<p>I’m sure there are hundreds of sub 3.25 GPA students at Brown- and the most likely explanation is that the med school counselors explain that the probability of them getting into med school is very, very small, and that the student might be better served by finding something else to love.</p>
<p>It’s difficult to get much of the class being below 3.25 while maintaining a ~3.7 mean GPA. To reach a mean of ~3.7, you’d to either make it bi-modal with one peak far above 3.7, one peak below 3.25, and only small portion between 3.25 and 3.7; or have very few on the lower end. An example of the latter is as follows. This distribution is still falls a bit short of a 3.7 mean.</p>
<p>4.0 – 7.5%
3.9 – 15%
3.8 – 20%
3.7 – 20%
3.6 – 15%
3.5 – 10%
3.4 – 5%
3.3 – 2.5%
Below 3.25 – 5%</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all of your advice. I let DS read all of the posts, they helped him learn more about how to survive in the college, as there were many helpful tips that we didn’t even think about before. Also, he wishes to thank you for your encouragement. </p>
<p>@ data10, Thank you for writing such a long post for me. I think the thread you mentioned was 2-3 years ago, which I posted for my DS1, not DS2 I’m currently talking about. My two sons are complete opposites. DS1 is smart but lacked a hard work ethic. As he has grown up, he started caring about studying, and he is doing very well in his reach school (not Brown). DS2 is a self-driven, hard working perfectionist, but I worry he has already reached his apex, as he is using his full potential to work late into the night as a high schooler, and he might have tough time in the competitive college. I honestly often think that DS2 deserves an easier life, slow down a bit. Since he selected to swim in a big pond, his worried mom came to CC ask for help.</p>
<p>OP mom, if your student is hard working and willing to continue to work hard, he should have success in the core premed courses like chem, organic chem, physics, and bio. With the addition of perhaps calculus, statistics and biochem, that is the core for med school, and the rest of the courses can be almost anything else. Most people have to study these subjects in detail in order to do well. They all have labs and problem sets, which require the student to do hand in assignments at a steady clip all semester. The only place where someone might breeze through these is a particularly easy college or university. Other disciplines like history or english might have one or two term papers and that is the whole grade - quite a difference. I think a lot of people fall off the pre med track because they don’t want to be on the type of treadmill that the core requirements entail. </p>
<p>Lots of great advice here. You let your son read your original post where you said he’s not talented? Thanks, Mom! What is talent? Getting into all the same schools without trying? Your son’s grades and success in college admissions suggests he’s got all the brain power he needs to be successful at nearly anything. Raw brain power is great. I’d happily take a lot more of it, but in my opinion a smart enough person with hard work, organization, ambition and emotional intelligence will go very far. My spouse honestly doesn’t think she’s very smart but she was val in hs, top 5 of her top 20 college class and top of our med school class. She thinks her talent is organization and concentration. I’d add humility. She works very hard. It’s OK. Every one wants her opinion. My orthopedics chief told me early on that the 3 A’s of success were, in order: affability, availability, ability. Good luck to your son and tell him to keep doing what he’s been doing.</p>
<p>Hard work will get you very far, so it sounds like he has appropriate skills to succeed in college. My older one has lots of intellectual strength, not so great on the organization and drive. He has had to work extra hard to succeed. My younger one is competitive and driven to succeed, though we have never seen him as intellectual as the other. The young one has a much higher high school gpa, is willing to test prep and everything else the other one couldn’t bother with. His dedication and work ethic gets him further than the natural talent of his sibling.</p>
<p>In our house, we have been known to joke that I am the overachiever and my spouse the underachiever. I am smart enough, but worked hard all the time. Went to strong undergrad and top law school, have had a satisfying career. Spouse is super smart, strong undergrad, top grad program, satisfying career. We both got through relying on our innate strengths, and filling in the gaps. Sounds like your son knows what he has to do to succeed, and has been prepared to do it.</p>
<p>As some other posters have said, knowing his strengths and challenges, don’t sign up for the most demanding schedule for fall or even freshman year. You no longer need to show anyone you have taken advantage of the most rigorous schedule, so give him time to get up to speed. Even if AP or other tests would place him out of certain courses for pre-med, probably makes sense to take the intro level courses to get his foundation solid. Make sure he has “fun” classes in the mix – ones that he will enjoy doing the reading for. Hang in there, he sounds like a wonderful guy who will have lots of success. </p>
<p>I think there is a general misconception that students of all level of colleges need high GPA’s to get into med schools. From statistics it seems that med school admissions know that almost all students in top universities are bright and it is harder to maintain a high GPA in these schools. (top 20 school students are with higher and higher credentials over the years)</p>
<p>This is the proof that if you attend a top 20 university you don’t necessary need a 3.5 GPA to get in med schools. Check page 21:
<a href=“https://prehealth.wustl.edu/Documents/Handbook.pdf”>https://prehealth.wustl.edu/Documents/Handbook.pdf</a></p>
<p>Don’t worry, OP. I think your son will be fine and enjoy an intellectually/academically challenging environment!</p>
<p>My S went to his reach school and we were nervous as well. But he not only thrived socially, but he was inspired by the other students and achieved beyond our wildest hopes. </p>