<p>[GPA</a> Conversion Chart](<a href=“http://inquiry.princetonreview.com/leadgentemplate/GPA_popup.asp]GPA”>Calculate Your GPA With Our GPA Scale | The Princeton Review)</p>
<p>You’re welcome.</p>
<p>The idea that top US schools add 10-15% to your final mark is completely false and unsubstantiated.</p>
<p>The 10-15% is false, but your chart is also unsubstantiated too. </p>
<p>Here’s another one posted for Canadian to US.
<a href=“http://www.pennybissett.com/Counsellortools/grade_conversion_guide06.pdf[/url]”>http://www.pennybissett.com/Counsellortools/grade_conversion_guide06.pdf</a></p>
<p>And another by UBC: (Granted this one is used for university marks)
<a href=“http://www.arts.ubc.ca/students/degree-planning-advising/advising/academicperformance/gpa-equivalency.html[/url]”>http://www.arts.ubc.ca/students/degree-planning-advising/advising/academicperformance/gpa-equivalency.html</a></p>
<p>Nonetheless, it varies per high school you go to. It should say on the school profile how they determine GPA.</p>
<p>EDIT. I just saw the chart again and noticed how erroneous it is. It says an 80 is a B is equivalent to 2.5. A B even by US standards is a 3.0.</p>
<p>^Mustafah: “One thing I like about the Canadian system is that it’s relatively easy to enter a respectable (or even great) university, as long as the motivation is there.” </p>
<p>Yes, Cdn univs accept just about anybody and let them suffer to death spending many more years than expected, average 7 years?? Plus, Canadian univs, even top ones, admit less-than-capable FOREIGN students who clearly could not make prestigious US or thier own nation’s top univs. Why? Because they PAY. Sure, I know at the very top are truly excellent students who could equal IVY students like many Cdn ccers here. But I will have to say I am glad to confirm my earlier claim that the general student quality here is definitely not as high and, in that respect, Canadian univs are much overrated. </p>
<p>Canada univs, especially top ones, need standardized tests (I agree with ViggyRam’s reasons) and should take a more responsible approach in admitting students: Don’t just take ANYbody or people who put in just a bit of hardwork on a few of grade 12 courses; Admit those who prove competitiveness through brain capacity, hard work, and decent activities during highschool year’S’.</p>
<p>The Ontario curriculum is supposed to be standardized, but it isn’t lol Hence why we need a standardized test. </p>
<p>I learned more stuff from studying for SAT than from 4 years of Ontario high school English, so standardized testing isn’t all that bad. My writing got so much better after studying for SAT. Seriously, something’s wrong with the Ontario curriculum. </p>
<p>I think that Canadian universities (especially Waterloo Engineering) are overrated too. Stuff like Waterloo Engineering = MIT of Canada… I’m like, something’s seriously wrong. I mean, maybe the top 10 students at Waterloo Engineering are of MIT calibre, but the truth is, the rest are just mediocre kids who are ranked in the top third of the class. </p>
<p>As for resume padding, people do that in Canada too. Stuff like Mac Health Sci and U of T Eng Sci - people compete in Science competitions just to put it on their applications. And there are so many people holding fake titles when they even show up to half the meetings. </p>
<p>Anyhow, I’d rather take a resume padder than someone with no EC at all (not that I am one).</p>
<p>i agree with LOLhere, in that there are some kids that get into “prestigious” canadian uni’s for engineering and such that really shouldn’t be there. I mean, I wouldn’t mind if the kid with low 80s got into Ryerson of some university like that for eng. (not hating, its just that such uni’s aren’t of the caliber of UfT, Waterloo, Mac, etc.). But for kids with low 80s to get into Waterloo Eng. …um there’s a problem there. Like top 6 average, people can retake courses, AND some kids take online/night school/private classes to boost their avg. Come on. Waterloo is supposed to be prestigious, a place where Ontario/Canada’s brightest engineering minds can go. </p>
<p>Stats off CUDO for 2009 (this is what percent the Waterloo Class of Engineering is composed of…so, ~11% of kids in it had avg.'s between 80-84):
Waterloo Engineering
Percent who received an entering average between 85% and 89%: 41.6%
Percent who received an entering average between 80% and 84%: 10.9%</p>
