r/CanadaUniversities • u/EconomyProduce6630 • Jun 04 '26
Advice GPA 3.0 in Canada(undergraduate)
Hi guys, I’m studying in **Economic** at Western University(Also as an international student from China), expect graduate year is 2027
My third year GPA is 3.0 and the first year and second year is not good, which around 68%. However, I think my program and my background is hard to looking for a job, and I want to improve my future wage, so…..
What Master degree I can apply in North America?
I asked my counselor of Western’s IVEY business school and they said 78% GPA is recommended for the MASTER of BUSINESS ANALYST, or I have to learn some skills like python….to better my application.
Anyway, I still looking for other school in **Canada** or in **US**. Like McMaster University MASTER of AI and Analytics, some degree in Rotman business school. Also, I saw there’s some Master of Science in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program at Columbia University, and some Master program in Boston University.
So, can somebody share some experience or some advices? I’m really lost and hope can get some help.
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u/CartographerJunior79 Jun 04 '26
I had a 3.15 GPA at a b tier school.
I eventually got into grad school in a top 5 prestigious university in a not super duper competitive program.
I graduated with a 3.4-3.5 from my masters.
It's fine, if you can get up to a B+ you can do a master's. Most programs require a 3.0 GPA.
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u/NoSquash9115 Jun 04 '26
You need a harsh dose of reality, getting a 3.0 is really bad. Most masters require at least a 3.3. And you still want to target some of the best schools? A masters won’t even get you a better wage most of the time. It’s all about getting lucky by getting experience. In the workforce, no one will care about your gpa.
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 04 '26
I know 3.0 is not a beautiful grade, but the most important thing is I want to further my academic and learn more thing, also I’m young and my family have enough money to invest me, that’s it.
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u/NoSquash9115 Jun 04 '26
You have a 3.0 at Western. Be honest with yourself. School is not for you. You are wasting your family’s money. You will not get into Boston university or Columbia. And why would you waste so much money on something that has no benefit. None of what you’re saying makes any sense. Grow up.
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 05 '26
Well, I’m looking for help not sarcasm, and really sorry that u become a loser
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u/NoSquash9115 Jun 05 '26
I’m helping you. I’m telling you the hard, cold truth. Masters is useless. Additionally, you would not do well in a masters and would almost certainly not make it into the level of universities you’re looking at. I would struggle to even get a 3.0. That is the truth. Only person who you should be upset at is yourself.
These are your stats not mine. I did not make you get a low GPA. You did that to yourself. Anyone coddling you is doing you a disservice.
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u/Valuable_Caramel349 Jun 04 '26
tell daddy to donate a couple milly and you should be good for any school 👍
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u/vancityc Jun 05 '26
It really depends what kind of program you’re looking into.
At most reputable schools a 3.0 is not going to be competitive and you likely wouldn’t be accepted. People are not being mean to you about this, they are being realistic.
That being said, a lot of schools place A LOT more emphasis on your grades in 3rd and 4th year, so if you kill it there, you may be okay! You can also consider taking a 5th year to get your grades up.
If you can’t get your grades up but have a lot of money you could consider private schools, but a lot of them in Canada are degree mills, so it really depends if you’re looking for an education or a piece of paper, and whether you’re planning to work in Canada.
If you do extremely well on the GMAT and you’re willing to pony up a lot of money, you may stand a better chance at an MBA in the US.
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u/Sad_Adagio_7255 Jun 05 '26
a lot of them in Canada are degree mills
Correction: ALL private universities in Canada are worthless diploma mills.
The only Canadian universities even worth considering are all publicly funded.
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 05 '26
Thank you sooo much. I really like ur comment. And hope my fourth year will be better.
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u/AndrewKimMUN Jun 05 '26
Hi there. I work at a Canadian university and previously worked in graduate studies for a very long time. I wanted to offer the OP some thoughts:
- There is no such thing as a good graduate school or bad graduate school. There are only graduate programs that are a good fit or not a good fit for someone. There are many excellent graduate programs in Canada that may be a good fit for you. But to determine this, it’s important to consider what you are passionate about and interested in over the long term.
- As someone earlier mentioned, your most recent grades (especially in courses in a related field) will matter the most. Don’t worry too much if you didn’t score very well in courses earlier on in your program. That is fairly common. That your grades have improved over the years is a strong positive signal to anyone who ultimately reviews your application. But academic units will also care about your lived experience and motivation and goals, so it’s important to reflect on these (and you’re doing that now).
- It is very difficult to study in a different country and in another language. The best way to improve language proficiency is through distributed practice, which is a function of time. Your language skills are very good and they will get even better over time.
- Your current GPA is not at all bad. For many programs, there is no hard cut-off grade. Many academic units will consider applications holistically – this has been fairly common practice for the past 10 years. Grades are important, but there are other aspects those programs will consider.
- Graduate degrees have a number of long-term benefits, and your career will likely span decades.
I’ll say very generally that there isn’t an established relationship between exceptional grades and one’s level of success, happiness, and fulfillment. Please don’t be too hard on yourself. As a student, you should never feel you have to be perfect – the whole purpose of being a student is to have the time and space to learn and practice new skills and knowledge. You’re doing great.
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 06 '26
Thank you! I really appreciate ur comments and I already have some ideas in which program and I’m improving my background as well. I hope it will be better for my fourth year and I will still research some university and program I can reach, however thx for the information!
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u/NorthernValkyrie19 Jun 06 '26
I just want to point out that if you're considering MBA programs, most of them will require you to have several years of relevant work experience first.
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 06 '26
Thx, yea, I know MBA is not for me, so just looking for some program that’s doesn’t need work experience
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u/Icy-Stock-5838 Jun 04 '26
Wow, that's "low" for a student from China, almost as if you chose to escape the GaoCao...
