schools with P/F curriculum

[entranced]

hey everyone, im not sure if there is already a thread out like this one, but im just trying to get a feel for which med schools are less competitive than others. med school is gonna be stressful no matter what. but i must say i would certainly prefer to be around non-anal ppl who are not constantly competing for good grades. so yeah, which schools do not use a ranking system for their students and have a P/F curriculum? thanks a bunch!

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[jtnagle]

All the information on grading can be found in MSAR or on a school's website. However, most schools that use a P/F scale actually use a Honors/High Pass/ Pass/Fail system, so there is still plenty of competition.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

From what I understand, just because they have P/F doesn't mean that they don't rank you against your peers. Eventually, the dean will have to write a letter for you when you apply to residency, and you will be ranked at that point. I assume that they keep track of your exam grades somewhere, and rank you at the end. It's just that your grades as you go along are Pass/Fail, and no particular grade is visible except for your aggregate rank against your peers after you are done.

Is this correct, anyone?

I'd love to be in a P/F system as I'd rather focus on learning the material rather than worrying about what grade I'm getting. But, alas, we have grades at my medical school. Back to the GPA grind! (

 

[drizzt3117]

From what I understand, just because they have P/F doesn't mean that they don't rank you against your peers. Eventually, the dean will have to write a letter for you when you apply to residency, and you will be ranked at that point. I assume that they keep track of your exam grades somewhere, and rank you at the end. It's just that your grades as you go along are Pass/Fail, and no particular grade is visible except for your aggregate rank against your peers after you are done.

Is this correct, anyone?

I'd love to be in a P/F system as I'd rather focus on learning the material rather than worrying about what grade I'm getting. But, alas, we have grades at my medical school. Back to the GPA grind! (

It depends on the school. "High-Pass" or P/F/H schools give "honors" to the top 15% or so, have AOA (which is essentially honors, or have different ways of ranking applicants. Some P/F schools, like the UCs, have no AOA or rankings, although they may have "hidden class rank". Yale has no grades at all and exams are optional

 

[Rud42]

It depends on the school. "High-Pass" or P/F/H schools give "honors" to the top 15% or so, have AOA (which is essentially honors, or have different ways of ranking applicants. Some P/F schools, like the UCs, have no AOA or rankings, although they may have "hidden class rank". Yale has no grades at all and exams are optional

I think Yale would be nice since the grades are truly P/F. It allows for better intrastudent (?) learning and a desire to learn the material and not find the best material for the next exam.

 

[voirlesetoiles]

If rankings are given at some med schools with a P/F system... and the rankings count towards residency.... I don't see how the P/F system reduces stress. There's still pressure to perform well in relation to peers, and make the high numbers on exams.

 

[drizzt3117]

If rankings are given at some med schools with a P/F system... and the rankings count towards residency.... I don't see how the P/F system reduces stress. There's still pressure to perform well in relation to peers, and make the high numbers on exams.

I think it reduces stress to have grades in some ways. At a school like Yale, where there isn't any grades at all, then yeah you can chill a bit, but on the other hand, USMLE matters that much more, as well as SUBJECTIVE clinical evaluations... so thats a different kind of stress, at least IMO.

 

[Zippership]

hey everyone, im not sure if there is already a thread out like this one, but im just trying to get a feel for which med schools are less competitive than others. med school is gonna be stressful no matter what. but i must say i would certainly prefer to be around non-anal ppl who are not constantly competing for good grades. so yeah, which schools do not use a ranking system for their students and have a P/F curriculum? thanks a bunch!

Just go to this website, select "Two intervals," and search away:

http://services.aamc.org/currdir/section1/grading1.cfm

Also, I'm gonna put in a little plug for HMS. P/F first two years + no rank + no AOA (this is key) = really happy, well bonded class.

 

[Picklesali]

I'm sorry, what is AOA??

 

[Zippership]

I'm sorry, what is AOA??

Alpha Omega Alpha - a medical honors society similar to Phi Beta Kappa for college.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Omega_Alpha

 

[antihero94]

hey everyone, im not sure if there is already a thread out like this one, but im just trying to get a feel for which med schools are less competitive than others. med school is gonna be stressful no matter what. but i must say i would certainly prefer to be around non-anal ppl who are not constantly competing for good grades. so yeah, which schools do not use a ranking system for their students and have a P/F curriculum? thanks a bunch!

The University of Connecticut School of Medicine is a true pass/fail system the first 2 years, with honors/pass/fail the third year, and 3 courses int he 4th year that are honors/pass/fail (electives are pass/fail).

We have no AOA and no class rankings.

As a side note: How does a school state it is pass/fail when it gives out AOA to "the top XX% of the class."