Realistic GPA in Quebec MA programs?

[joshisanonymous]

I'm not sure if this is the best sub-forum to post in, so bare with me.

I'm currently finishing my MA at the University of Quebec in Montreal and, as an American, I'm at a loss for interpreting my grades and what they might mean for my chances of getting into the PhD programs I just finished applying to. I finished my undergrad with nearly a 4.0, but I can't seem to pull off an A+ in any of my MA classes (currently at 3.95/4.30). Part of this, I'm guessing, is due to the language barrier. I studied French for a very short period of time before deciding to go to a francophone university, mainly as a personal challenge to myself, but I'm wondering if it's simply rare for students to get A+'s in Quebec. I vaguely recall hearing that this is the case in France, where they also use a 4.3 scale for GPAs, so perhaps it's similar? Basically, I've always been able to rely on my grades as a selling point for applications, so I'm not sure if that's still the case or if I should be pretty worried about my chances of getting into any of the better programs that I applied to.

[fuzzylogician]

Assuming that you're applying for PhD programs in the States, your grades are good enough and not something you need to worry about. The question will be if you have research experience and can write a strong SOP, and what your writing sample and LORs look like. 

[joshisanonymous]

On 04/01/2017 at 11:41 AM, fuzzylogician said:

Assuming that you're applying for PhD programs in the States, your grades are good enough and not something you need to worry about. The question will be if you have research experience and can write a strong SOP, and what your writing sample and LORs look like. 

Thank you for the reply. The only non-US school I'm applying to is the University of Toronto. I feel fairly confident about my SOPs and LORs, but research experience is another area that is hard for me to gauge. I did an honors thesis as an undergrad and, obviously, am finishing an MA thesis, and I've also had a research assistantship for the duration of my MA as well, but I have no publications nor any conference presentations due to always taking a larger than normal class load. I'm looking for opportunities this semester, but it's too late to show up on the applications. I imagine that all counts as research experience, but I'm not necessarily confident that it's significant enough in light of my current grades.

[fuzzylogician]

A thesis counts as research experience. You don't need to make "excuses" for why you don't have publications or presentations; most applicants won't. The question at the end of the day will be if you can write about your experience in a detailed way and if you can leverage it into a discussion of your interests in general, why they are important, and why school X is the place to be to study them.