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nathanelm
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What does "major" mean? 02 Jan 2011, 00:13
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Hi.

I graduate from an undergraduate school in a country where the major/minor system isn't common. You just apply to your faculty of choice and get your bachelor's degree 3-4 years later. In my case, I studied computer science.

Now that I'm applying to an American B-school, I'm not sure how to answer the following questions:

* For graduates of non-U.S. institutions: your average grade or mark

* For graduates of non-U.S. institutions, indicate the grading distribution (e.g., A-F, 0-100) at your academic institution.

The above two questions are perfectly clear. But then what do I answer for the next one? Should I repeat the same GPA or should I isolate all the computer science courses' grades from the grades?

* Please indicate your GPA in your major

Also, in the place where I should fill in the "Degree" and "Major" fields - what should I answer? Is my degree simply B.Sc and my major is Computer Science, or is my degree "B.Sc in Computer Science" and my Major should be "N/A"?
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widerangeinput
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What does "major" mean? 02 Jan 2011, 08:54
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nathanelm
Hi.

I graduate from an undergraduate school in a country where the major/minor system isn't common. You just apply to your faculty of choice and get your bachelor's degree 3-4 years later. In my case, I studied computer science.

Now that I'm applying to an American B-school, I'm not sure how to answer the following questions:

* For graduates of non-U.S. institutions: your average grade or mark

* For graduates of non-U.S. institutions, indicate the grading distribution (e.g., A-F, 0-100) at your academic institution.

The above two questions are perfectly clear. But then what do I answer for the next one? Should I repeat the same GPA or should I isolate all the computer science courses' grades from the grades?

* Please indicate your GPA in your major

Also, in the place where I should fill in the "Degree" and "Major" fields - what should I answer? Is my degree simply B.Sc and my major is Computer Science, or is my degree "B.Sc in Computer Science" and my Major should be "N/A"?
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Your transcript/diploma might well have the answer to your question whether its a B.Sc or anything else. However, the latter sounds more right to me since you don't have any major/minor system our there in your country. Yet, I would not be so worried about this- I'm pretty much in the same situation, and the transcript itself is very self explanatory in a situation like this-
if not convinced, maybe you should contact your ugrad institution-
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What does "major" mean? 02 Jan 2011, 11:48
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nathanelm
Hi.

I graduate from an undergraduate school in a country where the major/minor system isn't common. You just apply to your faculty of choice and get your bachelor's degree 3-4 years later. In my case, I studied computer science.

Now that I'm applying to an American B-school, I'm not sure how to answer the following questions:

* For graduates of non-U.S. institutions: your average grade or mark

* For graduates of non-U.S. institutions, indicate the grading distribution (e.g., A-F, 0-100) at your academic institution.

The above two questions are perfectly clear. But then what do I answer for the next one? Should I repeat the same GPA or should I isolate all the computer science courses' grades from the grades?

* Please indicate your GPA in your major

Also, in the place where I should fill in the "Degree" and "Major" fields - what should I answer? Is my degree simply B.Sc and my major is Computer Science, or is my degree "B.Sc in Computer Science" and my Major should be "N/A"?
Show more

--------------------------------
Your degree is BSc and majors is Computer Science.
I guess you are from India. If yes , then you dont have to convert your degree marks to GPA , if you have been given marks/percentages.
Go to your college , asks for transcripts and you would need to mention your % which is acceptable to b schools
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What does "major" mean? 02 Jan 2011, 11:57
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nathanelm
The above two questions are perfectly clear. But then what do I answer for the next one? Should I repeat the same GPA or should I isolate all the computer science courses' grades from the grades?

* Please indicate your GPA in your major

Also, in the place where I should fill in the "Degree" and "Major" fields - what should I answer? Is my degree simply B.Sc and my major is Computer Science, or is my degree "B.Sc in Computer Science" and my Major should be "N/A"?
Show more

I believe your "degree" should be whatever is printed on your diploma. Some universities, including mine, just say "Bachelor of Science", in which case your degree is "B.Sc" and your major is "Computer Science". Others specify the major as part of the degree title, like "Bachelor of Science in Computer Science" in which case your degree is "B.Sc in Computer Science" and your major is "Computer Science". The first case is more common than the second, IMO. Either way, I wouldn't stress too much as this distinction isn't going to affect your candidacy.

As for GPA in your major, my understanding is that it's the GPA in all required courses for getting that major. I would calculate the GPA for all courses that weren't electives and/or were required to graduate from the CS faculty. So, for example, if a lower div linear algebra course was required to get into CS, include it. If you took linear algebra because it's fun and you enjoy solving matrices but you really didn't have to, then don't. Include anything that starts with CS. Don't include that basketweaving course you took with the varsity football players (or cricket if more applicable). Do include the upper level math courses you took because the program said "you must take 2 of the following 4 ridiculously impractical courses". And so on. Again, this detail probably isn't overly important -- the adcom is going to look at your whole transcript anyway.