Quick GPA question regarding colleges

[malfee]

So, can someone explain this to me? I understand that there exists a cumulative average, which is all of your averages from freshman to senior year combined, and then averaged out. That's used to gauge your class rank, correct? Well, is a weighted average the same thing, or is that the overall average that appears on your report card? I only ask because my cumulative average is only about a 3.5 or so (I haven't checked since sometime in the middle of last year, and my grades kept improving towards the end), while the overall average that appeared on my report card at the end of my junior year was a 99.xx, of which I'm very proud. Would a college be looking at my cumulative average, or this overall average?

Whether or not this is correct, I've been thinking that your cumulative average is all that matters, while your overall average for each term/semester/year is superficial and only used to gauge your current academic process. May someone enlighten me?

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[fuzzywuz]

I guess to be clear, we need to understand the difference between culmulative and weighted average.

In high school, the grades that I got in all of my classes were worth the same. In other words, they received the same weight. In college, its a little different since each class has its own worth. That is indicated by the credit hours assigned to each class.

With this in mind, the credit hour is simply telling us how much of that particular class's grade will count towards the overall (aka weighted average). In high school, the report grades are weighted. At least they weren't for me.

So to answer your question in short, they will take the average of your grades from each year of high school. They will definitely look at it year by year and class by class. But the overall number will help them get a sense of where you stand.

EDIT: Why does your school use two grading scales?

 

[malfee]

EDIT: Why does your school use two grading scales?

Well, each year you start off with a clean slate for both of your semesters, I believe. We receive six report cards throughout the year, three for each semester. On each report card, you receive individual number averages for each of your classes, and then an overall average. Actually, I'm kind of confused about their grading system myself, however it seems to work well.

I only began worry about my cumulative average when I heard you only see it on your transcript, so last year during my second semester I requested my unofficial transcript, on which I had something like a 93-94 average. I hadn't performed nearly as well as I have in my junior year as I did in my freshman and sophmore years. I would estimate that my cumulative average is now about a 95, if not higher, considering that I finished my junior year very strong, going from a 97.xx in my second term of the second semester, then to the 99.xx I mentioned in my final term.

It's all kind of confusing I suppose, but I'll have my official transcript in a few months, so we'll see then.