Should You Be Concerned if Your Gpa Trend Is Not Consistent? | Ask Dr. Gray Ep. 140

[@anjanaswami7133]

She's so well-spoken! I wish her all the best with applying

[@SparklessMaterial]

If her 3.65 gpa is too low, then I really don’t have a chance

[@arianacareymariahgrande3582]

It’s sooo much more than gpa, don’t like that discourage u

[@mohammedismail3745]

3.65 is an average GPA for medical applicants this video is more specific at GPA trends not overall gpa

[@fisherkatlin111]

I usually love these videos but I really feel compelled to comment here. As an avid Dr. Gray follower and fan, this is some of the least nuanced advice he’s given to a student. First of all, her stats aren’t even as bad as he’s implying here, 3.6x/3.4x students get in all the time, and if he’s actually concerned about not getting it at all he should just tell her to consider DOs. Second, when she asks does a good MCAT make up for a baddish GPA, he says “no” and proceeds to explain that it actually might: If schools give you a “stat” score or like an applicant index that is the sum of a bunch of different metrics, then an outstanding mcat w her grades is essentially the same thing as a great mcat with the VERY modest bump in GPA she’ll get from a year of post bacc classes. Third, Dr. Gray makes it sounds so easy just to take more classes. It’s not that easy - people have to work, it’s expensive, it’s time consuming. Frankly if this person has zero work/research/clinical experience, a year of nonsense science classes ain’t gunna help her out much, whereas working full time passionately in some medically related job could really tie her application together. It really bothers me that Dr. Gray didn’t even ask about any other parts of her app here.

[@zazaiowens8125]

I disagree. There are lots of medical schools that would take her. My stats are worse, but I'm still applying.

[@hectorgonzalez6237]

The energy >>>

[@Pete-da-peter]

yeah, you can still be applying, but are you getting accepted.

[@zazaiowens8125]

@@Pete-da-peter You never know until you try Pete! 😇🤞

[@Pete-da-peter]

@@zazaiowens8125 good luck

[@zazaiowens8125]

@@Pete-da-peter Thanks Peter. When are you applying?

[@MDForTheCulture]

Just apply to DO or go to St George Medical School.

[@fencinqueen]

If I took 50 credit hours (34 science) and received a 4.0 my senior year, does that automatically count as an upward trend?

[@marye3957]

From what he says, yea.

[@worldsavior2543]

There’s a lot that doesn’t add up, I thought her stats GPA wise are fine.

[@thephoenix7090]

her trends aren't upward

[@ireneli5151]

If you got a c and retake and got a B in general bio is that bad? Or I should show improvement in upper division courses to make it up?

[@drewdoesfood]

I’ve always heard not to retake but to take the next level course and get a much higher grade

[@ireneli5151]

@@drewdoesfood I meant D didn't realize I wrote C

[@thephoenix7090]

if u got D u had to retake, C is the minimum@@ireneli5151

[@shivmirani748]

I’m also Asian American and by the time I apply next year I should have around 3.7 cGPA, somewhere between 3.5-3.6 sGPA and about semesters of upward trend, so I’m in a relatively similar situation (except for the trend). Should I be worried?

[@edhcb9359]

Have you taken the MCAT?

[@shivmirani748]

@@edhcb9359 nah I will be though on Aug 21

[@edhcb9359]

@@shivmirani748 Just be very careful where you apply. Apply to lots of schools and do the research to make sure you meet each school’s requirements. And don’t apply to schools where your GPA and/or MCAT are below their median. You’ll be fine.

[@shivmirani748]

@@edhcb9359 ok thanks!

[@anushkasunshine]

As long as you have a solid story and ECs to back it up you should be fine. Wouldn’t rely on MSAR completely imo. But fit is also really important

[@johna1219]

Can someone please explain to me why a 3.65 is not competitive for an Asian applicant but it is competitive for a URM applicant? Not trying to stir up any toxic feelings here, just a genuine question.

[@edhcb9359]

Because in America’s new medical environment political correctness has become more important than patient outcomes. You will see more and more of this as we move closer to social medicine. Political correctness and cost containment will become the new standard of care.

[@luci6560-y7t]

as was explained to me by my SE asian friend in high school, the pool of asian applicants has higher stats than the entire pool of applicants. so a 3.65 is lower compared to the average for asian applicants, compared to where it falls in the pool of all applicants. this might not be true or up to date but thats how she explained it to me in terms of college application!

[@johna1219]

@@luci6560-y7t But why is GPA even associated with race? Is it possible that between an Asian student with a 3.65 and an African American student with a 3.65, the Asian student is more qualified to be a doctor?

[@aiahnour5542]

Because historically, there are institutional barriers to underrepresented students in school. It has to do with the trends of socioeconomic status, educational opportunities and resources available. It's proven that African American/Black, Hispanic and Native individuals on average have lower stats to enter into med schools because they oftentimes lack critical resources compared to their White/Asian counterparts (tutors, MCAT prep, pre-med advisors, familial support, etc). Looking at one or two cases of URM/ORM doesn't provide insight into the idea, the entire pattern and trend of these historically marginalized communities is the reason why stats for URM are typically lower.

[@johna1219]

@@aiahnour5542 Interesting, I agree that there are barriers for certain individuals. But aren't there African Americans who are extremely well off, and Asians who are not so well off? In these cases, how does URM/ORM come in to play? Wouldn't the Asian still be expected to compete with the higher-stat Asian pool despite not having the resources that you mention? It's quite racist to assume that someone has access to resources simply because they are Asian, and it's equally racist to assume someone did not have access to resources simply because they are URM. As for critical resources, aren't these resources needed in medical school as well? If someone did not have access to them before, how would these resources magically appear when the student is accepted into medical school? Once accepted, URM/ORM vanishes. Very few medical schools actually provide resources for URM's. It's all about political correctness.

[@whitenoise2473]

So retake her pre reqs? SMP?

[@iamrochellep6867]

So a post-bacc would be her best option?

[@ienpham1255]

is 22-23 years old too young to apply to med school?

[@onlyyemi]

No, a good portion of traditional applicants are around that age.