Pharmacy grades vs. undergrad

[sterlinggg]

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TLDR: Would a med school take more consideration at pharmacy school grades or undergrad?

I am thinking about applying to med school. However, when I was in JC, I didn’t take school too seriously and my grades weren’t the best…. I ended up transferring and earned Summa Cum Laude on my BS and am currently in Rho Chi with a 3.6 GPA in pharm school. Will my JC grades affect my chances of getting into a med school (MD or DO)? Should I try to retake the classes I did bad in in JC? Thank you 🙂

 

[gyngyn]

MD schools use undergraduate grades and trend to assess academic prowess.
DO schools consider graduate and professional school grades as part of their assessment.

 

[ewax]

MD schools use undergraduate grades and trend to assess academic prowess.
DO schools consider graduate and professional school grades as part of their assessment.

Agree. I did both and pharmacy school is looked at as a nice EC but pharmacy GPA not considered in lieu of UG GPA.

If your UG GPA is poor, would need to either consider re-taking/post bacc or an SMP (although these can very high risk/reward and expensive). A very strong MCAT can also make up for a borderline GPA. I'm many years removed from the application process but feel free to DM me with questions.

 

[drxmed]

PharmD graduate here right now applying this cycle. If you have any questions, feel free to DM me.

Regarding your question. it is important maintain high undergraduate GPA. Average accepted for MD ranges 3.6-3.7.

Pharmacy GPA shows that you are able to tackle the rigorous med school program. A lot of PharmD/MD graduates say that PharmD program is slightly less intensive compared to MD program since you have to study for boards while in school.

Background in pharmacy does bring an unique perspective to the table during the application process. Schools love diversity.