I HATE how an A- is a 3.7!!!!

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omare61

omare61

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I'm SO FURIOUS! What is so bad about an A-. It seems like the average GPA here in SDN is 3.8+.

How do you people manage a GPA this high with A minuses swimming around. I hate how 92 (1 point away from an A) is an A-! Why does that one point deserve to screw my GPA!

3.7 v. 4.0 Is a big jump, all for one point! I Have straight A's so far, but they are all A-! (90-92). Its hard to get a grade above a 92 on a large exam that counts 30% of your grade. And then a Final that counts 30% of that grade. But I still maintain an 90 average.

Why is an A- such a GPA destroyer. I should Have a 4.0! I thought maybe for one semester, I could get a 4.0. But it never ever happened!! Just one semester. 🙁

I need to get the highest GPA possible and this is because I suck at standardized testing like the MCAT. I never did well in them. Even If I blow my mind studying for the MCAT, I won't do as good as people here in SDN keep getting (33+).

So the question is, should I transfer to a school where an A- is a A (4.0). I really fee like with all the effort I put into school, I deserve a 4.0.

It seems unfair how someone who goes to a school where a A- is a 3.7 v. someone who goes to a school where an A- is a 4.0-->especially if that someone is good at avoiding B's!
Will this be in my best interest? Or are these schools generally harder to get an 90 on an exam on?
 
omare61 said:
I'm SO FURIOUS! What is so bad about an A-. It seems like the average GPA here in SDN is 3.8+.

How do you people manage a GPA this high with A minuses swimming around. I hate how 92 (1 point away from an A) is an A-! Why does that one point deserve to screw my GPA!

3.7 v. 4.0 Is a big jump, all for one point! I Have straight A's so far, but they are all A-! (90-92). Its hard to get a grade above a 92 on a large exam that counts 30% of your grade. And then a Final that counts 30% of that grade. But I still maintain an 90 average.

Why is an A- such a GPA destroyer. I should Have a 4.0! I thought maybe for one semester, I could get a 4.0. But it never ever happened!! Just one semester. 🙁

I need to get the highest GPA possible and this is because I suck at standardized testing like the MCAT. I never did well in them. Even If I blow my mind studying for the MCAT, I won't do as good as people here in SDN keep getting (33+).

So the question is, should I transfer to a school where an A- is a A (4.0). I really fee like with all the effort I put into school, I deserve a 4.0.

It seems unfair how someone who goes to a school where a A- is a 3.7 v. someone who goes to a school where an A- is a 4.0-->especially if that someone is good at avoiding B's!
Will this be in my best interest? Or are these schools generally harder to get an 90 on an exam on?
Click to expand...

It sucks. But a 4.00 isn't significantly better than a 3.7

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
 
omare61 said:
I'm SO FURIOUS! What is so bad about an A-. It seems like the average GPA here in SDN is 3.8+.

How do you people manage a GPA this high with A minuses swimming around. I hate how 92 (1 point away from an A) is an A-! Why does that one point deserve to screw my GPA!

3.7 v. 4.0 Is a big jump, all for one point! I Have straight A's so far, but they are all A-! (90-92). Its hard to get a grade above a 92 on a large exam that counts 30% of your grade. And then a Final that counts 30% of that grade. But I still maintain an 90 average.

Why is an A- such a GPA destroyer. I should Have a 4.0! I thought maybe for one semester, I could get a 4.0. But it never ever happened!! Just one semester. 🙁

I need to get the highest GPA possible and this is because I suck at standardized testing like the MCAT. I never did well in them. Even If I blow my mind studying for the MCAT, I won't do as good as people here in SDN keep getting (33+).

So the question is, should I transfer to a school where an A- is a A (4.0). I really fee like with all the effort I put into school, I deserve a 4.0.

It seems unfair how someone who goes to a school where a A- is a 3.7 v. someone who goes to a school where an A- is a 4.0-->especially if that someone is good at avoiding B's!
Will this be in my best interest? Or are these schools generally harder to get an 90 on an exam on?
Click to expand...

99124221did_not_read.gif
 
3.7? Shoot, I remember an A- being 3.67. See, you could have it even worse.
 
