I have heard a bunch of statements regarding low GPA’s at JHU. This is the only reason holding me back from applying ED. I want to know if the reason the GPA’s are low is because of the students lack of intelligence or because of the deflation in the school. (I want to do biology major and asking this question based on the science courses)
I believe I study hard and I have high intelligence, so I was wondering if getting a high GPA (3.7+) was possible. This is essential for me because I want to apply to prestigious medical schools after college.
Also, what percent of students in the sciences receive these gpa’s?
Haha, I assure you, the reason GPAs are “low” is not because of Hopkins students’ low intelligence. What is your idea of “low,” BTW? I’ve heard that the average GPA for students is ~3.3 overall and lower for engineers, but I’m not sure what the GPAs are for the sciences specifically. I’m not even sure if Hopkins makes such records public.
Hopkins definitely has a reputation for grade deflation, but in my experience, science courses were curved to around a B-. So I wouldn’t say they’re deflated, though they definitely aren’t inflated, which may set Hopkins apart to a degree.
If you study hard and have high intelligence, it’s definitely possible to get a high GPA, lol. However, getting good grades requires a number of other factors like the ability to pick up the required concepts; adaptability to professors’ teaching styles; and time management abilities. If you’re the kind of person who will take on 3-4 intensive extracurriculars in addition to a full courseload, it’s going to be harder for you to get good grades, but still possible. Many students with your mindset of GPA being of the utmost importance will do things like take smaller courseloads, pad their GPAs with easy classes, etc. to maximize their chances of getting good grades.
Remember, GPA is only one factor of admissions to medical schools. As you develop in college and learn more about different medical schools, you’ll realize that prestige is a very superficial reason to choose a school. You’ll also see that all medical schools are difficult to get into, not just the prestigious ones.
Science classes are usually curved to B or B+ in my experience
It’s true that Hopkins is definitely a school where you get what you put in. I know plenty of people in difficult STEM majors that also participate in plenty of extracurriculars that have high or perfect GPAs.
Deflation is definitely something that I’ve never experienced. Usually, when the class average on a test is too high, the professor will make the next test a little harder instead of punishing the students over a test that was a little too easy.
If your intelligence is high enough to be admitted to Hopkins, then you can definitely score a high GPA. Make sure to prioritize the extracurriculars that you want to be involved in, form good study habits(preview and review for each lecture and don’t cram), and never be afraid to ask for help.