How Will Grad School Affect My Chances of Getting In?

Session 12

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you.

Today, they talk about the impact of grad school on an application. Listen in as they discuss the implications of applying to medical school with an appearance of withdrawals on your grad school transcript. 

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

What choices are going to enhance the medical school application or at least minimize the negative impacts given these scenarios:

• Leaving a semester transcript blank to save money but increase tutoring hours for other things in order to make some money.
• Finish the semester but with W's on their transcript, there is appearance of quitting and confusion
• Finish all of it even if it's costly.

Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich:

Not having the information before starting grad school is going to affect you.

Medical schools generally look at your undergraduate grade GPA for the admissions. Grad school grades, however, do not have a major impact upon acceptance. Hence, having good grades in grad school won't enhance your application with a few exceptions such as:

• Special Master's Programs
• Few traditional hardcore science master's usually marketed and listed as special master's 

What are Special Master's Programs?

They are a form of post bacc that differ than just taking the required classes. They are designed loosely to be an addition year into a medical school semester. In short, they serve as a stepping stone for direct acceptance into medical school.

• Investigate what the program is going to do for you
• Investigate the cost
• Investigate their success or their placement

On the other hand, having bad grades or withdrawals have a negative impact on your application, which questions your commitment, motivation, and achievement.

The 32-Hour Rule:

Some medical schools take the last 32 hours of your coursework (grad school/post bacc coursework) and replacing all of your other coursework GPA-wise. So they calculate your GPA based on those last 32 hours of coursework.

Major takeaway from this episode:

• Look at the entire picture of what your application is going to look like.
• Don't assume that this one part of your application is going to make your entire application.
• Take a look at the whole picture of what you're going to look like on paper to an admissions committee.

Links and Other Resources

If you have questions you want answered here on the OldPremeds Podcast, go to oldpremeds.org and register for an account. Go into the forums and ask a question.

OPM Session 03: Your Premed GPA is More than Your Premed GPA

Listen to our first episode at OPMPodcast.com/1 to find out more about who we are.

Also check out the Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.

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Check out MedEdMedia.com for all the shows that we produce including The Premed Years and the OldPreMeds Podcast. We will soon be launching a medical school podcast as well so stay tuned!

Email Dr. Ryan Gray at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net or connect with him on Twitter @medicalschoolhq.