Pass/Fail vs. Letter Grade Schools

[tennisnr]

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Hey Everyone

I was just wondering what people have heard concerning schools like Baylor, UTD, and other schools which have practically an all letter grades system compared to those that are more pass/fail or honors/p/f?

Is it really that much more stressful at letter grade schools and overall quality of life worse b/c of letter grades? Please let me know what you've heard because I (as well as other soon to be applicants) am wondering if I should even apply to schools like Baylor. Thanks for your help.

 

[8744]

Pass="C"
High Pass="B"
Honors="A"

Don't sweat it. No matter what it is called it is still a grade and if you are into grades you will still stress out about it, exchanging "I've got to study sixteen hours a day for an A" with "I've got to study sixteen hours a day for honors."

 

[Dr Who]

The reason that many schools eliminate letter grades is that it supposedly eliminates needless competition for grades and lets medical students concentrate more on learning, which is what they should be doing in the first place.
I was accepted at both letter a letter grade school and a pass/ fail school, I chose the former. In the end I think its all mental. Maybe it is easier for someone to accept a "pass" grade than a "B". I for one dont care much for that, if your aim is to become a doctor, then go to the school that you are most comfortable with. In the end that will be your whole world for the next four years (If you dont believe me, you will in the near future LOL).
I believe in the C=MD philosophy. Forget about "gunning" for the best grades, just concentrate on doing your best and you'll be fine.

 

[TexasRose]

Go to the school that you think is the best for you. After interviewing at schools, you may find that your deciding factors have very little to do with the grading system. Yes, Baylor has grades (Fail, Marginal Pass, Pass, High Pass, Honors). It may make it more competitive for those people who focus on getting all Honors, but those people would be pursuing those scores even in a P/F format. It's what they do.

The good thing is, we aren't graded on a curve. We can all make an Honors in a course if we all work that hard. The fact of the matter, though, is that the Pass designation is so broad (68-86) that the vast majority of students got a Pass for the first semester.

In the end, go where you feel you will get the most out of being in medical school. The grades are very, very secondary.

 

[efex101]

I am very happy that I went to a school that is pass/fail because IMHO it does take off the edge of some stress. It is stressful enough to just pass so I could not imagine having to stress much more to make sure that you do not end up with C's....many schools are going to pass/fail because it can make for a more relaxed and cooperative environment. Our second year is not pass/fail and the second years do comment that the stress level has increased due to that fact. This said, go to the school where you think you will be happiest and it is happens to be the choice btw two schools go to pass/fail. We are all used to getting 4.0 in undergrad but that will not be the case for medical school for many students so just beware....so going to pass/fail can eliminate some of the "grade" anxiety.

 

[mumpers]

does anyone have a list or partial list of schools and what system they use

 

[efex101]

This info should be available at the medical school web page FAQ

 

[jhugti]

Pass="C"
High Pass="B"
Honors="A"

Don't sweat it. No matter what it is called it is still a grade and if you are into grades you will still stress out about it, exchanging "I've got to study sixteen hours a day for an A" with "I've got to study sixteen hours a day for honors."

this is not true at a lot of schools. Case in point, at Hopkins Med the grading is Honors, High Pass, Pass, Fail. Nobody fails (with some rare exceptions), ten percent get honors, and ten percent get high pass. What this means is that in your med school career you will probably get a couple honors/high passes, but the bulk of your grades will be pass. This doesn't make you a "C" student.

I think schools that go to a pass/fail system or some derivative thereof do so for a reason. Honors is what it sounds like- an honor. There is no expectation that you will get all honors (unlike undergrad where getting in A is a very achivable goal)