<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I have mistakenly posted this on the undegrad section, oops, so here we go.</p>
<p>I know that getting into prestigious grad schools is much more than having As, but I am asking one specific question: </p>
<p>I left my country because we had tons of problems and strikes that were affecting our school work. we did only 25-30% of the program in the two years I spent there and the grades were rushed. I had to transfer 60 credits (2.9GPA) to the US but they are pulling my grades down. Most of them are electives and I will spend 4 years in college in the US (130credits).</p>
<p>I was wondering since I am having mostly As (No Bs) and my institutional GPA is 3.95, would the grad schools forget about my transferred credits that are pulling my GPA to 3.5? Note that both 3.95 and 3.5 are shown on the transcript.</p>
<p>GRE: 168-167-6
GPA 3.95 (4 years in USA) and 3.54 (US+Transferred)
Research: 7 months in plant pathology and 2years virology</p>
<p>Top Universities I am interested in:</p>
<p>Harvard BBS and Medical school
Yale BBS and medical school
Standford Medical school and Science phD (didn't check one yet)
Upenn, Duke, John Hopkins
Purdue Microbiology
Ohio Microbiology
University of Minnesota Medical school and Microbiology</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>It would be pretty easy to justify your poor grades in your original university, particularly because you have done so well after you transferred. Personally, I don’t think that it will be a determining factor. </p>
<p>I think you have a chance at all of them and a very good chance at the last three. The others are extremely selective and even if you have a perfect GPA and TOEFL, it is almost a question of chance because of the large number of applicants. </p>
<p>Please understand that admissions to medical programs and graduate research programs are distinct and completely different processes. Graduate research programs (“grad school” on here") use holistic admission but are focused on research potential first, academics second, and there is no real third. Professional medical programs (“med school”) are more like undergraduate admissions, where test scores and GPA are taken much more rigidly, and then character indicators like volunteering, leadership roles, and other such things also play a big role.</p>
<p>I would expect the top four lines of med schools to rigidly take your 3.54 GPA and drop you from consideration. I think you have at least a shot at all the grad programs.</p>
<p>Thanks to both of you. </p>
<p>@cosmicfish , I know that they are different, but I want to apply to all of them since I can see myself doing both, I was thinking of choosing med school only if a good school accepts me and going to research if none of them does.</p>
<p>@xraymancs, you’re right, it does sound like it’s a matter of “chance” because there are tons of students with excellent records for so few spots.</p>
<p>Are you planning on applying to both in the same cycle? That seems like it would be a ridiculously overwhelming handful.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s more overwhelming, it is the same process, just have to take one more exam.</p>
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<p>According to those who seem to know, in the medical school forum, all US medical schools are good. We don’t have bad ones.</p>
<p>Also are you applying as an international? If so, maybe you shouldn’t waste your efforts on med school, but concentrate on grad school.</p>
<p>When I say good school, I mean prestigious. </p>
<p>Thanks but I don’t see in what sense it’s a waste of effort, it’s just few more applications to fill out.</p>
<p>“it’s just few more applications to fill out.”</p>
<p>See if you’re still saying that when the wave of secondary applications come at you. :)</p>
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<p>No. Neither grad schools nor med schools will “forget” about your transfer credits. Now, most grad schools will take the qualifier into account - the fact that your school work was affected by strife in your home country and that your last 60 credits are far better than the first 60. Besides, your overall GPA is a 3.5, which is plenty high for most PhD programs other things being equal. Med school is a harder sell because it’s more numbers driven. The average GPA of matriculants at ALL med schools in the U.S. is 3.69, so I’m assuming that it’s quite a bit higher at the top schools. HMS, Yale Med, reports their average GPA as 3.8; Johns Hopkins’ is a 3.87; Duke’s is a 3.74. Minnesota-Twin Cities’ average GPA is a 3.72; the Duluth campus’s average is a 3.66.</p>
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<p>That’s the point. You don’t have to go to a prestigious medical school to become a well-respected, high-earning MD. You can go to a public unknown medical school and make the same amount as someone who went to Harvard - more, even.</p>
<p>I am moreso curious for why you think getting into a prestigious research-oriented PhD program is a “backup” for med school. Some PhD programs at the top schools in which you are interested have acceptance rates that are pretty similar to top medical schools’ acceptance rates. It’s not really a good backup plan, although it’s a totally fine Plan A to have.</p>