Major GPA on CV

[meow]

Question about major GPA on CVs:

- Transcript does not calculate or record GPAs.

- I had many Bs in my coursework for my major in my sophomore year, but recouped my GPA by acing most of my junior and senior year departmentals (the higher level coursework).

- My department calculates major GPAs by a specific guideline... as the top x number of grades taken during junior and senior years, excluding lower level coursework, etc. etc.

- By the department guidelines, my major GPA is pretty high.  To give some credibility to the statement, I graduated with departmental honors.  But I am also afraid that anyone looking at my transcript might have doubts because of my departmental grades from sophomore year.

What should I do?  Can I list my departmental GPA as calculated by my department's guideline?  Or should I just take the average of all the relevant coursework and list it on my CV instead?  That might bring my major GPA down significantly.  My department confirmed that they will not calculate/provide GPA figures on my behalf.  I have searched for the document that outlines how to calculate departmental GPAs online, but it seems they have removed it because I graduated a while back...  (I calculated my GPA right before graduation and kept that same number on my resume since)

Advice?  Thoughts?

[random_grad]

It seems redundant to include GPA and specific courses on CV since they are already on transcript. Precisely because your department's calculation seems unusual, I don't think it would have much impact on decisions because where you're applying will probably be another approach. I'd say let them do the math on their own least they suspect you're trying to distort the evidence.

[pterosaur]

I still put my GPA and relevant courses on my CV because you can pull some out to emphasize instead of having them get lost in the 3 page listing of classes.

OP, it sounds like you've got a particularly unusual situation. I would talk to someone at your university (academic advisor, perhaps) for an explanation of the grading system and how they would recommend presenting it. You aren't the first one to apply to graduate school, so they'll have dealt with it before.