THE GPA CALCULATION IS KILLING ME !

[senz_asian]

greetings to u all!

I'm from Canada, currently 2nd of bachlor in nursing, and I'm planning to apply to SMU for fall 2005 ... here's my situation and hope u guys will kindly answer

my overal GPA right now is around 2.9 on a scale of 4.3 ... In Canada is GPA barriers are a little higher than the one in US (it's a fact) so when I apply to SMU, will they increase it up a little like St-George does, if they do, roughly how much ? Also, when I send my transcript to the services like World Education Service, will they take into acount the difference ? Otherwise, it's really not fair for students coming from Canada.

Another things, with my GPA do u guys think that it's enough for Saba and SMU or Poznan medical school? (I really need help, please give me some insides, I know u guys are really helpful when honest)

thank you so much in advance!!

[Patrik Leonard]

Oh, oh, fighting urge to be snotty about that US/Canada GPA comment especially when given so much ammo to use..... :D
You've got to understand, a lot of us down here from the US & Canada have a good time poking fun at each other, it's all in good fun, I really mean no harm. So I'll be nice. :)

I don't have any hard facts on how the Saba Admissions folks treat different GPA scales, but I honestly think they take those kind of factors into account when considering a potential student. There are definitely plenty of Canadian students here who didn't seem to have had a problem with the difference, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Some of those students themselves may be able to give you a better idea of what their undergraduate GPA ranges were like and how competitive a 2.9/4.3 was. I think one of the beauties of applying to Caribbean schools is that they do consider the "whole person" much more than US & Canadian schools. It's my understanding that many of the North American schools will simply cut anyone who's below a certain GPA or MCAT level before ever even looking at the rest of their application. While I'm sure Saba admissions definitely considers GPA level to be an important factor, it's my belief that GPA is just that, one factor of many that make up the applicant's entire profile. My best advice is to simply go for it, give it a shot and apply, you never know what you're capable of unless you try. But like I said before, some current Canadian Saba students may be able to give you a better idea of what kind of Canadian GPA range tends to be accepted at Saba.
Good luck!
Patrik