masters grades

[armybound]

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I asked the adcoms this but I'll ask it here anyway, since those guys sometimes take a while to respond.

Does anyone have any first-hand knowledge of what kind of role masters degree grades play in admissions, especially screening?

I keep being told my masters grades mean absolutely nothing as far as med school application goes, which would be a pretty big waste of time and effort.

if it means anything, I'm talking about a traditional MS and not an SMP.. you SMP individuals are a whole different ballgame. I wish I had thought of doing an SMP.

 

[deleted113029]

I asked the adcoms this but I'll ask it here anyway, since those guys sometimes take a while to respond.

Does anyone have any first-hand knowledge of what kind of role masters degree grades play in admissions, especially screening?

I keep being told my masters grades mean absolutely nothing as far as med school application goes, which would be a pretty big waste of time and effort.

if it means anything, I'm talking about a traditional MS and not an SMP.. you SMP individuals are a whole different ballgame. I wish I had thought of doing an SMP.

what you've been told is true...unfortunately.

 

[armybound]

so the ONLY way to improve your numbers for application is to improve your MCAT?

 

[braluk]

Masters grades may help, but it seems like, at least from heresay, that the line of thinking is that graduate courses are easy As, particularly research type of classes. Im not sure if this is true or not. FWIW, I think a MS is helpful if you ace the classes and do well. I cannot imagine that an adcom would automatically discuount strong graduate grades.

 

[armybound]

Masters grades may help, but it seems like, at least from heresay, that the line of thinking is that graduate courses are easy As, particularly research type of classes. Im not sure if this is true or not. FWIW, I think a MS is helpful if you ace the classes and do well. I cannot imagine that an adcom would automatically discuount strong graduate grades.

yeah, I don't see how they can be completely ignored. In 2 semesters so far I've sat in on 2 undergraduate upper-level biology courses that most biology majors have to take (molecular genetics and immunology). It's not possible for my grade to be inflated but theirs not, as we're taking the exact same course.

Though I agree I get free As in classes like my seminar courses.

 

[deleted113029]

so the ONLY way to improve your numbers for application is to improve your MCAT?

postbacc courses definitely help. retaking MCATs are useless if your score is >=30 and your grades are poor. one thing i've seen over the years are people getting in with excellent grades + mediocre MCAT, good grades + excellent MCAT, but few with poor grades + excellent MCAT and even fewer with poor grades + mediocre MCAT.