4.0 GPA- is it really possible?!!?!?!

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ya I think it's possible but very difficult. I don't have a 4.0 (3.922) but some of my friends do. At my school, I'd say it takes intelligence/hard work and luck as in you can't get one of those teachers that start giving out grades at A-'s and then your 4.0 is gone. Some professors in my major start out grades at A-'s, and if the overall class performance is bad, they start giving out grades at B+'s. But it definitely is possible, and for the poster above me, congrats on your 4.0. It's hard to maintain as in can't make any mistakes and can't have super mean professors.
 
how the hell do people pull of 4.0's? i study my ass off and have nowhere near 4.0.
 
major in psych
 
it depends on which school you go to and what major you are. i know several people in stonybrook and also st johns in queens with 4.0. i dont know anyone in my current college with 4.0 if following amcas grading with no A+
 
i think it ultimately depends on the school you go to. I got to a UC and i think all UC's are competitive as far as premed classes goes. a lot kids who just want that A and will do anything to get it. but i still don't know how people get 3.9 or 4.0 at hard schools. it amazes me
 
Its possible. Looking back I probably could have done it but I would have had a sucky time in college. NOT worth the trade AT ALL. Like a previous poster said: smarts, HARD WORK, and luck are all factors. But alas, you can still maintain a high gpa and have a sweet time in college if you use your time wisely 🙂.
 
hannahsahib said:
i would like to know that too....
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From my experience at a school where grading style and professor quality vary to a huge degree, the difference between a 4.0 and a 3.8 is ALL in the right choosing of professors (where possible) and one's being able to quickly adapt to different testing styles (that is, "testig well").

At my school, for example, students who take genetics either get a professor who is ungodly hard and whose tests pull lots of tricks (UT kids, you know who I'm talking about!), or one who is far less difficult and whose tests are more straightforward (there are a few of these profs teaching genetics here, as well). Going on sites like PickaProf will give you a good idea of whom to take a class with, and this is always reflected by the fact that the easier professor's classes fill up the soonest. Choosing the right instructor even applies to TA's in some classes (not labs, where it's standard to curve all the grades from the TA's of all sections at the end of the semester), if they are doing the primary teaching.

Also, the difference depends on your ability to be flexible in test taking skills (easier said than done!). If you're used to a certain testing "style," you'll find it more difficult to get A's in classes with a diff testing strategy.

But med schools, I'm sure, realize that there are factors involved in GPA that are beyond the student's control (like picking profs), so there really isn't much of a difference in two students' chances attending the same school, both with the same major, one who has a 3.8 and the other a 4.0.

If you're asking for advice on maximizing your GPA (assuming you already have good study habits and good test-taking skills), use online resources like PickaProf (most students here use this every semester when registering for classes) so you can avoid taking classes taught by "hard" professors in which you're less likely to get an A in. Also, if you can get your hands on old exams, this will help you understand how the prof asks questions (and, generally, how they "think" when writing tests). Trust me, these two stragies, I'm convinced, have helped me tremendously in the GPA.
 
Oh, and remember, a 4.0 from a student who has little of a life outside academics is far less impressive to adcoms (and anyone, really) than one w/ a 3.8 who does a lot outside classes.
 
kingofthehill said:
From my experience at a school where grading style and professor quality vary to a huge degree, the difference between a 4.0 and a 3.8 is ALL in the right choosing of professors (where possible) and one's being able to quickly adapt to different testing styles (that is, "testig well").
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kingofthehill said:
Oh, and remember, a 4.0 from a student who has little of a life outside academics is far less impressive to adcoms (and anyone, really) than one w/ a 3.8 who does a lot outside classes.
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True and True!
 
I think the real question is whether adcoms see a significant difference between a 3.8 or 3.9 and a 4.0 in terms of acceptance rates... if you have a 3.8 and you don't get into medical school, do you really think it's your GPA that's keeping you out? 🙄

And yes, it's very possible to maintain a high GPA with extracurriculars and a social life. I'm at a 3.95 following the second semester of my junior year and I'm heavily involved in band, volunteering, etc, and have had plenty of time to hang out with friends. If you're having trouble balancing things, reevaluate how you're spending your study time. Efficiency can more than compensate for unending hours in the library. 👍
 
I'm currently a junior and I have a 4.0 (don't know if I still will after this semester- remains to be seen). I study a lot, but I still have a decent social life and a job.
 
kingofthehill said:
Oh, and remember, a 4.0 from a student who has little of a life outside academics is far less impressive to adcoms (and anyone, really) than one w/ a 3.8 who does a lot outside classes.
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thank you!!!!!!!! thats good advice
 
okay great....
cause i screwed up really bad this semester and from now here on out i need to get a 4.0 (for the next 3 years...ughhhhhh))
 
Blesbok said:
fatty
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Love you too, Blesbok

premedsoccergod said:
how the hell do people pull of 4.0's? i study my ass off and have nowhere near 4.0.
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I doubt anyone that has a 4.0 will be able to coach someone to getting one. Everyone studying and learns differently. But really, work hard when you need to. Don't skip assignments, it's stupid. Other than that, really understand the material and you can do well.
 
