How to figure GPA?

[willagirl]

Hi all! If there is another post on this, please direct me to it. 🙂

I am trying to figure my GPA's and want to make sure I am doing it correctly.

I have a Bachelors, Masters, and Post-Graduate Certificate. To figure overall GPA, do i just add up all classes from undergrad to grad, or do the schools calculate them separate? ( I am looking at Mizzou, NC State and UF)

My undergrad was over 10 years ago and I took some sciences then. However, I took some of them again over the past 2 years (based on the list of pre-reqs required for school). When figuring my science GPA, do I include all sciences or just the ones required for pre-reqs?

Also, last 45. I was trying to figure that but my 5 credit calculus is throwing it off, it is more like last 43 or 46. Any help on that?

Thanks everyone! I am applying this year and am getting the jitters.

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[LetItSnow]

Hi all! If there is another post on this, please direct me to it. 🙂

I am trying to figure my GPA's and want to make sure I am doing it correctly.

I have a Bachelors, Masters, and Post-Graduate Certificate. To figure overall GPA, do i just add up all classes from undergrad to grad, or do the schools calculate them separate? ( I am looking at Mizzou, NC State and UF)

My undergrad was over 10 years ago and I took some sciences then. However, I took some of them again over the past 2 years (based on the list of pre-reqs required for school). When figuring my science GPA, do I include all sciences or just the ones required for pre-reqs?

Also, last 45. I was trying to figure that but my 5 credit calculus is throwing it off, it is more like last 43 or 46. Any help on that?

Thanks everyone! I am applying this year and am getting the jitters.

Talk to VMCAS about your overall GPA. They have a phone number and they answer questions well. Someone else suggested emailing so you have a paper trail. If you're concerned, go with that, but I think phoning is ok. Nobody's coming after you because of the GPA you put on your app.

Regarding the "science GPA", I've never heard of a school using a "science GPA". If you mean the pre-reqs, most schools' pre-reqs include classes outside the sciences. I'm sure there are others, but the most typical GPAs I've heard of are: cumulative, most recent (usually 45 credits), and pre-reqs. If you're talking about the pre-req GPA, you'd want to talk to the individual schools to find out which classes they'd use (the more recent, or the older). I was distinctly surprised at some of the classes UMN chose to use when calculating my GPA.

Regarding the last 45, the way it's typically done is that schools start counting with your most recent semester, and they include all classes through whatever semester you hit 45 credits in (going backwards).

Not sure why you need to calculate that, though - is it on the app now? It used to be the schools just figured it out on their own since they all have their own rules.

 

[shortnsweet]

There's another thread that was posted in the past week about this lol. No worries though. I would recommend calling or emailing VMCAS directly! They're pretty helpful and are the ones who will know the correct way of how they want it done!

Sent from my SCH-I405 using SDN Mobile

 

[Crystalight33]

Talk to VMCAS about your overall GPA. They have a phone number and they answer questions well. Someone else suggested emailing so you have a paper trail. If you're concerned, go with that, but I think phoning is ok. Nobody's coming after you because of the GPA you put on your app.

Regarding the "science GPA", I've never heard of a school using a "science GPA". If you mean the pre-reqs, most schools' pre-reqs include classes outside the sciences. I'm sure there are others, but the most typical GPAs I've heard of are: cumulative, most recent (usually 45 credits), and pre-reqs. If you're talking about the pre-req GPA, you'd want to talk to the individual schools to find out which classes they'd use (the more recent, or the older). I was distinctly surprised at some of the classes UMN chose to use when calculating my GPA.

Regarding the last 45, the way it's typically done is that schools start counting with your most recent semester, and they include all classes through whatever semester you hit 45 credits in (going backwards).

Not sure why you need to calculate that, though - is it on the app now? It used to be the schools just figured it out on their own since they all have their own rules.

University of Tennessee looks at your cumulative GPA, physical science GPA (chem, math, physics), biology and agriculture classes GPA, and last 4 semesters GPA. The physical science GPA is weighted twice what the others are. But, the school figures all that out from your VMCAS app.

I had a bachelors and a masters degree when I applied and I seem to recall the instructions being to report my GPA from the school where the majority of my pre-reqs were fulfilled. Is VMCAS open yet?

 

[LetItSnow]

University of Tennessee looks at your cumulative GPA, physical science GPA (chem, math, physics), biology and agriculture classes GPA, and last 4 semesters GPA. The physical science GPA is weighted twice what the others are. But, the school figures all that out from your VMCAS app.

I had a bachelors and a masters degree when I applied and I seem to recall the instructions being to report my GPA from the school where the majority of my pre-reqs were fulfilled. Is VMCAS open yet?

Oh, awesome. I hadn't heard of any U.S. schools looking only a science GPA. Thanks for the correction!

Do they not use a pre-req GPA at all, then, in their calculations?

Gotta say - I think that's getting to be a silly number of GPAs to calculate. Must be a point of diminishing returns in the value of GPAs.

 

[Crystalight33]

Gotta say - I think that's getting to be a silly number of GPAs to calculate. Must be a point of diminishing returns in the value of GPAs.

I know! I secretly think that's why their interviews are so late in the cycle. I interviewed last week of March, then found out I was accepted April 5.... 10 days before the April 15 deadline.

 

[Frozenshades]

Oh, awesome. I hadn't heard of any U.S. schools looking only a science GPA. Thanks for the correction!

Do they not use a pre-req GPA at all, then, in their calculations?

Gotta say - I think that's getting to be a silly number of GPAs to calculate. Must be a point of diminishing returns in the value of GPAs.

TAMU looks at science GPA, last 45, and cumulative.

 

[willagirl]

My IS, UF looks at science, overall and last 45, which is what prompted my question on calculations. 🙂

Objective Academic Assessment
25% – Verbal GRE Score
25% – Quantitative GRE Score
25% – Science Course GPA
12.5% – Overall Course GPA
12.5% – Last 45 Credits Course GPA

 

[Frozenshades]

Yeah, honestly, other than my cumulative I didn't calculate anything. Unless they changed it (which is certainly possible), in the past VMCAS only asked for you to enter your cumulative GPA, but the schools calculate everything themselves anyway. Though I understand why you might want to know. As others have said, ask VMCAS. They'll clear up any questions; you're paying for it so take advantage.

 

[LetItSnow]

Yeah, honestly, other than my cumulative I didn't calculate anything. Unless they changed it (which is certainly possible), in the past VMCAS only asked for you to enter your cumulative GPA, but the schools calculate everything themselves anyway. Though I understand why you might want to know. As others have said, ask VMCAS. They'll clear up any questions; you're paying for it so take advantage.

Yup!

In this case, if you (OP) are curious how they calculate the science GPA, and it's not on UF's website, just call their admissions and ask them directly.

It's possible there are UF people around here that would know, but ....