First Year Undergrad GPA

[Medhopeful123$]

Hi everyone! I just had a quick question for undergrad. I know that GPA is really important when applying to med schook and so I was wondering if a gpa of 3.9 for first year is slightly too low? I know that a lot of people have 3.95+ but does that mean my chances are low because I'm expecting to end off the year with a 3.9? I know med schools factor other things in too but do you think I can pull up my GPA in the upcoming years?

[BernieMac]

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[redbeanbun]

Lots of med schools calculate your GPA in different ways that is quite lenient for people with low first year GPAs (best two years only, most weight on recent years, etc). Plus, if you're a decently competitive candidate otherwise, a 3.9 is definitely not "too low." 

[premed72]

My first year GPA was like a 2.9 and I recieved Ontario interviews this year. This basically tells you that each school has their own way of calculating GPA as the above poster mentioned. Your true competativeness will only show in the next coming years. just keep up what ur doing now and you'll be fine. Dont underestimate other parts of your app though 

[Medhopeful123$]

@redbeanbun @premed72 thank you! I thought i had a decent gpa to kick off undergrad but then  couple of my classmates told me that we need 3.95 to be genuinely competitive so i got freaked out and I'm trying to focus on ECs too but it feels like a shot in the dark tbh

[MDLD]

First off congrats on that gpa 3.9 is very solid, and very competitive. I would say you are on the right track GPA wise. 

As others have mentioned, the idea that a 3.95 gpa is needed to get into medical school is a myth. 

Does having a 3.95 help? For sure, but if you were to have 3.8 or even (3.7 or a 3.6) there are was to get in. 

So GPA isn't everything. 

I applied with a GPA of 3.83-3.9 depending what school you look at and got 3 interviews in Ontario.

So keep doing what youre doing and make sure to look at other aspects of your application as well (MCAT, Casper, EC, research ect.)

Good Luck

[RaptorsFan123]

 

Damn MDLD, I stalked your profile a bit - your casper must've been GOLDEN! especially for Ottawa, they're super GPA heavy. But I guess my opinion is, unless you're shining bright in some other area (like your CASPER), your GPA is super important and unfortunately, with the average for UofT and Ottawa being well above 3.95 wGPA, it does matter to an extent. Yes exceptions exist, but it is an uphill battle without a doubt. However, you're in 1st year, and your wGPA will be significantly higher - however I believe they're only applied if you're in 4th year (Double check your school).

1 hour ago, MDLD said:

First off congrats on that gpa 3.9 is very solid, and very competitive. I would say you are on the right track GPA wise. 

As others have mentioned, the idea that a 3.95 gpa is needed to get into medical school is a myth. 

Does having a 3.95 help? For sure, but if you were to have 3.8 or even (3.7 or a 3.6) there are was to get in. 

So GPA isn't everything. 

I applied with a GPA of 3.83-3.9 depending what school you look at and got 3 interviews in Ontario.

So keep doing what youre doing and make sure to look at other aspects of your application as well (MCAT, Casper, EC, research ect.)

Good Luck

 

[MDLD]

12 minutes ago, RaptorsFan123 said:

 

Damn MDLD, I stalked your profile a bit - your casper must've been GOLDEN with your gpa/mcat/ECs! especially for Ottawa, they're super GPA heavy. But I guess my opinion is, unless you're shining bright in some other area (like your CASPER), your GPA is super important and unfortunately, with the average for UofT and Ottawa being well above 3.95 wGPA, it does matter to an extent. Yes exceptions exist, but it is an uphill battle without a doubt. However, you're in 1st year, and your wGPA will be significantly higher - however I believe they're only applied if you're in 4th year (Double check your school).

 

RaptorsFan123, no I totally agree that GPA is important and maybe i didn't get that across well. It can for sure be an uphill battle if you have a GPA that is lower. 

However, seeing that OP already has a decent GPA I was trying to ease their concerns and let them know that they are in a good place and that even if they had a lower GPA it would still be possible.

For myself, my GPA is a weak spot however I feel that i was strong in many other areas decent CARs score, good EC, first author on different publications.

So just trying to get the message out there that its important to be well rounded! 

[RaptorsFan123]

@MDLDAbsolutely! Perhaps I’m more of an alarmist but for what it’s worth, my cGPA is even lower at a 3.79 and I got 3 interviews  it’s ABSOLUTELY possible OP!

[Medhopeful123$]

On 4/8/2020 at 11:35 AM, MDLD said:

RaptorsFan123, no I totally agree that GPA is important and maybe i didn't get that across well. It can for sure be an uphill battle if you have a GPA that is lower. 

However, seeing that OP already has a decent GPA I was trying to ease their concerns and let them know that they are in a good place and that even if they had a lower GPA it would still be possible.

For myself, my GPA is a weak spot however I feel that i was strong in many other areas decent CARs score, good EC, first author on different publications.

So just trying to get the message out there that its important to be well rounded! 

Thank you so much! I'm not sure if my gpa will be 3.9 or 3.89 but it's around that mark and it's really refreshing to hear that the stellar 3.95 gpa isnt always necessary. Especially when theres just  certain courses that hold you back!