Grade deflation and a poor GPA?

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3sr3v3r

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With fall semester of my sophomore year over, my GPA is really not where it should be. That said, I know it's my own fault for not putting in enough effort and I acknowledge that fully. Problem is my school is also notorious for grade deflation. It's so bad even my oral surgeon who removed my wisdom teeth knew about the issue :laugh:. Either way, I have roughly a 3.15 as of now with 4 courses each semester. I do have a research position in a neurobiology lab and a modest amount of volunteer work. With that said, what would you guys say is the best scenario given the situation, assuming I want to start applying to med school next year? I understand it's all dependent on myself and what I put into my grades, but outside council is always encouraging and helps to keep me on the right track. Thanks everyone

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With fall semester of my sophomore year over, my GPA is really not where it should be. That said, I know it's my own fault for not putting in enough effort and I acknowledge that fully. Problem is my school is also notorious for grade deflation. It's so bad even my oral surgeon who removed my wisdom teeth knew about the issue :laugh:. Either way, I have roughly a 3.15 as of now with 4 courses each semester. I do have a research position in a neurobiology lab and a modest amount of volunteer work. With that said, what would you guys say is the best scenario given the situation, assuming I want to start applying to med school next year? I understand it's all dependent on myself and what I put into my grades, but outside council is always encouraging and helps to keep me on the right track. Thanks everyone

How can you blame your school when you clearly haven't put in the full effort that it takes?
 
How can you blame your school when you clearly haven't put in the full effort that it takes?

I'm not blaming it. Like I had already acknowledged, I know I have to work harder. I mentioned the grade deflation as it's a factor, not a cause. I'm being realistic and just seeking some advice, that's all.
 
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I'm not blaming it. Like I had already acknowledged, I know I have to work harder. I mentioned the grade deflation as it's a factor, not a cause. I'm being realistic and just seeking some advice, that's all.

just bust ass and do your best, hard work=success.
 
Same position as you right now.

I'm a soph with a 3.175 sGPA..but I'm hoping to pull a 4.0 for the next 3 semesters. Just work hard and bust ass for it.
 
I'm not blaming it. Like I had already acknowledged, I know I have to work harder. I mentioned the grade deflation as it's a factor, not a cause. I'm being realistic and just seeking some advice, that's all.

Mentioning grade deflation at all in your post is using it as an excuse for your poor GPA. The fact that you believe it exists makes it even more important to work as hard as you can. You also acknowledge that you didn't put in the effort, knowing "grade deflation" was waiting for you. What do you want people here to say? Work harder. Or transfer to an "easier" school. There's no secret, work hard, excel, if you can't or won't, start looking into plan B. Your classes are getting harder and you're at least a semester behind waking up and getting serious. Also, accept the fact that you may need your 4th year grades to get you up where you need to be to be a successful applicant.
Figure out what your distractions are, poor study habits, etc. and make changes. You don't have to study 24/7, but you have to effectively plan your time and study smarter. You also might benefit from an extra year, maybe a double major, etc.
If you can't get your grades up, look into DO. That's where your numbers are now.
 
How can you blame your school when you clearly haven't put in the full effort that it takes?

How can you blame him when you clearly haven't attended his school?
 
How can you blame him when you clearly haven't attended his school?


I don't believe in grade deflation, just lack of grade INFLATION.

In other words... as long as someone gets an A in every class of at least 50 students, you're not grade deflated and as long as someone fails in every class of at least 50 students and as long as the median grade is between a C- and a B- (i.e., 70-80% on a typical non-curved grading scale or M=75%, SD=10), you're not grade deflating or inflating.

Presumably, the OP's school isn't giving out mostly Ds and no As. Therefore, it's unlikely the OP's grades are deflated.

OP, work harder! The ball is in your court. Others are succeeding; why aren't you? You don't end up w/ a 3.1 GPA by being at the top of your class. Someone is getting an A. Why aren't you that person?
 
I don't believe in grade deflation, just lack of grade INFLATION.

