School JUST announced grading change for Incoming M1s - Is there anything I can do?

[guessedcargo]

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Hi everyone,

I’m an incoming M1, and I’m reaching out to see if anyone in the broader med school community has insight or advice regarding a major change that was just announced to my school, which is to begin with my class.

On July 1st, just weeks before orientation, my school informed our incoming class that they would be transitioning from Pass/Fail to a tiered grading system (Honors / High Pass / Pass / Low Pass / Unsatisfactory) — effective immediately for us, the incoming students. This came after most of us had already withdrawn from other acceptances and committed fully to my school, based on everything the school told us during the interview process and second look events.

Throughout that time, this school consistently advertised its P/F preclinical curriculum as a core part of its philosophy, emphasizing the community-centered, collaborative, and low-stress environment that P/F grading promotes. Many of us factored that heavily into our decision. This abrupt change in grading structure — with zero input from our class and no prior indication it was even being considered — feels like operating in bad faith.

Any support or advice is truly appreciated. This change feels like it could significantly impact the culture of our class and the values that led us to choose this school in the first place.


Thanks in advance.

 

[Hollow Knight]

[inserts first time meme here]

Look, many of the people who run your medical school probably aren’t competent or honest. At least that’s been the experience of most of my friends and I from bottom-tier DO to Ivy League universities. (Obviously some are awesome Im speaking in generalities here).

Your school doesn’t care about you. They aren’t your friends. Your #1 job for the next few years is to figure out how to match a residency and do whatever it takes to make that goal a reality. Unfortunately even learning medicine is secondary to that initial goal.

Also, never complain to anyone about this kind of stuff. Ever. At a school like this it will affect your match prospects.

Smile, jump however high they tell you, and be better when you’re an attending. Medical school is more akin to hoop-jumping than doctor school.

 

[EthylMethylMan]

A little hyperbolic to say “your school doesn’t care about you.” Regardless of them pulling this pretty crummy bait and switch, they still have a vested interest in you graduating and matching. I see no reason to think they’re gonna be aloof or try to undermine you or anything.

But to answer your question, I don’t think there’s anything you can do. You could have a consult with a lawyer to see if there are options. But if there are, and you choose to pursue them, you’d lose all good graces with your school, which is not optimal, especially so early on. The juice doesn’t seem worth the squeeze. Best course of action is to just be a hard-working med student, as you were doubtlessly planning to be already. Gripe about it with your buddies over a beer. Lord knows my med school friends and I did that a good deal. It’s pretty cathartic.

 

[xffan624]

Hi everyone,

I’m an incoming M1, and I’m reaching out to see if anyone in the broader med school community has insight or advice regarding a major change that was just announced to my school, which is to begin with my class.

On July 1st, just weeks before orientation, my school informed our incoming class that they would be transitioning from Pass/Fail to a tiered grading system (Honors / High Pass / Pass / Low Pass / Unsatisfactory) — effective immediately for us, the incoming students. This came after most of us had already withdrawn from other acceptances and committed fully to my school, based on everything the school told us during the interview process and second look events.

Throughout that time, this school consistently advertised its P/F preclinical curriculum as a core part of its philosophy, emphasizing the community-centered, collaborative, and low-stress environment that P/F grading promotes. Many of us factored that heavily into our decision. This abrupt change in grading structure — with zero input from our class and no prior indication it was even being considered — feels like operating in bad faith.

Any support or advice is truly appreciated. This change feels like it could significantly impact the culture of our class and the values that led us to choose this school in the first place.


Thanks in advance.

Yes, it sucks. Your school screwed you. Your only realistic recourse is to withdraw your acceptance and reapply, which is a terrible idea.

 

[guytakingboards]

I would say:

Be disappointed, process it, and move on. This is not a hill worth dying on. There's going to be several more substantial headaches/roadblocks in your career/life and this isn't one to perseverate on.

 

[mistafab]

I would just accept it and move on. Schools change policies all the time with the goal to improve student success. This is just one of those things.

