smart moves

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