<p>Which of the two are more significant for admissions?</p>
<p>Major GPA is not a part of the admissions process.</p>
<p>If I understand joexc’s question - which I may not, since bdm read it differently - the more significant gpa is the cummulative. The degree gpa is only the gpa from the degree-granting institution. This gpa may or may not coincide with the cumm gpa, depending on whether the student started at a different school and transferred, or took summer classes at a different school as a non-degree student. LSAC looks at the cumm gpa in order to figure in the entire college record.</p>
<p>The usual meaning of ‘degree GPA,’ so what I believe the OP to mean, is the cumulative GPA earned within all courses taken towards a degree. A Philosophy major’s ‘degree GPA,’ for example, would be the grade point average of all of her Philosophy courses (and no others). In theory, she could get straight A’s in her Philosophy courses and fail everything else, and so have a ‘degree GPA’ of 4.0 despite having a very poor cumulative GPA).</p>
<p>That said, both of the above posts are true. None of my applications asked for degree GPA, nor did the LSDAS report calculate or include it.</p>
<p>S615 is right on the money. Whatever the OP means, the answer is the same: cumulative GPA (one m) is the only one that matters.</p>
<p>This is actually fascinating, and I mean that seriously. I read student615’s first sentence:
and that’s exactly what I meant with my answerin post #3. </p>
<p>But I read student615’s second sentence
to be at odds with the first. I think of degree as being B.A. or B.S., while I think of philosophy as the major focus of study pursued in the course of earning the degree. </p>
<p>This is not a big deal since, as bdm points out, we all arrive at the same point. But I’ve often been intrigued by how differently we all read and interpret the exact same words / information. It makes me think - to draw the broader conclusion - that human beings will never be on the same page. As someone once said about England and the US, two countries divided by a common language.</p>
<p>Ah…fair point. And Hayden, for the record, I think that you’re the one speaking more precisely (although maybe we’re “even”…my definition didn’t allow for GE type courses, but yours doesn’t allow for superfluous electives) ;)</p>
<p>We can thank bluedevilmike for stepping in with the term “Major GPA,” which I believe to be more commonly used anyway.</p>
<p>Anyway, interesting point. Sorry for the misinterpretation!</p>
<p>So I was combing through my Academic Summary report and I think I’m wrong and Hayden is right.</p>
<p>To reiterate:
Compare to LSAC:
</p>
<p>Apologies for misinterpreting the OP’s question.</p>
<p>Arguing about how words should be construed is the very essence of practicing law.</p>
<p>Haha – should I start preparing to lose? A lot?</p>