<p>Hey guys, just wondering if anyone wandering around here knows about this subject. It seems pretty cool to be able to get this title while graduating... Does anyone know how many people actually even get this? Do they get some kind of distinguishing mark on their graduating robes?</p>
<p>The Summa Cum Laude distinction will be noted on your diploma. Only the top 2% of the graduating class will receive this distinction. The cutoff was at about 3.911 for the academic year 2009-2010. </p>
<p>Students graduating with highest honors will not have any special distinguishing mark on their regalia. However, if you do graduate with the distinction of Summa Cum Laude, you will typically have the dean’s academic distinction awards. Also, if you do graduate with distinction it will be indicated in the program that is distributed at graduation. </p>
<p>Will you be graduating this quarter?</p>
<p>Hah, I wish! I’m actually just finishing up my sophomore year–but discussion with my one of my old SI leaders sparked my interest. How about you?</p>
<p>Do not worry, you are half-way to completing your undergraduate studies, there is only two more years to go. The only thing I would worry about is the ever increasing cost of tuition and fees, such as the 352% increase for the student rec fee (this fee increase will be in effect in 2014). </p>
<p>Yes, I will be graduating with Summa Cum Laude distinction this quarter. That is why I am somewhat knowledgeable about the distinctions, university honors, and the sort. </p>
<p>Good luck on your journey to the distinction of highest honors.</p>
<p>I’m thoroughly impressed! Good luck to you also, it’s tough outside. May I ask what major you were and what you’re planning to do next? Did UCR, as a university as a whole, help or diminish your goals? Thanks!
And, yeah…tell me about it, fees are just astronomical now. In a few years, it seems like UC tuition will be comparable to private universities.</p>
<p>dark prince - wow! that’s really impressive. im thoroughly impressed with just cum laude on its own. can i ask what your gpa was?</p>
<p>Im just curious, but are most who achieve summa cum laude mainly CHASS majors? Cause i feel it be a lot more difficult for BCOE and CNAS majors to reach those GPA figures. No offense if your in CHASS.</p>
<p>not sure what the statistics are, but one of my brothers got cum laude and he’s bcoe.</p>
<p>@ahuynh91: I majored in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy. The university as a whole contributed to my development as a well-rounded individual. However, I have accumulated quite a bit of debt over the years at UC Riverside. I will have to work for a year or two to pay down my debt before I apply for graduate school.</p>
<p>@x8equalsDtilde: Thank you for the flattering comment. My GPA was 3.99.</p>
<p>@himself: There are countless students from both CNAS and BCOE who achieve the distinction of Summa Cum Laude, but unsurprisingly there are many more CHASS students who achieve that distinction compared to the other colleges (my estimation is 2-3x more). Despite you feeling it is more difficult it does not mean that it is unachievable. I did not take an easy route to my degree, please do not assume that all CHASS students take easy classes like dance or whatever to bump their GPAs up. In fact, I know a couple of CHASS students who are taking an unconventional route to medical school. As for myself, I tried to challenge myself with a wide range of courses in physical sciences, social sciences, computer science, and humanities, as well as attempting a honors thesis. Please do not tell me that I do not understand how difficult the courses are in the physical sciences because I have completed the chem series up to ochem, and managed to earn an A- in all my physical science classes. I chose CHASS over CNAS and BCOE because I was more intrigued by the social sciences (ie. economics, political science, psychology) and it offered me the exposure to a wide array of disciplines. If there are any BCOE or CNAS students on CC who think they can excel at any course in CHASS since the courses are easy–or so they assume–then please demonstrate it to me, because from my experience they have not shown that to be true (I have taken CHASS courses, such as philosophy of science, with CNAS and BCOE undergraduate and graduate students, and BCOE and CNAS undergraduate students did not fare too well and dropped left and right). It is difficult to achieve the highest distinction even in CHASS. But, to be honest, if I had majored in the physical sciences I probably would have ended up graduating with Magna Cum Laude distinction instead. </p>
<p>All that aside… I was never concerned about achieving honors distinction, in fact, I was unaware of the distinctions until this quarter. As an intellectual, GPA should not be your end, rather you should challenge yourself and expose yourself to a variety of perspectives. Furthermore, outside of the academia GPA will not matter as much, as long as you have marketable skills and have connections.</p>
<p>Jeez… 3.99?! How is that even possible…hahah
