Is a 3.6 GPA a Good Score? The Answer Depends on This

Is a 3.6 GPA a Good Score? The Answer Depends on This

Although there are other factors at play when applying to college, one’s Grade Point Average (or GPA for short) still remains one of the most crucial metrics that college officials look at when determining who’s a suitable candidate. Know that, a GPA in and of itself, may not really tell the whole story simply due to the fact that courses at different high schools may have different difficulties. Therefore, college officials also consider other factors such as:

• How well you did on the SAT
• Your extracurricular activities
• Your letters of recommendation
• Whether you’ve taken AP classes
• Essays
• etc.

So when determining whether a 3.6 is a good score or not, it’s not a ‘yes/no’ type of question, as the answer depends on several different factors, plus the college you’ve set your eyes on. For instance, if you’re aiming for one of the easiest US colleges to get into, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’ right off the bat!

Know that a GPA of 3.6 roughly equates to a grade of A- or B+, so that’s pretty good! That’s especially the case if you consider that the national average GPA is slightly north of 3.0. At any rate, researching what kind of GPA your desired school is looking for will help you determine the answer for your particular case.

Although we’ve given you the gist of it already, know that there’s more to answer. Will you need to work harder? Will you be able to get into Ivy League schools with it? Stay with us as we answer these questions and more!

A GPA of 3.6: is it any good?

Considering the national average GPA tends to hover around 3.0 to 3.3 and the maximum attainable GPA is 4.0, having an average of 3.6 is pretty good indeed! At this point, any college would happily take you on board except the most elitist of the bunch (and even these will also look at other variables alongside your GPA). But even so, bear in mind that a 3.6 average is by no means a bad GPA. For instance, it’s more than enough for large public universities and even more selective private schools.

With that being said, the answer to whether a GPA of 3.6 is good also depends on how far you’ve progressed in high school. So with that in mind, we’ve narrowed it down for each of the 4 groups:

Freshmen

As a freshman, your academic performance is likely to fluctuate throughout the years, and your future is still very much an open book. Maintaining a 3.6 average means that you’re doing very well across a wide range of subjects. The only question is, is it good enough for you personally? To answer this question, you should start thinking about the universities you’d like to enroll it and see if it matches their expectations. Meanwhile, you should also start thinking about the SAT, since it’s another important criterion. For instance, have a look at our list of 1300 SAT colleges to get a good picture of where you’re likely to be accepted.

Sophomores

As a sophomore, take note of what has helped you progress to this point**. Keep chipping away** at it diligently, just make sure to take some time for yourself as well to avoid falling into the sophomore slump. To combat it, see if there are some extracurricular activities you might want to participate in (pro tip: apart from it being good for your mental health, it will also help your college application shine). If you’re keen on polishing up your college application, now is the time to start thinking about signing up for AP classes. For instance, you can take a popular AP class like AP history.

Juniors

Although it’s possible to boost your GPA slightly as a junior, know that making a significant leap at this point will prove to be quite challenging. More often than not, focusing your time and energy on the ACT or SAT is going to be a better use of your time and energy. The reason is that it’s another major differentiator that college officials tend to consider. And, if you find yourself in need of help along the way, note that Novel Prep’s SAT Prep and AP Prep programs will get you there much faster than what you’re likely to achieve on your own.

Seniors

As a senior, you’re going to need to come to terms with the fact that your current GPA is very much set in stone at this point. While this is bad news, know that it’s not too late to take the SAT as a senior, and the SAT is just as important as your GPA if not more, considering it’s a standardized test while the GPA is more or less a score that’s influenced by the difficulty of your local school’s courses and teachers’ demands. And, if you haven’t secured your letters of recommendation, you should be working on that as well. It might not even be too late to add a new extracurricular activity to the list if you want to boost your college application some more.

Examples of colleges that accept students with a 3.6 GPA

As a general rule of thumb, a GPA of 3.6 is going to be good for a vast majority of colleges. That includes some rather competitive ones. Examples of colleges you’ll have a reasonable shot of getting in with this kind of GPA:

• Pennsylvania State University
• New York University
• University of Miami

A word of caution: with this kind of GPA, getting into Ivy League may be out of reach for you, as these schools are known for rejecting even the A-students. In fact, with these, you’re not even guaranteed to get accepted with a GPA of 4.0, the highest possible score.

The reasons why your GPA is such an important metric in terms of getting accepted into college

The fact of the matter is, that the seats that are available at any university are going to be limited. Therefore, the college officials have to approach the selection process prudently and use some sort of criteria to separate the wheat from the chaff. In other words, students who demonstrate academic excellence are going to be given preferential treatment – that’s just the way it works not only in the US but all around the world as well. In practice, they want to see the kinds of students who won’t crumble under pressure, the ones who possess a mind that’s keen on learning and solving difficult intellectual puzzles.

Things that college officials pay attention to alongside your GPA

Remember that your GPA is only a single metric out of many. You will be judged based on several different contributing factors, including:

• Your SAT score
• Your ACT score
• Sports accomplishments
• Application essay
• Extracurricular activities
• Community service and volunteering
• Internships
• etc.

