*What GPA required to apply?

[Guest Ian Wong]

Author:*Kelly

Date:***8/19/2000 4:25 pm*PST

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I'm just 1st year undergraduate student. Wow.... It's kinda hard to imagine writing mcat for me right now. I was just wondering about the GPA thing. I don't know how high it should be or how low it can be. I asked a lot of people about this but I guess they don't want to talk about that. Can you help me on here? Thanks a lot.

 

By the way, Ian, your site is just AWESOME! This is the best site that I've ever seen in the WHOLE WEB! way to go, Ian!

[Guest Ian Wong]

Author:*Simon Chiu, UG3

Date:***8/20/2000 11:59 am*PST

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I don't think that good grades can hurt your application to medicine, but bad grades can.

 

At the same time, you don't need to stress out about being #1 in every single class. I think if you look at the OMSAS scale (used for Ontario med schools), a mid 80 average will give you something like 3.75-3.80, which, for most schools are quite acceptable. Of course, having a 4.00 (which is 90% or more) will definitely be a bonus! A lot of schools have cut off at 3.65, which is basically 80-ish.

 

You also have to think about your MCAT. Good grades with bad MCAT scores will make your application not look good either. Developing your extracurricular activities is also important.

 

Try to keep your grades high enough that it won't affect the other areas of your application.

[Guest Ian Wong]

Author:*Ian Wong

Date:***8/21/2000 11:01 pm*PST

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Hello Kelly,

 

I think Simon pretty much hit the nail on the head. I've had to re-think just how important grades are to your application. They are absolutely crucial.

 

If you take a look at the statistics at UBC, most accepted students are within the range of an A- average, or around 80%-90%. A 90% is stunningly good, an 85% is very strong, and you should consider an 80% as keeping you on level ground with everyone else. Having a GPA under 80% will definitely hurt your application.

 

However, at the same time, university is about much more than just getting marks. That's where the real trouble comes. It's not that difficult to get high marks if the only thing you do is study. However, if it's your first time away from home, and you feel homesick, you party just a little bit too much, you feel out of place attending a class with 250 other people... well, that's very difficult. Add in financial troubles, and maybe a conflict or two with your room-mates or your circle of friends, and its very easy to let the marks slip out of place for a year.

 

This is the true experience of university; it's all about whether you can be organized enough to accomplish everything you need for med school, and still manage to get out and have fun while meeting new people. Make sure to have fun!

 

Ian, MS2