Lower Grad GPA than Undergrad GPA

[RagingBolt34]

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Hello all,

I am going through a medical school cycle at the moment with some interviews and in the down time I have been enrolled in an mph program as I have an interest in public health. By the end of next semester I will have a 3.67 graduate gpa, which is a bit lower than my undergrad gpa of 3.81. I am wondering if this will hurt my medical school application if I need to reapply for next cycle?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

It's an MPH program, and you're likely to stay above 3.50, so I'm not that concerned.

 

[Med Ed]

What MPH course(s) have you not gotten an A in?

 

[RagingBolt34]

What MPH course(s) have you not gotten an A in?

My gpa is tanked from getting a B in epidemiological methods I and a C Epidemiology. I will have received an A in all my 7 other courses which include classes like biostatistics I & II and Epidemiological methods II and other public health policy classes. It’s a two year program and I am only finishing the first year at the end of this coming semester so the B and C really drag my gpa down.

 

[AJ25]

My gpa is tanked from getting a B in epidemiological methods I and a C Epidemiology. I will have received an A in all my 7 other courses which include classes like biostatistics I & II and Epidemiological methods II and other public health policy classes. It’s a two year program and I am only finishing the first year at the end of this coming semester so the B and C really drag my gpa down.

Epidemiology can be very interesting for anyone IF it is taught well. Perhaps your instructor was not as good as some others. I'm sure the rest of the courses will help improve your final GPA.

 

[Med Ed]

My gpa is tanked from getting a B in epidemiological methods I and a C Epidemiology. I will have received an A in all my 7 other courses which include classes like biostatistics I & II and Epidemiological methods II and other public health policy classes. It’s a two year program and I am only finishing the first year at the end of this coming semester so the B and C really drag my gpa down.

That's tough. Getting a C in graduate school is essentially getting a failing grade (that's the perception, at least). MPH programs are also considered to be decidedly less rigorous that medical school.

All you can do now is ace the rest of it.

 

[AJ25]

That's tough. Getting a C in graduate school is essentially getting a failing grade (that's the perception, at least). MPH programs are also considered to be decidedly less rigorous that medical school.

All you can do now is ace the rest of it.

To be fair, as someone who has an MPH and is also currently in medical school, they are very different disciplines. I agree that it is near impossible to fail out of an MPH program but I had current medical students in my classes when I was an MPH student and some of them could not pick up on certain themes even with basic sciences and third year under their belts.

For example, some people could not see that the low birth weights amongst African-American women or first generation women of African decent was because of the cumulative effect of system racism and NOT the healthcare system they belonged to. Their argument was that better research and better education would improve those outcomes. That's not technically wrong but it's also not the right answer either--but they also won't get an F for that way of thinking either.

 

[Med Ed]

To be fair, as someone who has an MPH and is also currently in medical school, they are very different disciplines. I agree that it is near impossible to fail out of an MPH program but I had current medical students in my classes when I was an MPH student and some of them could not pick up on certain themes even with basic sciences and third year under their belts.

For example, some people could not see that the low birth weights amongst African-American women or first generation women of African decent was because of the cumulative effect of system racism and NOT the healthcare system they belonged to. Their argument was that better research and better education would improve those outcomes. That's not technically wrong but it's also not the right answer either--but they also won't get an F for that way of thinking either.

This isn’t how you run a t-test.

 

[AJ25]

This isn’t how you run a t-test.

Sometimes, listening to the lived experiences of others is more valuable to their care than data alone.

Merry Christmas

 

[Med Ed]

Sometimes, listening to the lived experiences of others is more valuable to their care than data alone.

I agree that it is near impossible to fail out of an MPH program

 

[LizzyM]

Epidemiology is the organic chemistry of public health.

What I don't understand is why you've applied to medical school to start in 2026 when you won't earn your MPH degree until 2027. Losing a student before graduation is a bad situation for degree programs and so most schools will not poach a current student but will require that you finish the degree you started. Maybe you can leave and return after M2 or M3?

 

[RagingBolt34]

Epidemiology is the organic chemistry of public health.

What I don't understand is why you've applied to medical school to start in 2026 when you won't earn your MPH degree until 2027. Losing a student before graduation is a bad situation for degree programs and so most schools will not poach a current student but will require that you finish the degree you started. Maybe you can leave and return after M2 or M3?

Yes I know but I wasn’t accepted into this mph program until I had already submitted my med school apps so the schools I applied to don’t actually know I’m doing it at the moment. My plan was that if I don’t get in this cycle I would have the mph done by the time I reapplied next cycle and if I do get in the cycle I would finish it very slowly over the course of med school because my program has ways you can distribute the courses to lighten the load each semester. Or like you said complete it between M2 and M3

 

[Med Ed]

Yes I know but I wasn’t accepted into this mph program until I had already submitted my med school apps so the schools I applied to don’t actually know I’m doing it at the moment. My plan was that if I don’t get in this cycle I would have the mph done by the time I reapplied next cycle and if I do get in the cycle I would finish it very slowly over the course of med school because my program has ways you can distribute the courses to lighten the load each semester. Or like you said complete it between M2 and M3

The schools you have applied to should be made aware that you are enrolled in a graduate program which will not be complete by fall 2026. You don’t want get an acceptance only to find you are violating an admissions policy.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

The schools you have applied to should be made aware that you are enrolled in a graduate program which will not be complete by fall 2026. You don’t want get an acceptance only to find you are violating an admissions policy.

OP: Schools don't like surprises, and they rarely give deferrals. I'll agree you need a plan to disclose that you are an MPH student.