I"m aiming for those honors! I know it shouldn’t be priority, but ever since I’ve heard about it, it’s been a personal challenge. So far, I have a 3.972… and that was with 2 A-s…one in lab. You’re crazy!</p>
<p>Just remember… Grades aren’t everything and becomes irrelevant in the real world. It only carries some weight if you are fresh out of college and have no work experience, then the HR have to use your academic history as a basis to judge your character and aptitude for the job. </p>
<p>Also, apparently you do get a medal at commencement if you graduate with distinction. The Summa Cum Laudes get a gold medal with the words “Summa Cum Laude” inscribed on the back of it. The Cum Laudes get a bronze medal and the Magna Cum Laudes get a silver medal.</p>
<p>did you walk today?! congratulations!</p>
<p>Yes I did. Thanks x8equals. Next thing you know it will be your turn to graduate.</p>
<p>i knowww. don’t remind me how old i am. =[</p>
<p>Hey, so I was looking around online for the GPA cutoff for the cum laude, summa cum laude, etc. Or is it based off of percentiles? I’ve currently got a 3.6 with a year to go so I’m just wondering whether I’d be able to get at least a cum laude distinction or whether I’m close enough to the point that I can raise my GPA up to the cutoff level. Thanks!</p>
<p>Graduation distinction is based on class rank in terms of overall UC GPA. There is an upper limit to each of the three latin honor distinctions. As I have stated earlier in the thread, only the top 2% of the graduating class receives the distinction of Summa Cum Laude. And then up to the next 4% of the graduating class receives Magna Cum Laude. Lastly, up to the next 10% receives the distinction of Cum Laude. Below are the cutoff points for the distinctions in the academic year of 2009-2010:</p>
<p>HIGHEST HONORS 3.911
HIGH HONORS 3.764
HONORS 3.527</p>
<p>I do not have the cutoff points for the academic year of 2010-2011 because the institution has yet to post them. However, I highly doubt that these cutoff points will fluctuate that much.</p>
<p>Houshyomamma, your current GPA is high enough to earn you the Cum Laude distinction. You may still be able to achieve the Magna Cum Laude distinction, but you will probably have to take 4 courses each quarter next year and get As in every single class to accomplish that.</p>
<p>I appreciate the response and congrats to you!</p>
<p>I’m pretty confident I can pull my GPA up. Unfortunately, I screwed around my freshman year (2.9 GPA) but I really stepped it up with a series of 3.8-4.0 since then to get to my 3.605 GPA now. </p>
<p>I technically can graduate in the fall (I got 165 units right now) but going after these honors is certainly a factor I’m considering in deciding whether to stick around the full year or just save money and finish up after the fall.</p>
<p>By any chance, do you have the link to where the university posts these statistics, or are they not online? I tried looking around and googling but I was unable to find any info on this.</p>
<p>[UCR</a> CHASS Student Academic Affairs](<a href=“http://chassstudentaffairs.ucr.edu/graduation/#5]UCR”>http://chassstudentaffairs.ucr.edu/graduation/#5)
or
[UCR:</a> CHASS Student Academic Affairs](<a href=“http://chassstudentaffairs.ucr.edu/graduation_ceremony_info/index.html#7]UCR:”>http://chassstudentaffairs.ucr.edu/graduation_ceremony_info/index.html#7)</p>
<p>Thanks houshyyomama. The cutoff points for the academic year of 2009-2010 is posted online. Click the link that x8equalsDtilde posted, it is where I found the exact GPA cutoff points. There are several pages that list the regulations in regards to graduation distinctions, and one of them is the link that is posted above. The university should have the 2010-2011 cutoffs for the distinctions calculated sometime near the winter quarter of the upcoming academic year.</p>
<p>Houshyomama, your GPA is high enough to earn you the Cum Laude distinction. I do not believe you can achieve the Magna Cum Laude distinction based on your current GPA and the number of credits completed. Based on the data you have given us (the 3.605 GPA and 165 units), if you take 16 units each quarter and earn As in all your classes, you will only be able to achieve a GPA of 3.69, which falls short of Magna Cum Laude by quite a bit. Also, please keep in mind that there is a 205 unit limit that can be applied towards your degree. Therefore, you will only be able to complete another 40 units worth of units, and will not be able to take 16 units each quarter for three quarters because that will exceed the 205 unit cap. Financially speaking, it is unwise to take an extra two quarters worth of units that is not needed for graduation. Furthermore, if you do decide to try to raise your GPA by enrolling in two more quarters, make sure you do not take all non-challenging classes. For it may hurt your chances at getting into a good grad school, since colleges like to see well-rounded students who challenge themselves and not students who try to boost their GPAs through easy classes.</p>
<p>Kinda off topic but, how do you find out if you got chancellors list or not? I got deans list all 3 quarters, so is it safe to assume its there?</p>