GPA and stuff

[AKV1985]

Hi!

 

1. Is this true that you need to have cumulative 3.7 GPA to get in ? And if you get less (i.e. 3.5), you shouldn't be even bothered. If its true, its quite misleading - on website they say it is 2.8 requirement (which is just to be considered as I understand). Although, I checked UBC stats, and most people fall under 80-85%. I am currently in SFU and I checked the percentage scale - GPA 3.33 and above is within that range (I heard that UBC and SFU use the same percentage scale, so should be the same)

 

2. How does UBC calculates GPA ? Is this correct formula: cumulative GPA(%)*0.6+last60creditsGPA(%)*0.4 = #% ???

 

Thank you

[JAdlCruz]

UBC's GPA conversion scale is copied below.

 

The interim stats they post are useful because it shows what marks are competitive. There are people who are not near the posted marks and eventually get in, but (a) they are few and ( they have other great qualities that showed in the application and interview.

 

Hope this helps.

 

- - - -

 

4.33 90+

4.30 89

4.20 88

4.10 87

4.00 86

3.95 85

3.90 84

3.85 83

3.80 82

3.75 81

3.70 80

3.60 79

3.50 78

3.40 77

3.30 76

3.20 75

[avenir001]

JAdlCruz, where'd u get the conversion scale from?

 

AKV, that's only part of the formula...u do that, get a number which u plug into 1.044*#-63.8 to get an approximation of ur AQ...

[medisforme]

re: the first post. I am going to be applying to UBC for the first time this summer but from people i have had contact with, UBC is one of the only med schools in canada where your grades will not break you (ie. keep you out) as long as they are respectable. There admissions process leans a lot more towards EC's and life experience compared with a lot of other schools. On another note, apparently they really don't care about your mcat score as long as you don't score below 7 or 8 in any given subject (anyone care to verify or refute that, I am a non-trad applicant so i don't know all the pre-med talk about schools).

[agray33]

I thought UBC just used your numerical average? ( ex 83% for all undergrad courses with a 85% apparently equating to a perfect 25 on the AQ )

 

Am i wrong here?

[nova1983]

what if your university is on a 4.0 scale (i.e. an A+ gets you 4.0)? There must be a different conversion scale then. Anyone have it?

[Leonidas]

For SFu, I think you guys unfortunately have the short end of the GPA stick. I think they will translate your GPA into UBC percentages (UBC med doesn't use GPA), but using the lower end. ie 90-100 is an A+, your A+ will only be worth 90. But UBC's not very big on marks, apparantly, if everything is over 85, you get maxed out at 25/25 AQ. But keep in mind though that people who get in with 70's tend to have very very good NAQ scores, which in my opinion is even harder to do well on. Hope it helps!

 

Oh, and the formula is quite accurate according to the analysts at Premed 101.

[MPH07]

I went to SFU as an undergrad and discovered the grading system sucks. For instance in all my classes 80-84% was a B+ (which UBC gives a nice 76% for that even if you had 84%). Also in one class I had 95% but only received an A in the class because the professor only wanted to hand out 1 A+ which was given to a student with 96%...SFU grading is stringent compared to other schools....On the other hand...UBC does accept applicants with "low" GPA's one my friends in UBC med right now had 3.2 undergrad GPA and got in...his last 60 were good but...it was his overall application (he also had a 25 MCAT...and still got in...and no he is not an athlete or ended saving hundreds of lives....he just wrote a good applciation reviewed by someone who liked his application)...hope this helps....

[agray33]

So if I go to western which DOES give percentages, will there be any modification of my percentage as calculated by UBC?

[joey_mcairhead]

Hi,

I'm doing a second undergrad degree and I was wondering how UBC is going to look at that.

I emailed UBC but they sent me an email back saying that the admin wasn't able to ans my question...

Also...they look at the last 60 credits....but I'm familiar with the FY course being counted as 1.0 credit and half year as 0.5...can someone enlighten me on the 60 credit thing?

[Adversary]

At UBC, full-year courses are 6 credits while half-year courses are 3 credits. Assuming one takes a full-course load, you are looking at 30 credits/year; thus the last 60 credits is really about the last 2 years.

[Jigen]

Hi!

 

1. Is this true that you need to have cumulative 3.7 GPA to get in ? And if you get less (i.e. 3.5), you shouldn't be even bothered. If its true, its quite misleading - on website they say it is 2.8 requirement (which is just to be considered as I understand). Although, I checked UBC stats, and most people fall under 80-85%. I am currently in SFU and I checked the percentage scale - GPA 3.33 and above is within that range (I heard that UBC and SFU use the same percentage scale, so should be the same)

 

Thank you

 

From personal experience, grades don't seem to matter as much to get to the interview stage. As long as they are within reason and you AQ+NAQ scores are above whatever the cutoff is year to year.