In other words... as long as someone gets an A in every class of at least 50 students, you're not grade deflated and as long as someone fails in every class of at least 50 students and as long as the median grade is between a C- and a B- (i.e., 70-80% on a typical non-curved grading scale or M=75%, SD=10), you're not grade deflating or inflating.

Presumably, the OP's school isn't giving out mostly Ds and no As. Therefore, it's unlikely the OP's grades are deflated.

OP, work harder! The ball is in your court. Others are succeeding; why aren't you? You don't end up w/ a 3.1 GPA by being at the top of your class. Someone is getting an A. Why aren't you that person?

This is going to be a rehash of our last discussion so I'm not even going to bother.
 
This is going to be a rehash of our last discussion so I'm not even going to bother.

As I recall, you get pretty whiny yourself about low grades. The reality is that there are plenty of people doing well in these classes. Sure, classes vary in difficulty but I've taught and cotaught courses at multiple schools in a range of subject areas and there are always people who do well and people who do poorly. I've noticed that those who do well do well absolutely regardless of how hard I grade. The ones who get 95-100% on every assignment and test never drop below 90% even if I drop the overall class average 10-15% on a given assignment or exam. Just because you or the OP or anyone else is not one of those people does not mean they don't exist. Sorry. Work harder. Work smarter. Achieve. Do what must be done. Not much else to it, really.
 
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How can you defend slackers who whine?

Unless you are one too?

Students get As because the professors let them get As. A professor could write a test so difficult literally 100% of the class would fail. You're an idiot if you think you can get an A if you study hard enough. Take an upper level engineering, math, or physics class. Class averages will be ABYSMAL.
 
Students get As because the professors let them get As. A professor could write a test so difficult literally 100% of the class would fail. You're an idiot if you think you can get an A if you study hard enough. Take an upper level engineering, math, or physics class. Class averages will be ABYSMAL.

Listen clown, OP stated he didn't put in the full effort it took.

Are you missing some mental processing power in your head? Or do you just not read what is written and just project your own life onto everything?
 
Listen clown, OP stated he didn't put in the full effort it took.

Are you missing some mental processing power in your head? Or do you just not read what is written and just project your own life onto everything?

You think grade deflation doesn't exist. Look, I'm glad that you went to a garbage school and got a 4.0 in communications/sociology/psychology or whatever, that's great. I go to an easy school, too. But I'm not stupid enough to deny that grade deflation does exist.
 
You think grade deflation doesn't exist. Look, I'm glad that you went to a garbage school and got a 4.0 in communications/sociology/psychology or whatever, that's great. I go to an easy school, too. But I'm not stupid enough to deny that grade deflation does exist.

When did I deny that grade deflation exists? I know it exists. It may even exist at OP's school. But before he attributes his poor performance to grade deflation, he should at least put in all his effort.

That said, I know it's my own fault for not putting in enough effort and I acknowledge that fully.
 
When did I deny that grade deflation exists? I know it exists. It may even exist at OP's school. But before he attributes his poor performance to grade deflation, he should at least put in all his effort.

Problem is my school is also notorious for grade deflation. It's so bad even my oral surgeon who removed my wisdom teeth knew about the issue

:)
 
You don't end up w/ a 3.1 GPA by being at the top of your class.
I was third (of ~25) in my Astro 2 class with a B-. Just sayin'.

Someone is getting an A. Why aren't you that person?
That's a pretty weird way to look at it. In my experience, the people who succeed with flying colors (read: get A's) in classes that beat everyone else down are both ridiculously smart and very hard-working. Not everyone can be in the top hundredth of a percent intellectually, and sometimes that's what is necessary to do exceedingly well. Hard work alone often will not get you where you want/need to be.
 
I was third (of ~25) in my Astro 2 class with a B-. Just sayin'.