1. Calm down a little.

2. Realize that those who humblebrag about having a 3.8 are only doing so because they're proud and glad to be ahead of the average. Ignore them and look at the average GPA of matriculants at the med schools you'll be applying to. Most schools have an average GPA of 3.5-3.6
 
omare61 said:
I'm SO FURIOUS! What is so bad about an A-. It seems like the average GPA here in SDN is 3.8+.

How do you people manage a GPA this high with A minuses swimming around. I hate how 92 (1 point away from an A) is an A-! Why does that one point deserve to screw my GPA!

3.7 v. 4.0 Is a big jump, all for one point! I Have straight A's so far, but they are all A-! (90-92). Its hard to get a grade above a 92 on a large exam that counts 30% of your grade. And then a Final that counts 30% of that grade. But I still maintain an 90 average.

Why is an A- such a GPA destroyer. I should Have a 4.0! I thought maybe for one semester, I could get a 4.0. But it never ever happened!! Just one semester. 🙁

I need to get the highest GPA possible and this is because I suck at standardized testing like the MCAT. I never did well in them. Even If I blow my mind studying for the MCAT, I won't do as good as people here in SDN keep getting (33+).

So the question is, should I transfer to a school where an A- is a A (4.0). I really fee like with all the effort I put into school, I deserve a 4.0.

It seems unfair how someone who goes to a school where a A- is a 3.7 v. someone who goes to a school where an A- is a 4.0-->especially if that someone is good at avoiding B's!
Will this be in my best interest? Or are these schools generally harder to get an 90 on an exam on?
Click to expand...

There is no school where an A- is a 4.0 as far as med schools are concerned. All grades are normalized, so your school could call a B+ a 6.2, and it would be converted by AMCAS to be the same B+ as at any other school.

You will never be happy if you keep comparing yourself to everyone else. Do your best, and don't worry about what "people here on SDN are getting" as it really doesn't matter to you. How does your GPA compare to MD acceptees in general, and how does it compare to the stats of med schools you want to go to? That is all that matters.

It is definitely not worth switching schools because you don't like getting A-s. It is simply pointless. If you did switch to a school that just gives out solid grades, meaning A, B, C with no + or -, you could start getting 3.0's when you miss that solid A instead of getting a 3.7. Keep doing your best, and go from there.
 
I thought A- still WAS 3.67.

Look at it this way, if A- was 3.9, the average SDN GPA would be 3.93ish instead of 3.8. A- has been 3.67 for god knows how long, just find a way to get some A's and the GPA (grade point average) will average out to higher. There's nothing bad about an A-. It's just not as good as an A. The Houston Texans are certainly not bad, they're actually a really good team....the Patriots are just better.
 
If someone barely gets an A, and a school gives +/- grades, nothing wrong with a 3.6/3.7 being an A-. Not all universities give - grades, and can be annoying that for some classes, a 90 gets you a solid A while a 93 gets you an A-. Just remember an A- is still considered an excellent score.
 
Damn son I feel bad for you. One point below an A at our school is an AB and that's a 3.5.

Oh wait, do not feel remorse.
 
I received 2 89.4s this semester. 3.0 in both.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile app please excuse punctuation and spelling
 
phikapdoctor said:
I received 2 89.4s this semester. 3.0 in both.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile app please excuse punctuation and spelling
Click to expand...
\

Ugh I was scared this was going to happen to me..
At least in some classes there are plus/minus grades..in some classes there are no curve and NO plus/minus..had two of them this semester and was scared that I was going to miss the A...so happy for the semester to be over and I'm alright with my 3.9 (damn you two A-'s)!!!!

OP don't worry yourself, as long as your GPA is over 3.5 you're on track!
 
Anathema said:
Damn son I feel bad for you. One point below an A at our school is an AB and that's a 3.5.

Oh wait, do not feel remorse.
Click to expand...

I understand, but talking about a person who thankfully is good at avoiding B's, do you think the best option is to transfer to a place where an A- is a 4.0. Do those schools generally make it harder to get an A?

phikapdoctor said:
I received 2 89.4s this semester. 3.0 in both.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile app please excuse punctuation and spelling
Click to expand...

