Progressive Academic Undergrad Success

[GoodProgression]

I see a few discussions about GPA's that are around a 3.0 with a 30+ MCAT but I don't see much about the consistency or progression of the 3.0. I would think that a student that is consistently a 3.0 student from Freshman to Senior year does not look as appealing as a student that has had a great turn around from the first years of Undergrad to the last. My question: What kind of impact does this progression make in the eyes of the Admissions board.

Obviously I am bias because I am in this situation and at least hope that it shows a serious change that is even a PLUS in many instances I would definitely like to hear some opinions!

Thanks.

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[MT Headed]

At the University of Washington the dean flat out says (consistently high gpa) > (rising trend gpa) > (medium gpa) > (high but falling gpa). They even do their own weighted GPA system that gives much more weight to later grades than earlier ones. In her 2009 webinar, no longer online, she said that "yes according to their system a student who gets A's their freshman year has a very difficult job ahead of themselves, because they basically have to get A's the rest of their undergrad or they will be heavily penalized".

I don't know of any other school that goes quite to that extreme, but a GPA of 3.0 that went from a 2--->4 is leagues ahead of a steady 3--->3. Adcoms read the whole transcript, not just the final number. An upward progression makes a huge impact.

 

[QofQuimica]

Every school has its own way of evaluating academic performance. Some care about trends, while others care more about the bottom line. My med school does consider trends, not only for nontrads who take postbac classes after a not-so-stellar college performance, but even for trads who show improvement during their time in college. Our evaluation procedure isn't nearly as elaborate as what MT described though!

You will need to apply broadly to a well-targeted set of schools that take residents of your state, have a mission that matches with your goals, etc. If your cum GPA is very low in spite of the upward trend (especially if you're below 3.0), you should consider doing some post bac work before you apply. Retaking the classes with low grades is a very effective strategy if you intend to apply to DO schools. Otherwise, doing well in upper division science classes can help make the case that you're academically prepared for med school, even if your overall GPA doesn't go up a whole lot. Again, though, how much a strong postbac will help you depends on each school's specific policies and norms.

Best of luck.

 

[Law2Doc]

I see a few discussions about GPA's that are around a 3.0 with a 30+ MCAT but I don't see much about the consistency or progression of the 3.0. I would think that a student that is consistently a 3.0 student from Freshman to Senior year does not look as appealing as a student that has had a great turn around from the first years of Undergrad to the last. My question: What kind of impact does this progression make in the eyes of the Admissions board.

Obviously I am bias because I am in this situation and at least hope that it shows a serious change that is even a PLUS in many instances I would definitely like to hear some opinions!

Thanks.

Agree with what has been said above. But also remember that every case is different, and so while a rising trend is nice, a rising trend plus other black marks (ie DUIs as in another thread), might require that the ultimate final GPA be higher than otherwise. Also, since DO allows you to replace grades, a slow starter might be able to bring a GPA up significantly by retaking freshman D/Fs, which in the right circumstance can be significant.

 

[GoodProgression]

That really helps, or at least is more encouraging. Maybe this is question is deserving of another thread but I also work 16 hours a week and pulled a 3.5 with 15 credits and in general with only one 2.5 in 2nd semester physiology which brought it down a lot. Otherwise, 4.0's and 3.5's for the most part. How much does a student that works not just 8hrs a week but a significant amount for the credits I am taking (16 hrs 15 credits) have an effect on medical schools? This academic progression, by the way, only came when I started working...go figure. I would guess like the first reply that a 4.0 is always better then a 3.5 even if the student was working. But once again, I definitely want some other sources. Thanks again for the reply's.

 

[LegendaryPunk]

How much does a student that works not just 8hrs a week but a significant amount for the credits I am taking (16 hrs 15 credits) have an effect on medical schools?

I'm still relatively new here, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

First off, your overall GPA is still the most important factor. 12 hrs with a 4.0 GPA > 15-18 hrs with a 3.5. You gotta find the perfect balance of taking as many classes as you can handle while still maintaining as-near-as-possible 4.0 grades.

That being said, med schools will sympathise with somebody who is also working full-time, raising a family, etc....to an extent. The reason being that if you are accepted to med school, you'll still be taking your typical full-time student course load of 12 hrs, but you'll also be replacing your full-time job with an additional 12 hrs. You aren't really gaining any extra hours in the day to study because those hours are automatically filled with more material (and difficult material at that).

This academic progression, by the way, only came when I started working...go figure.

I can relate to that! It's so embarrassing to think about how crummy of a student I was in college. It wasn't until I spent some time on my own, got a job, and joined the fire service (i.e. grew up a little bit) before I was able to excel as a student.

 

[DrMidlife]

Going nuts over how many hours you worked against what GPA you got and how that's going to compare against what the other kids did isn't a good use of time. You have no vote in how you'll be perceived, and this particular comparative endeavor is low-yield. Plus it sounds whiny.

Control what you can control. You can't control your early transcripts. You can control your MCAT score (somewhat) by doing everything you possibly can to get an above average score. You can control your essays and how you present yourself. Your job now is to max out everything on your app so that the only anomaly is your early GPA.

Meanwhile, do the math. If an extra year of undergrad would give you a GPA boost, then do that year. Give adcoms a multi-year streak of excellent grades in lots of hard science.

I suggest doing some research to identify schools that put your app in front of human eyeballs early and often. This gives your improvement a chance to be seen. Gaming school selection processes is sketchy. But you can probably bet that a school that gets 10k+ apps (Gtown, GW, Boston etc) is less likely to do early human review. Any access you have to schools in your state, public or private, should be taken advantage of. I personally wouldn't get too excited about screened vs. unscreened secondaries - this could go either way in terms of favorability.

Lastly, I'd suggest setting yourself up for the best possible app year by scheduling your MCAT so that your score is in hand and you're ready to submit your app on June 1. Again, this is a thing that you can control, so take advantage. During that app year, if you're not getting interviews and/or things aren't looking good by about November, then start applying to SMPs. Focus on programs that are hosted at med schools, integrated with med schools, where you do a substantial chunk of the M1 curriculum, and where the program aggressively supports your app to the host school and to other schools.

If you go after DO, that could save you some time.

Best of luck to you.