/sci/ - Science & Math

[Anonymous No.2268450]

Grad schools, how do they usually calculate GPAs?

I looked at a couple and they seem to be only interested in your last year or last 2 years of study.

Is that normal?

[Anonymous No.2268457]

god i hope so

[Anonymous No.2268461]

They take your age, divide it by 2, and multiply it by your IQ.

[Anonymous No.2268465]

are you asking how do they calculate your GPA while looking at admitting people, or once you are in grad school?

[TittyFrontFlipper! No.2268494]

Holy fuck! Whats your mom doing on here?

[Anonymous No.2268503]

asking about admission reqs.

couple of the schools i looked at said they want at least a B+ in last year (or two) to be just "considered"

A- to A is what they usually admit ppl on

I got spring term, summer, fall and another spring term
to get good grades

but my last semester (fall) was pretty shitty

[Anonymous No.2268513]

>>2268503

could last two years include "spring + summer" & "fall + spring" ?

or do they usually disregard summer terms?

[Anonymous No.2268519]

It differs from grad school to grad school.

I've heard in the past that they care mostly about your science GPA, not your overall GPA (assuming you're applying to science grad program obviously). As with all school applications they also place the most weight on your most recent two years (especially the most recent full year of grades, typically your junior year). Also, I hear that they do weight your GPA differently if you come from a university that has a reputation as being harder than normal (so a 3.0 from Brown would go farther than a 3.3 from Shit State University).

Keep in mind though that in the end grad schools really only use GPA and GRE scores for filtering applications into different "piles" (1st pile, 2nd pile, 3rd pile, and the trash can). What really matters is your rec letters, research experience, and personal statement.

[Anonymous No.2268538]

>>2268503
There's got to be more to it than that though. I mean, what if some guy just loaded up on 100 level classes/did nothing but GERs for his last two years while some other guy was taking nothing but upper level or even grad level science classes the whole time?

[Anonymous No.2268542]

>>2268519

Just a fun fact, Brown doesn't do GPAs.

But your point still stands however. Hate it to break it to the haters, but

MIT 3.0 > Bumfuck State U 3.0

[Anonymous No.2268545]

>>2268538

Grad school admissions officers aren't fucking stupid, they would notice bullshit like that.

[Anonymous No.2268547]

>>2268538


they also said they typically look at 3rd/4th year courses over 1st/2nd, so you can't just arrange your last year with 100s

>>2268519

thnx anon, any ideas how to get very strong letters of recommendation besides simply getting high grades?

[Anonymous No.2268576]

>>2268547

To get a strong letter of recommendation, you need a professor who knows your name by heart.

And by that, i mean you work with him, and do work he likes.

[Anonymous No.2268574]

>>2268547
Without a doubt, research. People in your lab are going to know you much better than professors you merely took a class with, especially your research mentor.

Also, keep in mind that merely getting an A in a class isn't going to convince a professor to write a good letter for you. They may still write you a letter, but it's probably going to be very generic. Ideally you should have had a lot of interaction with them throughout the semester and known them for a year (which would mean taking two classes with them).

The three letters I'm counting on right now (won't be applying for awhile though, going to do a gap year) are coming from my thesis mentor, lab supervisor, and major adviser (who is also on my thesis committee). I'm also going to try to do a fellowship after I graduate so I can get in more research and get some more rec letters that way as well.

[Anonymous No.2268609]

>>2268574

i havent done any research in my undergrad...

im not doing an honors degree with a thesis option either

just a straight major

the fuck am i supposed to do with profs?

[Anonymous No.2268643]

>>2268609


lol

[Anonymous No.2268645]

>>2268609
If you haven't done any research then you've got bigger problems to worry about than recommendation letters. Research experience is more important than grades and test scores for getting into a grad program. If you don't have at least a year of independent research experience and something to show for it (like a poster) then you're not getting into grad school (or at least not a good one).

What year are you? If you're not a senior get into someone's lab ASAP (and make sure you'll be doing actual research and not just washing glassware).

[Anonymous No.2268673]

>>2268645


well im 3rd year Econ major

maybe we have less research options than hard sciences?

[Anonymous No.2268682]

>>2268673

continued->

The usual reqs I see from grad schools is having sufficient math/econ/stats courses and A- average
+ letters of recommendation

I haven't seen much talk of research, at least not on their sites

[Anonymous No.2268686]

>>2268673
What are you doing with econ? Like, going for a PhD in econ or going for an MBA? If you're going for a PhD they're going to want to see academic research experience, which econ does have. Even literature PhD programs require "research" experience. It's a staple of all grad admissions. The only post-undergrad programs that don't require research experience are professional schools, but even then they want practical experience instead (MBAs want two years of experience in working in a corporate environment, med schools want a year of clinical experience, etc).

