Calculating GPA for transfers (1 Viewer)

[pointepink]

Hi guys,

I have noticed that unis like Sydney and UNSW use a different GPA system to ours and I was just wondering if anyone knows which they use at UAC. At UNSW:

Pass=4
Credit=5
Distinction=6
High Distinction=7

But Macquarie uses a different system:
Pass=2
Credit=3
High Distinction/Distinction=4

So which do we use when we calculate our GPA for transfers? Any feedback would be much appreciated. Congratulations to everyone on their results!

 

[Supra]

It means that a HD average at MQ is no better than a pass average at USyd.

lol

They use WAM accross teh board i think...They also take UAI into consideration

 

[xeuyrawp]

Hi guys,

I have noticed that unis like Sydney and UNSW use a different GPA system to ours and I was just wondering if anyone knows which they use at UAC. At UNSW:

Pass=4
Credit=5
Distinction=6
High Distinction=7

But Macquarie uses a different system:
Pass=2
Credit=3
High Distinction/Distinction=4

So which do we use when we calculate our GPA for transfers? Any feedback would be much appreciated. Congratulations to everyone on their results!

If you're transferring internally from one Macquarie degree to another Macquarie degree, you use the Macquarie GPA.

If you're transferring externally via UAC from one Macquarie degree to another university's degree, you use the UAC grading system. Same goes for if you're transferring externally via UAC from one Macquarie degree to another Macquarie degree.

If you're transferring directly from Macquarie to another university's degree, you use whichever equivalent system they use.

It's pretty simple: You use whichever grade system you're applying through. Since Macquarie make the internal offers, they use their GPA. Since UAC allocate external offers, they use their own system, etc.

(Late edit--) Just an afterthought: I suppose if a uni used a totally different system for transfer, eg a WAM and not a GPA, you would need to use that. No idea what UNSW uses, although I assume that you're applying externally and thus using the UAC grade system, whatever that is. I had a quick look on the UAC website, but since I've never actually used it, I couldn't find any useful info and thus have no idea what kind of system they use, sorry. I'm sure someone who's used the system will know.

Otherwise, I hope that helps!

(Thanks for the reminder, Mike )

 

[Cyan_phoeniX]

still, its pretty dodgy. given Maquarie's level of stinginess when it comes to >85 marks. But given that i dont want to go to any other uni, it doesnt mean much to me anywayzx.

 

[hello2004]

Macquarie's marking system means that a 7 point GPA system wouldn't make sense. At Mac (from my experience) the difference between a HD and D is a lot smaller than the difference between a D and a C.

 

[pb]

At Mac (from my experience) the difference between a HD and D is a lot smaller than the difference between a D and a C.

cuz for gpa at mac, there is no difference between D and HD

someone emailed me from uac years ago saying that even when transferring externally, it depends on the uni

 

[xeuyrawp]

Macquarie's marking system means that a 7 point GPA system wouldn't make sense. At Mac (from my experience) the difference between a HD and D is a lot smaller than the difference between a D and a C.

No way.

flyin' posted up a paradigm bellcurve, where you enter the total number of students in a unit and it shows you the ideal spread of students. Have a look at that. I can't find it, but I'm sure Mike or someone still has it.

It is much harder to jump from a D to an HD in a unit than from a C to a D. It's exactly the same concept as UAIs - it's a much further jump from a UAI of 95 to 98 than 75 to 85.

Whilst the numerical difference may be 'smaller', the ranking is such that all the students with HDs are down the bottom of the band - ie, 85-90ish. People who top a unit will usually get low 90s. Therefore, a jump from 84 to 94 in a uni is much much much harder than a jump from 74 to 84 because more people are in that part of the natural bellcurve.

Also, conveners really don't hesitate to plonk a student in a major fail where they belong, whereas they have pressure from the uni to ensure that HDs are given out sparingly.

Even comparing myself to my friends: we're all pretty equal in ability, but my friends who beat me do way too much work to warrant an HD, in my opinion. If you put me in the middle of my friends and compare the total hours of work between the ones who constantly get HDs above me, and the ones who get lower Ds/higher Cs below me, you see that the amount of work required rises exponentially like the bellcurve itself. Sometimes I think that getting a higher D is worth it, when you look at how much goddamned work an HD requires.

The reason why they have it, I think, is because 1) they're noobs, and 2) they recognise that a D is sometimes the highest realistic mark for even the top group of students. I'm sure there's an official party line, though, and I'd like to hear it.

 

[Cyan_phoeniX]

how long do they keep considering a persons UAI?

They should just forget about it and focus on just uni marks after 2nd year IMO. By that stage it should just be uni marks. You have to get over your UAI eventually if your uni marks tell a different story!

 

[xeuyrawp]

how long do they keep considering a persons UAI?

Normal internal transfer (ie, not law quota or anything), they forget about it as soon as you have enough units for your GPA. Usually this is second semester first year. If your UAI is better than your GPA, you can still consider applying through UAC for a different place in Macquarie.

As for external transfer to another uni, they keep it for a while. If you want to apply for Grad law at Sydney, they use some of your UAI. Dunno about any other degrees, though.

I think that once you have an established GPA, UAC tends to use closer to the receiving uni's system - ie, their transfer is dictated by the receiving uni's policies a bit more. Whether that policy includes forgetting about the UAI depends on the individual uni.

 

[pointepink]

Thanks for the replies guys (especially PwarYeux). Much appreciated!