U shaped GPA trend?

[redsorghum]

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How do adcoms look at U-shaped GPA trends? For example, the following (These are just made up values):

sem 1: 4.0
sem 2: 3.9
sem 3: 3.8
sem 4: 3.7
sem 5: 3.8
sem 6: 4.0

 

[ResidencyHopeful123]

I'm not an adcom, but I always thought 3.7+ GPA (especially one held throughout undergrad) was pretty good!

I think "trends" are more relevant when one climbs or falls starkly (3.1 --> 4.0 or visa versa).

Again, I'm just an applicant, so everything I say should probably be taken with a grain of salt.

 

[Banco]

That's hardly a "trend", those GPAs are consistently excellent. The type of "U shape" you're describing is likely very common due to Orgo being taken 2nd year by most pre-meds.

 

[efle]

There is no trend here, that variation is like a single A- vs A. "Upward trends" refer to someone with a low 3 or worse shooting up towards nearly perfect grades across the final few semesters

 

[genericpremedstudent]

People worry about the most trivial things here

 

[Goro]

Hyper-achiever alert!

How do adcoms look at U-shaped GPA trends? For example, the following (These are just made up values):

sem 1: 4.0
sem 2: 3.9
sem 3: 3.8
sem 4: 3.7
sem 5: 3.8
sem 6: 4.0

 

[Psai]

I don't even...

 

[ChrisMack390]

~3.86?

Better hit the Caribbean forums.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Wow...

 

[whitemagic]

lmao

 

[LizzyM]

A J curve is pretty typical. Also, consider that we see gpa by academic year, not by semester.

A J curve would be something like
Freshman 3.55
Sophomore 3.45
Junior 3.75
Senior 3.85

 

[Frychicken]

That looks more like a V to me.

 

[LizzyM]

That looks more like a V to me.

Did you flunk penmanship in the 1st grade?

 

[The Cheat]

Did you flunk penmanship in the 1st grade?

{awkward hand raise} I did......

 

[LizzyM]

{awkward hand raise} I did......

Be sure to add that to your experience section under "other". It is evidence that you had the characteristics of a physician from an early age. 😉

 

[ChrisMack390]

Haha one time in 1st grade I got straight As except a C in penmanship, which kept me off the honor roll. My parents flipped.

 

[efle]

Haha one time in 1st grade I got straight As except a C in penmanship, which kept me off the honor roll. My parents flipped.

What the hell kind of life did you have growing up that there was a first grade honor roll?? All I remember learning was how caterpillars become butterflies and that you have to use your words to resolve conflict

 

[DrShephardWannabe]

Be sure to add that to your experience section under "other". It is evidence that you had the characteristics of a physician from an early age. 😉

I actually made this joke in a mock interview. They asked "Why medicine" and I replied with "My handwriting has always been terrible so I knew it was meant to be."

My natural response to stress is humor.

 

[ChrisMack390]

What the hell kind of life did you have growing up that there was a first grade honor roll?? All I remember learning was how caterpillars become butterflies and that you have to use your words to resolve conflict

#catholicschool

 

[Grace184]

#catholicschool

Yep- catholic schools believe cursive to be the only way of writing AND only in black pen (sometimes blue)- once I graduated 8th grade and went to a catholic HS I never wrote in cursive again and used mechanical pencils erry day. No one cared.

 

[ChrisMack390]

Yep- catholic schools believe cursive to be the only way of writing AND only in black pen (sometimes blue)- once I graduated 8th grade and went to a catholic HS I never wrote in cursive again and used mechanical pencils erry day. No one cared.

Oh the things I could have learned in those thousands of hours...

 

[redsorghum]

Oh god hahaha thanks so much everyone for your responses! I'm glad I posted this because I was legitimately concerned about my GPA until hearing from you all. Sometimes I think I stress out too much. 😛

All the best!!!

PS: Loving that someone made a graph of this. 😀

 

[redsorghum]

Yep- catholic schools believe cursive to be the only way of writing AND only in black pen (sometimes blue)- once I graduated 8th grade and went to a catholic HS I never wrote in cursive again and used mechanical pencils erry day. No one cared.

Ugh teachers love to tell kids how scary upper grades are. When I was in 3rd grade my teacher told us we had to learn cursive because 5th grade teachers won't accept anything else. And then in 6th grade they tell you teachers won't accept pencil, only pen. And then in 8th grade they tell you in high school you have to be able take notes while the teacher speaks. And then in high school they tell you universities cram an entire high school semester's worth of material into one month. So far they've all been lies! This makes me wonder if med school is really as hard as everyone is hyping it up to be...

 

[altblue]

Ugh teachers love to tell kids how scary upper grades are. When I was in 3rd grade my teacher told us we had to learn cursive because 5th grade teachers won't accept anything else. And then in 6th grade they tell you teachers won't accept pencil, only pen. And then in 8th grade they tell you in high school you have to be able take notes while the teacher speaks. And then in high school they tell you universities cram an entire high school semester's worth of material into one month. So far they've all been lies! This makes me wonder if med school is really as hard as everyone is hyping it up to be...

The way teachers said it, I was lead to think I would have a several 10-20 pg papers (I.e. not lab reports) as a science major every semester, so Id have to get used to writing.

Shame they didn't warn me about how heavily exams would be weighted lol.

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