<p><a href=“Institutional Analysis & Planning | Institutional Analysis & Planning”>Institutional Analysis & Planning | Institutional Analysis & Planning;
<p>CUDO 2009: Toronto Engineering
Percent who received an entering average between 85% and 89% 30.6%
Percent who received an entering average between 80% and 84% 15.1%</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.utoronto.ca/about-uoft/measuring-our-performance/cudo/cudo-2009/admission.htm[/url]”>http://www.utoronto.ca/about-uoft/measuring-our-performance/cudo/cudo-2009/admission.htm</a></p>
<p>There are obviously a high percentage of kids with >90 averages in these programs that even out the overall average to high 80s, but there is a significant portion of low 80s, mid 80s that get in.</p>
<p>Actually, Waterloo penalizes you if you retake one of your top 6 courses, but I agree that there are a lot of people taking courses in summer school/night school just to boost their average. </p>
<p>And Canadian schools don’t take into account which high school you’re from or your class rank. So an 85 at one school could mean something totally different from an 85 at another. Hence why we need a standardized test. </p>
<p>Plus, they only take your top 6. Right, top 6 Grade 12 courses. They don’t care about your non-top 6 Gr. 12 marks, much less your Gr. 9 - 11 marks (unless you’re going for early acceptances, but still, only your gr. 11 marks matter for those). </p>
<p>Why are Canadian schools so highly regarded? I don’t know. Probably b/c of their reputations for grad school. </p>
<p>Bottom line is, Canadian schools are ridiculously easy to get into compared with US schools. Therefore, the quality of students at US schools > quality of students at Canada schools.</p>
<p>The quality of students improves after 1st year when the majority of the students that can’t take the workload drop out or change programs.</p>
<p>The quality of education is somewhat on par with US schools. My sister says she got a better education in some of her classes during her 4th year at Guelph (for kine) than her 1st year at Columbia Medical. (FYI, she’s graduating with a 3.89 this year with her doctorate, so she’s pretty smart) </p>
<p>That doesn’t mean that Guelph = Columbia, but it means that Canadian schools aren’t cheating you out of your education.</p>
<p>Yeah, a lot of Canadian students drop out, but isn’t it true that the average quality of 4th years students at top US schools is still better than ones at Canadian schools?</p>
<p>I would guess so, since those are usually the kids that took APs in high school, or did IB, or took some college courses while in high school and such. I would say that in the first couple years, US students at top schools are much better, overall, than their Canadian counterparts due to what I said before. But, when you get into fourth year, I’d say the top students at Waterloo/Toronto = MIT. Keep in mind, I said the top, like top 10 at each school or something. Below that, then I’d say the US students are better. And overall, in fourth year, on average, I’d say the US students are better.</p>
<p>^By 4th year, top students at Waterloo/Toronto = top students at MIT? </p>
<p>Except that by 4th year, top MIT students would’ve written like 5 research papers, taken 10 grad courses, worked in 10 internships, and won a billion international competitions. Or they might have altogether graduated a year early (which would be impossible with the Canadian engineering system).</p>
<p>^By 4th year, top students at Waterloo/Toronto = top students at MIT? </p>
<p>Except that by 4th year, top MIT students would’ve written like 5 research papers, taken 10 grad courses, worked in 10 internships, and won a billion international competitions. Or they might have altogether graduated a year early (which would be impossible with the Canadian engineering system).</p>
<p>If you haven’t realized this already, smart people only get smarter.</p>
<p>If we’re talking the average, than yes, I would have to concede to the point that 4th year US will be better than 4th year Canadian just from the fact that there are more opportunities in the States.</p>
<p>But when was CC ever about the average? If you’re a top student, you will be able to find similar opportunities in Canada.</p>
<p>I would say top at Toronto/Waterloo = top at MIT. Top students in Canadian Engineering programs (top ones) would be the students that scored in the top 1% on Waterloo math contests while in high school, took the initiative to find amazing summer and volunteer opportunities while in high school, did research with profs. while in uni., got the phenominal grades, etc., etc. </p>
