Hi,
I must first mention that I’m not trying to sound bashful (or conceited). Therefore I want to apologize ahead of time if this question rubs off you in the wrong way. I’m very limited on time and wisdom which makes it difficult to create the perfect phrasing of my following question:
My goal from freshman year was to get a Masters in Computer Science from a Cal State. My concern is about comparing my GPA with someone at a Cal State or some other “less prestigious” university student (sorry). My worry stems from the majority of professors here who have forewarned that they will not give everyone A’s (even if they deserved it), but only a certain percentage of students. Most students here were very well established and academically sound prior to admission. Since I’m competing among very talented and intelligent students, its been much harder to get a general A. I’ve spoken with many students and seen the average grades. Many of us have average gpa’s because we are being ranked among each other quite often. Although the rigor and the competition makes me want to try harder, I must be realistic with my goals.
This is what I’m thinking:
If a UC GPA is considered equal to a Cal State GPA (inflation isn’t considered). I would have transferred to a Cal State instead for a much easier GPA and better class ranking.
The Question for a UC transfer to a Cal State:
When you were admitted into graduate school at a Cal State, was your GPA considered equal to all other schools? If not, by how much do you think GPA varies (in your opinion)? I know other factors are being considered, but lets assume equal footing (ie equal GRE, internships, minor differences in GPA, etc).
Examples (assume you must only choose one):
UCSD 3.4 GPA vs Cal State Fullerton 3.5 GPA
UCI 3.5 GPA vs Cal Poly Pomona 3.6 GPA
UCLA 3.3 vs Cal State Long Beach 3.5 GPA