Hi,

I read somewhere the number of months of work experience is calculated based on the number of months of full time work up until the day of matriculation.

Are there any fudge factors to this calculation? For example, I finished my undergrad degree, did a 8 month coop and then returned to school for 4 months to finish a couple of elective classes needed to get a masters degree.

I was given a full-time offer, 2 months into my coop and I really spent the next 6 months working in the same capacity as a full time employee and owning tasks that I would continue to own when I returned full time. My manager will attest to this fact.

Would the adcoms take this into consideration or would they stay strict about the work experience calculation?

It's usually defined purely as "full-time work experience," although really what they're looking for is the work you did outside of internships, co-ops, and part-time jobs that you did in school.

In your case, I think you can probably "start the clock ticking" with when you finished your undergraduate degree. As long as your title wasn't something like "Co-op" or "Intern," then you should credibly be able to claim this as part time work!

Scott