<p>How hard is it to maintain a 4.0 GPA in college?</p>
<p>Difficult (because you’re on your own), but not impossible if you have a great support system at home and a solid work ethic. Expect a few bumps in the road and a huge learning curve on how to deal with yourself and when you study etc., though, and don’t beat yourself up about it all! 
A 3.6-3.7+ is competitive, remember!</p>
<p>Thanks. Any other info?</p>
<p>Is it possible-of course it is. Is it probable, given you may have maintained an “A” average in HS? If one has been accepted to a college that is described as top tier, then many of your fellow classmates will have had the SAME “A” average that you did. If you ask yourself what are the chances that every single one of those students will maintain that same “A” average in college, I will wager it won’t be the case.
Does that answer reassure you? Or give you pause?
College is a different experience. You will learn a lot about yourself, your interests will expand as you become exposed to new ideas and opportunities. Embrace them-and the grades will follow.
G’Luck!
~APOL-A Mum</p>
<p>Very inspirational. Thnx. I can’t wait to get to college. Let’s just pray I keep the “A” average.</p>
<p>If you do-great. If you don’t-great.
I used to tell my daughter-She has since graduated—All you can do is your best. If your best is a “C”, then that is your best. And, to be kind to yourself if you did earn a “C”.
If possible, take classes that are outside your major-try new platforms of thought. She did-and ended picking up another major and minor.
I never saw her report card in college. The only way I knew she was on track was the Dean would send a letter letting us know she made Dean’s List.
BTW-She graduated Summa Cum Laude.
I am excited for you-College is lots of fun-and at times challenging!
~APOL-a Mum</p>
<p>You don’t need a 4.0 avgand if your school is competitive you most likely won’t. Schools like hUC berkeleys curve a lot and I would bet when org chem comes around or chem thermodynamic your A strike will end. But thats fine! A GPA of 3.9 will be looked at the same as a 4.0, and a 4.0 with a low mcat will make it difficult to get into med school. You need a gpa of 3.6+, 32-34+ mcat, & good ECs and you should get into med school. Focusing on a 4.0 gpa will make it difficult to get the ‘equally’ important ECs and MCAT score. </p>
<p>Sent from my DROIDX using CC App</p>
<p>Every student accepted into a selective college did well in HS. By definition, 49% of those will be in the bottom half of their class. This is true even at the most grade-inflated colleges (cough, cough Brown…).</p>
<p>btw: a 3.6 is not very competitive if you are from a competitive state with few med schools, such as California.</p>
<p>^ I thought the general rule was 3.5+ 32+ mcat and good ECs makes you competitive? My state only has 2 med schools, so does that mean the rule is irrelevant? And isn’t cali one of the states with the most med schools (NY being #1)? standford, USC, Loma, UofCal-SF, Uof Cal-SD,UofCal-LA,UofCal-Irvine, UofCal-Davis, and UCLA. Thats 9 schools. 3.8/36 is competitive for top schools so I don’t think its necessary for all schools.</p>
<p>Everybody knows California is different. It requires a higher qualification to get in. There are just too many competitive applicants there (esp. stats-wise).</p>
<p>The overall education quality at the secondary education level seems not very good in California. However, it is often the case that the competitiveness of the students come from the competitiveness of their family, not from the school. (Isn’t there a joke that a student’s SAT scores correlate well with the ZIP code of where he lives and/or whether his parents enjoys visiting museums or similar cultural related activities?) It is rumored that many students there start to study SAT in 7th grade. Sometimes, I feel that if there are more professionals in a state, the students from that state tend to be more competitive. Another reason may be that there are more children of the 1st and 2nd generations of immigrants there. Majority americans there are reported to fled from a competitive public high school in a school district like Cupertino (sp?) to a private high school where a more balanced school life is still possible.</p>
<p>The tuition of some public medical schools in California seems to be zero (although the fees may be quite high.) Each year, some applicants from California could get into a top 10 medical school elsewhere but could not get into any mid-tiered public medical school (e.g., UC Irvine) in their home state. Some top school there seems to like a student with a special life experience.</p>
<p>Since we’re already on the subject kind of, can anyone tell me how Connecticut is? It seems like it would be one of the harder ones since we only have 2 med schools, one of which is Yale.</p>
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<p>That is just a definitional issue. Technically, California public colleges do not charge tuition. Instead, California calls them educational “fees”. It’s a distinction without a difference.</p>
<p>The real Californian came out to correct my mistake. Thanks!</p>
<p>Since we are taking about the differences between states, is it in general good to go to a medical school in a state where the economy is relatively good? Or it does not matter.</p>
