Last year's average GPA

[Adeline]

Hi,

I know this has been discussed somewhere before, but what do you speculate the reason was for the average GPA jump for the entering class last year compared to previous years? Are they putting more of an emphasis on GPA? Are the candidates becoming more academically competitive? Was it just an outlier year?

TIA!

[Hockeynut]

Hi,

I know this has been discussed somewhere before, but what do you speculate the reason was for the average GPA jump for the entering class last year compared to previous years? Are they putting more of an emphasis on GPA? Are the candidates becoming more academically competitive? Was it just an outlier year?

TIA!

 

Je ne sais pas. In all honesty I don't know. Rather interesting though the Associayion of faculties of medicine has it posted closer to last years GPA average.

[Adeline]

Yeah! I thought that was strange too, but then I read something where the dean was talking about the fact that all of the people in the last entering class were/are academically gifted - as made clear in the high entering GPA. It just made me wonder if they were making that more of a priority.

[Hockeynut]

To my knowledge it is still the same weighting when it comes to GPA. Due note that the 3.82 or whatever is says it is more than likely includes any 0.2 bonuses given for master's.

But in all honesty I think it's just a blip as every other year was quite constant at 3.6x

[Real Beef]

In fact from the class stats the 2013 class had only 7 individuals with completed masters degrees suggesting that the 3.83 is almost exclusively from undergrad degrees compared to previous years. While my class (2012) had 14 people with masters degrees and one with a PhD, with a second PhD being completed during 1st year of med, with us having an overall lower gpa. In fact the 2013 year had one of the fewest masters degrees completed. I am not saying this is good or bad just reporting fact.

 

In the end it doesnt really matter once you get into medicine but for outside observers and speculators it is interesting to comment on.

 

Beef

[MDwannabe02]

To my knowledge it is still the same weighting when it comes to GPA. Due note that the 3.82 or whatever is says it is more than likely includes any 0.2 bonuses given for master's.

But in all honesty I think it's just a blip as every other year was quite constant at 3.6x

 

I am inclined to mostly agree here. I was talking to a student I know in the first year class who said that the 2013 entry class was exceptionally bright and young. However, like Beef said, there were quite few with graduate degrees, so it would seem this higher GPA stat is likely due to higher undergrad marks.

[Chamilt]

In fact from the class stats the 2013 class had only 7 individuals with completed masters degrees suggesting that the 3.83 is almost exclusively from undergrad degrees compared to previous years. While my class (2012) had 14 people with masters degrees and one with a PhD, with a second PhD being completed during 1st year of med, with us having an overall lower gpa. In fact the 2013 year had one of the fewest masters degrees completed. I am not saying this is good or bad just reporting fact.

 

In the end it doesnt really matter once you get into medicine but for outside observers and speculators it is interesting to comment on.

 

Beef

 

As a 1st year student, we are just really freaking smart .

 

Just kidding, being one of the masters students and my gpa is still below our class average......

 

Do I feel inadequate or less intelligent? On the contrary, when you start to meet people and learn with them, you realize everyone has differnent skill sets and types of intelligence. Some people are really good at getting 90 in every class (if you can do this in med school i want to shake your hand) and others are better at clinical skills and interpersonal relationshiops, others at organizing etc... it goes on.

 

In all seriousness as beef said, doesn't matter what you did to get in, you got in and everything in the past means nothing. We are all in this together and trying to reach basically the same end goal.

 

So don't think to much about the class GPA, and focus on making your application better or worrying about the acceptance letter.

 

IMO it's likely due to grade inflation and people starting to realize that NOSM is a really freaking awesome school and depending on who you are, is likely a better opportunity and fit than any other school in canada. I know for a fact, I probably would not have been nearly as happy at any other school in canada with the exception of maybe MUN.

 

You will start to realize this last statement if you get accepted and immediatley realize you now have 63 best friends that you can relate to. I don't think that happens anywhere else.

[MDwannabe02]

...In all seriousness as beef said, doesn't matter what you did to get in, you got in and everything in the past means nothing. We are all in this together and trying to reach basically the same end goal...

 

...You will start to realize this last statement if you get accepted and immediatley realize you now have 63 best friends that you can relate to. I don't think that happens anywhere else.

 

Statements like these are a big part of why I want to be a NOSM student