Gpa

[Entirecropslost]

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Hey, I'm an M1 and I just got back my first cell test and got a B. I was so bummed. But how important is your GPA in med school. B/c about 80% of the class did NOT make an A so not everybody gets em. I'm used to making all A's all the time, but i'm wondering if med school will be different. -Thanks

 

[Law2Doc]

I'm used to making all A's all the time, but i'm wondering if med school will be different. -Thanks

For many it is different. Keep in mind that everybody who got into med school is used to getting their share of A's. Yet half of all med students will find themselves in the bottom half of the class. Be happy if you aren't.

As for how important GPA is -- people will focus on it because it is all you can affect at this early stage, but truth of the matter is first year grades are fairly low on the totem pole of things that will matter. But the material shows up on Step 1 in a couple of years, and that matters.

 

[IHeartNerds]

This isn't meant sarcastically at all ... are there really that many schools that still use grades? I think all but one of the ten school I applied to were P/F except in clinicals.

As mentioned previously, sort of, consider that probably 90% of med students graduated in the top 10% of their undergrad, yet 90% of them will not graduate in the top 10% of their med school class...

 

[BillyWitchDoctr]

Being in the middle of your class in medical school is not like it was in college. When I first started I was surprised at how hard I had to study to fail decently. But to answer your question, your GPA does not matter nearly as much as your STEP I & II scores (within reason - not repeating years and such). Schools vary in their grading systems and the only really level playing fields are the USMLE exams. By the way though, the best way to do well on Step I is to do as well as you can in the 1st 2 yrs.

 

[Law2Doc]

This isn't meant sarcastically at all ... are there really that many schools that still use grades? I think all but one of the ten school I applied to were P/F except in clinicals.

As mentioned previously, sort of, consider that probably 90% of med students graduated in the top 10% of their undergrad, yet 90% of them will not graduate in the top 10% of their med school class...

I think about 15-20% of med schools still use letter grades. Most are now P/F, but some break down the P/F into 5-6 subdivisions such that they have effectively duplicated the A-F but with different letters. And probably the majority of schools have grades underlying your P/F such that you can be ranked.

 

[ZagDoc]

Our school exams are criteria based, so exams are still on a percentage (though not on a curve).

That beings said, they tell us to shoot for 80%. Those at 80% or above generally tend to do very well on their Step 1s.

My point (and the point of others) is that simply passing (let alone "B's") shouldn't be something to disappoint you at this level. Learn the material as best as you can, try to retain as much as you can into the long term memory, and then kick ass once the USMLEs come around.

 

[Blade28]

B/c about 80% of the class did NOT make an A so not everybody gets em. I'm used to making all A's all the time, but i'm wondering if med school will be different. -Thanks

That's kind of how a curve should work, no? 20% of people getting an A sounds normal.

Look at all the other threads popping up after MS-Is have had their first test - it'll be OK, it's very early! And your grades during the first couple years don't matter that much anyway.

For example...

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=439165

 

[MSKalltheway]

We still work on the letter grade system, and I forget why they decided to stick with A-F although it was explained to us once. Personally, I think unless its a true Pass or Fail, med schools use the grading scale. H/HP/P/LP/F still means H/A/B/C/F. We also dont get curved, so if everyone gets A's, everyone gets and A.

 

[maestro1625]

We still work on the letter grade system, and I forget why they decided to stick with A-F although it was explained to us once. Personally, I think unless its a true Pass or Fail, med schools use the grading scale. H/HP/P/LP/F still means H/A/B/C/F. We also dont get curved, so if everyone gets A's, everyone gets and A.

thank god for the un-curved H/P/F.

a true P/F might be a bit nicer, but it at least gives you something to shoot for.

 

[nj17]

Someone wise once told me "welcome to medical school, prepare to be average." The vast majority of students will fall into the "B" average pool, and most medical schools consider the dreaded B to be the expected level of performance for students. Therefore getting a B is not and should not be the end of the world. As long as you're learning the material and not falling behind you will do fine. I'm also guessing that a B on one quiz in your course will not preclude you from getting an A in the class if you do better on other exams.

Remember: A high pre-clinical GPA does not automatically mean you will be a great doctor, it just means you're really good at memorizing.