<p>But obviously, the US is the land of opportunity for a reason. There are so many more ways for top US kids to become ‘great’ and do incredible things, while in Canada, there aren’t so many opportunities. And MIT and such schools have such huge endowments and financial resources that they can set the stage for students that go there. McMaster and even Toronto and Waterloo really can’t compete with that.</p>
<p>You’re just saying that top at Toronto/Waterloo = top at MIT potential-wise, like if they were both given the same opportunities, then they would’ve both achieved the same things. </p>
<p>But that’s just like saying top teens in some poor country = top Harvard people, and if the poor people had the money to educate themselves, then they would’ve published papers by high school to. Doesn’t really equate. Just b/c they both have as much potential, doesn’t mean they’re both equally top people. </p>
<p>Anyhow, it’s like saying that the top students at Stuyvesant = top students at some less rigorous school. </p>
<p>@ darks0ulz: If you’re a top student, you’d rather surround yourself with top students. If you had a choice of surrounding yourself with 10 other top kids vs. 1000 other top kids, which would you choose?</p>
<p>Ceteris paribus (level of education, opportunities, prestige etc), I would choose to stay with the other 10 top students just from the fact I could differentiate myself.</p>
<p>Now that isn’t the case. I would choose the school that offers me the best education - and usually that’s the top schools in the States mostly because of their enormous budget and connections. It just so happens that I’ll also be surrounded by top students. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, a top Canadian education and a top American education is not all that different. You will learn the same things and be prepared for whatever career. It’s not the end of the world if you end up at Mac or Loo or any other top Canadian school. You still will receive a top-notch education. </p>
<p>Furthermore, you have to realize not all students can afford a US education be it need blind or not. A past graduate from my school was ranked in top 200 in the world in terms of an IB score (a score of 45). She couldn’t afford a US school (her parents were upper-middle which is kind of hard to get a decent FA package). Just from the fact that she goes to Mac now doesn’t make her a weaker student than say someone from Harvard.</p>
<p>^The FA policies are a lot better now so finances shouldn’t be a factor.</p>
<p>FA policies for Canadians are only good for the top 10-15 US schools. Then you’re dealing with the 4-10% admit rate…</p>
<p>There are only like around 10 that are need-blind to Canadians.</p>
<p>^ Less, I posted that question a while back, and only 7 are need-blind to internationals.
I’ll find the thread and post the link here later if anyone is interested.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/857479-international-student-financial-aid.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/857479-international-student-financial-aid.html</a></p>
<p>"Brown definitely does offer aid to internationals, but applying for aid (and especially applying for a lot of aid) reduces your chances because it puts you in a more competitive pool of applicants. There are 7 schools in the States that are need-blind for internationals (which means that they do not consider the financial aid needs of international applicants when deciding whether or not to admit them) and they are: Amherst, HYP, MIT, Dartmouth, and Williams. Middlebury used to be, but due to money issues, they’re need-blind to the degree that resources permit. There are some other schools that are somewhere in the middle, as well.</p>
<p>This can make college admissions for internationals seeking aid pretty weird. You could end up having a better shot at a need-blind Ivy than at a less selective LAC."</p>
<p>This poster sounded fairly legite</p>
<p>I was talking about Canadian applicants. Some schools are need blind to Canadian citizens (not landed immigrants) but need aware to international students. Columbia and Penn are both need blind to Canadians. That makes it 9 school need blind to Canadians. There’s probably a few that I don’t know about.</p>