Yes. That is true. Going to a school in which the kids have higher stats means it is harder to get a high GPA. This is because, just as you said, so many colleges base their grading on a curve. So going to a college with brighter students makes it harder to get top grades, unless you are tippy-top bright and are still above the bell curve in ability compared to your classmates. We have seen that with our two sons, who are both in computer science and had almost identical high school grades and test scores. The one who went to the school in which students have a higher average SAT score is getting lower grades than the one who went to the college that was one step down in academic level. The one who is getting lower grades is still ok because you only need around a 3.0 average to be considered for jobs in engineering fields. I think for medical school you need to be at least in the 3.6 to 3.8 range (just guessing here, not sure.)
I think Emory is a better choice for premed in terms of competition for grades. -This is all relative in terms of who might be matriculating to each school.
If you are a Washington native, not sure it truly provides better option than UW for instate residency. If you can afford paying for both undergrad and med school that is a choice you can make.
I don’t think this poster is considering University of Washington at all…and I’m not sure why.
I think it’s between Wash U where the kid got off the waitlist…and Emory.
@twnz19
Clearly state which university are you referring. Is it Univ of Washington (UW) in Washington state or Washington Univ (WashU) at St-Louis?
What is your home state?
Did you check what is the grading system in each of the school? A,B,C or A+, A,A-. Does it matter to your D which system?
Is there any early assurance program either at Emory or UW or WashU? Does it care about EAP or not?
Has she visited any of these schools?
Does she have any seniors (of her caliber) from her HS who are attending any of these schools to get feel ?
These things are more important than what parents (no offence to any one!)
@GoldenRock the poster said they have not visited and likely won’t
WashU parent of a potential premed and the classes there are going to be hard. Chemistry and biology are going to be the challenging classes to start out with. That being said, the school has a collaborative environment.
Emory might be slightly easier to earn a higher GPA than WashU, but it’s not going to be a cakewalk either.
I think GPA is never a good indicator for comparison (not sure how schools do this).
Attending a low 25% SAT school would concern me.
@twnz19 Both Emory and WashU are going to be competitive undergrads for pre-meds. WashU has a reputation for being a real meat grinder academically for pre-meds. (Know at least 2 or 3 kids who went to WashU and ended up…not pre-med… due to the strong competition. High achieving kids from excellent schools with strong STEM backgrounds too.)
Neither Emory nor WashU offer early assurance admission to med school.
Which school does your D want to attend? Fit is more important than the school’s name. Unhappy kids don’t well at college.
More of match to be on the safe side, but, that said, I had one kid to go a reach-y school and she was super successful there.
Not really because you don’t know why your D was waitlisted. Could be for a ton of reasons, none of them academic.
WashU has Medical Scholars which is sort of similar to early assurance, but they take only about 20 students per freshman class and the minimum requirements for all 4 years is a 3.8 GPA and a qualifying MCAT score.
I can vouch for the intensity of the WashU science classes from talking to my son. His roommate for next year is premed and is barely getting Bs in his STEM classes. My son has about a 3.7 GPA and he claims that is barely at the average for a lot of WashU premeds.
WashU does have a committee letter requirement for potential med school applicants IIRC.
@GoldenRock
UW we are not considering
I am referring to Washu St. Louis vs Emory
@Hamurtle
Your son is in Washu ?
The premeds there are in Bs
I heard same as lot of students drop out
Committe letter is imp
With not v high grades it will be tough to get
You mentioned your son is at 3,7 and barely average for premeds
If premed are in Bs what’s the gpa
Just trying to understand
@WayOutWestMom
Can I pm you please
V confused here
Can’t decide cause unable to visit due to exam dates clash
Regardless of school,
What I was thinking high stat in high school is not a guarantee for success in premed and why is that ?
Why would all not get in then why the drop out or weed out
^meaning that for the top tier of premeds you better have a GPA of ~3.8-3.9 to be considered for a decent medical school. Despite what some schools claim about their rigor and how students with a slightly lower GPA will get into medical school, GPA is still important.
That that may not be so easy ? 3.9
Thinking btw Washu and Emory
You says your son is at 3.7 plus it’s bareky average for premeds
And some of his friends might be getting Bs
Then with Bs how are they making it 3.7 or above
Or is it that with more Bs it might be tough to maintain high grade averages
Did not follow this comment
Could you pls clarify
Thanks !
3.7 is a good GPA, but you need better (3.8+) for top medical schools.
My’s son’s roommate is atypical. He still plans on premed even though his BCPM GPA is barely above 3.0.
Because…college classes are NOT high school classes.
Because in a pre-Med course track, there will be many many very high flying students.
Because you can’t predict how any student will do in college courses in advance.
Because no one has a crystal ball.
Because there is a ton of material to learn, and students have to independently manage their time, as well as study time.
And remember…there are weed out classes at some colleges early…and then there are classes like Ochem and biostatistics that can be very hard.
@Hamurtle
Is he at Washu
That’s a positive that they are letting everyone apply
I heard that there are comittee letter that only v few get ?
Is you son a premed
Most seem to be premed there ?
@thumper1
You make good points that college study is v different and how a student does in college may be independent of stats in school
I am trying to understand from many posts that say go to easy school or school where you are top 25 percent as weed out will be less likely?
Plus a achievable high gpa (of course with hard work) may give you more time to prep for mcat , ECs
What are your thoughts on this ?
It is important to remember that there are no “easy” schools for premed. If you go to Harvard, you’ll be with a ton of people who did very, very well in high school, scored well on standardized test, etc etc.
If you go to state U, maybe all admitted SAT/GPA won’t be as high, but the premed classes will have plenty of students who are dedicated, directed…and yes, did well on GPA/SAT and went state b/c of money, etc.
So please, there are no “easy” premed classes, and premed is not easy at any school.
You’d be well advised to visit schools to see if your student prefers one over the other…although it’s already May 3; weren’t decisions due 5/1?
3.7 is a very good average for premed at WashU. It is not enough to get into their own med school but it is quite good for that school.
What you should check out is what it takes to get into UW med school. Most students have their best shot at medical school in their home state (exception California) due to in state residency reservations.