Major field and Major GPA? What is this? (European asking)

[Rising]

Hi everyone,

 

I am preparing my application for some US programs in Eurasian (Eastern Euroean, Russian and Central Asian) Studies. What I am struggling with is the "major" part of the application. We don't have majors in the Netherlands or at least where I study. My university says that they are not familiar with the US system and they cannot help me with this. I will try to provide you with as much information as possible, so hopefully someone could help me find out what is my major and what courses to include in the calculation of my major GPA.

My undergraduate degree says "Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in International Studies". I study global courses such as IR theory, comparative politics, international security, economics, however, some of my classes were Eurasian ones (Eurasian politics, economics, culture, history, Russian language). It is my region (in this case it is a geographical region but it could be theoretical field, etc) of specialization. I didn't choose it. Well, I did choose this specific region instead of the others but I had to choose one region, so it is not something "bonus" or "extracurricular". It is essential part of my bachelor program. Isn't that what "major" is? At least this is how I (an outsider to the system) understand it. In addition, the courses in most semesters, which are worth most credits were the Eurasian ones (namely the Russian language). 

If we assume that Eurasian Studies is my major, which I strongly hope to be the case, my major GPA would be calculated by summing up the grades for all regional courses and dividing them by their number. Is this correct? However, if Eurasian Studies is not my "major", which courses do I include in the calculation of my major GPA?

I would really appreciate it, if anyone could help me out with this! Thanks!

[Chubberubber]

I also did my undergrad abroad, and am now learning the American system. First- "major" in the U.S system usually refers to the main department you are affiliated with, the one that will show up on your diploma. In your case, seems like your major is International studies. To the extent that your Eurasian courses were taken outside of that department, you could perhaps enter it as a "minor". As far as I remember I only reported my total GPA, but many application websites have specific instructions for international students. Don't forget that you will be asked to provide your transcript, so your specific Eurasian studies bacgroud (and grades) will be shown there.

[Rising]

I also did my undergrad abroad, and am now learning the American system. First- "major" in the U.S system usually refers to the main department you are affiliated with, the one that will show up on your diploma. In your case, seems like your major is International studies. To the extent that your Eurasian courses were taken outside of that department, you could perhaps enter it as a "minor". As far as I remember I only reported my total GPA, but many application websites have specific instructions for international students. Don't forget that you will be asked to provide your transcript, so your specific Eurasian studies bacgroud (and grades) will be shown there.

Thank you for your reply! 

I don't see any "minor" box for filling in my application, where I could possibly include the Eurasian Studies. I have "Major field", "Major GPA" and "GPA". Problem here is that I have no idea how to calculate my "Major GPA", if my major field is International Studies. I had no "international studies" class...

[ExponentialDecay]

Your GPA is the overall grade you got for your university studies. Your major GPA should be the same as your GPA, but I would check with the universities you are applying to as well as some diploma conversion agencies in the US. I find it very strange that your university cannot help you with your application. Has nobody from your university ever applied to the States? I've literally never heard of such a thing, especially in a western country.

[Rising]

An update on this topic:

After weeks of trying to talk to someone from university, who knows about these stuff, I was finally forwarded to the study abroad coordinator. She told me that we don't have strict "minor/major structure". Therefore, it is up to my interpretation whether I'll write International Studies or Eurasian Studies as my major. This is not very helpful as you can imagine. I am worried that it might be considered as some kind of fraud by the admission committee, if I pick for major field one of them and they think that it should be the other. Thus, I decided to include both (Major field: International Studies and Eurasian Affairs). Is this common in the US? What would be your opinion on this? I am really confused and stressed about it. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated... Thank you.

 

[svent]

Major GPA isn't always so well defined. For mine, I just put all the classes I took in my major department. But I took plenty of electives beyond my major requirements. I could have a higher GPA by just listing the courses I wrote on my major declaration form in my Major GPA, and not all courses in my department. But that feels like "cheating" to me. There's no official major GPA on my transcript.

I wouldn't worry about it. Just write down what you think makes the most sense. If they have questions, they can ask you. You're paying application fees for a reason.

[hippyscientist]

When I applied I entered the name of my overall programme as my Major (for me that was sport and exercise science), so for you that would be International Studies. For your GPA, that is the overall grade that you graduated with.

The American system can be confusing for those who haven't been through it, and I'm grateful I had an American professor who could help. As you don't have a major/minor breakdown, I found it helpful to also supply schools with a breakdown of the classes I took (content, credits, assessment methods) along with your transcript. 

Good luck!