GPA generalizations

[shuzee]

another thing i was wondering is that people often talk about mediocre GPAs on this forum. Wouldnt a mediocre gpa in a very competetive school overwiegh a good GPA at a not so competitive, not so known school with not as competitive a program? Because, there is no denying the fact that there are schools that have much more competitive programs than others. Do ADCOMS never take that into consideration? Because, wouldnt it seem unfair for those people coming from very hard majors and competitive schools? Or are the ADCOMS just blind to that and care only about numbers. I would think it would be much more than that?

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[internet]

you might discover the opposite, actually. many of the top competitive schools practice grade inflation to the point that over half the people in a class are getting A's.

 

[LVDoc]

They do take it into consideration, but a sub-par GPA from a competitive school will not make an admissions committee overlook another candidate with better statistics from a not-so-well-known university. If two applicants have equal credentials (GPA/MCAT-wise) or at least near equal, then my guess is that of course, preference would be given to the one from a "more competitive" school. The schools do want to make a name for themselves, and as such, they try to admit candidates that they feel would best represent them in the profession and to their own peers (ie. class profiles are a good example of this).

 

[tacrum43]

you might discover the opposite, actually. many of the top competitive schools practice grade inflation to the point that over half the people in a class are getting A's.

I agree. I go to a state school for undergrad and they only give out a few A's in each class. The administration gets upset if the class average isn't around a C.

 

[trinitrotoluene]

I was once told that it is the reputation of the school's pre-med committee--not the reputation of the school itself--that AdComs look at. If a pre-med committee pushes everyone who appilies (those with 3.9 GPA / 35 MCAT along with 3.0 GPA / 24 MCAT), then the committee has little credibility, and a good letter from that school will not mean much. However, committees that show more discression with writing good letters have more credibility.

It should also be noted that many schools--particulary state schools--get lots of applicants from the same place all the time. UT Memphis and ETSU (in TN) get lots of applicants from Vanderbilt, Rhodes, and other TN schools. Repetition is a very good teacher.

 

[DianaLynne]

I think all GPAs are only approximations of academic ability. Of course, all medical students talk about are GPAs and MCATs.

How's that for generalizing? tee hee!

 

[indo]

here is one: If you have a 4.0 you probably haven't had a lot of sex.

 

[avinash]

here is one: If you have a 4.0 you probably haven't had a lot of sex.

i think thats a good generalization...

 

[abraxas20]

here is one: If you have a 4.0 you probably haven't had a lot of sex.

So does that mean that someone from a competitive school who has had a lot of sex and a 4.0 GPA will get chosen above someone from a state school who is celibate but has a 4.0? Or is it a given that at a state school everyone is having a lot of sex, so that is a moot point (I went to a state school, and I think sometimes I was the only person not getting any)?

So what exactly is the Adcom opinion of sexual activity versus GPA versus school quality? And what if the girls or guys at your school are particulary hot?