Special Masters Program GPA?

[Mar0636]

I would appreciate any feedback/advice!

I had a 3.0 sGPA, 3.6 cGPA in undergrad and I am currently in a special master's program. The program's curriculum is very difficult as it is 21 credits of actual medical school classes so its looking like my GPA this semester will be the same as my ugrad sGPA. I have the option of withdrawing from an 8 credit class that I currently have a C average in and taking it again next fall. My program advisor initially suggested I withdraw from the course however she told me that med school admissions assume the student was failing a class when they withdrew and that a C might be better than a W.

1) Does a withdrawal from a grad program class look worse than a C?
2) will having a W with a higher GPA (assuming that withdrawing will give me more time to study for my other courses) be better than having a C with a lower GPA?

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[WedgeDawg]

Getting a C or a W in an SMP program is not going to look good. If it's one W and a bunch of As, that's probably fine, but one W and a bunch of Bs will look bad (though if you're getting Bs in your SMP, you're not in good shape anyway, so the point is moot).

If you don't have an SMP GPA yet, withdraw, but make absolutely certain you're getting As in your other classes. This is the last chance you'll likely ever get to correct a problem. If you manage a 3.8+ SMP with a single W, I think you'll be alright. A C will set you back a long way.

 

[mnmoore]

Which masters program are you in?

 

[GrapesofRath]

I would appreciate any feedback/advice!

I had a 3.0 sGPA, 3.6 cGPA in undergrad and I am currently in a special master's program. The program's curriculum is very difficult as it is 21 credits of actual medical school classes so its looking like my GPA this semester will be the same as my ugrad sGPA. I have the option of withdrawing from an 8 credit class that I currently have a C average in and taking it again next fall. My program advisor initially suggested I withdraw from the course however she told me that med school admissions assume the student was failing a class when they withdrew and that a C might be better than a W.

1) Does a withdrawal from a grad program class look worse than a C?
2) will having a W with a higher GPA (assuming that withdrawing will give me more time to study for my other courses) be better than having a C with a lower GPA?

An 8 credit C is going to put your SMP GPA in a big bind. And yes a 3.0 SMP GPA will not look good at all.

Honestly this is going to be beyond the scope of what most on SDN can provide insight into besides perhaps some ADCOMs. Your SMP adviser who has years of experience dealing with this thing can tell you better. The only thing I can really say is the expectations for an SMP are going to be high from an ADCOM: they really don't to be left with doubts about your capabilities after this program.

Now for undergrad purposes, W>>>>>>F there is absolutely no question about this. I don't know if this is different for SMP purposes, only your adviser can answer this(I know many pre-med advisers will tell you a W is assumed to be you were failing which isn't true which is why I'm a bit hesitant to just declare your adviser is 100% right although its certainly possible they are). The key thing in this situation is to absolutely 100% ace every other course you take. If you graduate with a 3.0 this semester and a 3.7 next semester, you will end with a 3.35 net. Not great, but a 3.35 SMP GPA could land you into a DO school depending on other things. If you withdraw, ace everything this semester end up with a 3.8 this semester and a 3.7 next semester, your numerical GPA will be rather strong. The Withdrawal will stick out, but how much of a negative impact a withdrawal will have in an SMP if the numerical GPA is strong nobody on here can really tell you except for some ADCOMs. My best guess though is if you believe the extra time you have from taking a W will allow you alot more time to study for other courses and ace them, then do it. A W with 4 A's sounds a lot better than a C with 2 A's and 2 B's although like I said most including me are largely unfamiliar with SMP GPA's and how things like this are perceived by ADCOMs.

 

[Mar0636]

Thank you for your input. I know its difficult to say about SMPs so I will try to speak to med school admissions about it. According to where I stand now a W with B's in my other classes does not look good...and a while an 8 credit C with B's will greatly lower my GPA the C will be easier to "explain" To withdraw and still not be able to pull my other grades up (because we only have 1 more exam left in each course and I have already put myself in a bad position by neglecting them to study for the 8 credit course) will not even put me in a position to be able to explain to med schools.

The program I am in is in the Grad School of Biomedical sciences at DUCOM and our curriculum is actual med school classes so I hope that this will be somewhat help explain the lower GPA compared to other SMPs

 

[md-2020]

Not to derail this thread but what do you guys think about OP's original UG stats? I feel like 3.6/3.0 is more than ok (assuming decent MCAT) for DO and possibly competitive (with a decent + MCAT) for MD....thoughts?

 

[WedgeDawg]

Not to derail this thread but what do you guys think about OP's original UG stats? I feel like 3.6/3.0 is more than ok (assuming decent MCAT) for DO and possibly competitive (with a decent + MCAT) for MD....thoughts?

3.0 sGPA is a little low for DO (but probably fine when combined with 3.6 c), but definitely too low for MD unless the MCAT is sky high.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Not to derail this thread but what do you guys think about OP's original UG stats? I feel like 3.6/3.0 is more than ok (assuming decent MCAT) for DO and possibly competitive (with a decent + MCAT) for MD....thoughts?

