GPA from lower ranked schools?

[linden]

Does anyone know how top schools and Ivies "adjust" the GPA of applicants from lower-ranked, state universities? Hypothetical situation: A student from a large state school applies to an Ivy for graduate school. What will the student's GPA really be worth? Is there a rule-of-thumb formula? Or, is the GRE considered validation? That is, a high GRE score will "validate" a high GPA from a so-so school?

Thanks for your input!

Linden

[rising_star]

No one really knows. Lots of schools (Ivies, top liberal arts, etc) are infamous for their grade inflation. That said, not all top schools are big on grade inflation. So, it's complicated. There's really nothing you can do about it, so I suggest not worrying about it.

[timuralp]

And this also depends on the programs at hand. For example, I went to a state school with a great computer science program, but other programs could be not as good. It also depends on the field you're looking at. In some fields the gpa just shows you can follow instructions and so long as it's not abysmal no one really cares about it. Good luck and don't focus on that so much.

[Minnesotan]

I've found a helpful tool for those of you who are worried about what will happen to your 3.97 at a state school when transferring to an ivy: http://www.zingerbug.com/Comments/glitter_graphics/settle_down_starburst2.gif

Seriously, I would worry more about your SoP and LoRs at this point. Your GPA cant be changed, and you should be aiming for fit, not prestige.