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What is my GPA? (9.0 scale undergrad plus 4.0 scale grad)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 12:54 pm
by Chimica
Hi,

So I did my undergrad at a school with a 9.0 scale (9 A+,8 A, 7 A- etc..) and then 4 courses at grad school with a 4.0 scale. Grad school was thesis based, so very few courses.

First, how do I convert a 9.0 scale to a 4.0? I've found a few converters, but I kow they can be a bit off. Back when I was in grad school, I converted my undergrad grades to the 4.0 scale and they dropped. Then I found the converter for my undergrad school (4.0 scale to 9.0 scale) and converted them back and they dropped. I repeated this back and forth to show that I could convert an A+ to a D in 6 transfers. It was just for fun, but it showed that the schools pefer their own grading.

Second, how much do the grad courses count? Do they replace some undergrad? Do they all get averaged?

Finally, is the GPA from all four years of undergrad? I'm guessing it is, but I wanted to check, as I know some places for some programs/scholarships just look at the last two years (or all upper level courses or some such)

Actual numbers: undergrad about 6.5/9 all 4 years, 7.2/9 last two years, grad school 3.9/4

Thanks!

Re: What is my GPA? (9.0 scale undergrad plus 4.0 scale grad)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 1:04 pm
by zworykin
Use the calculator at lawschoolpredictor.com. You'll need your transcript/grades.

Graduate grades don't count at all unless you took them before you earned your Bachelor's.

Yes, all 4 years (or 5, or 6, or 15) of undergrad count. Basically, all classes you took prior to earning your first Bachelor's will be counted, even that summer basket-weaving class you took at the local CC or the dual-enrollment classes you took as a senior in high school (but not AP courses, obviously).

Re: What is my GPA? (9.0 scale undergrad plus 4.0 scale grad)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 1:17 pm
by EzraStiles
For LSAC your grades would be converted as follows- A+ 4.33, A 4.0, A- 3.67, B+ 3.33, B 3.0 and so on. The above poster however gave the fully credited response- go to law school predictor, and forget about your graduate school record- it's inconsequential to LSAC.

Re: What is my GPA? (9.0 scale undergrad plus 4.0 scale grad)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 1:26 pm
by Chimica
Thanks, I'd looked at a couple calculators, but they wanted it on a 4.0. I'd seen the law school predicter touted before, but I'll check it out (as soon as I dig up my undergrad records from some pile of papers somewhere).

I should add that one school I checked at did count grad school grades (replaced some undergrad grades), but that is in Canada.

Re: What is my GPA? (9.0 scale undergrad plus 4.0 scale grad)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 1:48 pm
by MoS
What school has a 9 point scale, out of curiosity?

Re: What is my GPA? (9.0 scale undergrad plus 4.0 scale grad)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 3:59 pm
by februaryftw
LSAC's conversion system for every US/CA school is somewhere on the website, but it is very hard to find (so whether an 8 will equal an A or an A -, etc.). It also seems barely anyone knows about it, because it is rarely linked. I tried looking for it, but I forgot it myself. It really is so helpful that it should be a stickied link.

Re: What is my GPA? (9.0 scale undergrad plus 4.0 scale grad)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 4:03 pm
by pu_golf88
3.17?

If he had a 6.5/9 wouldn't that be between a B+ and A- average? This was just a quick calculation so my apologies if I'm drastically off.

Re: What is my GPA? (9.0 scale undergrad plus 4.0 scale grad)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 4:09 pm
by februaryftw
Also, I'm going on memory, but this is my best guess:

9 = A+
8= A -
7= B+
6= B-
5 = C
4 = D
1 - 3 = F

I'm really just guessing on the low end of the scale. This was the conversion used for one 9 point scale, but it may very well be different for other schools.

Depending on how it all is interpreted, my guess is you'll be coming in at around a B average.

Re: What is my GPA? (9.0 scale undergrad plus 4.0 scale grad)

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 4:14 pm
by whuts4lunch
Probably around 3.5. Just take all of your individual grades, convert them to their corresponding LSAC score (4.0 for A, 3.66 for A-, etc), multiply each grade by its credit #, add all of it together, and divide by the total number of credits. If all of your classes are the same # of credits, just convert your grades to the LSAC scale and add them together, then divide that number by the number of classes you took.

Re: What is my GPA? (9.0 scale undergrad plus 4.0 scale grad)

Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 11:51 am
by Chimica
pu_golf88 wrote:3.17?

If he had a 6.5/9 wouldn't that be between a B+ and A- average? This was just a quick calculation so my apologies if I'm drastically off.
Yup that is exactly halfway between a B+ and an A-. The problem is that the A+ in the 9.0 scale can skew things so that an A- on a 9.0 scale actually counts a bit closer to a B+ on the 4.0 scale. It depends on whether it gets converted as A+/A=4.0, A-=3.66, B+ =3.33, B=3 or it can get converted as A+ = 4.0, A = ca 3.8 , A-= ca 3.5, B+= ca 3.1, B= ca 2.7.

I can see arguments for both. It depends whether the A+/A divide is considered a real divide or not. In my mind they should both be a 4.0 as the actual % gives the same grade values (B+, C+ etc), regardless of the scale. 86% is an A, it's just whether 90+ is an A+. (I know this was the same between the two universities I studied/taught at, at least)

To answer another question, a few Canadian universities do a 9.0. Some actually only do percent and never assign letter grades .