High School Class Registration: Guide To Graduation

There are four different scenarios that most high schools fall under when it comes to the relationship between unweighted/weighted GPA vs. Class rank:  

Note: Class rank is especially important when it comes to public universities that offer automatic admission for students in a certain top percentile. 

• Unweighted GPA & No ranking system – in this situation, you should aim to take a general mix of courses that show you can handle challenging classes, but you should be careful because there is no extra incentive to take the tougher classes regarding GPA: a bad grade, even if it’s in a harder class, will still have an equal weight as the same grade in a regular class. Thus, it’s recommended to take a few challenging classes in subjects that cater to your strengths and/or relate to your proposed college major. For example, if you’re really good at math, it makes sense to try AP Calculus, because you’re likelier to still earn a good grade.
• Unweighted GPA & Ranking system – this situation is rare, since a ranking system with unweighted GPA wouldn’t be very fair, but it can still happen, and the advice is the same as the above situation. You want to maximize your GPA so your class rank percentile can also be maximized, while still demonstrating your academic abilities and drive. Thus, take a couple challenging Honors and AP courses where it matters, and go the regular route for subjects you find tough, or where the effort may not be worth it. For example, if AP US History at your high school will be a lot of note taking and reading that you feel you can’t handle as well, then it would be better to take the regular version of the class. 
• Weighted GPA & No Ranking System – In this case, you can (and should) take challenging courses when the opportunity arises, especially since class rank isn’t factored in. Because class rank isn’t factored in, you don’t have to worry about planning out your schedule extremely carefully, where a fraction of a GPA could make a difference in a top percentile. You can take regular classes in the subjects you aren’t as comfortable in, and level up in classes and/or electives of special interest and importance. Focus on taking as many challenging classes as reasonable, so you can show colleges you can handle a high workload (this also depends on what the colleges you’re applying to look for in applicants).
• Weighted GPA & Ranking System – for this combination, as mentioned above, it’s important to take a fair number of challenging courses as it suits your purpose of college applications. However, it can be tricky to choose the right balance of courses that will give you the highest rank, because in this system, a GPA of 4.672 vs 4.671 could very well be the difference in the top ten percentile of a high school’s graduating class. This is a significant problem because many universities and scholarships across the nation offer automatic admission or other benefits to students with specific percentile cutoffs, even though the GPAs right below the cutoff have very little difference. For this reason, it’s important that you talk to teachers, counselors, and any older students at your high school to really understand which classes have what types of workload. 
  • Some students utilize a strategy where they will take an “easier” AP class to boost their GPA and rank. For example, one student may choose to take AP Environmental Science instead of AP Chemistry, because AP Environmental Science would still provide the GPA and rank benefits of being labeled as an AP class, but it’s not known to be as challenging as AP Chemistry. It’s hard to say how colleges will see these choices (if they analyze them), but it can certainly make a difference in a student’s rank. Remember though, that you should also consider the use of a particular class – in the above example, even if AP Chemistry is harder it might be better to expose yourself to college level chemistry if you plan to be a STEM major. 

To Summarize: 

• Balance challenging courses – you want a high GPA, but a high GPA of easy classes doesn’t say much to colleges. You want to take a few challenging classes to highlight your academic skills. 
• Every high school is different, so it is crucial to talk to staff and students at your particular school to get a better picture of classes. 
• Remember to cater to your strengths and consider your long-term goals when choosing which versions of classes to take – try to take challenging classes in subjects you excel in or career–related subjects.