Hello everyone,
I have a question about being on the Dean's List vs. GPA as the basis for consideration in graduate applications. I'm an Anthropology Honours student in a Quebec university. In order to be on the Dean's List, one must have at least 3.75 (out of 4.30) GPA. My GPA exceeds that significantly but I have been excluded from the Dean's List because I was not registered in at least 12 credits per term for a total of 24 credits for the Fall and Winter terms last year.
In fact, I was registered for 15 credits in the Fall term and 9 credits in Winter and generally, the combined 24 credits should reflect full-time status for the university. However, my faculty is adamant on the point that I must have attempted 12 credits per term. Since this wasn't the case last year and this regulation is not reflected in writing elsewhere, I was understandably annoyed.
My excellence in studies while holding down a full-time job is my personal source of pride, but I'm annoyed that I'm excluded for such a detail - a regulation that is not consistently applied.
Besides my hopefully strong personal statement, recommendation letters, and grades/GPA, how relevant is it not being on the Dean's List?
Also, I will graduate "with great distinction" as opposed to just "with distinction" and this will be noted on my transcript - it's designated to those who achieve at least a 4.0/4.30 final graduation GPA.
Would I even need to explain in my grad application why I'm not on the Dean's List? It's my understanding that this also limits my chances of a scholarship at my university due to the liberal applying of the full-time status rule - in other words, it changes on the person who is applying it.
Many thanks for your thoughts,
MMP