I attend a top 20 school and had a 4.0 through my senior year, until the last quarter where I refused to study or attend any class.

There are many components involved in earning a 4.0 (or 3.95 +) and I know quite a few people who have done it alongside me. You obviously have to work VERY hard. In general, you need to attend every single lecture for every class and take RIGOROUS notes. This is huge. Lots of people go to class and take few notes or just doze off. I would take maybe 5 or 10 pages of notes in any class. This saves me tons of time because I usually dont read the textbook unless the professor explicitly says that a substantial portion of the exam will come from material SOLELY in the textbook and not mentioned in lecture.

Next, you need to memorize AND understand material. You cannot possible know which will be tested, often it is both, so you need to cover your basis. Memorize details, mechanisms, names, dates, whatever and understand all the material conceptually as well. You also need to learn how to perform under pressure, lots of times people will have all the material down cold and just cant perform. This is an acquired skill. Also, having friends who are extremely driven to perform well helps A LOT. They can provide notes when you aren't in class, explain concepts, and provide you with motivation when you need it.

Finally, you need to pick classes and your major wisely. This is the MOST important. If you really want that high GPA its much easier to do it studying something you both enjoy and that is not extremely difficult. I don't mean becoming a history major, but maybe something like Anthro (B.S.) as opposed to Neurosci. You need to also take a light load so you can manage the material. Do not overload on classes. Look up all your professors in advance and pick and choose when you take each class based on who is teaching it. Also, try to get as many resources from previous years and classmates as possible. Get old tests, old labs, old whatever.

Some of you will say this is not fair/ethical etc. Well if you don't do it, someone else will.

Follow these steps and you might just hit that 4.0000000000000
 
3.95 and drink atleast twice a week...is that close enough?
 
My model to get a 4.0 is this....

Don't study harder, study smarter. Students should really take advantage of taking past midterms/finals posted online (timed). That will show you how the teacher writes his question. This is much better than cramming and reading the book with no direction on how to get the A.

Once you get a 4.0, it's hard to not get a 4.0 afterward. Do other people agree? Once you're on a roll, nothing can stop ya.
 
premedsoccergod said:
how the hell do people pull of 4.0's? i study my ass off and have nowhere near 4.0.
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Be easy there my man. Most of us study hard and a lot of it is institution dependent and major dependent and luck and being naturally smart. I'm nowhere near a 4.0 either and the 'social life' thing always makes me laugh because, ****, I gave up my social life for a 3.7.

Good job to 4.0's, no worrys to the plebians.
 
Legacy87 said:
My model to get a 4.0 is this....

Don't study harder, study smarter. Students should really take advantage of taking past midterms/finals posted online (timed). That will show you how the teacher writes his question. This is much better than cramming and reading the book with no direction on how to get the A.

Once you get a 4.0, it's hard to not get a 4.0 afterward. Do other people agree? Once you're on a roll, nothing can stop ya.
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This person has never had p-chem.
 
Of my class of 2000 in undergrad, three people graduated with a perfect 4.0. (A bunch more, of course, graduated with near 4.0s but even one A- will make you miss the mark. Our valedictorian had a 3.99).

Like others mention, it depends on where you go and, much more importantly, what kind of classes you take.

I knew well one of the three who got the 4.0 in my glass. And he was not fun and super competitive.

EDIT: top 20 school, for what it's worth (which is probably nothing).
 
ngkats said:
Of my class of 2000 in undergrad, three people graduated with a perfect 4.0. (A bunch more, of course, graduated with near 4.0s but even one A- will make you miss the mark. Our valedictorian had a 3.99).

Like others mention, it depends on where you go and, much more importantly, what kind of classes you take.

I knew well one of the three who got the 4.0 in my glass. And he was not fun and super competitive.

EDIT: top 20 school, for what it's worth (which is probably nothing).
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yeah... i can imagine someone with a 4.0 not being fun...

sucks because these are supposed to be the best years of our lives
 
Very few people get a 4.0 at my school. I'm a low GPAer, but even my super neurotic pre-med friends don't get straight As. Mostly As? Definitely, but it's just to easy to get an A- here or there (or heaven forbid, a B+!)
 