Grace replacement would have made that GPA fine for DO. Re-take a few C's, maybe take another upper level science course or two, get that sGPA to a 3.2 and you would have been good to go with a 26+ type MCAT score(honestly maybe even a bit lower).

MD is a bit much to ask for with a 3.0 sGPA. It's possible with some post-bacc work or staying an extra year in college if they boost the sGPA up to 3.2 and have an upward trend with a good MCAT score they could get lucky with a state school, but if you are boning for the MD an SMP isn't a bad idea here.

Thing is to the OP, this is an SMP at a DO school so I'm guessing the whole point of it is to try to get admission into that DO school specifically. I know DUCOM has a SMP GPA cut off where if you hit it you are in the program; shouldn't that be what you are focused on, not necessarily other schools?

 

[piii]

.

 

[Mwooster]

Grace replacement would have made that GPA fine for DO. Re-take a few C's, maybe take another upper level science course or two, get that sGPA to a 3.2 and you would have been good to go with a 26+ type MCAT score(honestly maybe even a bit lower).

MD is a bit much to ask for with a 3.0 sGPA. It's possible with some post-bacc work or staying an extra year in college if they boost the sGPA up to 3.2 and have an upward trend with a good MCAT score they could get lucky with a state school, but if you are boning for the MD an SMP isn't a bad idea here.

Thing is to the OP, this is an SMP at a DO school so I'm guessing the whole point of it is to try to get admission into that DO school specifically. I know DUCOM has a SMP GPA cut off where if you hit it you are in the program; shouldn't that be what you are focused on, not necessarily other schools?

I believe DUCOM is Drexel's program. It's def MD. I agree with other posters. For SMP, this is basically your absolute last shot. You need a 3.7+ GPA to redeem your undergrad performances.

 

[Mar0636]

The program is at Drexel University College of Medicine which is an allopathic med school so I'm sorry if the abbreviation wasn't clear! Maintaining a certain GPA while in the program guarantees you an interview but I did not apply this cycle so that is not an option for me.

Getting a 3.6/3.7 in this program is not a reasonable expectation for me this semester but for those that know about/have taken SMPs...how much do they still consider your ugrad GPA and how much of an upwards trend are they hoping to see?

 

[Akewataru]

Getting a 3.6/3.7 in this program is not a reasonable expectation for me this semester but for those that know about/have taken SMPs...how much do they still consider your ugrad GPA and how much of an upwards trend are they hoping to see?

It really depends on the school. Some schools like this east coast MD school (I'd be shocked if you can figure out which one) will tell you directly what they want on their website and I quote:

"If your GPAs are significantly below our average, which is 3.64 for the science GPA, and 3.70 for the non-science, we strongly recommend that you consider a post baccalaureate or science graduate program, and take at least 30 credit hours or more, which gives you the opportunity to show an improvement in your academic ability. It is also important that you have the post baccalaureate or graduate work completed before applying, as this will enable us to consider and evaluate your success in the program."

By the way I checked out your program and it is awesome but intense. I wish I lived in Philly or even NY to be able to do Drexel's program.

 

[GrapesofRath]

The program is at Drexel University College of Medicine which is an allopathic med school so I'm sorry if the abbreviation wasn't clear! Maintaining a certain GPA while in the program guarantees you an interview but I did not apply this cycle so that is not an option for me.

Getting a 3.6/3.7 in this program is not a reasonable expectation for me this semester but for those that know about/have taken SMPs...how much do they still consider your ugrad GPA and how much of an upwards trend are they hoping to see?

Well the reason you are doing an SMP is because if they considered your uGPA significantly you wouldn't be competitive.

The best thing I can tell you is make sure you ace every other course outside of this 8 credit one. If you can only do that by taking a W and allocating your time to other courses, that might be the move to make. As Pii said, whether entirely fair or not, MD schools have very very high expectations for people who do SMP's and want to get into an MD school. So if you can't get that 3.7 or whatever the SMP GPA of people who successfully go on to MD programs from that program tends to be, then realistically an MD probably shouldn't be what you are considering. If however, you can ace everything else and graduate with say a 3.3-3.4, then there is definitely a real chance a DO school might be willing to take a chance on you. That should be your focus at this point; simply getting into a medical school in the US and becoming a physician.

 

[Goro]

You are supposed to be acing everything in your SMP. It's an audition for med school. You don't get to take Ws in med school. You either fail and repeat the year, or remediate. Fail too many things and you're dismissed.

Take the C and ace everything else. If not, then start thinking about Plan B.

I would appreciate any feedback/advice!

I had a 3.0 sGPA, 3.6 cGPA in undergrad and I am currently in a special master's program. The program's curriculum is very difficult as it is 21 credits of actual medical school classes so its looking like my GPA this semester will be the same as my ugrad sGPA. I have the option of withdrawing from an 8 credit class that I currently have a C average in and taking it again next fall. My program advisor initially suggested I withdraw from the course however she told me that med school admissions assume the student was failing a class when they withdrew and that a C might be better than a W.

1) Does a withdrawal from a grad program class look worse than a C?
2) will having a W with a higher GPA (assuming that withdrawing will give me more time to study for my other courses) be better than having a C with a lower GPA?