Grade Point Average

[FutureAVIATOR_USNA]

I was looking at another thread and was seeing stuff about GPAs so I thought what is a good one and how good is 4.33. Thanks!

 

[Old Navy BGO]

4.33 is a meaningless number standing alone. It may be great on a 4.0 scale, but USNA will take into account strength of schedule (heavy STEM curriculum), strength of school, SAT/ACT scores and your teacher evaluations. There are lots of variables to take into account.

In addition, keep in mind that 4.33 might not be that great if those you are competing with have a 4.4 , or if they have other things in their application that make them stronger candidates. At the end of the day, USNA 's mission is produce Naval Officers. Sure , they need to make sure that any applicant/appointee has the academic chops to get through the program, but there are alot of other factors that go into deciding who will be a good Naval Officer.

 

[usna1985]

Ditto what Old Navy BGO said. Someone who's taking all AP STEM and other core courses (e.g., English) with a 4.0 will fare better in the eyes of USNA than someone with a 4.33 who's taking sociology, art, music theory, environmental science, etc. or other courses at non AP levels. Class rank is more important to USNA than grades.

Also, you are competing against others in your district and state. Thus, if you live in OK district 2, it matters how you compare to others in your district (if you have a nom from your Rep) and / or in your state (if you have a Sen nom). As general rule (with some exceptions), it matters not how you stack up against someone in Maryland or Texas or anywhere else.

 

[USNA_STEM_Prof]

I was looking at another thread and was seeing stuff about GPAs so I thought what is a good one and how good is 4.33. Thanks!

Good advice here already. In keeping with what @usna1985 said, competition matters. For example:

A 4.33 that places you at class ranking of 9th in a small graduating class of thirty students is vastly different from a 4.33 that places you at 9th in a graduating class of 730 students. Also as mentioned, course load matters too.

The general advice holds true: Get the best grades you can in the most challenging classes possible.

 

[A1Janitor]

I don’t understand why everyone doesn’t use the 100 scale.

Even at USNA the GPA alone doesn’t tell the whole story.

Before they went to the plus/minus system, a midshipman could have had a 97.5 average in one semester and have ended up with a 3.86 gpa while her classmate had a 92 average and ended up with with a 4.0.

 

[IronmanDaremo]

We didn't have weighted back in my day. Only straight GPA. With each school district doing their weighting differently, it really does become a puzzle as to understanding how someone fairs in the overall!

Son had a 3.87 unweighted and a 4.4 weighted. 7 AP classes, and the rest mostly honors or GT in a highly competitive school district. That boosted his "weighted GPA" a lot per how his school figured out the algorithm. (And he still never got any MoC nominations, and passed over on his first try, and waitlisted on his second!).

GPA is not the end all, be all, just like test scores aren't. Just one piece of the overall puzzle. Strive to do your best, take the most challenging classes you can, and be STEM heavy, if possible.

 

[FutureAVIATOR_USNA]

4.33 is a meaningless number standing alone. It may be great on a 4.0 scale, but USNA will take into account strength of schedule (heavy STEM curriculum), strength of school, SAT/ACT scores and your teacher evaluations. There are lots of variables to take into account.

In addition, keep in mind that 4.33 might not be that great if those you are competing with have a 4.4 , or if they have other things in their application that make them stronger candidates. At the end of the day, USNA 's mission is produce Naval Officers. Sure , they need to make sure that any applicant/appointee has the academic chops to get through the program, but there are alot of other factors that go into deciding who will be a good Naval Officer.

Thanks!

 

[T-37IP]

Academics, Athletics, and Leadership. The best GPA in the world won't help if you don't have the other two. The competition is fierce (in a good way). Of course, a 4.33 is a good GPA, but you know that already. And what everyone else said above,