I've known quite a few people who graduated with 4.0s at very competitive top-tier schools, and had a social life and many extracurriculars, etc, etc...they're called Rhodes/Marshall Scholars...

I'm convinced it's just based on innate intelligence; no matter how hard you study, if you don't have the innate brilliance the grades aren't going to click - given that, I did stuff I liked in undergrad (not partying, but just extracurriculars I had a passion for), and my grades suffered, but I'm the happier for it, cuz the couple of extra 10ths higher on GPA for studying 24/7 would just not have been worth it - cost/benefit analysis, people
 
hannahsahib said:
yeah... i can imagine someone with a 4.0 not being fun...

sucks because these are supposed to be the best years of our lives
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Again, this is a stereotype that, for the most part, isn't true. I'm not going to go into the nitty gritty of it all, but I know that I have had a social life and done more extra-curricular activities than most. As has my friend who has a 4.0 and will be attending Columbia next year.

It is about studying smarter... not necessarily getting the old tests, but knowing how your brain works. I've learned how I best comprehend material and it doesn't take as much time as you think. I skip class, and I don't pay attention when I'm in class. I do best teaching myself, so that's what I do. But I understand that everyone isn't like that, so that's why I really can't tell you a secret to getting good grades. You have to figure out how you learn and take advantage of it.
 
It's sometimes not about hard work/skill at all. Sometimes it's plain, dumb luck or gaming the system by stacking easy classes. I know one prof here who gives virtually no A's.

Just go for a 3.9 or even a 3.8. It's just as good and will save you a lot of heartache over factors beyond your control. The first A- or B is the most important and I am glad I got one early.
 
ksmi117 said:
Again, this is a stereotype that, for the most part, isn't true. I'm not going to go into the nitty gritty of it all, but I know that I have had a social life and done more extra-curricular activities than most. As has my friend who has a 4.0 and will be attending Columbia next year.

It is about studying smarter... not necessarily getting the old tests, but knowing how your brain works. I've learned how I best comprehend material and it doesn't take as much time as you think. I skip class, and I don't pay attention when I'm in class. I do best teaching myself, so that's what I do. But I understand that everyone isn't like that, so that's why I really can't tell you a secret to getting good grades. You have to figure out how you learn and take advantage of it.
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Agreed! Although it depends on the undergrad institution, you really just have to have a knack for how to learn things quickly and learn which classes you can skip or sleep through and still get an A. If you do it correctly, 80% of your work should be directed at 1 or 2 truly difficult classes per semester while the other classes just fall together. It also helps to study something you love. I'd take doing 8 hours of derivations for quantum mechanics or nonnewtonian fluid mechanics any day over 1 hour of analyzing poetry.
 
OP: this is an excellent question that I have thought about many times.

I finished undergrad with a 4.0 in chemical engineering several years ago and had essentially zero social life (during the semester) until senior year. I was fairly active in sports, lifting, etc. and lived it up during breaks, but just didn't hit the bars or hang out with friends much during the school year.

Then senior year, I met my gf and made more time for fun outside of school but still managed a 4.0 that final year, which was one of my hardest in terms of course load.

I may have managed the same grades while having more fun during my first 3 years. Then again, it's possible that the hard work I put in early on built a strong enough foundation to allow me to slack off more later. And as others have said, there's definitely that element of luck.

So although I had a very limited social life on my way to a 4.0, I don't know if I got a 4.0 BECAUSE I had a limited social life. I'll never know if I HAD to make that sacrifice, but I would do it all over again the same way.

Anyway, something to think about.
 
ksmi117 said:
It is about studying smarter... not necessarily getting the old tests, but knowing how your brain works. I've learned how I best comprehend material and it doesn't take as much time as you think. I skip class, and I don't pay attention when I'm in class. I do best teaching myself, so that's what I do. But I understand that everyone isn't like that, so that's why I really can't tell you a secret to getting good grades. You have to figure out how you learn and take advantage of it.
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I agree completely. I was able to get a good GPA and work 55 hours a week and have a social life. You just can't waste time with study methods that don't yield results.

Another thing to consider is course load. There are plenty of people out there posting 4.0s who only took 8 hours a semester and took 5-6 years to graduate. Getting a 4.0 in 3-4 years is a real achievement. Getting 3.7 in 3-4 years is an achievement also if you are working or have a lot of EC's, and coupled with a good MCAT will get you in to a school. Don't take on more than you have time for.