Seems a bit exaggerated but 😱! Sorry bro...I feel so arrogant for posting, but I'm really looking into another university that doesn't do the minus in grades and I was wondering if that was a good idea. Generally it looks like the university may or may not make it harder to get an A.
 
The only thing that makes me mad is when certain professors create their owning scale that is different than the majority of the college. For instance, I had a poli sci class where an 80 and 81 was a B-, 82-88 was a B, an 89 was a B+, and 90 an A-. Every other class I took was 80-82 B-, 83-86 a B, and 87-89 a B+. I got an 88, which in any other class is a B+ but in this one professors class, it was a B. I knew about his grading scale all semester, but it still sucked! One B here and there didn't kill my GPA, so no way an A- is that big of a grade killer.
 
omare61 said:
I understand, but talking about a person who thankfully is good at avoiding B's, do you think the best option is to transfer to a place where an A- is a 4.0. Do those schools generally make it harder to get an A?
Click to expand...

Transferring wouldn't do anything since AMCAS assigns its own scale. Also this thread must be a joke/troll, because no normal person would freak out like this over an A-.
 
ShenanigansMD said:
Transferring wouldn't do anything since AMCAS assigns its own scale. Also this thread must be a joke/troll, because no normal person would freak out like this over an A-.
Click to expand...

eezCO.gif
 
TheWeeIceMan said:
3.7? Shoot, I remember an A- being 3.67. See, you could have it even worse.
Click to expand...

Yeah, my school was definitely 3.67 for A-, drove me crazy too. That's why a cumulative 3.8 - 4.0 is so amazing. It shows that you NEVER let up.
 
omare61 said:
I understand, but talking about a person who thankfully is good at avoiding B's, do you think the best option is to transfer to a place where an A- is a 4.0. Do those schools generally make it harder to get an A?



Seems a bit exaggerated but 😱! Sorry bro...I feel so arrogant for posting, but I'm really looking into another university that doesn't do the minus in grades and I was wondering if that was a good idea. Generally it looks like the university may or may not make it harder to get an A.
Click to expand...

You do sound arrogant/entitled; the vast majority of us are dealing/dealt with the exact same grading policies. It is what it is, and A-'s won't keep you out of medical school.

Transferring UG to try and falsely inflate your GPA won't help when you get to medical school. Besides, what are you going to tell adcoms when they ask why you transferred?
 
Also, you don't NEED a 3.8 to get into a medical school. Of course, the higher GPA the better. And you never know how'll you do on the MCAT 😉
 
omare61 said:
I'm SO FURIOUS! What is so bad about an A-. It seems like the average GPA here in SDN is 3.8+.

How do you people manage a GPA this high with A minuses swimming around. I hate how 92 (1 point away from an A) is an A-! Why does that one point deserve to screw my GPA!

3.7 v. 4.0 Is a big jump, all for one point! I Have straight A's so far, but they are all A-! (90-92). Its hard to get a grade above a 92 on a large exam that counts 30% of your grade. And then a Final that counts 30% of that grade. But I still maintain an 90 average.

Why is an A- such a GPA destroyer. I should Have a 4.0! I thought maybe for one semester, I could get a 4.0. But it never ever happened!! Just one semester. 🙁

I need to get the highest GPA possible and this is because I suck at standardized testing like the MCAT. I never did well in them. Even If I blow my mind studying for the MCAT, I won't do as good as people here in SDN keep getting (33+).

So the question is, should I transfer to a school where an A- is a A (4.0). I really fee like with all the effort I put into school, I deserve a 4.0.

It seems unfair how someone who goes to a school where a A- is a 3.7 v. someone who goes to a school where an A- is a 4.0-->especially if that someone is good at avoiding B's!
Will this be in my best interest? Or are these schools generally harder to get an 90 on an exam on?
Click to expand...

I know it's gonna seem harsh, but boo hoo.

