What GPA scale is use at your school?

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Barry has straight letter grades A, B, C, D, or F. No +/-, no retakes. Dropped exam questions, curve, or extra credit is at discretion of individual faculty.

I think that the "D" grade is exclusive to Barry. You can only get D grades if you are on regular 4yr program, and not all classes will give a D grade (some only use A, B, C, F). If you get a 2nd D grade, you are dismissed or put on extended program to remediate one or more of the classes you did poorly in.

Here is a related thread:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=409835

IMO, we need to get all of the pod schools on the same page as far as grading, and I guess that would be up to the CPME. You will see 3 or 4 different systems (straight letters, +/-, and % system) just between the 8 or 9 schools. A uniform system, a scored board exam, or both would be helpful in truly comparing students. There are some residencies that give a lot of consideration to GPA or use strict GPA cutoffs, and that's kinda hard when it's not a level playing field from school to school.
 
OCPM sounds the exact same as Barry, except no D's anything below a C(70) is an F
 
DMU gives a straight percentage. They convert our overal percentage to a GPA with a scale. I don't know the scale but I you need a around a 95% to get a 4.0. To get a 3.5, you need about a 90%. A 3.3 is around like 85% and above.

Basically, it is impossible to get a 4.0 at DMU. If you get a 3.5 that is impressive and if you are the top percentage of the 3.3s you are probably in the top 10 of the class.
 
OSUDDS said:
OCPM sounds the exact same as Barry, except no D's anything below a C(70) is an F
Click to expand...
Yes, but we don't have retakes.

If a student finishes a class with 66.0-69.9%, then...
..at OCPM they'd take a retake to get a C if they passed, while at Barry they get a D.

If a student gets a below a 66.0% final grade, then...
...at OCPM they'd take a retake to get a C if they passed, while at Barry they get an F and have to remediate.
 
Feli said:
Yes, but we don't have retakes.

If a student finishes a class with 66.0-69.9%, then...
..at OCPM they'd take a retake to get a C if they passed, while at Barry they get a D.

If a student gets a below a 66.0% final grade, then...
...at OCPM they'd take a retake to get a C if they passed, while at Barry they get an F and have to remediate.
Click to expand...

there is re-exams at the end of the semester. if you get below a 70% you can retake a cumulative exam to try and pass. your grade on your transcript would then be an F/C
 
so do the residency directors know these differences in school grading systems???


whats a good gpa range for getting a good res spot?

Thanks guys
 
grifgin said:
so do the residency directors know these differences in school grading systems???


whats a good gpa range for getting a good res spot?

Thanks guys
Click to expand...

yes they do know.

That is one of the reasons why the interviews are academic.
 
sorry stupid question, whats an academic interview?

they ask you questions related to podiatry? so it all comes down to one or two random pod-related questions then😱
 
grifgin said:
sorry stupid question, whats an academic interview?

they ask you questions related to podiatry? so it all comes down to one or two random pod-related questions then😱
Click to expand...
An academic interview can be questions or cases.

If it's simple, straightforward questions, they could pack dozens into an interview:
Q1: Does Zosyn cover for group A strep? MRSA? Pseudomonas?
Q2: What Sanders classification is this fracture? (show CT scan on screen)
Q3: How is a scarf bunionectomy fixated, and when can the patient begin weightbearing?

If it's case workups, then they couldn't fit as many, but those are like a series of questions:
Q1a: What are some differential diagnoses for this? (show clinical pic or X-ray on screen)
Q1b: So, what is the difinitive diagnosis? (show MRI or bone scan)
Q1c: What published classification can be applied?
Q1d: What are some treatment options?
Q1e: If we chose a surgical approach, what pre-op antibiotic would you use and why?
Q1f: What post-op pain med would be good here if the patient is allergic to X?
Q1g: When would we remove sutures?
Q1h: When would the patient go from cast to CAM walker?
Q1i: What is a reasonable timeline for full return to pre-op level of athletics?

When you become a pod student (or if you already are), get APMSA's "Guide to the Clerkship and Residency Process" on CD or from their website. It has lots of example interview questions... both social and academic.

