Have I been cheated?

[SuperSaiyan3]

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hey guys,
I was feeling really bitter because I had been reading up on some discussions on other forums that going to Queen's University for Life Sciences is tough to get good marks in. I'm already 2 years in and my GPA isn't great (3.465) and I really have been trying my hardest. I feel like I've been cheated out of my marks because I was comparing GPA standards for some other Universities in my province and they had lower standard for higher GPA scores. Plus that and I hear that it's easier to get good marks in schools such as McMaster and whatnot.

Is this true? Am I gonna get ANYTHING at all by graduating with a Queen's life sci degree, but with only a sub-par GPA? How does this compare to somebody who graduated from a "easier" university but with higher GPAs?

Needless to say that the public school system failed completely in preparing me for university and how to work around its system.

 

[witness23]

nah

 

[nick_carraway]

As I understand it, aren't Canadian schools GPA crazy? I'm no expert on Canadian pre-med culture, but it seems to me that yes you will get the shaft.

But, this is a situation that everyone deals with. Some schools are harder than others, but ultimately at most schools in most classes, if you are determined like hell to get good grades, you'll get them or at least get grades that are good enough.

 

[Mattabet]

I also heard an unsubstantiated rumor (years ago, but it makes sense), that there is some thought given to the standard deviation of GPAs at universities. They using a metric proportional to your GPA/s.dev of GPA at the school. So, if everyone has a great GPA at a given school, it works against you a bit, and if there's a big range of grades at your school, you can get away with slightly lower.

Again, I don't have evidence, but it would make sense that the forces that be would want to determine what a GPA at a given university actually means.

If anyone has hard evidence of this, I'd love to see it!

 

[nick_carraway]

I also heard an unsubstantiated rumor (years ago, but it makes sense), that there is some thought given to the standard deviation of GPAs at universities. They using a metric proportional to your GPA/s.dev of GPA at the school. So, if everyone has a great GPA at a given school, it works against you a bit, and if there's a big range of grades at your school, you can get away with slightly lower.

Again, I don't have evidence, but it would make sense that the forces that be would want to determine what a GPA at a given university actually means.

If anyone has hard evidence of this, I'd love to see it!

I think this is where the committee letter comes into play. I've heard tales of this too--less systematic than what you describe--that adcoms are aware of grade inflation/deflation at certain schools with certain classes. That said, a 4.0 or a 3.8 still looks better than a 3.5 or a 3.3 regardless of your school and no amount of excuses will make it otherwise.

 

[Quester]

hey guys,
I was feeling really bitter because I had been reading up on some discussions on other forums that going to Queen's University for Life Sciences is tough to get good marks in. I'm already 2 years in and my GPA isn't great (3.465) and I really have been trying my hardest. I feel like I've been cheated out of my marks because I was comparing GPA standards for some other Universities in my province and they had lower standard for higher GPA scores. Plus that and I hear that it's easier to get good marks in schools such as McMaster and whatnot.

Is this true? Am I gonna get ANYTHING at all by graduating with a Queen's life sci degree, but with only a sub-par GPA? How does this compare to somebody who graduated from a "easier" university but with higher GPAs?

Needless to say that the public school system failed completely in preparing me for university and how to work around its system.

I beg to differ...

seriously, i thought going to Mac would be easier (in comparison to U of T), and yes, maybe, it is true because people here are not trying to bite your head off. but, my experience tells me that Mac is not an easy school to get good grades AT ALL. sure, there are some bird courses but obviously there are bird courses in all other universities too.

in contrast, i thought Queen's was a school to get pretty decent marks. i mean, my friends performed much better than i have (and we were pretty much on the same academic level in high school). i guess i could've been wrong.

but anyways, i totally understand what you're saying. i don't even know where my life sci degree will get me in life if i fail to be accepted to med school. unless i pull off superb MCAT scores, i don't think i even have any chance of being accepted into low-tier state med schools...

btw, are you a bio major? or just life sci (general science)?

 

[Sharka]

cheap state school with rampant grade inflation is great-- that's why i have a near 4.0. however looking at MDapps, you'll see that high tier med schools discriminate against less-known undergrad institutions and pick mostly from their own circle.

