GPA

Today I feel like talking about GPA.  For the few people who don't know what that is, it stands for grade point average.  The other day, my class got our transcripts, which had our GPA on them.  Right now, I am tied for second.  My friend Jacob and I are tied at 3.98, while the person in first has a 4.0.  That's all fine and dandy, but why is it set up this way?  Why is it out of four? Why is it that having one A- can reduce your grade and ruin your chances of being top of your class?  Why is it that I am currently in Pre-Calculus, a class that is definitely harder than the class the person with a 4.0 has, yet I am not being credited for that? Right now, there can be someone in geometry and someone in Calculus in my grade.  Yet they will have the same GPA.  They are very clearly on different levels, but they have the same score.  Yes, they fix this problem for those who take advanced classes by allowing you to get up to a 4.2, but that is only for certain classes.  There is still a difference, but they have nothing to show for it.  This is a problem that needs to be fixed.