We all feel like we "deserve a 4.0." Most of us won't get it. I feel like I deserve to be #1 in my class. Ain't gonna happen. I felt like I deserved a 37 on the MCAT -- h*ll, that was my AVERAGE practice test score. Didn't happen. I felt like I should have gotten into my UG's med school since I singlehandedly rebuilt a branch of their Guaranteed Admissions track and the students who served as my right and left hands are guaranteed admission as a result of my blood, sweat, and tears. Didn't happen (was waitlisted there due to some sh*tty interview circumstances).

The truth is that everyone works hard and few are going to be "good enough" to get into med school and become physicians. Honestly, even those of us in med school sometimes wonder whether we are "good enough." When we consider that in just a few short years we will be responsible for the lives of vulnerable human beings, that we will be both their first and last defense, it's humbling.

All that said, what your school assigns as a GPA (for each grade) is meaningless. A-s are 3.7s per AMCAS. Period. Now if your school does not have +/- grading that's a different story. Further a 3.7 isn't going to hurt you.
 
The worst are classes that don't have grade modifiers so you go from a 4 to a 3 with an 89 (if the professor doesn't bump you up)
 
Chill. I have 2 A's, an A- and a B-, and guess what. It'll go up next semester since it's my second semester in college, and I'll do better. What'll you do when your go to med school and get grades lower than a A-?
 
omare61 said:
I'm SO FURIOUS! What is so bad about an A-. It seems like the average GPA here in SDN is 3.8+.

How do you people manage a GPA this high with A minuses swimming around. I hate how 92 (1 point away from an A) is an A-! Why does that one point deserve to screw my GPA!

3.7 v. 4.0 Is a big jump, all for one point! I Have straight A's so far, but they are all A-! (90-92). Its hard to get a grade above a 92 on a large exam that counts 30% of your grade. And then a Final that counts 30% of that grade. But I still maintain an 90 average.

Why is an A- such a GPA destroyer. I should Have a 4.0! I thought maybe for one semester, I could get a 4.0. But it never ever happened!! Just one semester. 🙁

I need to get the highest GPA possible and this is because I suck at standardized testing like the MCAT. I never did well in them. Even If I blow my mind studying for the MCAT, I won't do as good as people here in SDN keep getting (33+).

So the question is, should I transfer to a school where an A- is a A (4.0). I really fee like with all the effort I put into school, I deserve a 4.0.

It seems unfair how someone who goes to a school where a A- is a 3.7 v. someone who goes to a school where an A- is a 4.0-->especially if that someone is good at avoiding B's!
Will this be in my best interest? Or are these schools generally harder to get an 90 on an exam on?
Click to expand...

You get what you get, man.
 
Know what also sucks?

The fact that A+'s don't count for anything whatsoever.

If you are going to bump me down to a 3.7 for a A-, why not bump me up to 4.3 for an A+?

Other grad school admissions do it this way (i.e. there is precedent)...
 
Agent B said:
:shrug: based on the content of your previous threads, it's difficult to take you seriously.
Click to expand...
R6qrD.gif


Aren't you the guy who thinks everyone is a troll? This isn't 4chan/reddit/misc.
 
Last edited:
phikapdoctor said:
I received 2 89.4s this semester. 3.0 in both.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile app please excuse punctuation and spelling
Click to expand...

I won't lie, I would be pretty depressed.
 
On the 10 point grading scale, My lovely 89 in Gem Chem 1 was a B=3.0=SDN fail. So whatever grading scale your school uses will sometimes work for, and sometimes against you throughout college career...just like the other grading scale you might wish you had. I guess it really kind of equalizes in the end for people who are at a plus/minus school vs. 10 point. Just gotta make it work for you.
 
This is probably gonna sound harsh but...

Number 1: Information found on your University's website and/or professor's syllabus will 99% of the time explicitly lay out how grades are earned and GPAs are calculated

Number 2: Your professor will 99% of the time tell you what he expects of you and what will be covered on the tests.

Therefore, you should know A: What percentage you need for a 4.0 in each class, and B: The level at which you need to perform to earn that percentage. If your GPA is really that important to you, you'll leave nothing to chance and shoot for a percentage that's comfortably above the A/A+ cutoff, assuming of course that you have the capacity to do so. If not, please don't beat yourself up because the vast majority of students don't. That's why a C is average. A- is a good grade, and many kids are off to a worse start than you. I'm finishing up my first freshman semester with a 4.0 at my University because getting all As was simply a priority for me. I knew what I had to do, and left nothing to chance. It is tough, but it's worth it.
 
