Sudden change in academic performance

[Cheeezcake]

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I had a sub 3.0 my freshman year of college before I decided on medical school, including a failed class that I had retaken. Since then, I’ve had around a 3.98 (1 A-), have done research and ECs, and have been an all around good student.

1. Would my GPA be seen as closer to a 3.98 when choosing where to apply, or would it just be seen as my cumulative (~3.76)?

2. How would you approach this sudden pivot in academic performance when filling out applications or the PS?

 

[Catalystik]

I had a sub 3.0 my freshman year of college before I decided on medical school, including a failed class that I had retaken. Since then, I’ve had around a 3.98 (1 A-), have done research and ECs, and have been an all around good student.

1. Would my GPA be seen as closer to a 3.98 when choosing where to apply, or would it just be seen as my cumulative (~3.76)?

2. How would you approach this sudden pivot in academic performance when filling out applications or the PS?

1) It depends on the school and the metrics they use to evaluate your academic performance. Most will consider recent performance to be the better indicator of your potential, whether they rely on a formulaic approach for application evaluation or not.

2) No explanation is necessary, though it has the potential to be fodder for a Secondary essay, like "Describe a challenge you faced and how you managed it," depending on the reason and your approach.

 

[stubblesmcgee]

Considering that your only bad year was your freshman year, I would think that they'd be much more likely to see your current GPA as closer to your true performance. Your cumulative is still competitive tho, so I wouldn't worry. As Catalystik notes, you don't need to explain it.