Interview is very important, especially if you didn't do the clerkship. However, it's only a piece of the puzzle if you've already visited or clerked there; they're not going to forget a week or month of good/bad work ethic and clinical skills just because you do good/bad on a 5min case workup.
 
Temple gives a straight percentage. So if you averaged 89% on all yout tests then that is your grade. I actually like this better that the A-F system because it really shows how a student does compared to other students at the school. For example, if a school only has the A-F system with no +/- then a person who got an 80% will get a B and a person who got an 89% will also get a B. IMO, there is a big difference between those two scores but know one will know and it looks like the students performed the same. The system helps those in the low 80% but screws the person who got an 89%. Adding +/- helps though to better distinquish the performance of each student than without it. But for me I like it if residencies can see the real difference in grades because this will be helpful for the ones who truely worked their butt off.
 
bdaddyjolley said:
Temple gives a straight percentage. So if you averaged 89% on all yout tests then that is your grade. I actually like this better that the A-F system because it really shows how a student does compared to other students at the school. For example, if a school only has the A-F system with no +/- then a person who got an 80% will get a B and a person who got an 89% will also get a B. IMO, there is a big difference between those two scores but know one will know and it looks like the students performed the same. The system helps those in the low 80% but screws the person who got an 89%. Adding +/- helps though to better distinquish the performance of each student than without it. But for me I like it if residencies can see the real difference in grades because this will be helpful for the ones who truely worked their butt off.
Click to expand...
I think the straight % system is the way to go; I wish all pod schools did that. That also helps make sure everyone studys hard for every test. With our straight letter grade system, it's pretty tough to change your grade going into a final exam already "locked into" a grade...
Suppose you had an 86% so far in 75% of the course points and the final exam is the remaining 25% of the grade... Well, you can't get up to an A no matter what, but you also won't fall down to a C unless you score just terrible (62%). It's hard to study real hard when your grade is already pretty much decided.

Having every point count also ensures that you never have ties for class rank or honors, and it alleviates people with 88.x or 89.x% getting frustrated. If I ended with an 89.3 in the % scoring system, fine. However, if I ended at that score in a straight letter grade system, that's where you either A) accept that you get the same mark and overall GPA effect as a mediocre student who got 80.1% or B) have to go beg and plead with the professor to bump the grade or look for bad questions on the final exam to get you up to an "A."

...Does Temple have retakes for people that fail, and if so, what grade do you get for GPA purposes if you pass the retake... a 70?
 
also, when you use only percents, but you need to calculate your gpa do you use +/- then or not?
 
Scholl's Grading system is as follows:

A: 90%
B: 80%
C: 70%
F: <70%

I'm a fan of Temple's grading system. Percentages are the way to truly reflect a student's grade.
 
krabmas said:
Just wondering because a C- on a 4.0 scale is a 1.7 and any student at any school should really have at least a 2.0 in order to graduate. IMO
Click to expand...

I agree. 2.0 seems to be the standard at most places. IMO, 2.7 or 3.0 should be the minimum. If I am having someone do a procedure on me, I would hope they did pretty good in school. Given, clinical skill is different than academic classes, I still would prefer someone with a good knowledge base AND great skill.
 
I also think % would be best. Talking with some D.O.'s in my class, Azcom historically has done % but went away from it this year (don't know why). Not sure if pod also was % and switched, or was always graded.
 
so is a 79% a 2.0 then?
 
OSUDDS said:
so is a 79% a 2.0 then?
Click to expand...
No, a 79% is a C and a 2.0 in the straight letter grade system... anything 70-79.5% is a C and the same gpa effect.

For the percent systems, I don't think they convert unless it's asked for on a form (residency, scholarship, etc application). They just have each student with a number and rank them... 88.23, 84.39, 82.53, etc.

I think that a 79% in the percent system would be converted out to about a 2.6 gpa... not positive, though?

70% = 2.0
75% = 2.33
80% = 2.67
85% = 3.0
90% = 3.33
95% = 3.67
100% = 4.0
 
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