GPA help

[sandhar]

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Hello, i attend a university in CANADA. My school give out percentages.
for example
eng 75
math 78
science 80
psyc 82
ant 64
my average for one semester comes to 75.8%
how the heck one converts this into a 4.0 scale GPA.
In my school 75.8 will somewhere close to 3.28 Am i right. is this a right calculation. any suggestions please

 

[khurana]

Originally posted by sandhar:
Hello, i attend a university in CANADA. My school give out percentages.
for example
eng 75
math 78
science 80
psyc 82
ant 64
my average for one semester comes to 75.8%
how the heck one converts this into a 4.0 scale GPA.
In my school 75.8 will somewhere close to 3.28 Am i right. is this a right calculation. any suggestions please

Sorry to be a bearer of bad news, but at my university 75% is considered average or an equivalent to a 2.0 - 2.5. For a curved class that would be around a 2.8. The average for a medical school applicant is a 3.56 and that is considered an A- or 89.5% to 94%. Please ask around about this question, I would also like to know the right answer.

 

[MSafur]

I attend N.Y.I.T. and those grades will come out to be a 2.7-2.8.

P.S.: If you can get your science gpa above 3.0 and your cum. gpa above 3.2-3.3, you should apply to D.O. schools.

 

[alexcc_ms]

OUCH, good luch in Guadalajara

No, seriously... you don't have to be above 3.0 (80%) to apply to DO schools. You just have to have really good interviewing skills (assuming you get an interview)

 

[superwoman]

I am not convinced that any of the above posts are correct. American grading systems are generally along the lines of a ten point scale. I.e. A=100-90%, B=90-80% etc. Foreign systems tend to differ from this. For example, in England, the accepted system is (in universities, at least) 70% or above is an A, 60-70% is a B, etc. It is still a ten point scale, but reduced. The thinking behind this is that it gives those students who really know over and above what they need to the recognition that they deserve. I think Canada might be along these lines too.

For example, I went to an English university for a year. I achieved averages of about 75-80% in my courses. On return to the US, the people who transfer the credit tried to tell me that this equated to a high C average, and wanted to give me C grades. I explained their mistake, and showed them proof of the grading scale, and I received the A grades I earned.

I would suggest that you accompany your Canadian grade report with an official grade scale from your school, showing what grades your percentages equate to. This should solve the problem (unless your school uses a US style 10 point system, in which case, you might be in trouble

).

I get the impression that the US method of grading is an attempt to make their students look better by 'raising the bar'. It makes an A grade student in other countries look like a C grade student here, although they are equivalent. The American system is a product of a very structured higher education system, where students are taught, rather than students learning for themselves (e.g. like an extension of high schools instead of a true university). Basically, a student is considered very good if they memorize the required material in the US. Elsewhere in the world, students are considered good if they use their own resources and minds to adopt the material. Go figure...

Bottom line - your percentages might equate to grades that are not on a ten point scale. Get a Dean or Professor to officially write down a grade scale for your school, and stick it with your grades.

 

[kimberlicox]

Originally posted by superwoman:
I am not convinced that any of the above posts are correct. American grading systems are generally along the lines of a ten point scale. I.e. A=100-90%, B=90-80% etc. Foreign systems tend to differ from this. For example, in England, the accepted system is (in universities, at least) 70% or above is an A, 60-70% is a B, etc. It is still a ten point scale, but reduced. The thinking behind this is that it gives those students who really know over and above what they need to the recognition that they deserve. I think Canada might be along these lines too.

For example, I went to an English university for a year. I achieved averages of about 75-80% in my courses. On return to the US, the people who transfer the credit tried to tell me that this equated to a high C average, and wanted to give me C grades. I explained their mistake, and showed them proof of the grading scale, and I received the A grades I earned.

I had the exact same problem! Superwoman is correct - the grading system is different in commonwealth countries (and may be so elsewhere). In my experience, students in England were much more likely to get "C" grades in each class - it was determined to be average, and since most of the class must have been average, hence the grades. Passing was 50% - or a "C" grade. Thus, I'm sure the Canadian students grades don't work on the same system as those of his southern colleagues. For some reason I have a vague recollection of how to convert the grades in the AMCAS application or admissions book. Can anyone confirm or deny this?