<p>While getting a high GPA is important, don’t kill yourself over it. Life doesn’t stop h=just because you’re studying in college; you have to have a social life, extracurriculars, sleep, etc. To me, getting a 3.7 (all A-) and having a life would be far more desired than having a 4.0 (all As) and no life,</p>
<p>Med schools want to see well rounded applications…and applicants…if you spend too much of your time doing nothing but trying to get a 4.0 it will backfire on you…do your best and have all the other necessary pieces of your resume in place which is far more important.</p>
<p>Im a naturally social person. That part of me will never go away. So, academics will never make me a loner or have no life. I know I can manage both.</p>
<p>@Yaz, same here. I have not sacrificed anything while maintaining my GPA. I’ve made it a point to be in band every term, that way I have “forced” play time :)</p>
<p>Oh BTW, 88 credits, 4.0. My last practice MCAT was 36, I hope to break 40 on the real thing.</p>
<p>impossible</p>
<p>Yaziinyz,
yes, you can maintain 4.0 GPA in college. If you were 4.0 in HS, then it is somewhat a habit.</p>
<p>…and yes, you should not sacrifice anything either. You really need to enjoy your college experience to the fullest and pursue your other academic as well as non-academic interests.
In regard to MCAT score real vs. practice, often real one is 2 points below your best practice score and within 2 points of your ACT. It might not be applicable to everyown but a pretty close estimate (it has happened to my D., exactly 2 points below best practice MCAT and exactly 2 points above ACT).</p>
<p>@MiamiDAP I have a 96 GPA(used to be 95). So, I guess it’ll be a habit for me. Actually, it already is. That’s y I posted this thread. =,D</p>
<p>@plumazul wow. Good job. I hope to be like u. 
and good job on ur mcat scores (practice)</p>
<p>I’ll do my best to achieve the 4.0.</p>
<p>@Miami, when you mention the relationship between practice scores and the real thing, are you talking about fully proctored practice test, or self administered practice test?</p>
<p>Yaziinyz,
You will be just fine. It is sort of habit, believe it or not. Kids with straight A’s just do not see themselves getting anything lower, no matter what. If class is challenging, they just work harder. My own D. has never had a “B” in her life. She starts at Med. School in 3 weeks. Will see how this will go. However, it is pass/fail up to some point (third year? Not sure).
Do not forget though to take care of yourself, have enough sleep, have fun, pursue your personal interests, try something new, go abroad…whatever makes you happy…stay away from some pre-meds who practically going into some panicky psycho mode about their academics. Just trust your hard work and if needed seek help, there is nothing wrong with that.</p>
<p>plumazul,
"@Miami, when you mention the relationship between practice scores and the real thing, are you talking about fully proctored practice test, or self administered practice test? "</p>
<p>-D. took Kaplan prep. class. She was taking full blown timed pracitce tests on-line (I do not know if they were part on her Kaplan class). Her real MCAT score was exactly 2 points below the best practice test score. I am not sure if I answered your question. She always took the same type of practice tests and tried to behave the same (like having the same break and eat the same snack as she has planned for real test). Do not skip that. D. decided that she is not up to having snack during real exam break and got really hungry later during test. It bothered her, but nothing she could do at this point, so do not do the same mistake.</p>
<p>I tried my best to maintain a 4.0 GPA in college. 2 A-s from my Math 3C and Chem Honors lab lowered it down to a 3.96 GPA. I dont think a flat 4.0 is possible but a 3.9+ is. Though Ill have to go through upper division courses to comment on that.</p>
<p>@MiamiDap u should be proud of ur D work. @Ranks it’s not impossbile. It can be attain under certain circumstances.</p>
<p>Ranka,
Although not 4.0, you are still straight A’s. My D. also had 3 A- in singing classes of her Music Minor. Small price to pay for developing pretty awesome voice without single voice lesson in her life by simply singing with Music majors who no doubt have had much more extensive pre-college Music training. So, D’s GPA was 3.98, not 4.0, but still all A’s. Her UG did not give additional point for A+, D. had more than 3 of these. Nobody is paying any attention to these decimals. As long as you are 3.6+, you are good to go as far as application to Med. Schools.
BTW, although minor has no influence on Med. School admission, Music was the most common subject of discussion during D’s interviews at Med. Schools. Needless to say, she can talk about it forever, from Classical music to some unknown obscure pop bands to the most challenging piece that she has played on piano (has impressed one interviewer with that, who also happened to be a piano palyer). So, that is why it is important to pursue your own interests, remember that you are human being, not high GPA/MCAT producing machine, enjoy your college experience, do not be anti-social hermit studying in your room all the time. Best wishes!</p>
<p>@Miami, I am a Piano Performance major (in addition to Chemistry, dual degree BA/BS) and have received much positive feedback about the importance of music in medicine from advisers and others . Have you seen this site?</p>
<p>[Music</a> and Medicine | Weill Cornell Medical College | Cornell University](<a href=“http://www.med.cornell.edu/music/]Music”>Music & Medicine | Weill Cornell Medicine)</p>
<p>Cornell is my dream MS and happens to be where I’m working this summer 
, I just LOVE Manhattan …</p>
<p>plumazul.
Impressive!
D. did not want to do Music Performance because of time commitments. She had Music Composition Minor, lots of music theory, which is easy, was not much of time commitment at all. She loved her music classes, had awesome experince composing her own piano piece (had Music Performance major playing it at New Composer recital at school) and had recorded her music electronically by using software on real, expansive recording equipment in recording studio. She had a ball! Even Counterpoint was not a problem, although Baroque is not her favorite. You will have fun, but will be really busy!!
Good luck with Cornell! D. starts her Med. School in 20 days, time flies, enjoy while it lasts!</p>
<p>plusazul–</p>
<p>Interesting. D1 was talking about some of the other MS1s she’s met already. One was a music composition and performance major (guitar) who had a biochem minor. He never did any lab research (zero, none, nada, zilch) but wrote a 40 page academic analysis on the theory of blues composition and wrote and performed a 45 minute original blues piece as his senior thesis.</p>
<p>D1 said he was one of the more interesting MS1s she’s met so far.</p>
<p>Wow. @MiamiDap it’s very thrilling for me to hear you D’s story. And @plumazul it’s an interesting mix: music n science. Sounds very therapeutic for some reason. What do you think guys? Should I minor in international relations and affairs? If you read my other posts, you’d see I wanted to double major in pre-med and international relations and affairs. Will it no take away too much from my pre-med time?</p>