<p>Hello,
I will not be applying to graduate school imminently; in fact, I have just completed my first semester of undergraduate study. After receiving my grades, however, I have a few questions which I hope someone can answer:
1. Do graduate school admissions committees "normalize" GPA? My school utilizes a plus/minus grading system, whereby an A is worth 4.00 points but an A- is worth 3.85. Conceivably, then, one could receive all As but have a GPA below 4.00. Will I be at a disadvantage when I am compared to other applicants whose universities did not distinguish between an A and an A- (or a B and a B-, for that matter), or is there some sort of system in place for weighting all grades in the same fashion?
2. I understand that graduate schools, even of the most competitive sort, do not frown too greatly upon students who withdraw from a course with a grade of W during their first semester at university. However, what is the general policy for those who withdraw from one course (with a grade of W) and take another pass/fail (with a passing grade), especially if the applicant in question did not pursue further study in fields related to either course?
Thanks for your help. I apologize if my questions seem overly zealous.</p>
<p>Edited to add that my school is a top-25 research university in the northeast, if that's a factor at all.</p>
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<li><p>I don't know any schools that don't use plus and minus grading, with exceptions like MIT where first year grades are pass/fail. Otherwise, no. Besides, your school's A- is pretty generous. Most I know of set an A- at 3.7...</p></li>
<li><p>I sincerely doubt that you're going to be hurt by an experimental first quarter. Schools aren't as much concerned with specific quarters as they are with trends. Yes, a really bad quarter will raise eyebrows, but this first quarter is unlikely to be that big of a deal. Just keep up the good work.</p></li>
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<p>Just for the record, MIT does first semester pass/fail, but also doesn't use plus/minus grading. It's a great system when you get a B-, but pretty frustrating when you get a B+. :)</p>
<p>But I don't think a difference of a few points in anybody's GPA is actually going to make or break a decision, especially since they'll have your transcript in front of them when they're evaluating your application.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Just for the record, MIT does first semester pass/fail, but also doesn't use plus/minus grading. It's a great system when you get a B-, but pretty frustrating when you get a B+.
<p>No, over the course of the 4-5 year undergrad experience; 3 C's and W, 3.44 overall GPA, though. Is that going to hurt chances of getting into any good program?</p>
<p>Well it's not going to help. But it certainly not going to mean that you're doomed to not go to grad school. A lot depends on what you're looking to do in grad school, as simply saying that you want to do post-undergrad schooling doesn't help us say much.</p>
<p>Making sure I was clear, b/c my last post wasn't. I have 3 C's, two of those were science classes (non-major requirements) and 1 "W" that was something I HAD to do. We didn't even have any grades in that class yet; I hoenstly needed to withdrawal to get an extra job to help my family out (issues with the family were really bad at the time). I received a 4.0 that semester in my other classes. </p>
<p>Say I wanted to look into a good economics program?</p>
<p>I have an AS in Business Admin and will earn a BS in Accounting in a little over a year.</p>
<p>So, I could raise the GPA to 3.5+ overall; my major GPA is already around 3.52.</p>
<p>I'm not terribly well-versed in economics degrees and what they look for, but I can't imagine a world where they're terribly different from everyone else.</p>
<p>A lot will depend on what you can offer as a future scholar. Do you have research experience? Internships? Published work? You're not going to get in on GPA alone. You'll need an excellent GRE along with proof of your economic research mettle.</p>
<p>Yeah, I completely hear where you're coming from; I was just wondering if the GPA and extenuating circumstances would be completely detrimental in getting into a top grad program.</p>
<p>I'm looking to get into a great Master of Science in Accounting program or Economics program.</p>
<p>I'm just wondering if schools like ND would see the aforementioned things on my transcript and just pass me by.</p>