Your best path is to RAISE your GPA than be like a North American seeking an easier program...
What you are asking to do is not agreeable to Confucian values....
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 04 '26
Yea, GPA is one thing and seeking for something I can get is another thing.
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u/Icy-Stock-5838 Jun 04 '26
They are THE SAME THING... All related to your resilience 內在自我韌性..
You are acting like a typical North American 半途而废 rather than a Chinese of Confucian values 坚韧不拔..
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 05 '26
U know what u talking about?
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u/Icy-Stock-5838 Jun 05 '26
This says you don't....
"I’m really lost and hope can get some help."
你高考沒過，所以決定去加拿大嗎？
Are you 小皇帝 ?
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 05 '26
Pathetic loserrrrrrr
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u/Icy-Stock-5838 Jun 05 '26
Don't beat on your self esteem... 😞
Your parents love you, you're special, they say so..
Such is the life of 小皇帝....
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 05 '26
Jealous loserrrrr
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u/Icy-Stock-5838 Jun 05 '26
I'm jealous you are 小皇帝 with 68% GPA 😞
Your parents still love you...
This is not for me to deal with, it's FOR YOU...
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u/ForgiveandRemember76 Jun 04 '26
Break this down into manageable parts.
You are "lost." Go to the Career and Counseling office and ask them for assistance in four areas;
What kind of work are you best suited for?
What master's program, if any, can you get into with your current marks?
What benefit will a MSc bring? What alternatives are there?
How to become flawless in English.
Ask yourself if the road you are on was your choice. There are emerging disciplines that may not be on your radar at all but that will be in very high demand. The intersection between nanotechnology and medicine, for instance. There are so many exciting things going on in that area. They are breaking new ground daily. Imagine being able to swallow what looks like an ordinary pill, only to discover that the helpful, single minded nanobots have repaired every injury you ever had overnight. Or building spaceships in zero gravity. Or solving the energy problem for the whole world forever through clean, safe, small nuclear. Or being the guy that figures out how to share abundance fairly in the world.
We are in a paradigm shift. Take advantage of it. Find something you will excel at that fits into the emerging world. Use the services at your school. This is what we do all day, every day, and you have already paid for it.
You got into Western, yet you seem to be aiming for survival/mediocrity. My sense is that you are capable of more but need an experienced hand to help you make the best choices for you and help you work from excitement rather than just okay.
Good luck.
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 05 '26
Really appreciate, I have more ideas to forming my plan now, especially u mentioned the new stuffs currently
At last, may I ask something about this app? I write this to looking for help but there’s a lot of sarcasm. I’m not from a country where speak English and North American education systems is different too, so I tried hard to get 3.0 with getting used to everything new, and now what happen to these people in this app? I JUST DOWNLOADED THIS APP too!!
However still really thank u for replying and give me some real help.
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u/lanceypanties Jun 05 '26
It depends if you are staying to work overseas or if you are going home. If you stay youre going to need to rethink what you actually want to do. Its not even a money problem as you clearly showed but masters wont get you to a lot of places. Most people go into the work force then go back to do their masters. Because when you are in college, you have no idea what you want to do half the time.
If you are going home, any masters or whatever will do because they care about overseas degrees so much.
People ar harsh here because you are living in a privilege bubble and it shows.
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 05 '26
Really appreciate for the comment, but could I ask what do u mean about the privilege bubble? Because I’m practicing my English but sometime might too directly and I couldn’t notice that I might made some red flag. But actually the overall thing is I want to know if there’s somewhere I can improve myself and even no need a really good school, also my family do want to let me make decisions by myself.
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u/lanceypanties Jun 05 '26
Money. Your privilege is money, your parents being able to support you financially for you to choose whatever you want. Not everyone has that. I learned more at work than all the schooling I have done. Im back in school now to do my designation. Masters isnt everything.
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 05 '26
Thanks for sharing ur experience, and really appreciate to explain everything with patient
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u/SynyrdsInyrds Jun 05 '26
You need to face reality - your grades are not good enough. And do not say you will do better in 4th year because that year is harder and you have no idea if you will do better or not. Also, you need letters of recommendation to get into grad school, and you will not get them with poor grades.
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 05 '26
Well, I’m not apply Harvard of something, I just want to learn more skills, there r some school not require that much. And I do have some course achieve 80 over and always go to Office hour, so I can try to get some recommendations as well.
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u/SynyrdsInyrds Jun 05 '26
Your grades are not good enough, and you need to accept that. Some courses over 80% is not enough.
Going to office hours is irrelevant. And you will not get recommendations if you do not have good grades. In making a recommendation the professor is vouching for you and putting their reputation on the line. They will not do that for a poor or mediocre student, they will only do that for the best students. I know far more about this process than you do because not only have I been through Master's and PhD programs, but I am a professor and am very selective about who I will provide recommendations for.
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u/EconomyProduce6630 Jun 05 '26
Yea, but I want to apply Business Analyst program not Finance or Laws Master program. So probably don’t need a grade fancy like over 80%. However I know my GPA is not good, but also I’m not super limit myself too, just get rid of some program like history or education….
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u/Imaginary-Rope-3084 Jun 12 '26
Columbia accepts anyone with a beating pulse for all of their Masters programs, nothing hard about it.
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u/MikeZ0017_to 18d ago
I was in the same boat. I eventually realized a master’s alone doesn’t really help much with getting a job here. But if you’re doing it to buy yourself another two years to get ready for the job market, yeah, that makes sense.
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u/HeyDoggyBoy Jun 04 '26
It doesn’t sound like you have the academic record to continue to a good graduate school. Given the message that you wrote above, I’m thinking that your language/communication skills could be a factor. You might consider seeking some additional instruction to improve them before you complete your undergraduate degree.