I also agree with what others have said regarding the institution. I seems a lot easier to get a 4.0 at some schools than others.
 
RapplixGmed said:
Agreed! Although it depends on the undergrad institution, you really just have to have a knack for how to learn things quickly and learn which classes you can skip or sleep through and still get an A. If you do it correctly, 80% of your work should be directed at 1 or 2 truly difficult classes per semester while the other classes just fall together. It also helps to study something you love. I'd take doing 8 hours of derivations for quantum mechanics or nonnewtonian fluid mechanics any day over 1 hour of analyzing poetry.
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you don't like taking hours and hours to analyze a poem? hmm.. it's a lot of fun. i don't know what you're talking about 🙂 i have to recite a 49 line poem today! i better love it haha
 
ksmi117 said:
Again, this is a stereotype that, for the most part, isn't true. I'm not going to go into the nitty gritty of it all, but I know that I have had a social life and done more extra-curricular activities than most. As has my friend who has a 4.0 and will be attending Columbia next year.

It is about studying smarter... not necessarily getting the old tests, but knowing how your brain works. I've learned how I best comprehend material and it doesn't take as much time as you think. I skip class, and I don't pay attention when I'm in class. I do best teaching myself, so that's what I do. But I understand that everyone isn't like that, so that's why I really can't tell you a secret to getting good grades. You have to figure out how you learn and take advantage of it.
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Absolutely agree. I didn't graduate with a 4.0 - I had 3.96 from a UC. But the stereotype about having to give up the fun in your life just to get good grades is completely untrue. And no, it doesn't take you 8 easy years to earn a good GPA either. I took 18-20 units every semester (except for my senior year) worked 20-30 hours every week, had plenty of good ECs, and found time to have lots of fun with friends and enjoy my personal life. I never used old tests to study, did not go to all the lectures (and slept through quite a few of the ones I did go to), and the quality of my notes was often rather questionable. I did not spend all my time in the library either (actually, I mainly used the library for naps - they had nice soft couches there). I just knew how I could study in the most efficient way, and that was enough to rock the GPA. Studying smarter is the trick - an entire weekend in the library studying in the way that doesn't capitalize on your strengths is not worth more than 3-4 hours of smart studying.
 
i drank and partied on 90% of weekends in college and graduating /w 3.99 (one B+ first term in a 2 credit lab)

not easy though. i worked my ass off and was a zombie during midterm/finals weeks. you have to really, really want it for all 4 years.. there are always those classes that you could justifiably get a B in and and it wouldn't matter in the long run. friends who force you out are a must.

it probably isn't worth the stress.
 
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I just graduated from UCLA, and besides my LAST class (titled sleep and dreams...) in which I got an A- for a 96% (WTF?), I had a 4.0. Admittedly, I was a neurotic pre-med my first two years. If I had a midterm or final to study for, I wouldn't do anything for the two days before the test except sit at my desk. I did do other activities and go out, but academics took precedence when they needed to.

However, I joined the greek system at the end of my second year, and my sole regret in college is now that I wasted too much time studying my first two years. I was stuck in a cycle of over-studying--a habit that is hard to break if you are seeing results. But, after joining a fraternity, I could only study the night before any tests (all-nighters 🙂 ) and my grades did NOT suffer. Still, I was able to workout, play IM sports, party, drink, chill, whatever, every night without any impact on my grades. M

My only regret is that I did not join an organization earlier in my undergrad years to force me to realize how to study more efficienty and "smarter."

Of course it's different for everyone (some need to study much more than others), but I challenge people with 4.0s to study less and savor their undergrad years more!
 
thesauce said:
OP: this is an excellent question that I have thought about many times.

I finished undergrad with a 4.0 in chemical engineering several years ago and had essentially zero social life (during the semester) until senior year. I was fairly active in sports, lifting, etc. and lived it up during breaks, but just didn't hit the bars or hang out with friends much during the school year.

Then senior year, I met my gf and made more time for fun outside of school but still managed a 4.0 that final year, which was one of my hardest in terms of course load.

I may have managed the same grades while having more fun during my first 3 years. Then again, it's possible that the hard work I put in early on built a strong enough foundation to allow me to slack off more later. And as others have said, there's definitely that element of luck.

So although I had a very limited social life on my way to a 4.0, I don't know if I got a 4.0 BECAUSE I had a limited social life. I'll never know if I HAD to make that sacrifice, but I would do it all over again the same way.

Anyway, something to think about.
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Oh thats very intresting... I beleive its because like you said, you had a strong foundation.
great job though🙂
 
my lab partner has a 4.0 and a social life easily. and she's quite attractive.
 
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