Help me understand GPA?

[Linkin]

Forgive me if this is not a question you would answer... I see all this talk about GPAs and I figure you all might have a better understanding than I do.

I'm going to use Midwestern's admission requirements because that is the school that I am interested in:

"Completion of the admission course requirements (see below) with a minimum science and total GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale. No grade lower than a C will be accepted in any of the required courses (Pass/fail and satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading is not acceptable in the required courses). Applicants must complete a minimum of 64 semester hours/96 quarter hours of college credit by matriculation."

So my question is, what is included in the "Total GPA"? is it just the total of the last 64 semester hours, including pre-reqs? Is it the total of every single class you have taken at any college ever? Is it the total of all credit hours taken at the last college you attended?

To give you a better idea of my question, this is my current situation:

• I went to ASU in 2010 for business management. My step dad passed away in the middle of the semester and I lost focus, did poorly, dropped out.
• I went to Wyotech (Automotive trade school) in 2012 and graduated with a 3 point something.
• I just graduated this May from Paradise Valley Community College with a 3.7 and an Associates degree.
• I'm now transferring into my "Junior" year of a BS degree back at ASU where I will complete most of the pre-reqs for Midwestern. However, ASU's Cumm. GPA does not include my transfer credits so to them I have a 2.5 (From my semester back in 2010).

I think I have 46 credit hours left before I graduate with my BS from ASU, but I'm trying to figure out how that will hurt or help with trying to have a high GPA. How badly did I screw myself? lol

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Skimble]

For most schools total gpa is for all classes ever taken at a university level at any and all universities. Some schools allow grade replacement, like if you did poorly in a pre-req, you can re-take the class and they will only look at the new (hopefully improved) grade.

Edit: for example, I took a few gen eds at university Y, then took a few years off and attended university X and got my BS. I then went on to get an MS, also at university X. My cumulative gpa includes those classes from university Y, even though they were at least 10years old at the time I applied. I think some schools also allow forgiveness if the classes were taken over a certain number of years prior.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Forgive me if this is not a question you would answer... I see all this talk about GPAs and I figure you all might have a better understanding than I do.

I'm going to use Midwestern's admission requirements because that is the school that I am interested in:

"Completion of the admission course requirements (see below) with a minimum science and total GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale. No grade lower than a C will be accepted in any of the required courses (Pass/fail and satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading is not acceptable in the required courses). Applicants must complete a minimum of 64 semester hours/96 quarter hours of college credit by matriculation."

So my question is, what is included in the "Total GPA"? is it just the total of the last 64 semester hours, including pre-reqs? Is it the total of every single class you have taken at any college ever? Is it the total of all credit hours taken at the last college you attended?

To give you a better idea of my question, this is my current situation:

• I went to ASU in 2010 for business management. My step dad passed away in the middle of the semester and I lost focus, did poorly, dropped out.
• I went to Wyotech (Automotive trade school) in 2012 and graduated with a 3 point something.
• I just graduated this May from Paradise Valley Community College with a 3.7 and an Associates degree.
• I'm now transferring into my "Junior" year of a BS degree back at ASU where I will complete most of the pre-reqs for Midwestern. However, ASU's Cumm. GPA does not include my transfer credits so to them I have a 2.5 (From my semester back in 2010).

I think I have 46 credit hours left before I graduate with my BS from ASU, but I'm trying to figure out how that will hurt or help with trying to have a high GPA. How badly did I screw myself? lol

Total would be your cumulative GPA for your entire undergrad career, all courses taken. I believe schools will calculate one total GPA using all of the credits/grades received at all schools attended. You'd have to do the math to see where you stand with all of the different GPAs (there are online calculators where you can plug in how many credits are attached to what GPA, and it will give you your average.

You can also confirm with the school for clarity's sake, but I'm not sure if they will crunch numbers for you to see if you qualify or not. You might have to do that legwork on you own. Depending on how many credits you have attached to that 3.7, you may very well be above (or at least at) a 2.75. If you have less than a C in any pre-req, you will need to repeat it though.

The school will see that 3.7 when you send all transcripts to VMCAS despite ASU not giving you the GPA on their transcript. I also transferred from a CC to a 4-year. They didn't give me my 4.0 at MSU, but the schools saw it when they received my packet because you send all transcripts from every school attended.

 

[MAD MIKE O7]

Forgive me if this is not a question you would answer... I see all this talk about GPAs and I figure you all might have a better understanding than I do.

I'm going to use Midwestern's admission requirements because that is the school that I am interested in:

"Completion of the admission course requirements (see below) with a minimum science and total GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale. No grade lower than a C will be accepted in any of the required courses (Pass/fail and satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading is not acceptable in the required courses). Applicants must complete a minimum of 64 semester hours/96 quarter hours of college credit by matriculation."

So my question is, what is included in the "Total GPA"? is it just the total of the last 64 semester hours, including pre-reqs? Is it the total of every single class you have taken at any college ever? Is it the total of all credit hours taken at the last college you attended?

To give you a better idea of my question, this is my current situation:

• I went to ASU in 2010 for business management. My step dad passed away in the middle of the semester and I lost focus, did poorly, dropped out.
• I went to Wyotech (Automotive trade school) in 2012 and graduated with a 3 point something.
• I just graduated this May from Paradise Valley Community College with a 3.7 and an Associates degree.
• I'm now transferring into my "Junior" year of a BS degree back at ASU where I will complete most of the pre-reqs for Midwestern. However, ASU's Cumm. GPA does not include my transfer credits so to them I have a 2.5 (From my semester back in 2010).

I think I have 46 credit hours left before I graduate with my BS from ASU, but I'm trying to figure out how that will hurt or help with trying to have a high GPA. How badly did I screw myself? lol

So overall GPA is supposed to include all college courses taken. Some colleges calculate this differently though. For instance, most veterinary colleges will average retaken courses instead of replacing the lower grade with the higher grade.

Last 45 gpa is important as well, and some schools only look at this along with your science gpa when making admissions decisions.

Science gpa is going to depend on the school as well. This can vary from the average gpa of all upper level science courses you have taken to only the average gpa of that school's prerequisite science courses.

Sent from my SM-N910V using SDN mobile

 

[Linkin]

Okay. All of that makes me feel a little bit better. Thank you! I will have to go find one of those calculators and see what I have.

The 2.5 just irritates me because even in High school I was practically a straight A student. I've been lucky to never have any issues with school, other than that semester. And they're all stupid level 100 classes, not even related to my current degree...

 

[LyraGardenia]

Okay. All of that makes me feel a little bit better. Thank you! I will have to go find one of those calculators and see what I have.

The 2.5 just irritates me because even in High school I was practically a straight A student. I've been lucky to never have any issues with school, other than that semester. And they're all stupid level 100 classes, not even related to my current degree...

There is space for an explanation statement on VMCAS where you can explain what happened that semester that lead to your poor grades. Don't make it a sob story, but indicate how you dealt with that and how you would cope if something similar were to happen during vet school.

There are also at least a couple schools (I know Illinois is one) where you can petition to have your freshman year grades ignored. In that case if you took any prerequisites during that semester, you would have to retake them.