Worried about Pre-Med at MIT :(

Jalmoreno
Sun, 06 Feb 2011 00:27:32 +0000

I don’t get why med schools are so obsessed with numbers. Oftentimes, it seems like those numbers fail to actually prove who is best. Just 'cause I have a 3.9 GPA does not make me smart (especially if I majored in an “easy” field or went to a “easy” school). I hate the idea of playing numbers game and feel that everyone should be able to pursue what they want without having to make those particular choices for grad school or fearing a class that will lower their GPA. I prefer the graduate schools that focus more on the person, their research experience and what they can bring to the school, and less on the GPA and test scores.

Also, of note for MIT, I’m not sure if MIT suffers so much from grade deflation (i.e. only a small percentage of people get “good” grades) as it does from simple difficulty. I know many MIT classes are on curves, but I’m sure those curves still allow for an ample amount of As and Bs. If anything, it’s the MIT curriculum (which is more advanced than many of its peer institutions) that lends to the atmosphere and perception of difficulty. Simply put, the amount of effort I have to put in to get a B in an MIT class would equate to an A in the flagship state university back home; however, there isn’t a lack of As at MIT (correct me if I’m wrong). Also, MIT students focus on sciences/engineering, fields that normally have lower grades than non-science fields, leading to generally lower GPAs.