Undergrad Percentage (from India) to US 4.0 GPA conversion - Ridiculous!

[thegraydude]

Hello,

 

I am applying for Fall, 2015 in PhD programs (Computer science). 

 

The admissions page of many universities I saw, demand an undergrad GPA of at least 3.0 and graduate GPA of at least 3.5

 

Now, I excelled in the two masters degrees I have (MBA, MS).

 

But I was an average student in undergrad. Average in India means that I scored around 68% in my undergrad years (I.T.)

 

If you ask me, I think this conversion thing is crazy. Many colleges in India grade/score very stringently, since the min. percentage required to graduate is 50%. So, if I were an average student at an elite college in India, my CGPA/ Percentage would be 7.0 or 70%. Using this conversion table, my GPA on a 4 point scale would be 2.3.        

 

In the US, however, you need a min. GPA of 2.75 to graduate. A GPA below 3 is considered to be a shocker, while a GPA between 3 and 3.5 would be considered below average. It'll never work; it's like comparing Apples with Oranges.

 

Am I missing something here? Any thoughts?     

[Cookie]

It'll never work; it's like comparing Apples with Oranges.

 

Of course, it doesn't work that way. Have you tried Googling this?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=converting+Indian+CGPA+to+American+GPA

 

A short answer is: Do not attempt a direct conversion, because selection committees are well aware of the differences and will do it themselves.

[Taeyers]

I don't actually have any tips of converting GPAs, but I have to point out a couple mistakes in your "facts":

1) the minimum GPA to graduate is 2.0. If a 2.75 GPA were required to graduate, anything below a B would be considered a failing grade, and that's just bananas.

2) 3-3.5 is most certainly not below average for undergrad. GPAs in that range might be considered at or below average for student admitted to some graduate programs, but that's a whole different story. An undergrad student producing average work would be very lucky to have GPA close to 3.5, and even that is largely dependent on the program/field. I can tell you that my undergrad institution awards distinctions to graduates with GPAs starting at 3.5-3.6. 

[Crucial BBQ]

 

 

If you ask me, I think this conversion thing is crazy. Many colleges in India grade/score very stringently, since the min. percentage required to graduate is 50%. So, if I were an average student at an elite college in India, my CGPA/ Percentage would be 7.0 or 70%. Using this conversion table, my GPA on a 4 point scale would be 2.3.        

 

In the US, however, you need a min. GPA of 2.75 to graduate. A GPA below 3 is considered to be a shocker, while a GPA between 3 and 3.5 would be considered below average. It'll never work; it's like comparing Apples with Oranges.

 

Am I missing something here? Any thoughts?     

Not quite.  Most schools only require a cumulative GPA of 2.0 to graduate, but some majors at some schools might have a higher standard. 

 

Also, typically in the U.S. 70% = 2.0 GPA = C = average.  At 50%, that would equal a flat F in the U.S.  

 

Over the last ten years or so high school students in the U.S. became obsessed with GPA, which spilled over into undergrad when they all started to go to college.  The result is an entire generation who believes that a 3.7 is low and anything 3.5 or lower is absolutely horrible. The good news is that most professors, and thus those on the adcoms, went to college a long time before this generation did-many even long before they were born.  These profs know that a 3.0 means mastery of 80% of the material, and that is pretty darn good.

[thegraydude]

Of course, it doesn't work that way. Have you tried Googling this?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=converting+Indian+CGPA+to+American+GPA

 

A short answer is: Do not attempt a direct conversion, because selection committees are well aware of the differences and will do it themselves.

 

Yes, I Googled it. That's where I came up with these erroneous assumptions about the conversion process. 

 

I guess I was wrong on many levels. Thanks to you guys, I know the err in my comprehension of the GPA conversion process. I think it's best if I just leave it for the universities to convert and not sweat over it. 

[Admissions Advice Online]

Hello,

 

US PhD programs receive so many applicants directly from India that they will be very well aware of which programs are harder than others. As always, you will be compared against your countrymen first and then the general applicant pool. Because of this, your GRE scores will be reviewed with a very close eye as this exam will serve as the "Great Equalizer." -Admissions Advice Online