Question about Grades

[OTOLUSER]

I have a question for the attendings on the forum...
Looking at the sticky by neutropeniaboy it seems like you really need to get honors on most of your 3rd year clinical rotations to be an above average applicant. How do PDs take into account variations in the subjectivity of grading that occurs at every school. Some schools offer honors to 5% of the class where others to 30+%, some offer honors to those who score above X% on the shelf exam while others offer it to those who score 20 points lower. Since third year grades seem to be quite important I was just wondering how they are used to compare applicants from different schools.

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[DoctwoB]

I have a question for the attendings on the forum...
Looking at the sticky by neutropeniaboy it seems like you really need to get honors on most of your 3rd year clinical rotations to be an above average applicant. How do PDs take into account variations in the subjectivity of grading that occurs at every school. Some schools offer honors to 5% of the class where others to 30+%, some offer honors to those who score above X% on the shelf exam while others offer it to those who score 20 points lower. Since third year grades seem to be quite important I was just wondering how they are used to compare applicants from different schools.

Most schools in their Deans letter will include grade breakdown by clerkships, explaining what their grades mean and what percentage of the class gets what. Whether or not people actually read that in depth probably varies between programs.

 

[OTOLUSER]

Yeah so I know schools send the MSPE, but I was wondering if the attendings that visit this forum actually analyze that..?

 

[neutropeniaboy]

^Yup.

 

[OTOLUSER]

^Yup.

So would you say hypothetically an HP or even pass at one school can be equivalent to an Honors at another school in your mind when analyzing applicants?

 

[DrBodacious]

The comparison you want to be considered in is, "which applicant's honors are more valuable: applicant a, or applicant b?"