<p>So my question is, does Brown University give you a gpa even though they have a pass/fail system?</p>
<p>I am concerned because I am interested in medical school and I know that these schools look at gpa’s in the admissions process.
Are Brown students compromised when looking into graduate schools?</p>
<p>First off, Brown doesn’t have a “pass/fail system” for all classes; taking a specific class pass/fail is an option that a student may choose at his/her discretion. Most students have plenty of grades to form the basis of a GPA, although the school does not actually calculate a GPA for its students. (See: <a href=“http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Dean_of_the_College/faculty/documents/gpaStatement.pdf[/url]”>http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Dean_of_the_College/faculty/documents/gpaStatement.pdf</a>) In practice, students often calculate a GPA for themselves and put it on their resume, and graduate schools either recalcuate all GPA’s for themselves anyway, or they have a coalition that does it (like the LSAC, in the case of law schools).</p>
<p>There is no evidence to suggest (and, in fact, there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary) that Brown students do worse-off in any sort of post-graduate path than alumni of peer schools. Perhaps I’m a good example; when I applied to law schools (in my senior year), I had taken 7 of 32 classes pass/fail, and I got into Harvard and Stanford Law Schools. My friends who were applying to medical schools – though that’s a very different game – had very positive experiences.</p>
<p>Brown does not calculate GPA. Graduate schools know Brown University very well, they are able to interpret Brown’s transcripts and rec letters, and they have no trouble in the process of admitting Brown graduates. As far as medical school goes, someone who has been through that process will probably answer you.</p>
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<p>If you’re that concerned, you don’t need to take any courses pass/fail. Plenty of pre-meds do, though, and still end up with positive results (though not in pre-med courses). Such elite schools as Princeton and Yale permit students to take courses pass/fail as well, though not on an unlimited basis.</p>
<p>I think it may be worth noting that some classes are mandatory pass/fail. Three of my four classes I took this semester were, and I was not looking for that when I chose my classes. Having said that, I am also a theater arts/literary arts major. Artsy classes tend to be more likely to be mandatory pass/fail, though I would also like to note that one of my classes that was a mandatory pass/fail was an anthropology class. Just something to think about.</p>