Mr. High School Counselor

The GPA Game

May 12, 2008

A couple of times each year there are questions about “The GPA Game” posted to the NACAC list. The game can be used in classes or at parent meetings to demonstrate how GPA, course selections and other factors may influence admission to selective colleges. Unfortunately, I do not know who first came up with this; please let me know if you have that info. This is one version of the game that was posted recently.
Here is a LINK to a .doc form of the game.

The GPA Game: Understanding Selective College Admissions Activity

Student Profiles: Put GPA in large lettering on front side of paper, and student profile on the back.

4.0 GPA You took a strong academic program.
You forgot to change the name of the college when word-processing the essay that was sent to several different schools.

3.7 GPA You attended an enriching summer program between junior and senior years.
You decided not to take AP classes (even though your school offered them) because you wanted to protect your grade point average.

3.5 GPA The topic of your essay was sports as a metaphor for life.
You’re an eagle scout.
You’re an all-region in basketball.

3.3 GPA Your intended major is Greek Language.
You participated in NO extracurricular activities.
You attended an enriching summer program between your senior and junior years.

3.0 GPA You applied early decision to your first-choice college.
Your intended major is psychology.
You plagiarized an American history paper and got caught.

2.8 GPA Your intended major is biology.
You wrote an essay that everyone passed around the office because it was so good.
You’re the first in your family to attend college.
You’re a varsity athlete.
You made a “D” junior year but wrote to the college to explain the extenuating circumstances.
You’ve taken a strong academic program.

2.5 GPA You direct the gospel choir at your church.
You are quiet and don’t know your teachers well enough to ask for a recommendation.
You’ve participated in community service.
You’ve taken a strong academic program.
You’re from a single-parent household and must work to help with expenses.

2.3 GPA You’re a legacy at the college to which you’re applying.
You did not write the optional essay for your college application.
You’ve participated in some community service.
Your last name is Bush and the college library is named after your grandfather.

Activity Directions:

Ask for volunteers to be each student, and ask them to line up in order of GPA (from highest to lowest). They should hold up the card with the GPA side facing the audience. Then, read the following instructions:

1. If you have taken an exceptionally strong academic program, move up two spaces.
2. If you direct the gospel choir at your church, move up one space.
3. If you clearly stated that this college is your first choice by making an early decision application and commitment, move up two spaces.
4. If your intended major is psychology or biology, move down one space.
5. If your intended major is Greek, move up one space.
6. If you do not know any of your teachers well enough to feel comfortable asking for a recommendation, move down two spaces.
7. If, when you word-processed your college essay, you forgot to change the name of the college you were applying to, move down three spaces.
8. If you are a legacy, move up two spaces.
9. If you did not write the optional college essay, move down one space.
10. If the topic of your college essay was sports as a metaphor for life e, move down one space.
11. If you wrote the “essay of the year, the one everyone passed around the office,” move up two spaces.
12. If you plagiarized an American history paper and got caught, sit down. You’re out of the competition entirely.
13. If you will be the first in your family to attend college, move up two spaces.
14. If you attended an enriching summer program between your junior and senior years, move up two spaces.
15. If have participated in no extracurricular activities, move down three spaces.
16. If you have participated in a significant community service project, move up one space.
17. If you are an eagle scout, move up two spaces.
18. If you are a varsity athlete, move up one space. If you’re all-region in a sport, move up another space.
19. If you got a “d” in an academic course at the end of your junior year, move down three spaces.
20. If you wrote a letter to the college admission officer and explained the extenuating circumstances surrounding a grade of “d”, move up one space.
21. If you decided to protect your GPA by not taking AP classes offered at your school, move down two spaces.
22. If you come from a single-parent household and must work part-time to help with expenses, move up two spaces.
23. If your last name is bush, and the name of the college library is bush, and it’s not a coincidence, move all the way to the front of the line and stay there.

Thanks to Nicole Colleran, from Fairfield Warde High School for posting this on the NACAC list!

Entry Filed under: Admissions, Parents, Students. .