what's the difference between a 3.69 and 3.70, a 3.79 and a 3.80, etc?

[coralfangs]

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obviously, by 0.01

but are they looked upon differently?

 

[seadizzle]

yes, but only .01 differently

 

[Darkshooter326]

hahaha. I would not think such a small difference is worth worrying about. Adcoms are not stupid, they won't be fooled by numbers like that. And a difference like that will not keep them from accepting you. Relax, seriously. 😱

 

[Rafa]

If I were an adcom, I'd give a 3.8 an interview, and I wouldn't even give the 3.79 a secondary!

 

[instigata]

I think there might be a slight "psychological" difference in looking at a 3.69 and 3.70. Afterall, looking at a 2.99 and a 3.00 does look different. But like others says, I'm sure adcoms realize its only a small difference.

 

[ND2005]

Man. It's a good thing I'm not a moderator. A post like this would merit an instant banning.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

At my engineering school, the 3.79 gets "high honors" (magna cum laude) and the 3.80 gets "highest honors" (summa cum laude). The 0.01 difference would make you want to stab yourself if you were a 3.79 in that case.

 

[StevenRF]

3.69 is cum laude and 3.7 is magna cum laude. Typically when you talk about GPA's you always round down, so your 3.79 will be a 3.7 not a 3.8.

What ND2005 said.

 

[JimiThing]

Typically when you talk about GPA's you always round down, so your 3.79 will be a 3.7 not a 3.8.

What ND2005 said.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic, but you round GPA no differently than anything else: it's kind of definitional.

and yes, what ND2005 said.

 

[MedRower]

Not sure if you're being sarcastic, but you round GPA no differently than anything else: it's kind of definitional.

and yes, what ND2005 said.

So a 3.96 is rounded to a 4.0? Hmmm....

 

[JimiThing]

So a 3.96 is rounded to a 4.0? Hmmm....

Yes.
3.96 rounded to nearest tenth = 4.0
3.96 truncated at tenths = 3.9
Most intelligent people use two decimal places to figure GPA specifically to avoid this problem. I'll leave it up to you to decide what this says about AMCAS.

 

[mtDNA]

Small differences in GPA don't matter at all for applying to med school. The difference between a 3.5 and 4.0 might matter, but even then it is not a big deal. As long as your GPA is in the ballpark of 3.5, it is good enough. Schools care ALOT more about your MCAT.

 

[instigata]

Small differences in GPA don't matter at all for applying to med school. The difference between a 3.5 and 4.0 might matter, but even then it is not a big deal. As long as your GPA is in the ballpark of 3.5, it is good enough. Schools care ALOT more about your MCAT.

umm...actually there IS a huge difference between a 3.5 and 4.0, what planet are you from? And schools care a lot (two words) about your MCAT, but GPA also has "ALOT" of weight.

 

[Final]

obviously, by 0.01

but are they looked upon differently?

3.7 = awesome
3.69 = horrible.

you're f**ked.

🙄

 

[durfen]

umm...actually there IS a huge difference between a 3.5 and 4.0, what planet are you from? And schools care a lot (two words) about your MCAT, but GPA also has "ALOT" of weight.

Actually the MCAT has way more weight. A 3.5 from Stanford is not the same as a 3.5 from Ball State, even if you're Letterman. But a 3.5 from Ball State might get low-20s on the MCAT versus something low-high 30s. The MCAT is a way better predictor of actual med school performance. Basically something between 3.3-4.0 overall says you're competent, after that differentiation is mainly done with the MCAT.

That's my opinion anyhow

 

[durfen]

Actually the MCAT has way more weight. A 3.5 from Stanford is not the same as a 3.5 from Ball State, even if you're Letterman. But a 3.5 from Ball State might get low-20s on the MCAT versus something low-high 30s. The MCAT is a way better predictor of actual med school performance. Basically something between 3.3-4.0 overall says you're competent, after that differentiation is mainly done with the MCAT.

That's my opinion anyhow

yay 50+ posts!