That's a pretty weird way to look at it. In my experience, the people who succeed with flying colors (read: get A's) in classes that beat everyone else down are both ridiculously smart and very hard-working. Not everyone can be in the top hundredth of a percent intellectually, and sometimes that's what is necessary to do exceedingly well. Hard work alone often will not get you where you want/need to be.

You aren't trying hard enough. I bet I could get an A++ in Advanced Quantum Neutrino Field Theory if I worked hard enough!
 
I don't believe in grade deflation, just lack of grade INFLATION.

In other words... as long as someone gets an A in every class of at least 50 students, you're not grade deflated and as long as someone fails in every class of at least 50 students and as long as the median grade is between a C- and a B- (i.e., 70-80% on a typical non-curved grading scale or M=75%, SD=10), you're not grade deflating or inflating.

Presumably, the OP's school isn't giving out mostly Ds and no As. Therefore, it's unlikely the OP's grades are deflated.

OP, work harder! The ball is in your court. Others are succeeding; why aren't you? You don't end up w/ a 3.1 GPA by being at the top of your class. Someone is getting an A. Why aren't you that person?


this is a ridiculous statement, grade deflation does exist. I know teachers who grade on a bell curve leaving little chance to get an A. Is it impossible? no. But if you take physics in a class of ~120 and only 10 get A's, the percentage of you getting an A is low.not everyone is a genius or study 8 hours a day for one class
 
That's a pretty weird way to look at it. In my experience, the people who succeed with flying colors (read: get A's) in classes that beat everyone else down are both ridiculously smart and very hard-working. Not everyone can be in the top hundredth of a percent intellectually, and sometimes that's what is necessary to do exceedingly well. Hard work alone often will not get you where you want/need to be.
I agree with this, and as personal motivation I like to consider myself intelligent enough to be able to achieve an A in any class I take as long as someone else can get one. Whether this is the case or not, I don't know for sure, but I sure hope so. In essence I'll only consider a B or lower my best effort if I have the highest grade in the class.
 
What about subjectively graded classes? This is where your theory falls apart, even if you are being sarcastic here.

I was being sarcastic. All the hard work in the world can't get you an A in some classes either because the course is graded subjectively, the professor makes it intentionally difficult, or you lack the innate ability to do well in the subject.
 
this is a ridiculous statement, grade deflation does exist. I know teachers who grade on a bell curve leaving little chance to get an A. Is it impossible? no. But if you take physics in a class of ~120 and only 10 get A's, the percentage of you getting an A is low.not everyone is a genius or study 8 hours a day for one class

This is where we differ. I think ONLY those 10 should get As. Actually, I think <<10 should get As (maybe 3-5 at most). 10% getting As is ridiculous. Now 10-25% getting Bs, that's a normal curve.... There seems to be an expectation of getting As in all your classes around here. The reality is that very few in a given class SHOULD get As!
 
This debate is kind of stupid. Either do better and hope that med schools count grade deflation and your upward trend or transfer schools.

The fact is that GPA is one of the first things adcoms notice. That's why you will hear people say to go to a school and take classes where you will get As. All is not lost, however. You still have time to improve your GPA. Plus, a good MCAT score will warrant you a closer look.

You can hope that med schools look on your GPA more favorably due to the reputation your school has. However, I would not count on it. Just do your best in the remaining classes, and then re-evaluate your situation when it comes time to apply. Again, a great MCAT score (and some great ECs of course) can really help you out if your GPA is not where you want it to be. Still, GPA is very important, no matter where it's from.
 
Wow , I wasn't expecting the term "grade deflation" to become such an issue. I mean fact of the matter is, of course a school isn't going to acknowledge grade deflation, what good could possibly come from doing so? And calling it a lack of inflation may even be a better choice of words, who knows. Point is, grading isn't always done objectively.

Now for the effort I put in, I said I didn't put it enough, not that I didn't try my best. If my best effort alone hasn't been sufficient, then I realize it may just be time management or other factors. Regardless, I always acknowledge I can do more because I don't want to make it seem like I'm whining.

