profile evaluation for ms accounting

[sud21]

I am an international student from India. My details are as follows-

1.B.Com (Accountancy Honours) from University of Calcutta (Year 2005)
Grade - 57% (Second class honours)

2.Professional Education II Course from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (November 2006). Grade - 50.6%

Revised GRE - Verbal 150/170, Quantitative - 154/170, Total - 304/340. AWA-3.5

Another thing I like to mention is that the grading or the evaluation pattern of University of Calcutta is different from the rest of Universities in India, because the average score ranges from 50-52% and it is unlike the rest of the universities whose averages are about 65-70%.

Now how would the Universities would compare the scores when there are differences in grading pattern.Moreover,the year of graduation should also need to be taken into consideration by taking into the fact about the escalation of scores in recent years.

So, I am mainly concerned about conversion of GPA and if I need to evaluate my degree then which evaluator should I prefer, WES or ECE or any other you may suggest.

Also, I have attempted few times in the Final examination of ICAI, do I need to send the transcripts of those exams even though I did not complete.

Another important thing is that the grading pattern of ICAI regarding Professional Education II or the Final exams are much different since it is a professional accounting course leading to a professional qualification.Now, how would the Universities as well as any evaluator such as WES would take the grading pattern into context, because 50% here is not equivalent to a 50% in a coursework, the reason being scoring here is much tougher compared to any coursework exams.

Kindly, give your opinion about the above complex aspects.

Moreover, what are the chances of getting assistantships in an average university.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear sud21,

For the best conversion of your GPA to a US 4.0 scale, you do want to spend the money on a service like WES. While you can find conversion tables that allow you to do it yourself, you are correct that schools are a bit different in their patterns and the credentialing services should take that into account. Unless the MS program asks for the transcripts of your ICAI exams, you do not need to submit those; most programs only ask for transcripts from your college degree and standardized test scores (i.e., GMAT or GRE). As for assistantships and scholarships, your best chance at these opportunities is to apply early and to programs where you will be viewed as an above average applicant.

Good luck,
Lisa

[sud21]

Dear Lisa,

Thank you for the details. Recently, I converted my grades into GPA by using WES IGPA calculator. However, I am not sure whether they are considering the grading pattern of the different Universities of India as well as the year in which the graduation took place.Because, as I stated earlier, there are differences in mean scores of each Universities for different years. However, as you mentioned that the evaluating agencies should look at them, it would be better if they do look.

At the sametime, I converted ICAI grades but I believe the calculator is not programmed to take the differences in grading pattern.So will it be fruitful to send the ICAI transcripts to evaluating agencies.The reason is that if they look at the ICAI grades at par to that of any Universities, then it would not be a fair evaluation.Moreover, if I get two GPAs then which one the University will consider.

Furthermore, in University of Calcutta we are awarded the honours degree based on the marks scored in the honours subjects and not taking all the subjects which are shown in the transcript.Now, how could I convey this information to the evaluating agencies because if all the subjects are considered then the GPA will come down.

Regarding, selection of Universities are there any sites where I can search with my probable GPA of 3.00 and GRE score.Moreover, with my stated GPA which Universities should I particularly look for.

[Lisa Anderson]

Unfortunately, I am not aware of a website that offers a comprehensive search engine for MS programs based on criteria like GPA or GRE score. It is possible you might find a snapshot of several programs' averages of these types of measures by a publication's ranking of MS programs, but there are not many rankings of MS programs out there. It seems your best avenue, with the most up to date information, will be to look at each MS program's materials for detail on average GPA and GRE scores of admitted/matriculated students.

Happy researching!
Lisa

[sud21]

Dear Lisa,

Thank you for your views. Regarding credential evaluation agency, such as in case of WES, I found many complaints against them posted in different blogs and sites, I don't know whether those are legitimate or not because it is not possible to verify the accuracy of those posts, but still those tend to have a negative influence on the students who are planning to take services from WES. Since you are associated with related services and also since you have more knowledge, can you suggest whether I should go for their services, although you mentioned that I should have their services, but still people tend to think a number of times before making any decision.