 

Some may not agree with this, but this what I garnered from admissions officer - grades really become important after the interview when the admissions selection is done.

 

Everyone being pretty much on the same playing field after interviews, that's when grades (or something else) may make or break you.

 

With a GPA of 3.33, you should be able to get an interview, but make sure that your other eggs are in order as you'll be competing with people with much higher grades.

[Laura_333]

I think this system is stupid:

 

4.33 90+

4.30 89

4.20 88

4.10 87

4.00 86

3.95 85

3.90 84

3.85 83

3.80 82

3.75 81

3.70 80

3.60 79

3.50 78

3.40 77

3.30 76

3.20 75

 

In my undergrad I have a 3.9 which sets me at 84%, but in most classes etc I get low to mid 90's. It seems silly to get put into the A bracket at my school, (where an A+ is 94% and above) and not count the percent I actually average. Then applying to UBC I will get put into the lowest percent of the bracket my final gpa ends up in.

[medisforme]

I think this system is stupid:

 

4.33 90+

4.30 89

4.20 88

4.10 87

4.00 86

3.95 85

3.90 84

3.85 83

3.80 82

3.75 81

3.70 80

3.60 79

3.50 78

3.40 77

3.30 76

3.20 75

 

In my undergrad I have a 3.9 which sets me at 84%, but in most classes etc I get low to mid 90's. It seems silly to get put into the A bracket at my school, (where an A+ is 94% and above) and not count the percent I actually average. Then applying to UBC I will get put into the lowest percent of the bracket my final gpa ends up in.

 

i appreciate why you are complaining, but did you read the previous entries on this thread? At 85% your score is maxed out (ie. 25/25), so you really are hardly at any sort of disadvantage at all, at least nothing you can't make up with NAQ.

[sfuguy]

Regarding conversion from sfu, i called ubc med last year and asked them about that. They use your total gpa in the conversion (not by course or semester). so if your score is 3.67, you get 79.7 (3.60 is 79, plus the 0.07 become the decimal in the percentage). If you do have 4.33 yes you likely get convereted to 90%, but then again 90% will result in a perfect aq. For most, their conversion wont mess people up too much

[JAdlCruz]

In my undergrad I have a 3.9 which sets me at 84%, but in most classes etc I get low to mid 90's. It seems silly to get put into the A bracket at my school, (where an A+ is 94% and above) and not count the percent I actually average. Then applying to UBC I will get put into the lowest percent of the bracket my final gpa ends up in.

 

Laura ~ Does your school use a 4.0 scale? If so, then the table doesn't really apply to your situation. The table only gives a conversion of UBC's 4.33 GPA scale to a %age equivalent.

[Laura_333]

My school is 4.33. I see that this shouldn't mess me up too much, I'm more concerned if my grades slip just a little and then I would fall into the next lower bracket.

[Sutler]

how do you convert OMSAS gpa into UBC gpa?

[sfuguy]

My school is 4.33. I see that this shouldn't mess me up too much, I'm more concerned if my grades slip just a little and then I would fall into the next lower bracket.

 

what ubc told me is that there are no brackets. they use the last digit in gpa for the decimal in your % gpa. 3.67 is 79.7

[agray33]

^ Really? So if i go to western, will UBC convert my OMSAS to a UBC gpa or would they just use my cumulative average (all course percenatges divided by total courses)?

[JAdlCruz]

Talk about unfair. GPA conversion from UBC to OMSAS stings! There is a significant drop between an A and A-

[dott]

The drop between A- to B+ is more significant, with an even worse "sting".

[JAdlCruz]

For reference, here is the conversion:

 

A+ 4.00

A 3.90

A- 3.70

B+ 3.30

B 3.00

B- 2.70

C+ 2.30

C 2.00

C- 1.70

 

http://www.ouac.on.ca/omsas/pdf/c_omsas_b.pdf

 

So an 84% at UBC is 3.70, but an 85% is a 3.90 (and, not mention that bigger drop from A- to B+)

 

Oh well I'm glad I will not have to spend any more time with the OMSAS scale.

[nezura]

For reference, here is the conversion:

 

A+ 4.00

A 3.90

A- 3.70

B+ 3.30

B 3.00

B- 2.70

C+ 2.30

C 2.00

C- 1.70

 

http://www.ouac.on.ca/omsas/pdf/c_omsas_b.pdf

 

So an 84% at UBC is 3.70, but an 85% is a 3.90 (and, not mention that bigger drop from A- to B+)

 

Oh well I'm glad I will not have to spend any more time with the OMSAS scale.

 

 

So to go from OMSAS --> UBC scale its:

GPA --> Letter grade --> UBC ?

[agray33]

I thought it was just percent grade ----> UBC?

 

Can somoneone clarify? For example, if you went to western (western uses percentages), I thought UBC simply just used those percentages without any wacky conversion.