<p>Are most (public) medical schools mostly funded by the state government or the federal government? I heard the residency programs are funded by the federal government – Medicare’s money in particular. I do not know anything about the funding of medical schools.</p>
<p>CNN reports the five worst housing markets. 3 of them are in Ohio. (Akron, Dayton and Cleveland.) Just curious, what is “wrong” with Ohio? Some major industry moves out? I used to have a coworker who was from west Pennsylvania or some nearby states. And he said he would try very hard not to go back to his home town.</p>
<p>If being overqualified is a problem at some public schools in cali than having a 3.6/32+ should make you not overqualified for those schools, thus being competitive. Well it doesnt matter because the OP is not going to a college in California lol, so 3.6/32+/Good ECs should be competitive. Are you looking at colleges in NY OP?</p>
<p>Public medical schools are largely funded by the state, although at our state med school the students also do a significant portion of their clinical training at the local VA hospital, which is federally funded.</p>
<p>A portion of my local of local property taxes goes directly to the med school hospital and a portion of my state income taxes goes directly to the med school. The med school & hospital also receives some funding from the federal government for research and indirectly thru Medicaid funding (Approx 40% of the state population has NO medical insurance.) </p>
<p>I believe the med school hospital may also get some indirect federal funding because there is a large military base in the city where it’s located. Because the military base is tax exempt, the Feds pay “compensation” to the city for loss in its tax base–some of which is then used to support the hospital. </p>
<p>While our economy isn’t doing well–it never has, the state has not cut funding to the med school. (We have only 1.) It’s held steady or increased over that past 5 years. Both political parties realize we have a critical shortage of doctors in the state–which is largely poor, rural and minority–and that unless we ‘grown our own’ doctors we simply won’t ever be able to be able to attract a sufficient number of physicians to serve them.</p>
<p>WowMom, Thanks for the info.</p>
<p>BTW, isn’t there a BA/MD combined program at UNM? Does it still exist? Is it a good deal to go that route in NM as it pays for the UG studies (likely for some highly sought-after students only)?</p>
<p>A few years back, a college applicant posted on CC: (I guess he likely had some hook as his SAT was ONLY 2190 and tried to get into many of the top BS/MD programs and top colleges – but 2190 was good enough for him to stand out among those peers he needs to compete against, and had a physician parent who helped him with “how-to-do-premed-as-a-high-schooler”.)</p>
<p>Wow, a student who aspires to be a cardio or ortho while still in high school.</p>
<p>"Yale, Duke, Johns Hopkins, or UNM BA/MD?
Okay, so I’m in the same situation with the aforementioned schools. Although the University of New Mexico’s BA/MD 8-year program is just beginning, it does pay for my undergraduate studies. However, Yale and Duke also greatly appeal to me. Given that I have about 10 days to make a decision, any input would be greatly appreciated. I aspire to become a cardiothoracic or orthopedic surgeon one day, so what would be the best route to take? I can’t decide whether to play it safe or gamble. "</p>
<p>At one time, he found out this information: the dropout rate at JHU BME is about 50%. I wonder whether it is true.</p>
<p>To answer the OP’s original question, the answer lies entirely with you. ie your abilities, the type of college you go to (MIT, good luck), your desire for that 4.0. No one can tell whether or not you will be able to have a 4.0. No one can tell you how difficult it will be to maintain a 4.0 either.</p>
<p>You can however talk to kids at the college that accepted you and get a feel for the amount of work it takes to get a 4.0. </p>
<p>I know that during freshman orientation at my school, the dean told parents that no one in the from 1999-2009 has graduated with a 4.0. As a result, I wasn’t going aim for that 4.0, but I was going to aim for a decent gpa (3.75+).</p>
<p>YOU DON’T NEED A 4.0 FOR MED SCHOOLS! =)</p>
<p>One A- will ‘drag’ you down below a 4.0 at most schools, try for your best marks, but don’t beat yourself up over the A-/B+ grades you may see.</p>
<p>4.0 --_-- it looks so perfect and beautiful. (sigh…) I’ve read multiple cc posts and mon cc posts as well. A majority say that 3.7 GPA 35+ MCAT is competitive. But…u know? There’s always that feeling inside that says, “just try to be more than competitive!” I want to start college in the right foot. If it’s not a prob…can u guys tell me ur GPA and how u came to have it. Thnx.</p>
<p>3.8, will be a 3.89 by time I apply to med school most likely. I dont think about gpa to much I just make sure I learn everything that is presented or the professors tells me I need to know for the exam. For example, if we go over nomenclature, it seems like a relatively small thing compared to electronegativity and polarity effects on structure. But it will all be on the exam, at least as far as I know, so I make sure I completely understand everything about it (as far as the class goes). Know not only equations, but also the principles behind them. Find an organized way to take notes. I use cornell notes, and I by far have the best notes during study groups. </p>
<p>Sent from my DROIDX using CC App</p>