Schools using latest degree for cutoffs/interviews?

[cookiebandit]

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I'm under the impression that there are some schools, for purposes of automatic cutoffs or pre-interview rankings, which use the GPA from your most recent degree instead of your cGPA. In terms of specific schools, I've heard UMDNJ/Rowan may do this.

Is there discussion or information about this anywhere?

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I've heard UCSF divides your gpa into cgpa, sgpa and your last year of schooling even if your last year was just an art class at community college vs a PhD or masters.

 

[theseeker4]

Both AMCAS (for MD) and AACOMAS (for DO) use a similar grid on their primary applications that looks like the below: For MD it is BCPM only vs All Others, for DO it is any science vs non-science which includes math. schools can see trends, post bacc, graduate, science vs non science, and can see trends across each academic years. How each adcom finesses this and uses it at granular level may be different. Many schools have an initial "formula" where GPA, MCAT and other factors are put in but may have different weights to them (ie GPA in 40%, MCAT is 35%, etc) and come out with an initial ranking. Others may have a more general rank cutoff for secondaries, etc. My point to all this, besides having students knowing how GPA will show up in initial applications is that trying to divine how each adcom may use your grades from rumor, innuendo, etc or how the "black box of admissions" at each school will ultimately come up with a decision does nothing but add to the obsessive compulsive stress that applicants needlessly put themselves thru. Adcoms will look at everything and targeting specific schools based any perceived advantage is like having a "system" at a casino. There is a near zero benefit in trying to do so.
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Actually, there are some specific schools that explicitly state they will consider more recent grades instead of the entire GPA for purposes of admissions. Wayne State is one such school, in their downloadable "self-assessment guide" on their website, located here http://admissions.med.wayne.edu/prepare.php they explicitly state:
"If an applicant has a less than competitive GPA, our Committee recommends 20 credits of coursework in didactic science (BCPM) either as a post- bachelor student or in a graduate program before application. If an applicant has 20 credits of coursework in didactic science (BCPM) either as a post- bachelor or graduate student on the transcript when they apply, the Committee will consider that the science GPA instead of the undergraduate science GPA. The Committee is looking for a strong science GPA as evidence that an applicant can be successful in medical school."

Trying to find out which schools have similar policies is not basing application systems on rumor, innuendo, etc. It is an intelligent strategy that can save an applicant with a less-than-stellar resume some time and money than if they simply randomly applied to every school assuming there was a "near zero benefit" to informing themselves about specific schools explicitly-stated policies. These decisions need to be based on actual data from schools, of course, not hearsay, but to discourage someone from trying to take advantage of the information that is available is doing potential applicants a disservice.

 

[Goro]

You heard wrong. It's cGPA and sGPA. Some schools give more weight to the last 2-3 years of UG, and some favor reinvention, so like a good graduate GPA from a post-bac or SMP.

I'm under the impression that there are some schools, for purposes of automatic cutoffs or pre-interview rankings, which use the GPA from your most recent degree instead of your cGPA. In terms of specific schools, I've heard UMDNJ/Rowan may do this.

 

[Law2Doc]

I'm under the impression that there are some schools, for purposes of automatic cutoffs or pre-interview rankings, which use the GPA from your most recent degree instead of your cGPA. In terms of specific schools, I've heard UMDNJ/Rowan may do this.

Is there discussion or information about this anywhere?

A lot turns on what you mean by "most recent degree". In general, graduate degrees (other than SMP) are valued more as ECs than for the underlying grades, and so your GPA in a graduate program won't be much help in bolstering a poor college GPA. Programs assume most graduate programs have rampant grade inflation so those numbers rarely get factored in other than as red flags if you do poorly.