The Number Driving College Admissions

If you've ever read a college admissions report, like this one here, you realize it reads like a financial statement: full of numbers. 

The numbers can be overwhelming: total applicants, test scores, number of college prep classes, admission rate for first year students, admission rate for transfers, in-state applications, out-of-state applications, percentage of students seeking aid, etc. 

Even the savviest of number crunchers can get lost in these reports. 

But one number is rising to the top: GPA. 

This was already happening even before the pandemic. According to this report, the importance placed on "Grades in All Courses" in college admissions grew from 2012 to 2019 while "Admission Test Scores" remained stable and even went down slightly. 

Now that test scores are optional for all schools for this admission cycle, there is less importance on performing well on the SAT and ACT. And this test optional, and test blind, movement will be permanent for many schools. 

So GPA is now, and has been over the past several years, the number driving college admissions. 

The challenge with using GPA as the number one metric is that school curricula and academic rigor vary across all schools. GPA is hardly a standard measurement to compare diverse populations. 

Yet, colleges might not have a choice. Highly selective schools that receive thousands and thousands of applications still need some quick number to separate the wheat from the chaff. And without test scores, they only have GPA.  

Sure, there are other numbers. The list of additional admissions criteria is long. But no other number is even close in importance as GPA. 

While I applaud the test optional decision, I wonder if testing stress will now shift to GPA stress. Fortunately, CROSSWALK is here to help. With highly trained and capable tutors for all academic subjects, we are prepared to help students navigate these new(ish) waters. 

If you need help in your learning process and want to achieve a higher GPA, contact CROSSWALK today. CROSSWALK is Monterey Peninsula's local tutoring option for all academic subjects and standardized tests.

And, oh by the way, there still will be a place for the SAT and ACT in the future. The test company's financial statements depend on it.