I have no problem being told to bust my ass and work harder, but criticism without anything constructive gets us nowhere. That said, I really appreciate the positive feedback from everyone :)
 
As other people have stated, grade deflation only really OCCURS at schools that acknowledge it. My school is notoriously known for its grade deflation and thus even med school acceptances are different. My pre-med advisor told me a 3.4 GPA at my school is equivalent to a 3.65 from another school in terms of the med school acceptance rate with an MCAT score of 28-32
 
Schools that send kids to med school with lower than national average GPAs will most likely have higher than average MCATs to compensate. If a school prepares you well enough, even if your GPA isn't where it should be, your MCAT will even the playing field.

EDIT: My school sends huge percentages of students over the average at any given GPA/MCAT combination, so prestige must count for something (even though we definitely have some degree of grade inflation).
 
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Schools that send kids to med school with lower than national average GPAs will most likely have higher than average MCATs to compensate. If a school prepares you well enough, even if your GPA isn't where it should be, your MCAT will even the playing field.

EDIT: My school sends huge percentages of students over the average at any given GPA/MCAT combination, so prestige must count for something (even though we definitely have some degree of grade inflation).
lol @ conclusion made without support. Clearly we should assume the mystery factor here is prestige, and not the inherent dedication (to other aspects of one's med school application) of the students that are good enough to attend your "prestigious" university. The point is without more information we can't say what the factor is, and assuming it's prestige is jumping too far to a conclusion that may not have stable ground.
 
lol @ conclusion made without support. Clearly we should assume the mystery factor here is prestige, and not the inherent dedication (to other aspects of one's med school application) of the students that are good enough to attend your "prestigious" university . The point is without more information we can't say what the factor is, and assuming it's prestige is jumping too far to a conclusion that may not have stable ground.

What other "mystery aspects"? In general, the average student at a "prestigious" school is more accomplished than one at a "lesser" school to have passed through that initial undergraduate selection process (FACT). However, we tend to forget there are outstanding students at every college and I don't generalize like that. I know incredibly intelligent friends that passed up "prestige" for financial reasons. :thumbup:

If the accepted GPA/MCAT combinations at a certain school is almost more than double the national figure, then that leads me to believe there is some kind of prestige factor involved.

The prestige factor encompasses more than just a superficial "name," it includes...

- the quality of the faculty that are writing your recommendations

- the quality of your student body

- the reputation of your undergraduate school with medical schools (medical schools know the trend of what undergraduate institutions turn out quality medical students)

- similarly, they are also familiar with your curriculum rigor (the more prestigious schools have been around longer, or traditionally send more applicants)

- the more opportunities a school can offer because of established programs or financial assets...research and volunteering opportunities fall under here too

All of the intangible aspects you mention, this "inherent dedication," is nurtured at a prestigious school with the resources to recruit those types of ambitious students in the first place.


If In could draw a really bad analogy to lower levels of education, there are tons of bright students at inner-city schools. I've seen their potential first hand and it's really difficult when you realize the educational system has failed them. It's definitely more difficult for them to reach higher levels of education if they aren't given the environment conducive for that, or at the least, they'll be much farther from reaching their full potential than at a more well-funded school.

I also know for a fact that at one top 25 medical school, they use an adjustment factor for your academic score dependent on their knowledge of your undergraduate institution. I don't know if that's to take into account grade inflation, or this "prestige factor," but it's there. My friend in a summer program at another medical school e-mailed the dean and asked him if his community college gave him a disadvantage in the process, and the dean said something along the lines of, "I'm not going to lie to you. It may be a more unfriendly application cycle, but we definitely accept students from your school." Yes, it's possible, but there might be a disadvantage-- however miniscule, it's there.

So keep laughing that there's no substantial proof, but there's probably less on your end. Look at the first-year student body of most medical schools and check out the undergraduate representation. Which schools are more represented? Between identical applicants from a community college and from Harvard, I'd put my money on the latter being interviewed/accepted at more schools-- and that just feeds into the vicious cycle of prestige.
 
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