In other words, anything that demonstrates your intellectual curiosity, commitment to good work, and community values counts. So, while your GPA is important, it’s only a single piece of the puzzle.

How does a GPA of 3.6 translates to your scholarship opportunities?

For the most part, a GPA of 3.6 is enough to keep almost all of the doors open in terms of your eligibility to qualify for a scholarship. While there are a few of them that require a GPA of 4.0, this is by no means the norm. At Novel Prep, we typically advise our clients to simply start applying for a wide range of scholarships all across the board. After all, securing one of these can drastically improve your financial situation and contribute to a more relaxed and stress-free life in college.

Tips and tricks on how to improve your GPA as recommended by Novel Prep

If you’d like to boost your GPA, you’ll be glad to know that there are always options available, especially if you’re still in your freshmen year. So without any further ado, here’s what you can do:

1. Work on your weaknesses

But to do so, you need to learn how to identify them first, which tends to require a bit of introspection. What subjects do you tend to struggle with and where are your grades lower than they should be? These are like an anchor that is dragging you down. You should do something about it.

2. Become a better organizer

Managing your high school life is no easy feat, as it often requires juggling several different subjects, not to mention your extracurricular activities and other obligations. Find a productivity system for keeping track of your deadlines. Additionally, becoming a better organizer also requires you to implement some sort of system for better time management.

3. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself

If you want to boost your GPA, you’ll need to step outside of your comfort zone – there’s no doubt about it. Consider taking AP classes and honors-level classes that fall within your areas of strength. If college credits are a concern, AP Credit Courses are another great option to consider. At the end of the day, college officials love seeing the willingness to challenge oneself when evaluating potential candidates. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can fool them with an A that looks good on paper – if the course in question is considered easy, they will see right through the charade.

4. Seek support from your teachers

Keep in mind that, if you ask nicely, your teachers are likely to be more than willing to help. As a matter of fact, you won’t go down as the first student in the history of mankind to ask for such help, so don’t put pressure on yourself. They may provide helpful tips in terms of how to study, take notes or even give you a fresh perspective on things.

5. Focus on acing your standardized tests

Since striving for the best SAT score possible can easily offset your GPA, that’s something you need to take into consideration and focus your efforts on accordingly. You can also take or re-take the SAT as a senior. Remember, if you’d like to take a shortcut and discover the fastest way to get your scores up, keep in mind that SAT Prep and AP Prep services are available at Novel Prep. And yes, these come with a score improvement guarantee – that’s how confident we are to be able to help, and our confidence stems from past results of helping hundreds and thousands of students achieve their academic goals.

6. Learn the art of effective studying

Effective studying is all about forming a habit. You see, cramming and trying to get things done at the last minute never works – many have tried and all have failed. Note that taking notes counts as having a study plan (that’s how it all begins). Another healthy habit when it comes to your studying is reviewing what you’ve learned and meditating on it. According to science, it’s one of the techniques to have an easier time retaining information.

7. See if you can sneak an extra course or two into your schedule

Not all of the things in your life are of equal importance, so it makes sense to carve something out of your schedule if it’s going to allow you to take on more courses or perhaps even take advantage of working with a tutor. At the end of the day, all of this is bound to have a positive effect on your GPA. Note that you should not go overboard with it, lest you risk burning yourself out.

8. Write a compelling personal statement

Remember how we said that there are other factors at play that go alongside your GPA? Your personal statement happens to be one of them, so learn how to become a better writer so you’ll be able to tell a compelling story of your life. It should highlight:

• Your goals and aspirations
• Your academic achievements
• Your passions
• How you’ve learned and grown

To keep you motivated, always keep in mind that, while you may not be able to fully control every aspect of your high school life (especially the test results), your personal statement is fully and completely under your control.

9. Secure more letters of recommendation

A letter of recommendation is a valuable asset for college applicants and these are absolutely considered during the application and selection process. And if you don’t believe you’ll be granted many, it’s better to focus on quality instead, so reach out to a teacher whom you’ve worked closely with, the one who has been monitoring your progress throughout the school year. At the end of the day, you want the letter to be detailed and written on a personal level – these days, generic letters of recommendation don’t carry as much weight.

10. Hire a tutor

At Novel Prep, we’ve taken several steps to ensure our high school tutoring and other related services are among the best in the nation. Not only will you get to work with expert tutors who hold a diploma, master’s degree or even a PhD in their chosen subject, but we also offer an ironclad guarantee of helping you improve your grades and score higher on standardized tests. The benefits of working with Novel Prep tutors include:

• Flexible schedule
• Progress tracking
• One-on-one tutoring or as a group
• In-person or online sessions
• College Counseling
• and more!

We encourage you to become a success story and join the ranks of your students today!

Conclusion

When all is said is done, is a 3.6 GPA good? Generally speaking, the answer is yes, unless you want to get accepted into the world’s most prestigious universities like Ivy League. And, if you’re in your early high school years, there is a whole lot that can be done if you wish to improve it. For more information on how to do so, get in touch with our Novel Prep experts today and we’d be happy to provide personalized advice on how to reach your academic goals.