Applying to grad schools when your stats are higher than their ranges?

[eggfish]

I've been looking at grad schools, and I noticed that a lot of them didn't accept candidates with a 4.0 GPA last year (University of Illinois, Northwestern University, University of Oregon, Syracuse University, etc.).  That made me wonder, can it hurt your chances to have a 4.0 GPA?  Or is it possible that they cared more about experience and that the applicants with more experience were too busy to earn high GPAs?  I have a 4.0 GPA, but that's because I pretty much completely neglected extracurriculars, which is making me nervous about applying.  

Edited August 15, 2015 by eggfish

[PhDinSLP]

No, it will not hurt you to have a 4.0. I got into one of the schools you listed this fall with a 4.0, and I know at least one other applicant who was accepted to top schools and had a 4.0. 

Don't overthink things! At least in my experience, numbers (GPA/GRE) seemed like the most important thing. 

[twinguy7]

Another thing to think about is that the averages are not the averages of people they accepted.  They are the GPA averages of the people who actually accepted their acceptance.  So they could have accepted plenty of 4.0 GPA students, but those students did not go to their school.

[litesneeze]

A high GPA does not and cannot give the entire picture for a person's application profile. A 4.0 is great but the quality of the application package determines whether or not the grades match a person's qualifications, background or experience. A person with a 4.0 could be an undergraduate or a postbac or an older applicant returning to school. In addition, grade inflation is the norm. Therefore, other elements such as the GRE score or your personal statement can give a better idea to admissions committees about the student's abilities beyond the GPA. I had a 4.0 gpa but I was a postbac and the grade was only towards Speech classes. I studied, but I did not find my undergraduate classes that challenging nor did I have electives which could weigh it down. 

[eggfish]

A high GPA does not and cannot give the entire picture for a person's application profile. A 4.0 is great but the quality of the application package determines whether or not the grades match a person's qualifications, background or experience. A person with a 4.0 could be an undergraduate or a postbac or an older applicant returning to school. In addition, grade inflation is the norm. Therefore, other elements such as the GRE score or your personal statement can give a better idea to admissions committees about the student's abilities beyond the GPA. I had a 4.0 gpa but I was a postbac and the grade was only towards Speech classes. I studied, but I did not find my undergraduate classes that challenging nor did I have electives which could weigh it down. 

Yeah, a 4.0 is definitely not easy to get at my school (half of my classmates dropped out after the first year because of bad grades in the major), but I'm still really concerned because that's the most I have going for me (I'm not sure what I will get on the GRE).  

Another thing to think about is that the averages are not the averages of people they accepted.  They are the GPA averages of the people who actually accepted their acceptance.  So they could have accepted plenty of 4.0 GPA students, but those students did not go to their school.

Ahh, that makes sense.  I didn't know that was the average for people who actually accepted their acceptances.