<p>This is something that has got me wondering, ever since I joined this forum. I spend a good majority of the day researching and studying, and I usually have this site loaded in my browser. I’ll take occasional breaks to just read and catch up with the forum, and it seems as though every day there is a new GPA related question.</p>
<p>Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems to be that the general consensus is this- proving that you are diversified, volunteering (things of that nature), and writing a killer essay are the main components? I have read quite a bit on this site where many people were accepted into med school with less-than spectacular standardized scores (SAT, MCAT, GPA), but amazing essays and the like…</p>
<p>I’m not asking if it is disregarded, I know that claim is false. However, I would like to know if GPA is something that should really be sweated over as much as the other aforementioned attributes to an application?</p>
<p>I’m one of those students that doesn’t really have a GPA-related problem. I’ve pretty much always kept it in top shape when I was being serious. That’s actually why I am asking, as one who has been lead to believe top-GPA = top-school.</p>
<p>At its most basic level, GPA indicates how you handle your courses. Your committee letter should mention whether you took the most rigorous classes possible–some of that can be gleaned from your transcript too. Maintaining a high GPA (>3.7) in a rigorous (at least full-time, probably with some semesters with extra classes) courseload full of your school’s most difficult classes (which might be honors, maybe not) shows medical schools that you (at least theoretically) have what it takes to succeed in a challenging academic environment.</p>
<p>As for the GPA posts, notice that many of them are younger students. Presumably these are students who did well in high school and expected to do well in college also–but after a year or two, are falling short of that 4.0 they thought was a guarantee. Also, it’s the end of spring semester, so a whole new set of grades are now available. Plus, there’s a pretty huge possibility that the vast majority of students who use this site aren’t concerned with their GPA–certainly more than, say, ten students (approximately the number of new GPA posts, don’t you think?) browse this forum pretty regularly. Now, of course I’m just generalizing, but this seems to explain what I’ve noticed too.</p>
<p>For me, the closest I came to a GPA freak out is when I realized during the spring of junior year that every single college class ever taken counts toward my AMCAS GPA. I chose to take calculus II in high school (B+) and intro English online (B+)–neither of these count toward my university’s GPA, but they both counted toward AMCAS, so my AMCAS GPA was slightly lower (3.80 rather than 3.83) than expected.</p>
<p>Seems like a lot of people freak out when they realize it’s either a) harder to raise their GPA than expected or b) that original grades their university allowed them to replace (say, by retaking a course) actually count toward their GPA. You’ll notice that every so often there’s a kid who says “Well, I had a 2.1 at this CC, but when I transferred, I retook all those classes, and now I have a 3.7, so I’m set…right?” and then freaks out when he realizes that nope…grade replacing doesn’t exist for AMCAS. (oops, that part got a little ramble-y) :)</p>
<p>Well like kristin says GPA is a proxy for how well you will handle the rigors of a medical school education. Many, many med school use GPAs as a screener to weed out applicants. Medical school have so many applicants, they can’t possibly even look at each application they receive. GPA and MCAT scores are the first (of many) throttling devices used by med schools to eliminate potential candidates.</p>
<p>There is also a LOT of hype that GPA alone “makes” an applicant. People get hysterical because they get a single C or even a single B in their pre reqs. But the process doesn’t work like that; the process is much more complex. I think some less mature individuals tend to fixate on the GPA as one part of the process they can control–whereas there are so many things in the process they can’t. (Someone said on this site that pre meds hate uncertainty. I think that’s a true assessment.)</p>
<p>Also like kristin said, it’s spring, grades just came out and some individuals are starting to realize their their fantasy (and yes, for some people it is a fantasy based on family expectations or an immature understanding of the med school application process or an idealized vision of their future or the romantic notion of a career “helping people”) is not realizable. Either they lack the self discipline, the innate ability or the drive to do well in courses that may admittedly be designed to discourage 2/3rd of them from pursuing their fantasy. It’s a painful lesson and one that individuals who have easily achieved their goals up until now are having trouble facing.</p>
<p>While GPA isn’t the end-all-be-all for getting in, it is if your GPA is terrible.
Many of the people freaking out about it are the ones with GPAs that are neither decent nor mediocre, but bad.</p>
<p>If your GPA is 3.3-3.5, ok.
If it’s below 3, you’d better freak out if you think med school is what the future is supposed to hold for you.</p>
<p>I think the biggest take home point is that, yes GPA is important, but so is everything else. As others have correctly said, GPA is a door opener, getting you past the screening process. You’re right that many (myself included) got into med school with GPA’s below 3.5, the point is not that GPA isn’t important, but that it can be overcome. It’s the application as a whole that matters.</p>
<p>The average MCAT score of matriculants is in the 30-32 range. For those with this “average” MCAT score:</p>
<p>Of those with GPA 3.80-4.00, 82.3% are accepted to at least one medical school.
Of those with GPA 3.60-3.79, 72.1% are accepted to at least one medical school.
Of those with GPA 3.40-3.59, 55.5% are accepted to at least one medical school.
Of those with GPA 3.20-3.39, 38.7% are accepted to at least one medical school.
Of those with GPA 3.00-3.19, 29.7% are accepted to at least one medical school.</p>
<p>GPA’s not everything. You can’t get in on numbers alone, and you sure can get in with a marginal GPA if everything else is great enough. But it’s silly to think that overall GPA is not ridiculously important for med school admissions. “If your GPA is 3.3-3.5, ok” is a dangerous attitude to have if you’re interested in gaining admission to an MD school and want statistics to be on your side.</p>
<p>THAT BEING SAID, bluedevilmike raised a very important point: there is a definite point of diminishing returns with regards to studying, and for most people it is probably very important to find that point and keep it in mind so that they have enough time to develop an application which is strong in all the other important areas.</p>
<p>Well for me personally…GPA is important because it’s probably the only thing I can measure and compare with other students or others who are already in med school to track my progress. I haven’t even started preparing for the MCAT so that’s not a way to measure myself and EC’s are a bit harder to compare, but with GPA I can see if I am keeping up with what I need in order to achieve my goals or not.</p>