sGPA vs. cGPA: How big can the difference be? What's competitive?

[nutellaluver]

I know that MCAT plays a huge role, but I was wondering about how it would look if cGPA is abt 3.85 and sGPA is 3.65 (for a non-science major)? Would the difference between the cGPA and sGPA be a concern to ADCOMS? Would that sGPA even be considered competitive for top schools?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

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[KnightDoc]

I know that MCAT plays a huge role, but I was wondering about how it would look if cGPA is abt 3.85 and sGPA is 3.65 (for a non-science major)? Would the difference between the cGPA and sGPA be a concern to ADCOMS? Would that sGPA even be considered competitive for top schools?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Totally depends on the "top" school.

No one cares what you major in -- that cuts both ways. You don't get penalized for being a humanities major (and it actually adds a little diversity to the class). OTOH, you don't receive any slack for having a subpar sGPA.

At a so-called top school with a 3.79 10%-ile sGPA, like NYU, a 3.65 is going to be a big problem. At a school like Duke where that number is 3.49, it would be a different story. Adcoms are not focused on the difference between the two numbers. They look at each separately, but they are usually close because people with wide divergences tend to get screened out because the lower number usually creates a problem, like the 3.65 would at NYU.

You really want to invest in MSAR and aim to be above the 25%-ile in most cases, unless you have an amazing X-Factor that will overcome a subpar GPA for the school. After all, someone is in the bottom quarter or 10% at all schools, but they are usually not the applicants who are otherwise typical.

 

[Goro]

Harvard/Stanford class schools will be problematic, but the numbers are fine.

A 3.65 is < 10th percentile for most of the Really Top Schools.

Invest in MSAR Online to best target schools with those stats.

 

[nutellaluver]

Totally depends on the "top" school.

No one cares what you major in -- that cuts both ways. You don't get penalized for being a humanities major (and it actually adds a little diversity to the class). OTOH, you don't receive any slack for having a subpar sGPA.

At a so-called top school with a 3.79 10%-ile sGPA, like NYU, a 3.65 is going to be a big problem. At a school like Duke where that number is 3.49, it would be a different story. Adcoms are not focused on the difference between the two numbers. They look at each separately, but they are usually close because people with wide divergences tend to get screened out because the lower number usually creates a problem, like the 3.65 would at NYU.

You really want to invest in MSAR and aim to be above the 25%-ile in most cases, unless you have an amazing X-Factor that will overcome a subpar GPA for the school. After all, someone is in the bottom quarter or 10% at all schools, but they are usually not the applicants who are otherwise typical.

Thank you so much! This was super insightful and helpful, and really helped calm me; I'll be sure to invest in MSAR 🙂

 

[nutellaluver]

And as I repeat to so many students, is your goal to be a doctor or to just to get into a top school?

Thank you for the insights! Will definitely be investing in MSAR to start creating the list. And the goal is definitely to be a doctor (I'll be thankful to get in anywhere, honestly!); I just didn't want to waste application money at those 'top' schools if I would be screened out cause of sGPA anyway!

 

[KnightDoc]

Thank you for the insights! Will definitely be investing in MSAR to start creating the list. And the goal is definitely to be a doctor (I'll be thankful to get in anywhere, honestly!); I just didn't want to waste application money at those 'top' schools if I would be screened out cause of sGPA anyway!

You're going to be fine. 3.85 is GREAT, and 3.65 is not terrible. As you get more into it and become more knowledgeable, you'll figure out where you are a fit and go from there. A lot will also depend on the MCAT. Assuming your MCAT is in line with your GPA, and assuming you have the expected assortment of ECs, you are going to be successful.

MSAR is a great resource, and is the biggest bargain in all of med school admissions at $36 for two years, so definitely buy it around two years from the time you expect to matriculate so you can get the most use from it. Once you have a MCAT score, I found the single most valuable resource for making a school list to be the WARS tool.

Just search "wedge" on SDN and it will pop up. It's not perfect, and you can get any additional help you might need by asking for it on SDN, but it really helped me out when I was first starting and had absolutely no idea what I was doing. It will help you focus on key attributes med schools look for in applicants, and it will help narrow your focus from 150+ schools to something more manageable. Good luck!! 🙂

 

[nutellaluver]

You're going to be fine. 3.85 is GREAT, and 3.65 is not terrible. As you get more into it and become more knowledgeable, you'll figure out where you are a fit and go from there. A lot will also depend on the MCAT. Assuming your MCAT is in line with your GPA, and assuming you have the expected assortment of ECs, you are going to be successful.

MSAR is a great resource, and is the biggest bargain in all of med school admissions at $36 for two years, so definitely buy it around two years from the time you expect to matriculate so you can get the most use from it. Once you have a MCAT score, I found the single most valuable resource for making a school list to be the WARS tool.

Just search "wedge" on SDN and it will pop up. It's not perfect, and you can get any additional help you might need by asking for it on SDN, but it really helped me out when I was first starting and had absolutely no idea what I was doing. It will help you focus on key attributes med schools look for in applicants, and it will help narrow your focus from 150+ schools to something more manageable. Good luck!! 🙂

Thank you so, so much!! I'll definitely stay focused on prepping for MCAT and utilize MSAR, as well as WARS. I appreciate you taking the time to explain all of this to me!!

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

I think that anything above a 3.6 is enough for any MD school. The reason that top schools tend to have medians of 3.9+ is due to the fact that there is a correlation between overachieving academically and in other areas that are needed to make an application stand out at T20 schools.

In my opinion, some awards related to GPA can be helpful. Most of my friends who graduated summa (and magna for the most part) matriculated or were accepted to at least 1 T20 school. This despite the fact that many didn’t have anything else that was extremely unique or impressive. Solid apps but nothing extraordinary.