High Undergraduate GPA, Low Masters GPA

[User4286]

I did my undergrad in Biochemistry and had a 3.94 GPA. I was doing research in AI Diagnostics and it really got me interested in the applications of CS in medicine. I decided to pursue an Ivy League master's in Computer Science and my GPA is 2.78 after my first semester and probably will be 2.85ish after my second semester and will be applying this cycle. I had to work full-time to pay for classes (also full-time last semester and one class under full time this semester), compared to undergrad where I had a full ride. I experienced the death of a grandparent (particularly impactful as I was the one who found and attempted to resuscitate) and the breakup of my relationship of 5 years during this time. The master's program is also in a completely different discipline than my undergrad and at a T10 school which has made it particularly difficult to excel with my more experienced peers. Also, the program is fully online which makes it difficult for me to receive support and just in general do well. None of these are excusable reasons for doing badly, but I wanted to explain my situation. Overall I do think I've learned a lot and will be able to apply it in my research. But am now concerned about applying to T20's. Do you think this will significantly impact my chances of getting into medical school? My BCMP GPA is not affected by classes I will take in this program currently: 3.93. I have seen lots of conflicting information online and am freaking out. How should I weigh this? Should I average my GPA of both and use that as a means to determine where to apply? I do have 5 pubs, 3000+ Research Hours, about 2000+ volunteer hours, 2000+ clinical hours, and currently work as a Software Engineer. I am scheduled for my MCAT in June. Would a good MCAT be enough to show I still got it academically? Should I write what I was going through in my supplemental essay as I am very concerned? Would mentioning these in a supplemental essay detract from them thinking I am mentally capable of handling medical school?

P.S. The way the classes are weighted is only one hour per class - so even if I got a 2.8 throughout my overall GPA would drop to 3.84. Not sure if that is a reliable metric since weights mean different things in undergrad vs. masters.

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[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

From my understanding, med schools don't care about non-SMP MS programs. You might have to explain yourself a bit but I don't think it'd be a horrible mark against you. 🤷‍♂️

 

[LizzyM]

undergrad GPA is separate from masters GPA and the two are never displayed as a combination.

 

[User4286]

From my understanding, med schools don't care about non-SMP MS programs. You might have to explain yourself a bit but I don't think it'd be a horrible mark against you. 🤷‍♂️

Thank you!

 

[User4286]

undergrad GPA is separate from masters GPA and the two are never displayed as a combination.

Gotcha! I appreciate it! how do you think it would be weighted? Do you think it would disqualify me from many T20 schools?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I would want to know why you shifted from computer science to medicine through your activities, especially once you started your master's program (meaning, you can't rely on your undergrad activities alone).

 

[User4286]

I would want to know why you shifted from computer science to medicine through your activities, especially once you started your master's program (meaning, you can't rely on your undergrad activities alone).

Most definitely! I will attempt to do that, but it has only been a year so have been focused on learning but planning on interning in an AI Cancer lab in the summer!

 

[candbgirl]

How are your expected med school ECs?
I’m not sure why you are jumping right into med school applications. What makes you think you want another 7+ years of schooling and training.
What’s your MCAT?
Maybe slow down, try out something in AI long term and see what develops. In the meantime fill in this grid. It will help you and us decide if you are ready to apply.

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[User4286]

How are your expected med school ECs?
I’m not sure why you are jumping right into med school applications. What makes you think you want another 7+ years of schooling and training.
What’s your MCAT?
Maybe slow down, try out something in AI long term and see what develops. In the meantime fill in this grid. It will help you and us decide if you are ready to apply.

*~*~*~*IMPORTANT: How to Format Your WAMC Thread for Optimal Results and More!!*~*~*~*

Hello, and welcome to the What Are My Chances (WAMC) forum. The purpose of this forum is to Post threads about your chances of acceptance to MD and/or DO schools Have your school list critiqued and modified by other members of SDN Determine how to strengthen your current application General...

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I kind of did mention my extracurriculars in the post but yes MCAT will be a determining factor for sure! I do have 5 pubs, 3000+ Research Hours at a cancer hospital, about 2000+ volunteer hours, and 2000+ clinical hours, Was president of a club and currently hold several leadership titles! I worked as an MA, shadowed, and volunteered at my local hospital! That is what got me interested in medicine I do think my master's was more an extension of my interest in medicine in the first place, it was something extending my research! Thats why I feel I want to do 7+ years of schooling and training!

 

[candbgirl]

I kind of did mention my extracurriculars in the post but yes MCAT will be a determining factor for sure! I do have 5 pubs, 3000+ Research Hours at a cancer hospital, about 2000+ volunteer hours, and 2000+ clinical hours, Was president of a club and currently hold several leadership titles! I worked as an MA, shadowed, and volunteered at my local hospital! That is what got me interested in medicine I do think my master's was more an extension of my interest in medicine in the first place, it was something extending my research! Thats why I feel I want to do 7+ years of schooling and training!

Well you didn’t give even a hint of what those many thousands of hours of clinical and volunteer hours included. Was your work as a MA the 2000 clinical hours? Do you have 50 hours of shadowing(that’s all you need) including some with a primary care doc? What did you do for nonclinical volunteering? It would help if you filled in the grid I linked above but it doesn’t seem like you want to. And that’s just fine. Remember that applying to med school is a crap shoot. Each year only around 40% of all applicants are accepted and of that number about half are accepted to only one school. This means around 60% of applicants are out right rejected each cycle, and that includes stellar applicants. When people on here ask you questions it’s because they want to help you submit the best possible picture of yourself. There is no other reason at all for asking you to clarify something.
Good luck on your MCAT.

 

[User4286]

Okay gotcha, my apologies. I didnt realize that was what you were asking. Honestly, this post was just to ask about the impact of my graduate GPA. I will be making a separate post for that once I do have my MCAT done but was worried about how much gGPA was weighted. I appreciate the advice and feedback! I can see how my post was just a little bit too much for just that especially when describing my answers I should've stuck to just asking about graduate GPA! I'll keep that in mind in my future post!