How many Bs are too many?

[genessis42]

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I'm currently a sophomore right now with a GPA that is on the lower side

The cGPA is like 3.5 ish while the science comes out to like 3.1 or lower...
I usually try to get As but end up with Bs, B+s, or an occasional A-, Its tough because my school is very grade-deflated

How many Bs are safe for premed courses?

Are the upper levels better in general as people say?
I'm a science major so I'll have to take a good amount of them, I feel like a lot of people end up with that Golden upwards trend. Since I'm only a Sophomore, it's probably not too late for me to improve

 

[Josh7]

I'm currently a sophomore right now with a GPA that is on the lower side

The cGPA is like 3.5 ish while the science comes out to like 3.1 or lower...
I usually try to get As but end up with Bs, B+s, or an occasional A-, Its tough because my school is very grade-deflated

How many Bs are safe for premed courses?

Are the upper levels better in general as people say?
I'm a science major so I'll have to take a good amount of them, I feel like a lot of people end up with that Golden upwards trend. Since I'm only a Sophomore, it's probably not too late for me to improve

There isn't a definitive answer to this. The closer your GPA is to 4.0 the better. Check out the demographic graphs that compare GPA and MCAT to acceptance %s and then calculate how many B's you can get...

 

[bluestreaks]

Yeah that's a really hard question to answer...

I mean I doubt anybody can really give you a simple number. But maybe you should think about what GPA you want to aim for (relative to the field of schools you want to get into), and figure out what mixture of As and Bs (or whatever else) you can get with your current GPA to achieve your target GPA.

I don't know. But for sure, you have plenty of time to improve if you wanted to!


And I got sniped by Josh7

 

[genessis42]

Yeah, I guess the important part is that I don't lose heart and let these Intro classes get the best of me...

I think even B+'s are OK for some of these classes, B's should be taken sparingly, and B-'s should be absolutely avoided.....

Lol, Finals are gonna suck a lot this time around. (Calc and Physics on the same day), I'm pretty sure a lot of other people have had BCPM finals back-to-back, how have you guys handled it???

 

[bluestreaks]

Yeah I bet most people here have gone through it, if that makes you feel any better haha. It'll be rough, but if I could only offer one piece of advice, it's that you should do your best to tune out other people and competition, and focus on yourself. You don't need a perfect GPA to be successful when applying, even though it can feel that way when you lurk here. Good luck though!!

 

[Aerus]

Yeah, I guess the important part is that I don't lose heart and let these Intro classes get the best of me...

I think even B+'s are OK for some of these classes, B's should be taken sparingly, and B-'s should be absolutely avoided.....

Lol, Finals are gonna suck a lot this time around. (Calc and Physics on the same day), I'm pretty sure a lot of other people have had BCPM finals back-to-back, how have you guys handled it???

You should "avoid" getting any grade that's not an A. But if you do get non A's, don't freak out about it. If you happen to get a B- in a class, learn why you got it and do better.

Adcoms care more about your overall GPA rather than each individual class grade (although the pre-req science classes are looked at a bit more carefully).

We're all humans and we all make mistakes.

In preparation for any big test, a girl I know told me this:

"Look at the date of your final. Go back one week from that date if it's an "easy" class and go back 9 days if it's a "hard" class". That date you went back to should be the day you start studying for the final. On the night before the final, you may go over big picture ideas, but otherwise relax. If you studied beforehand, you should be fine."

Follow that advice. You shouldn't have to worry about having multiple finals on one day, since you should have prepared enough for it beforehand.

 

[genessis42]

I guess its good if I keep up with the persistence.
I'm pretty sure that other people have gotten lower than that in their 1st year of college.

While a 3.4-3.5 can be fine for some, I think that people with lower GPAs have to score much higher on the MCAT to even it out....

And oh yeah, When studying for multiple finals, do u guys alternate between subjects, or just spread each one out throughout the day?
I'm gonna be so glad once it's Winter Break, and I get the grades I want

 

[bluestreaks]

Alternate. But I study throughout the year so I don't really have to before finals. I swear it works better than anything. You just... review lol.

 

[genessis42]

Ya, for the Sciences, you just have to beat the system, which is designed to weed people out

The most stressful part is if you don't have a "buffer" for your grade in a class...Like if you mess up on one midterm, and have to do really good on the next one or the Final to even it out and save your grade....
It just adds more pressure during finals week LoL

I think a lot of people have to deal with that, but they eventually they grow out of it and screw up less and less on midterms, so they don't have Finals which are as stressful

 

[Josh7]

Alternate. But I study throughout the year so I don't really have to before finals. I swear it works better than anything. You just... review lol.

Pretty much right. If you're getting A's on midterms it shouldn't be that hard to study/review for 5-10 hours and pull out a good enough final grade.

 

[MedPR]

What is a B? This is pre-med, not business. As or gtfo.

 

[genessis42]

What is a B? This is pre-med, not business. As or gtfo.

Yup, that is very well true.

 

[notamember82]

One B for some is too many.

 

[genessis42]

You guys are right though, B+ or higher is the way to go

For every single grade that is B or lower, consider it to be a theft of tuition. Lol

 

[CuttingCorneas]

How many Bs are too many?

What do you mean? African or European bees?