just wondering.....

[daact]

do grades in your first 2 years of MS really count?

thanks....

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[doc05]

yes they do. especially if you make AOA which will help for a competitive field like ophtho.

 

[vanelo]

Yes

 

[exmike]

what if your school is true pass fail (no grades at all)? We only have senior AOA, and grading during MS3/4

 

[FlyingDoc]

what if your school is true pass fail (no grades at all)? We only have senior AOA, and grading during MS3/4

This means that you have no grades in MS1 and 2, so they can't count... go for the pass and don't worry about how you do in class.

However, doing well in your first 2 years of med school will help you do well on Step I, which does matter for residency applications.

So there probably is no substitute for hard work

 

[exmike]

This means that you have no grades in MS1 and 2, so they can't count... go for the pass and don't worry about how you do in class.

However, doing well in your first 2 years of med school will help you do well on Step I, which does matter for residency applications.

So there probably is no substitute for hard work

darnit, so much for sleepwalking t hrough my first two years!!

 

[Redhawk]

I've heard, whether it's true or not, that some schools that use pass/fail systems still keep some form of grades to use for ranking students. If this were true it might affect AOA status and would be one reason to study hard. Also, I wonder if being in such a system makes it harder to match into a difficult field like Ophtho? Either way, I would highly recommend studying hard as it WILL help you for step 1 which can be the great equalizer. While I'm on the subject, I would recommend using your step 1 review books as you take your basic science courses. Previously learned info refreshes easier when you're using a familiar source. My 2 cents.

 

[Morton]

what if your school is true pass fail (no grades at all)? We only have senior AOA, and grading during MS3/4

Hey exmike, I'm a 4th yr at Case -- if you ever have any questions, feel free to email me ([email protected]).

I don't think missing grades in the first 2 years is a big deal, but that combined with Case electing AOA in December of 4th year makes step1, 3rd year grades, and letters really important. If I were you, I'd try to get the Deans to do AOA elections earlier. They don't think it affects anything, but it does - having it may help get a few extra interviews.

 

[monstermatch]

Grades matter. Even schools with pass/fail find a way to rank you.

 

[FlyingDoc]

Grades matter. Even schools with pass/fail find a way to rank you.

There are 2 schools that I know of that grades don't matter: Yale and Stanford. This is because they don't have class rank or AOA, so there is no tracking of your grades over time (i.e. no secret excel spreadsheet in a back room somewhere).

 

[monstermatch]

There are 2 schools that I know of that grades don't matter: Yale and Stanford. This is because they don't have class rank or AOA, so there is no tracking of your grades over time (i.e. no secret excel spreadsheet in a back room somewhere).

Maybe so - I would be curious to hear from a student at Yale or Stanford. I suspect that there is some info in the deans letter that indicates their rank one way or another.

 

[Morton]

Grades matter. Even schools with pass/fail find a way to rank you.

At Case there is a ranking system, but it is entirely based on the number of months of honors someone gets during core clerkships -- it has nothing to grades from the first two years. It appears as the strength of "the word" in the last sentence of the Dean's letter.