Is it possible to get a 5.0

Tizzano says Turlington often asks the coaching staff about the finer points of softball. Workload is always a concern. Having a book report due during the week of important games is not ideal. Concern about burnout is warranted. All three understand the complications that can come from maintaining a difficult balance. If anything, their grades prove they can be trusted with such responsibilities. Willow Canyon High School softball player Tristen Turlington believes organization is an important aspect of juggling sports and academics.

Photo courtesy Donnie Tizzano. Often, the best motivation is the simplest one and the closest to home: family and mentors. The encouragement from teachers, coaches and counselors was an important factor in her pursuit of high grades, Salazar said.

I was always ready towards a goal and that really helped me stay focused. Turlington never had to worry about support, saying that her family always pushed her to reach the high expectations she has at school. Amkraut still has two more years of tennis before he heads to college.

If weighted classes are worth 5. It's not possible, even if you get perfect grades. This is a mathematical truth of averages. We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service.

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At most schools it's simply impossible to get a 5. If you happen to go to a school that weights some classes above five points e. The idea is to take and excel in as many classes weighted above 5. That way, even the 4. This method still assumes you're getting straight A's, or pretty close. Satisfactory performance earns a pass; unsatisfactory, a fail. Generally, a pass does not affect your GPA, although often a fail will count against you. Your school may not give you this option.

They figure this could indicate that a student didn't want to try in that course or lacked confidence in their ability to get an A. While, as enumerated above, there are some ways to get a 5. The good news is, colleges don't really care if you got a 5. Colleges generally look at your unweighted GPA converting it back to the 4. They also look at how hard the classes you took were. Your school will send colleges a profile sheet that details the grading policy of the school.

Colleges want to see that you took hard classes and excelled in them ; they care less about what absolute number your school assigned to your stellar performance. As I've hinted, what really matters is doing well in challenging classes. Do well in your electives and other 4.

The first step, then, is choosing the right classes. Choose classes that are difficult and that will challenge you--but not conquer you. Recognize your limits, but also seek to stretch and expand them. If you know you have no real hope of passing a class, don't take it, but if you think some very hard work will get you where you need to be, go for it. High school is about learning and working hard, not just about the final grades. The next step is excelling in the classes you've chosen.

You should be working hard. Attend every class and listen attentively; ask questions and engage with the teacher. Do your homework consistently and well. Review regularly. While there are many exceptions, most American high schools use the following grading scale. For each class, you are awarded a certain number of grade points depending on the letter grade you earned. Some schools increase or decrease the point value of classes based on whether you received a plus or minus in conjunction with your letter grade.

CollegeVine has compiled a helpful guide to help you calculate your high school GPA. If you are measuring your GPA on a 4. However, as we discussed, AP courses make it possible for students to receive above a 4. Some schools add one grade point for all AP courses. For college applications, you should calculate both GPAs and report whichever is requested.

If none is specified, you can opt for the higher weighted GPA. A more recent study conducted at the University of Georgia indicates that the average GPA may be even higher, at 3. Average GPA fluctuates wildly depending on student demographics. To give one example, girls tend to have higher GPAs than boys. Source: National Center for Education Statistics.

Additionally, students from certain racial backgrounds had average GPAs with statistically significant differences. These differences in average GPA by gender and race reflect larger issues with the cultural, socioeconomic, and geographic factors of the American education system. Typically, students scored less well on core subjects but made up grade points in other academic courses, like Fine Arts, and non-academic subjects, like Health. To put that in more familiar terms, the average American student might receive the following report card:.

Grade inflation has been a hot topic since the early s, when journalists noticed that college students were graduating with progressively higher average GPAs.