cGPA/sGPA and interpreting the MSAR

[Thundercat8383i38]

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[Lucca]

sGPA is slightly more important than cGPA in admissions, but I would apply as if you had a 3.8. Granular differences between GPA and thresholds are not appropriate markers for deciding whether or not you should apply. For example, if you have a 3.75 but the 25th percentile is 3.76, that doesn't mean that your app is dead on arrival at that school.

Think of it like a tradeoff between risk and reward. You will be rewarded more often for making safe choices (schools where you are comfortably within the 25th-75th percentile, or even amongst the highest 10% of accepted students), but you might personally *rly* want to apply to a school that is statistically much riskier (somewhere you are closer to the 10th than the 25th percentile). The idea is to make a list that isn't just one or the other but represents a healthy compromise between your dreams and aspirations and what should be your realistic expectations.

 

[Goro]

Hi! I didn't take many science courses in undergrad, and did decently well at my DIY postbac (Berkeley Extension). This makes my cGPA/sGPA 3.75 and 3.97 respectively.

How will schools interpret this "split"? Which GPA should I use to make educated decisions on choosing schools on the MSAR- cumulative, science, or an average of both?

Thank you!

There are plenty of med schools that reward reinvention.