[Anonymous No.2268699]

Not a Phd, thinking of Masters Econ

[Anonymous No.2268744]

>>2268699
Masters programs are easier to get into than PhD programs and don't care nearly as much about research. That's probably why you haven't seen anything about research experience. Still, it's something you should check with your adviser about when the new semester starts.

[Anonymous No.2268751]

>>2268450
>only interested in your last year or last 2 years of study

[Anonymous No.2268772]

>>2268751

what makes you say that?

I haven't talked to any advisers yet, I'm just going off what their grad websites have been saying and pamphlets etc

[Anonymous No.2268799]

>>2268751
?

[Anonymous No.2268811]

>>2268772
Cause it is fucking wrong.

GPA is calculated using all years of study in that level. You have an undergrad GPA, and a seperate Grad GPA.

The GPA is the weighted (by course hours) average of the grades you recieve for each class.

To Calculate:
For each class you multiply the value of the Grade you got and the value of Course hours it is worth. You then add all these values (for each class) together, and divide by your total Course hours. This give you GPA.

anything else?

[Anonymous No.2268818]

>>2268811


well they only put requirements on Graduating GPA

I haven't seen any reqs on overall GPA

only variations on how they calculate Graduating GPA.


not sure what you're point was, and your picture is irrelevant.

[Anonymous No.2268822]

>>2268818
How old are you? Your wording is fucking shit!
Maybe I didn't understand what you were trying to ask.

Were you asking if your last two years of study are used in calculating your GPA? Cause that is what you fucking wrote!

[Anonymous No.2268823]

>>2268542
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_inflation
>The average at private schools is currently 3.3, while at public schools it is 3.0. This difference is partly but not entirely attributed to differences in quality of student body, as measured by standardized test scores or selectivity. After correcting for these factors, private schools grade on average .1 or .2 points higher than comparable public schools, depending on which measure is used.
Just sayin'.

[Anonymous No.2268827]

>>2268818
>Graduating GPA

WTF is this nonsense?

[Anonymous No.2268829]

>>2268822

if you followed the discussion it should have been obvious.

I was asking about admission into grad schools for masters program.

others understood what I was saying, not sure why you can't. is English not your first language?

[Anonymous No.2268830]

>>2268827


graduating gpa is the gpa of your 3rd/4th year courses, or last year of your bachelor degree...it's calculated differently by different institutions

[Anonymous No.2268847]

>>2268542
Haha, I graduated from Brown and then applied to grad school. I had to calculate my GPA by hand anyway, mostly because most schools don't see eye to eye with Brown's shall we say "liberal" attitude towards the concept of grades.

In my experience, GPA is important, but doing well in graduate level courses in your area of application will help you considerably even if you did poorly in other subjects. They don't seem to care too much about the GRE, but they will if they see a bad score. You'll never really know how letters effect things because you won't get to read them. Research experience is a necessity.

Good luck with the applications, OP. They suck, but if you get interviews it's really fun!

[Anonymous No.2268851]

>>2268830
Are you from Europe?

[Anonymous No.2268857]

>>2268823
It really pains me to tell you this, but that doesn't matter. A 3.0 from an Ivy league school will always be worth more than a 3.3 from a state school. They are better institutions, with harder courses, and better education, and that cannot be denied.

[Anonymous No.2268866]

>>2268851

canada

[Anonymous No.2268872]

>>2268857
The only advantage that Ivy League schools give you is connections with upper class white people.

[Jesse No.2268883]

going to school everyday?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roOT4U5lza0

[Anonymous No.2268893]

>>2268857
>They are better institutions
Subjective
>with harder courses
No, there's more grade inflation in private universities. No one wants to pay $40,000/year and get a B.
>better education
I disagree. Public universities, because they are publicly funded, often have wider research opportunities and attract the same caliber of professor. /sci/'s BFF Mitchio Kaku teaches at CUNY.

[RoboMendel !!BJTz0OTwQdf No.2268914]

>>2268893

You disagree but that does not make you right.

[Anonymous No.2268915]

>>2268914
What part of more grade inflation equates to a better education? What evidence is there of "harder classes" and "better education" in private schools?

[Charles !DARwiN.Ixs No.2268930]

ITT: undergrads

Pic related.

Research matters more.

A student with a 3.0 and a year of research will get in before a student with a 4.0 and no research.

Because in grad school <span class="math"> 3.0 = 4.0 [/spoiler]

Grades don't matter.

[Anonymous No.2268943]

>>2268857

>They are better institutions, with harder courses, and better education, and that cannot be denied.

>cannot be denied.

>>2268893

>I disagree.

>>2268914

>fallacy.

[Anonymous No.2268944]

>>2268930
>mfw I graduate with 2 years of research, multiple publications, and a 3.8 GPA

[Charles !DARwiN.Ixs No.2268952]

>>2268943

"Studies of grade inflation have found that private universities generally give higher grades than public ones, and that humanities courses award higher grades than science and math classes."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/education/26grades.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=education