High undergrad GPA, low grad GPA. Will it hurt?

[dirtdevil]

I had a 4.0 GPA from undergrad and my masters GPA is looking like a B. Will this downward trend reflect poorly on me during my med school application? Or will the grad school grade not really have much weight? I've heard mixed things about how a grad GPA is evaluated.

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[frosted2]

Is it a formal SMP?

 

[frosted2]

Also, why are you doing a MS with a 4.0 undergrad GPA?

 

[dirtdevil]

It's not a formal SMP. I am an MPH candidate at UCLA. My MCAT scores were not good enough first time around, so I didn't even make it past the first round of screening for interviews. One adcom member told me that my MCAT score didn't seem to be comparable to my GPA.

Been looking all over the web for a situation like mine, but it seems like most people only have poor undergrad GPA's and their grad GPA's can only help them.

 

[gyngyn]

Been looking all over the web for a situation like mine, but it seems like most people only have poor undergrad GPA's and their grad GPA's can only help them.

We expect Master's grades to be very high. Anything less will raise eyebrows.
Master's grades are not considered to be comparable to undergrad grades and do not remediate a weak college performance (SMP's are different, though).

 

[dirtdevil]

We expect Master's grades to be very high. Anything less will raise eyebrows.
Master's grades are not considered to be comparable to undergrad grades and do not remediate a weak college performance (SMP's are different, though).

Darn. Guess I'll have to brush up then

 

[Robin-jay]

We expect Master's grades to be very high. Anything less will raise eyebrows.
Master's grades are not considered to be comparable to undergrad grades and do not remediate a weak college performance (SMP's are different, though).

I know several professors in graduate degrees for engineering, chemistry, physics, etc. that explicitly do NOT hand out A's for their classes.

For example, I never had an undergraduate course at my university where no student scored an "A". I had a professor for one of my chemistry graduate classes that refused to give an "A" grade to anyone. Not on the basis of student performance, but based on his policy.

I do agree that the overall GPA should generally be higher than undergrad., but its not always as easy as it seems!

SMPs are great and everything, but in terms of difficultly, some masters are just as hard/harder.

For example, if the OP went through the Maters degree I went through, then it would be impossible for him to retain a 4.0 GPA. Those were not handed out in the MS chemistry program I had.

Plenty of 3.5-3.9 though.

I also feel like a high grade in something like "Advanced quantum chemistry 600" should remedy some errors in undergrad. courses like physics 100 or chemistry 100.

 

[gyngyn]

I know several professors in graduate degrees for engineering, chemistry, physics, etc. that explicitly do NOT hand out A's for their classes.

For example, I never had an undergraduate course at my university where no student scored an "A". I had a professor for one of my chemistry graduate classes that refused to give an "A" grade to anyone. Not on the basis of student performance, but based on his policy.

I do agree that the overall GPA should generally be higher than undergrad., but its not always as easy as it seems!

SMPs are great and everything, but in terms of difficultly, some masters are just as hard/harder.

For example, if the OP went through the Maters degree I went through, then it would be impossible for him to retain a 4.0 GPA. Those were not handed out in the MS chemistry program I had.

Plenty of 3.5-3.9 though.

I also feel like a high grade in something like "Advanced quantum chemistry 600" should remedy some errors in undergrad. courses like physics 100 or chemistry 100.

I am reporting the prevailing opinion on Master's grades, not disparaging the rigor of any particular program.
Many of us have taken as well as taught in Master's classes, so our experience will necessarily color our opinions.
Generally speaking, Master's grades do not remediate a weak undergrad performance (without regard to the course title). They are not designed to do so (except SMP's).

 

[Goro]

It's not a formal SMP. I am an MPH candidate at UCLA. My MCAT scores were not good enough first time around, so I didn't even make it past the first round of screening for interviews. One adcom member told me that my MCAT score didn't seem to be comparable to my GPA.

Been looking all over the web for a situation like mine, but it seems like most people only have poor undergrad GPA's and their grad GPA's can only help them.

I hate to tell you this, but MPHs really don't impress MD Adcoms. They're OK for DO schools.

Their problem is that the rigor of Anatomy or Physiology is apparent to us. But "Women's Health Issues in the Third World"? Not so much.

 

[Robin-jay]

I am reporting the prevailing opinion on Master's grades, not disparaging the rigor of any particular program.
Many of us have taken as well as taught in Master's classes, so our experience will necessarily color our opinions.
Generally speaking, Master's grades do not remediate a weak undergrad performance (without regard to the course title). They are not designed to do so (except SMP's).

Ok thanks for the insight. I do have one question though. When I went to a formal meeting with an admissions committee member at a fairly prestigious MD school, they told me almost word by word, to do the following:

1.) Get A Master's Degree from an accredited university, and do well GPA-wise. He almost didn't care about the actual content of the Master's Degree, but I could be wrong.

2.) Do well on the MCAT

I just think its strange they didn't explicitly say "get an SMP" or something along those lines, if non-SMP masters degrees don't carry as much weight as their SMP partners.

Is that normal for an adcom to recommend?

 

[gyngyn]

Ok thanks for the insight. I do have one question though. When I went to a formal meeting with an admissions committee member at a fairly prestigious MD school, they told me almost word by word, to do the following:

1.) Get A Master's Degree from an accredited university, and do well GPA-wise. He almost didn't care about the actual content of the Master's Degree, but I could be wrong.

2.) Do well on the MCAT

I just think its strange they didn't explicitly say "get an SMP" or something along those lines, if non-SMP masters degrees don't carry as much weight as their SMP partners.

Is that normal for an adcom to recommend?

Doing well on the MCAT is generally considered good advice. Doing well on a single attempt is even better.
I am not familiar with the training given to admissions committee members charged with giving individual application advice (none of the schools I've been affiliated with have done this sort of thing). I do know that individuals can give idiosyncratic advice.

My recommendations are based on experience validated by published information from the AAMC.