<p>I am international and in my country talking openly about grades is perfectly normal, but since I came to the US I have noticed that grades are kept a quite private matter (back home the teachers would read out loud the grades of the whole class after tests etc, so, quite private indeed )
However, I want to ask a MHC student who went to do engineering at Dartmouth what her GPA was so I can gauge my chances at getting a scholarship. I feel like asking her whether it’s ok wouldn’t really give her a choice so</p>
<p>I mean, some people don’t think it’s a big deal to proffer their gpa.</p>
<p>Personally, though, although I’m proud of my gpa, I think asking someone is appropriate.</p>
<p>It seems that most of the time asking about someone’s gpa sounds is mostly for superficial reasons. Even your own question would be better served by doing some research rather than looking at one single person’s gpa which will honestly tell you nothing of your chances or how gpa is judged in the overall process.</p>
<p>It shouldn’t be inappropriate to ask, just like it shouldn’t be inappropriate to ask if someone is in debt. The problem is that everyone is assumed to have a good GPA and everyone is assumed not to be in debt, so it’s shameful for them to admit the truth. You probably aren’t going to find anyone who flat-out won’t tell you if you ask. I’m the kind of person who would ask “Is it okay if I ask your GPA?” But I know, even if they don’t really want to, probably anyone is going to oblige.</p>
<p>What I really want to do is just to **** it and ask them like it’s no big deal. This country is too obsessed with privacy anyway… Everyone is ashamed…</p>
<p>Well, if someone has a poor gpa… it’s obviously embarassing to tell you. And by asking them, they are pretty much forced to reveal the information, because if they refuse to tell you it would signal they probably don’t have a good gpa anyway. Catch 22…</p>
<p>That’s why I wouldn’t ask. Someone’s gpa isn’t really my business or your business. For what reason would you want to know? It has nothing to do with you. Just seems like needless prying…</p>
<p>I would equate it to asking someone what their annual income is – it is just poor taste.</p>
<p>Haha… Yeah, I asked this guy how much he made nonchalantly when he paid for me. He told me it was rude to ask lol. Again, it’s “poor taste” because people are ashamed of things they shouldn’t be ashamed of. What do they think, that I’m going to make fun of them? Seriously…</p>
<p>The world would be a better place if everyone had open, scientific minds and did not worry about privacy so much.</p>
<p>I assume you are interested in the 5-year dual engineering program with Dartmouth? If you want advice on the finances or administrivia of the program, that is probably a better way to approach the conversation. “I am very interested in this program but I am concerned about the finances. I would need a scholarship to attend but I am not sure if my grades are high enough to qualify. Do you happen to know anything about the scholarship criteria?” Well, you can probably find a better way to phrase this, but I would give her the option not to disclose her own GPA without making the conversation completely awkward. </p>
<p>Do you know which faculty member(s) at MHC are in charge of the exchange? Chances are that there is a professor who has advised several students who have attended this program. He or she would know better what academic background MHC and Dartmouth expect. If I understand the program correctly, you would be applying for a scholarship from MHC (rather than Dartmouth), wouldn’t you? If so, there must be someone at MHC who can tell you <em>exactly</em> under what conditions you would qualify for a scholarship!</p>
<p>By the way, it is completely acceptable to ask a professor about the GPA range of students who have been accepted into the program (or received a scholarship) in the past - much more so than asking about the GPA of any single student.</p>
<p>I figure if someone wants to tell me, they will. I sometimes ask, but only close friends. But when we talk about grad school/law school applications, the topic of GPA inevitably comes up.</p>
<p>Of course! I always ask people what their gpa’s are and they never hesitate to answer…it’s not like asking someone what their gpa is will hurt their feelings.</p>
<p>I ask occasionally but I’m always as polite as possible and its always in the context of a conversation which already involved grades. I usually just say “what’s your gpa, if you don’t mind me asking.” If they’re uncomfortable with revealing it, they just say “its pretty low” or something along those lines. I never tell what my gpa is after I ask unless they subsequently ask me as well. It would just seem like I’m fishing for vindication if I come out and say my gpa when they didn’t ask.</p>
Really? I hate when people aren’t modest about their grades. “I got a *****ing 30 on the ACT. I smoked it! What did you get?” Me: “…32…” “Oh… Nice, man…” Because you weren’t modest, I feel like a dick. When I’m not modest, I feel like I’m belittling everyone.</p>
<p>
In my experience, it will seem like that whether you intended for it or not. I guess the exception would be if your score was pretty low and you obviously expected theirs to be higher.</p>
)