GPA calculation for US med schools

[lbqjenny]

Hi everyone,

I'm a pharmacist working in Ontario. I graduated from Bachelor of Science years ago and did PharmD (doctor of pharmacy). I want to apply for medical school in the upcoming cycle, however after calling some Canadian med schools, it seems they take my PharmD as an undergrad degree and use it for GPA calculation. I had a great GPA for undergrad, 3.9, and I never cared about marks when I did pharmacy degree (2.9), mainly because I never thought I would switch profession.

After doing some basic research, it looks like US medical schools take my pharmacy degree a bit differently - they mainly count it as graduate marks instead of undergrad GPA.

I'm wondering how my low pharmacy GPA would affect the application. Do the US schools only look at undergraduate marks? When schools list their avg GPA, are these the average of all courses taken or they are only undergraduate GPA?

Thank you!

[PopShoppe]

I'll comment on this based on my own understanding of the US admissions process as a Canadian applicant.

Usually they only look at Undergrad marks when it comes to screening applications. Undergrad is king down there, as it generally is up here. Based on what I understand the only thing that can influence your undergrad GPA is a post-bacc. 

However, the US does a more "holistic" review of your application than Canadian schools. From what I've heard, it's generally agreed that doing well in a Master's or graduate degree won't help you much, but doing poorly in such programs can be viewed as concerning to some admissions committees. 

You will be screened based on your undergraduate marks, but once your file is reviewed by an admissions committee member, they may have some questions about your PharmD GPA.

I'd invite one of our American friends, or someone who has been in a similar situation, to verify that what I've said is correct.

[Aria]

I would also agree with PopShoppe. Your undergrad GPA is what is going to be considered most since that is what will be used to calculate your cGPA and your science GPA. But schools will still see your undergrad GPA. Also, keep in mind that Canadians are only eligible to apply to a select few MD and DO schools. The MD schools tend to be the super competitive ones. That being said, the schools will definitely love your extensive clinical experience and you will have a chance to explain your graduate GPA in your AMCAS application or the secondary application.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I applied last year and now attend a US MD school but am dual.

[bearded frog]

From a little reading on studentdoctor it seems the pharmD grades woudn't be included on your undergraduate/science GPA which will keep you above auto-cutoffs, but you still have to report the graduate grades on your application and it might raise some red flags doing shitty in a graduate degree because its usually seen as a cake walk and lots of grade padding which is why it isn't considered in the first place lol