GPAs: What's their point, anyway?

How important is a grade point average (GPA) in the college admission process?

For most parents and college-bound students, the GPA is very important, often seen as the key to higher education. However, as admission experts like Greg Roberts, Jim Bock, and David Charlow explain, some colleges barely look at an applicant’s GPA.

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“It is meaningless.” Roberts, admissions dean at the University of Virginia, told USA Today. Bock, admissions dean at Swarthmore College, agrees, pointing out that “It [GPA] is artificial” and unimportant that Swarthmore doesn’t bother including it into college guidebooks.

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Although such statements may, understandably, cause confusion among high school students and their families, there are surveys, such as those done by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, which show that most admissions officials put a high priority on grades – particularly those in college preparatory courses. But does this mean that high school students need not put much work on their GPA? Not necessarily. After all, GPAs, together with college test scores, are “still the best solution to setting a bar on which to judge thousands upon thousands of applicants,” as the Boston University’s The Daily Free Press puts it.

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Indeed, a student’s GPA is not a perfect system, like what The Daily Free Press noted. Nonetheless, it can still serve as a good indicator of how a student will fare in college.

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