Finishing Master's then doing Post-bacc?

[CANgnome]

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I am currently doing my master's as an international student in the US. My funding is cutting short, so I will be finishing my master's in the fall. Then enrolling in post-bacc in Canada. This is mostly due to the cost of my unexpectedly high tuition. I thought I would be able to receive green-card after my first semester, but some age limit blocked me out.

So basically, i will have taken 9 credits grad, 9 credits grad, 3 undergraduate courses, 18 credits grad. In 4 semesters.

I am desparately trying to get in this cycle, so the 3 undergrad courses are my physics and English requirements despite dishing up the extra money. Finishing up Master's in fall.


But the thing is, althought I did research last year, I discontinued everything because my project basically ended. I will not be writing a paper or publishing. Will adcom look at these 16 months as a graduate student and go: Hey, how come this guy did not publish anything?

Would this look very bad?

 

[amalgamgrillz]

What is the purpose of doing a Post-Bacc on top of your master's? Is a master's not enough (especially with a 4.0)??

 

[CANgnome]

english requirements?

I'll be missing 3/6 or 5/8 english credits by the time i finish with my Master's and i would just take a few extra courses on the side as GPA boosters.

I calculated: If I straight A master's and summer, my GPA would be 3.36. If i take post-bacc and get A's, I would get 3.4 cumGPA for next cycle.


Mostly because of the English requirement.

I also have a C- Bio I, so maybe retake that.

 

[amalgamgrillz]

So your master's GPA gets averaged with your undergrad GPA (you don't get a "new" GPA?)... I was under the impression that a Master's program essentially gives you a fresh start (I had a terrible undergrad, and I was hoping to erase all that by doing a Master's?)

If I'm in a thesis based Master's program that only requires that I take 4 "courses" in addition to my research..would this master's program essentially be pointless?

 

[CANgnome]

your cumGPA is your undergrad + grad courses ALL combined

although your sciGPA is only undergrad + postbacc, same with BCP.


If my grad courses added to my sci/bcpGPA I would cry in joy


gradGPA DOES count as a separate category AND gets incorporates into cumGPA. But not sci/bcp. It depends how much adcom really compares your grad/undergrad GPAs.


I'm not sure about the thesis courses. Since I am not a thesis student anymore I won't be taking them. I am sure that A's in actual courses look better than A's in independent research or along those lines given by your PI. just my opinion though. Although they do get added to your cumGPA.

 

[amalgamgrillz]

AHHHH F*ck my life! I did not know that. My cGPA is fine (3.57), but my sciGPA is jacked (2.98). So I guess I should do a post-bacc instead? Ugh, I don't know if Canada has any post-baccs

how long are post bacc programs? is it all course based?

 

[CANgnome]

make sure you calculated your sciGPA correctly too, it might be higher than it is, you never know :X


although I am certain that if you do well in a graduate program, they will certainly consider it.

 

[shyboy]

your cumGPA is your undergrad + grad courses ALL combined

although your sciGPA is only undergrad + postbacc, same with BCP.


If my grad courses added to my sci/bcpGPA I would cry in joy


gradGPA DOES count as a separate category AND gets incorporates into cumGPA. But not sci/bcp. It depends how much adcom really compares your grad/undergrad GPAs.


I'm not sure about the thesis courses. Since I am not a thesis student anymore I won't be taking them. I am sure that A's in actual courses look better than A's in independent research or along those lines given by your PI. just my opinion though. Although they do get added to your cumGPA.

NOT A CORRECT STATEMENT.
I'm not sure where you got this but I think you are mistaken.

Your grades for your SMP (a special master's program) IS incorporated into your COMBINED sci and bcp GPAs as well as the overall GPA. OF COURSE, your graduate level courses must be in science (b,c,or p). Master's in English literature wouldn't do any good to your sci GPA.

But note that they can still see your undergrad sci/bcp GPAs.
Think about it. What's the purpose of doing it when you can't improve your sci/bcp GPAs?

So once you have a new set of grades for the graduate level courses (not sure whether this applies to a post-bac as well), you would see three columns in your AADSAS GPA calculation table: undergraduate, graduate, and combined. That means you would have three sets of GPAs: bcp, sci, overall for each category (under, grad, combined)

And yes, you should cry in joy.

 

[CANgnome]

from the ADEA GPA calculations pdf file:

AADSAS calculates your GPA and reports it in a number of ways:
•
BCP GPA: All undergraduate courses identified on your transcript as Biology, Chemistry and Physics are used in computing this GPA.
•
Science GPA: All undergraduate courses identified on your transcript as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math and Other Science is used in computing this GPA.
•
Non-science GPA: All undergraduate courses not used in calculating the Science GPA are used to compute this GPA.
•
Undergraduate GPA: All courses for which undergraduate credit is received are used in computing this GPA.
•
Graduate GPA: All courses for which graduate credit is received are used in computing this GPA.
•
Overall GPA: All courses-both undergraduate and graduate- are used to compute this GPA. (For most dental school applicants who have not completed graduate courses, the overall GPA is the same as the Undergraduate GPA).
•
College/University GPA's: GPA's are reported for each college/university you have attended.

I have yet to see anyone who did not take post-bacc but instead did a master's confirm this. Need someone to confirm this.

Well, I guess I can also just wait until my transcript goes in and see what AADSAS gives me.