 

[Slade]

When I interviewed at a small MD school, the dean said that the school looks at the ratio of MCAT to GPA to compare the relative value of each undergrad institution.

 

[buccsmf1]

It's always funny to see people who have a 3.95 gpa and then a 28-29 mcat. I always wonder, "where the hell did these people go to school?" Anyone that graduated from my school pre-med with a 3.95 is incredibly smart and will kill the mcat

 

[Lauren87]

It's always funny to see people who have a 3.95 gpa and then a 28-29 mcat. I always wonder, "where the hell did these people go to school?" Anyone that graduated from my school pre-med with a 3.95 is incredibly smart and will kill the mcat

I don't think that's necessarily true. I had a high gpa (3.96) and a below 30 MCAT. I did question if it was my school and grade inflation, but after tutoring students at many different schools (I worked as a tutor), including UPenn & Cornell, in the subjects of mathematics and chemistry, I think my school prepared me just fine. What I think is, some schools, such as Rutgers, will give general and organic chemistry tests where the questions require alot of analytical thinking and application of learned concepts, whereas at my school the test's were more straight-forward (do you know what this is or not). Unfortunately, these apply-what-you-know type tests trip up a lot of people that may know the material but lack the confidance. A lot of times answers will be too complex to even try for significant partial credit. Anyways, in the end you learn the same material and I have no problem tutoring students at schools perceived as difficult. Grade inflation can be the cause contradictory nature of a high GPA and low MCAT, but it isn't always.

 

[cwfergus]

true

 

[ZeusonRoids]

Ohhh Canada...you are so quaint

 

[tennisball80]

3.8/33 is the cut off or whatever.

http://www.premed101.com/forums/

 

[SuperSaiyan3]

I beg to differ...

seriously, i thought going to Mac would be easier (in comparison to U of T), and yes, maybe, it is true because people here are not trying to bite your head off. but, my experience tells me that Mac is not an easy school to get good grades AT ALL. sure, there are some bird courses but obviously there are bird courses in all other universities too.

in contrast, i thought Queen's was a school to get pretty decent marks. i mean, my friends performed much better than i have (and we were pretty much on the same academic level in high school). i guess i could've been wrong.

but anyways, i totally understand what you're saying. i don't even know where my life sci degree will get me in life if i fail to be accepted to med school. unless i pull off superb MCAT scores, i don't think i even have any chance of being accepted into low-tier state med schools...

btw, are you a bio major? or just life sci (general science)?

i'm a life sci major..

I accidentally took "bird courses" that aren't really "bird courses" and that's where my GPA was lowered even more. My sister told me that psyc100 and womens studies were bird courses, but little did I know that when an Arts students says something is a bird course, it only means that you can easily get a 70s. I need 90s for crying out loud, and I got shafted hard taking those courses.

And to that comment regarding Canadian med schools, yes they have crazy high cut offs at 3.8 GPAs minimum and about 33 on the MCAT scores. I just noticed that everybody here is American... do you guys know if it's easy for a Canadian to get into an American med school (even if it's got a sub-par rating?)

Maybe I'd be better off applying to dentistry school? No offence to pre-dents, but I was looking at the GPA cut offs for dentistry school and they were at 2.7 to 3.0. Double you tee eff???😕

 

[link2swim06]

http://www.tracker-data.com/data/img/4015/m09d0317xktz/2.gif[/IMG]You will be fine

 

[notin]

Maybe I'd be better off applying to dentistry school? No offence to pre-dents, but I was looking at the GPA cut offs for dentistry school and they were at 2.7 to 3.0. Double you tee eff???😕

the average accepted gpa to dental school is a 3.55

 

[SuperSaiyan3]

the average accepted gpa to dental school is a 3.55

Not in the province of Ontario.
i don't know how to upload images on this, but this is what i have on file.

U of Toronto: min. GPA: 2.7
U of Western: min.: 80% and only 2 years.
U of Alberta: min GPA: 3.0

etc.

McGill stands at highest rank at 3.5 for min GPA.