CLEP , GPA , Scholarships

[2L8]

Hi guys! I'm gonna take some CLEPs soon and was wondering even though I tested out of the majority of my courses through CLEP will that effect my GPA? I really want to get a scholarship to pay for the next two years of my degree. ( I'm going to CC right now and was going to transfer to a 4 year institution.)

[dfrecore]

Hi guys! I'm gonna take some CLEPs soon and was wondering even though I tested out of the majority of my courses through CLEP will that effect my GPA? I really want to get a scholarship to pay for the next two years of my degree. ( I'm going to CC right now and was going to transfer to a 4 year institution.)

They won't affect your degree in that they aren't worth grades at most colleges (there may be one or two out there that give grades, but I think they went the way of the dodo bird).

What may get in the way, and I'm not certain, is a scholarship that wants you to have a certain number of graded credits in order to qualify for it.  So, those will be out, and you may have to get more creative with your scholarship search.

If you already know of scholarships you want and qualify for, you should check to see if there are any requirements on the number of graded credits you need.  Work backwards from there.

[davewill]

It won't affect your GPA most places, it will show up simply as a credit. There might be a couple of schools that award grades based on score, but it's rare.

Whether it will affect scholarships will really depend on the organization awarding the scholarship. Some will just look at the GPA number to see if you meet a minimum requirement and will be oblivious to the number of units that are actually graded. Scholarships that REALLY care about GPA will want your transcripts and will be able to plainly see how many units are graded and how many are not. How that affects their decision is variable and almost impossible to predict.

[burbuja0512]

I graduated from COSC with no GPA. However, if I really needed one, I would not feel bad about calculating one from the B&M classes I have on my transcript. I haven't ever needed it and can't imagine that I would.

Regarding the scholarship, with a smart combo of testing and alternative credits, you'll probably save more than you would with almost anything other than a full-ride scholarship. Still do try to get as much $$ as possible, I just wanted to point that out.

[dfrecore]

I graduated from COSC with no GPA.  However, if I really needed one, I would not feel bad about calculating one from the B&M classes I have on my transcript.   I haven't ever needed it and can't imagine that I would.

You can't calculate your own GPA, whoever asks for it will take it from the school transcript, or combine them all and calculate it themselves.

Otherwise, wouldn't we all just calculate our GPA to a 4.0?  I know I would!

[cookderosa]

I think it depends on what you're calculating it for. If I were asked on a job application or grad school application what my GPA is, and I had classes from a college that put my GPA at 3.5, but "lost" it when I transferred into a new college, I don't think it's unethical to list 3.5 GPA. Of course someone official will do it if they need to, but it's easy enough to figure out using a GPA calculator, and it checks the box.

I think another situation might be calculating your own sub-GPAs for the purposes of graduate school or internships. You might calculate "only science" as an example, since that could be asked on an intern application. Even though a college like TESU doesn't do it for you, you can still do it. The receiver of your calculation can / probably will do it too- but again, I think it's ok to figure it out.

In my opinion, this is the converse of the same question "will I have a 4.0 GPA if I take 1 class at TESU and earn an "A"." Of course your GPA on your transcript says 4.0, but we all know that the real GPA is a cumulative number- so is it more honest to list the one on your TESU transcript or one that is accurate? If it matters, Iguess the official receiver will calculate it on their own and figure out the truth- maybe.

[dfrecore]

I think it depends on what you're calculating it for. If I were asked on a job application or grad school application what my GPA is, and I had classes from a college that put my GPA at 3.5, but "lost" it when I transferred into a new college, I don't think it's unethical to list 3.5 GPA.  Of course someone official will do it if they need to, but it's easy enough to figure out using a GPA calculator, and it checks the box.  

I think another situation might be calculating your own sub-GPAs for the purposes of graduate school or internships.  You might calculate "only science" as an example, since that could be asked on an intern application.  Even though a college like TESU doesn't do it for you, you can still do it.  The receiver of your calculation can / probably will do it too- but again, I think it's ok to figure it out.

In my opinion, this is the converse of the same question "will I have a 4.0 GPA if I take 1 class at TESU and earn an "A"."  Of course your GPA on your transcript says 4.0, but we all know that the real GPA is a cumulative number- so is it more honest to list the one on your TESU transcript or one that is accurate?  If it matters, Iguess the official receiver will calculate it on their own and figure out the truth- maybe.

I guess my point is that if a school/company specifically asks for a GPA, they're not asking you to personally "calculate" it in some special way.  And really, anyone who is asking for your GPA will probably look at your transcripts, and the rest won't bother to ask because they don't care (majority of employers).