This is a follow-up to my earlier post on Tuck Scholarhood…it turns out that the process isn’t exactly shrouded in secrecy, it’s just that you have to ask a few questions to the right people.

Here’s how it works: Your grades are transferred to a number system on the following scale:

• H = 4
• S+ = 3
• S =2
• LP = 1

Mini’s count 1/2 as much as full courses.  Grades earned in study abroad programs don’t count.  If you overloaded your schedule and took extra courses, it will only help to the extent that you earned better grades.

When I discovered this simple scale, the first thing I did was build an Excel spreadsheet to calculate my Tuck “GPA.”  (I have a 3.3)  Then I spent an hour playing with pivot tables and VLookup functions to run some scenarios…how would my “GPA” be different if I hadn’t blown that DecSci final?  If my website hadn’t angered that strat professor?  If I tried harder in mancom?  you get the idea

So why doesn’t Tuck use a GPA system?  The best reason is probably that nerdy obsessive types like me would spend hours analyzing their grades, instead of developing their social skills and meeting their classmates…

Anyway, that’s the last you’ll read about it here, except maybe to congratulate my classmates, once the announcements are made.  I’m pretty sure that I’m just not going to make the cut!