is there really an upper GPA "its all the same" zone?

[R_C_Hutchinson]

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i've heard from admissions people and premeds alike both ways on this issue- the question is this:

On the MCAT, it's a pretty prevalent feeling that anything above about a 37 is more strongly correlated to luck than to skill. Not to say that a 40+ score is unimpressive, it is duly earned, but it is also the product of a "good" day of testing.

Does the same apply to GPA? do schools differentiate between a 3.7, 3.8, 3.9 and a 4.0? I've heard that major choice/courseload is a much bigger factor here (obviously if your average departmental GPA is 3.8, then a 3.7 is nothing to write home about), but i'd like to hear the general opinions of the board about this, especially anything you've heard from admissions people.

 

[Street Philosopher]

In my uninformed and unjustifiable opinion, anything above a 3.8 at a non-grade inflation school is pretty similar. If you want to be nitpicky, I'd say 3.9 - 4.0 is almost entirely equivalent.

 

[R_C_Hutchinson]

non grade inflation being average GPA about 2.7? or 2.0?

 

[Street Philosopher]

B-/C+ avg, which is around a 2.7/2.3 @ UCLA 🙂

 

[bigbaubdi]

I believe that Hopkins' average GPA was 3.86 and Harvard's was 3.80 last year. But from what I understand, those two schools put less emphasis on the MCAT than others (i.e. WashU, Columbia)