It is a very frequent experience in medicine, in general. Administration will do things that do not necessarily connect with the desires/experiences of those in the trenches, with the goal of achieving outcome X. We are all within a "system" as it were.

 

[operaman]

Agreed, don’t make a fuss, just let it go. It’s a crap move of them to spring it on you late in the game but nothing to gain by making a stink now. Sounds like the decision has been made.

Truth is it’s probably a plus in the end. With s1 now p/f it’s getting harder to differentiate applicants. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a number of schools go back to a quasi graded pre clinical curriculum.

The other way this helps is that students can see where they stand earlier in the game. It used to be that S1 scores came out and half the aspiring orthopods and dermatologists discovered their passion for psychiatry. Now that reckoning gets delayed until much later. Having some grades and hopefully a class rank can help you see where you stand early on and make adjustments if needed.

 

[LucidSplash]

Agreed w/operaman, this is likely a move made as a result of Step 1 being pass/fail. For a non “top tier” (whatever that means and however you define it), and as much as everyone celebrated it, making Step 1 pass/fail was an inevitable road to losing pass/fail grading during the preclinical years. Having both pass/fail grading and step 1 makes it harder for top students to differentiate themselves for competitive residencies.

I’m surprised people (not you specifically, just people in general) really didn’t see this coming. I went to a solid state school that was graded A-F for both clinicals and preclinicals, back when Step 1 was graded even, and the exact reasoning was to help people differentiate themselves.

It was definitely shady for them to make this change before accepted students could make another decision. But this won’t be the first time someone in admin pulls a fast one on you in medical school or in medicine in general. So it’s an education of sorts, in and of itself.

 

[Goro]

It's a crummy move, but ask yourself honestly "am I a good student?"

If so, go for HP and do the best you can. It's really all your school can ask of you, and all that you can give to them.

It would help if Administration could at least explain why they made the switch

 

[Hollow Knight]

A little hyperbolic to say “your school doesn’t care about you.” Regardless of them pulling this pretty crummy bait and switch, they still have a vested interest in you graduating and matching. I see no reason to think they’re gonna be aloof or try to undermine you or anything.

But to answer your question, I don’t think there’s anything you can do. You could have a consult with a lawyer to see if there are options. But if there are, and you choose to pursue them, you’d lose all good graces with your school, which is not optimal, especially so early on. The juice doesn’t seem worth the squeeze. Best course of action is to just be a hard-working med student, as you were doubtlessly planning to be already. Gripe about it with your buddies over a beer. Lord knows my med school friends and I did that a good deal. It’s pretty cathartic.

Maybe my school is one of the worst of the worst and I’m just jaded, but I’ve seen enough people have negative career repercussions for unfair reasons at this point that I just encourage people to keep their heads down and not draw attention to themselves for any reason.

I also know enough people in other places to know my school isn’t the only one like this. But of course I’m sure there are these wonderful places where students are supported. I just don’t know anyone who goes to a med school like that personally haha (admittedly my sample size is small)

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Sorry to say this, but there's nothing you can do. Changes happen in the curricula and in grading, and there is usually a good reason to make that change (beyond your pay grade unless it somehow comes up in your student promotion committee). You don't need to die on this hill because a mountain range lies before you.

 

[Ho0v-man]

Go to school.

Study your brains out.

Learn medicine.

What’s there to get up in arms about? You were going to work your hardest anyway, right?

 

[ABCWRDB]

Pass/Fail schools are not typically "Pass/Fail" anyway. They usually maintain a quartile grading system that is in the transcript. These are typically available to the Residency programs--just not to the student themselves. To many, this sort of illusion can be maddening since you do not even know your rankings. Unfortunately this will not be the last time that factors totally out of your control change your plans. There is a reasonable chance that the school got so much pushback about this system that they changed it. If you are really that bothered you can always withdraw and start over.

An example of changing plans--one student told me that a few years ago, she was an M2 at a Caribbean Medical school that was hit by a hurricane that destroyed the entire island. They received a message that said "be at the airport in 4 hours with one bag and be prepared to board a plane to London, where you will continue your studies." That was a fairly large curveball!