Not really important, but it fills my time

[Noplanb]

Hello all.

I'm wondering if anybody knows how the assigned score for GPA calculation works? Is the GPA calculated on a linear scale? Is a cumulative OOP GPA calculated relative to the OOP minimum GPA (3.6) and the IP calculated relative to the IP minimum GPA (3.2)? ie: a OOP student with a 3.6 is given 0 points out of 50, and a student with a 4.0 average gets 50? Or does the scale use a 0.0 GPA for 0 points, and the 4.0 for 50. Is there another scale used? Both of these options seem to have their difficulties. Any insight?

[Jewels1986]

From what I've heard, it's just a general global assessment of what they think of your transcript, not anything as consistent as you're suggesting. There were quite a few threads with people speculating about this a while back, but basically I don't think anyone knows exactly how they calculate the academic score. Sorry I can't satisfy your curiosity!

[George]

<conjecture>

It wouldn't make much sense to me to scale it... if OOP GPA was 3.6=0 and 4.0=50 (or IP GPA was 3.2=0 and 4.0=50), that would imply that every 0.008 points in GPA (0.016 for IP) is roughly equivalent to 1% of the pre-interview score, which would make for some wildly varied pre-I scores (and/or would mean that the other sections of the application are roughly meaningless, as anyone with a 4.0 could slaughter anyone with a 3.6 regardless of essays or references). It just seems to me that if GPA was going to be scaled like that, it would need to comprise a much smaller % of the overall pre-interview score.</conjecture>

 

<hearsay>

From what I gather (mainly from this forum) is that the academic record component of the pre-I score is more of a "rating" of your academic record - that is, the file reviewers have a look at your record and score it out of 50 based on an overall impression (pre-req's? upward trends? "breadth" courses? "bird" courses? etc) </hearsay>

 

all that considered, none of what I'm saying has any conclusive value - my speculation is as good as anyone else's... unless someone in the know (admissions officer, uc med student, dr lemay) cares to weigh in?

[Dr.Cave]

What I remember from last year is that my 3.74 GPA out scored some people with 3.9 GPA. So obviously GPA is just one factor in the academic score.

[Noplanb]

Thanks all.

This eases my OOP anxiety a bit. Good luck (only if you need it)!