I know it sucked at first but I've learned to live with it (I'm a straight A minus student).
 
omare61 said:
eezCO.gif
Click to expand...

Whatever bro, you need to get over yourself not having a 4.0; you're taking the pre-med process waaaay too seriously. I have no way of knowing without meeting you in person whether or not you're another captain selfish like a lot of the other guys/gals I met as pre-meds, but a post like this makes you sound like a kindergartner yelling at the teacher for not giving you a gold star on your painting.
 
ShenanigansMD said:
Whatever bro, you need to get over yourself not having a 4.0; you're taking the pre-med process waaaay too seriously. I have no way of knowing without meeting you in person whether or not you're another captain selfish like a lot of the other guys/gals I met as pre-meds, but a post like this makes you sound like a kindergartner yelling at the teacher for not giving you a gold star on your painting.
Click to expand...

Yeah, talking to premeds such as this was always the reason I packed up my stuff and ran out the door ASAP after o-chem lectures. :laugh:
 
omare61 said:
I'm SO FURIOUS! What is so bad about an A-. It seems like the average GPA here in SDN is 3.8+.

How do you people manage a GPA this high with A minuses swimming around. I hate how 92 (1 point away from an A) is an A-! Why does that one point deserve to screw my GPA!

3.7 v. 4.0 Is a big jump, all for one point! I Have straight A's so far, but they are all A-! (90-92). Its hard to get a grade above a 92 on a large exam that counts 30% of your grade. And then a Final that counts 30% of that grade. But I still maintain an 90 average.

Why is an A- such a GPA destroyer. I should Have a 4.0! I thought maybe for one semester, I could get a 4.0. But it never ever happened!! Just one semester. 🙁

I need to get the highest GPA possible and this is because I suck at standardized testing like the MCAT. I never did well in them. Even If I blow my mind studying for the MCAT, I won't do as good as people here in SDN keep getting (33+).

So the question is, should I transfer to a school where an A- is a A (4.0). I really fee like with all the effort I put into school, I deserve a 4.0.

It seems unfair how someone who goes to a school where a A- is a 3.7 v. someone who goes to a school where an A- is a 4.0-->especially if that someone is good at avoiding B's!
Will this be in my best interest? Or are these schools generally harder to get an 90 on an exam on?
Click to expand...

Calm down. What about B+ = 3.3? Better then 3.0. Same thing. You'll be fine and it won't matter.
 
omare61 said:
So the question is, should I transfer to a school where an A- is a A (4.0). I really fee like with all the effort I put into school, I deserve a 4.0.
Click to expand...
Effort doesn't save lives, success does. We don't award points for "effort" in medicine.
MedPR said:
It sucks. But a 4.00 isn't significantly better than a 3.7

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
Click to expand...
It is if it's your cumulative GPA...just saying lol
 
I really disliked plus and minus grades, it worked against my situation when I transferred for most courses ( excpet one where I got B+). My previous school only had A's,B's C's, which means a 90 or higher would give you a 4.0, 80 or higher 3.0 etc.. Nothing I can do about it though, and my transcript is full of A- , at least it's not C's!
 
If you round 3.7 you'll have a 4.0. Lol
 
If A- was treated as a 4.0 at all schools, then gpa standards would just be higher. It would have no effect on your competitiveness.
 
What really sucks is when you're on the edge for a round up. I have a 92.4% in one of my classes. 😡
 
circulus vitios said:
What really sucks is when you're on the edge for a round up. I have a 92.4% in one of my classes. 😡
Click to expand...

Round-ups are cheap. 92.9% = 92.4% in terms of grading. People who beg for their 92.9 to be rounded to a 93.0 are losers unless we also round down all the 93.1-93.49s to 92.0.
 
OP,

Check out the grade distribution for your classes. If only 2-5% of people get an A, then you have a legitimate gripe. If it's the normal 15+% (which I expect is the case), then you have nothing to say - just buckle down and work harder.

Sent from my HTC Desire CDMA using SDN Mobile
 
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