<p>I am an international student, from Italy.
Next year I will be applying to some US Univ. and I started searching for help on CC.
Anyway, I have some problems to convert the GPA.</p>
<p>In Italy, we have grades out of ten, the minimun to pass is 6/10, the maximum is 10/10.
My average is 7.7/10 this year, and it was 7.1/10 last year.</p>
<p>but how do colleges look at this? I mean, how do they compare this to the US gpa system?
Because, an average of 7, in my school, is pretty good. an average of 8/10 is like having all A. (an average of 9 or 10 does not exist basically, some professors don't even consider these numbers).</p>
<p>Do they do some kinds of proportion? (so mine will be something like 3.8 gpa), or what? They will not even have the credit (aka hours at school) of these class.</p>
<p>Also, I'm attending one of the most difficult schools in the Italian system (the Liceum), will they know this?</p>
<p>woahika: colleges receive hundreds of different types of transcripts. It’s their JOB to discern what really matters. But like any job, people can fail. If you’re concerned, have your schoolmaster or guidance counselor attach a note explaining the hard grading scale of your school. It can’t hurt. Especially to an overworked admissions officer who may not be familiar with your school’s reputation. I highly recommend this in your circumstance.</p>
<p>Likely, they have assisted others who have applied to US colleges in the past. Good luck</p>
<p>I’m not really concerned on they not knowing my school - I was just wondering if my stats are good for certain schools, if I’m making the right decision in applying to certain colleges, or just wasting my time. Or if I have to improve my college list w/ more safeties, or if I have too many safeties…</p>
<p>I don’t know if this makes sense to you, or if I explained myself</p>
<p>Oftentimes they will look at you in the context of your school. At least that’s how my school did it. Usually the guidance counselor writes you a recommendation explaining the school’s system and will tell them your competitiveness and fit compared to some of your peers. That way they have a good way of viewing things in CONTEXT even though they might not be 100% familiar with your school. In short, you will be fine</p>
<p>The way I would imagine they would look at you objectively would be through your GC’s letter explaining how you compare to your peers (ex: top 10 percent) and your standardized tests. From an American standpoint, a 7.1/10 seems like a C so your best bet would be to have really high standardized tests to validate whatever your GC might say</p>
<p>woahika, a 6 in Italy is not a C in America, a C is more like a 4. A C student isn’t likely to go to university, for instance, but if anything rather to a short-course college open to anyone 18 and older regardless of preparation (ie., not liceum prep, but qualifica profezionale students.) A 7 would be an A depending on program and school,. In short, you can’t randomly convert, numbers have different values.
You need to have your counselor write (or you write and have the counselor stamp it if approved) explain:
1° What percentage students get each mark: ie., up to 2% get 7.5, up to 5% get 7, up to 10% get … up to 15% get…, up to 20%…, 25%… ,30%,… 40%… 50%… etc.
2° How your school’s grades correlate with the national exam (maturità, right?) ie., does a 7 at your school tend to correlate to a 7 in national exams? Or does a 6 at your school result in a 7 at national level? Then your school has “grade deflation” and it needs to be mentioned, and by how much. Or does a 7 at your school result in a 5.5 at national exam time? Then your school has grade inflation and this needs to be mentioned, too.</p>
<p>American colleges use holistic admissions so everything matters. And the top schools may well only admit one student from Italy, so you’d have to be the best applying there.
In addition, financial aid reduces your odds.</p>
<p>You should include: 3-5 schools ranked 60+ (LACs or Universities); 3-5 schools ranked 30-60 (LACs or universities); 3-5 schools in the top 10-20 Regional Universities - those would still be in the top 10% schools in the country!
Then only, add schools ranked 30 and below either as national LACs or universities.</p>
<p>Uhm sorry but a 4 is like a superfail in here - you can’t be a 4 student, you have to repeat all the classes. That’s why I tought a 6 should be a c and a 7 should be b. an 8 is anyway extremely difficult to get…</p>
<p>I hope I can get someone write a paper on he grading system! Thanks everyone again!</p>
<p>Don’t worry about it, @woahika. What matters is not the exact conversion but rather how you perform relative to the students in your school. There are few selective schools (eg. Oberlin) that convert international grades to American ones while evaluating applications. Most just look at your transcript and admissions officers usually have plenty of experience with international transcripts. They also have access to resources like the NAFSA to get a sense of your educational system.</p>
<p>^yup, my point about the 4 student. Even in their dreams that student isn’t getting into a BA/Master’s program. That student is going to do a short course, likely vocational. Kind of like a C student in the US.
A B isn’t a 7. (Look at the thread “Colleges for B students” or “Colleges for 3-3.3 students” to have a perspective on what a “B student” is. Not quite a 7 student. :p)
A “superfail” is very hard to achieve in the US because students have make up exams, homework and participation count, plus they can do extra credit, none of which is available in Italy. Students rarely repeat all their classes. They may repeat a couple, but after that they’d be placed in a lower level class (like from Honors to College prep, or from College prep to General.) They may also be placed into Special Ed classes. But being made to retake all the same classes just isn’t done generally speaking.
Overall though, International95 is right: don’t worry about it. Have a counselor draft a paragraph answer questions 1° and 2° above and the college will be able to understand your grades.
Now, focus on these standardized tests: ACT or SAT, plus subject tests. You can’t take Italian but everything else if fair game (although I don’t recommend taking US History.)</p>
<p>@perseverence your links are very useful! but they are based on the University System, thanks anyway!</p>
<p>As regards hs grades, a 7 here is viewed ad discrete/good, but not that much of good.
We do not have ranks for students, nor percentages or anything that compares me to my classmates.
In italy we do have mark up exams, but not extra work, there are lots of people that repeat all the classes (that is because if you fail +3 classes, you have to repeat the year - so every classes).</p>
<p>I will not do subject tests, I think. In June I am retaking the SAT. </p>
<p>Subject tests are important because they help demonstrate subject mastery, put your grades in perspective, allow you to be compared to other internationals in your best subjects, and can be mandatory (most top colleges). Only colleges with numerical admissions (typically, GPAXSAT) wouldn’t take them into consideration.</p>
<p>Your counselor will have to estimate whether you’re in the top 3% of your school/district (including all programs, not just your liceo), or top 10%, etc. Even if no rank is given, that information is crucial to estimate what your results mean and how you stand in relation to others.</p>
<p>no school I want to apply to require them, I’ll see what I can do (I actually have the blue book for subject, so…)</p>
<p>Uhm I think (and hope) they will estimate them based only on my liceo actually! If they count also other programs (that are easier… VERY MUCH…but everyone knows that) it will be a problem.
We do not have a counselor, is that the same if it will be the coordinator of my teachers to do this?</p>
<p>Edit: as regards subject test, I could (but I’m not so sure) make up my math grade (6/10 due to personal problems) with math 2. Plus, I could easily get a 800 in italian, but how that would be seen? I only have 7/10 at school… But it tests other things.</p>
<p>as mentioned above, you’re not allowed to take a subject test in Italian, only in foreign languages. Beside Italian, ALL OTHERS are fair game although I don’t recommend US History for international students. Foreign languages are tested at CEF A2 level so it’s pretty easy if you’ve had 4-5 years in a language other than English.</p>