I know that for med school admissions GPA is critically important. Do they give some slack to athletes on GPA if their test scores are in line with other applicants?
I know that they don’t care about having athletes like colleges do, just wondering if they take into account that getting a 3.4 GPA when playing college sports is probably more difficult than getting a 3.9 if you are able to just focus on academics.
Let’s assume that he is at a program where the coach is willing to work with him to allow for the labs and difficulty of classes, and that he is able to work all his required classes.
My first question back at you for clarification would be based on your last paragraph. That’s a big assumption and pretty unusual depending on the sport and division level. I’d be cautious as you won’t have to look hard to find stories of coaches who suggested that they’d work with a prospective recruit and it didn’t really turn out that way. Not saying it can’t happen, but it may be more difficult to find that type of situation than you think.
I realize that situation is probably pretty unusual, at least at the D1 level. Wrestling is the sport, probably good in that it isn’t a revenue sport, but bad in that it covers both semesters, so there probably isn’t the opportunity to take labs in the off season.
Son is a sophomore, so he’s still casting a pretty wide net. My guess is that ability wise he will be D1 level, although probably not at the top end. He is looking at all 3 divisions though. Ivy/NESCAC or similar is what he is hoping for. So I am hoping that where ever he ends up there will be other pre-med and science majors. We will definitely talk to them and get their view, in addition to the coach view. They can tell us if the coach is being honest about accomodating that type of schedule. But they will not necessarily know if the fact that they have a 3.3 GPA will sink their chances at med school.
He already beats up on some guys wrestling varsity D3, and at least 1 high school senior who has been offered $$ at one of the top D2 programs in the country. However, he is very aware that there is no NFL or MLB after college. Unless he starts training for the Olympics, he will have to retire at 22. So he’s a lot more concerned with the diploma he will end up with than on whether he will be able to wrestle for a D1 national championship team.
Med school isn’t on the top of his list right now, but he knows he wants to be in the STEM area. He has a tentative plan to hit the required med school prerequisites just to keep the option open. Who knows, a semester of organic chem may change his mind. I’m just wondering if it will even be an option. I don’t see him pulling a 4.0 GPA at a rigorous school while wrestling at the college level.
What you need to do is ask the coaches when you visit or via email that direct question. Also ask how many student athletes went on or applied to med school in the past. Then you can make a decision based on those specifics of each school. This year at Middlebury on the swim team there were 3 senior boys who are applying to Med school.
All the schools/Coaches are so different. Keeping the option open is the key
The divisions do not signify the strength of the program but the level at which the school chooses to compete. Many D3 athletes can beat D1 athletes, especially in individual sports like golf and tennis. Many teams at all levels have top academic students heading to grad schools and med schools. There are D1 football players who are Rhodes scholars. Your son needs to do his research of both the school and the teams, need to make sure the coach is okay with the athletes studying anything they can handle and making the adjustments for needed courses, labs, research, etc.
It can be done but he needs to find the right mix. Has he considered a service academy? Good for both med school and wrestling.
I appreciate the advice, but I think we are getting off topic. I know that whether he will be allowed to take a tough academic program, including pre med, will depend on the coach, whether it is a top 5 D1 program or a crappy D3 program.
What I want to know is how med school admissions will view an athlete. Will he be given some slack on his grades, or do they ignore outside commitments and just view GPA. I’m not even saying one way is more or less fair, I was just wondering if anyone had experience with this. I guess Also if anyone knows, whether the less than Stellar GPA will matter if it comes from a D1 program with a rigorous athletic program, out an Ivy/NESCAC type school.
You can ask on the med school forum, but my understanding is that it is more stats driven than undergrad admissions. ECs may be the tie breaker, but wont boost you over other high stat kids.
I don’t see a Med school taking into account that he is an athlete when looking at his application, except for when they are reviewing EC’s. I don’t really think they would make too much of a distinction when looking at what school he is coming from but they may be a little bit more favorable to a student at an Ivy/NESCAC school.
I can’t answer about how med schools evaluate candidates, but can offer advice. My son wanted to study engineering and play a varsity sport. Engineers study as much or more than premeds.
So my advice was only consider D3 teams at high academic schools, and look at the current rosters for clues. They usually list major. If most of the team is studying business, int affairs, poly sci, and no STEM majors. bad sign. If you see Chem, Engineering, etc on the team, the school values the academics over the sport. You don’t want to be the only one studying on team trips. Ask coaches what happens when there is a conflict with labs, and classes.
Med schools don’t “view” an athlete. There’s a computer program that cuts anyone who’s below a certain GPA X MCAT score. Med schools set the parameters themselves and only see the students’ profiles that passed that first cut. So, no, a 3.4 won’t make it. There’s no slack cut on major either as long as it’s a “traditional” major - the student chooses whatever they can be top 20% in. Math, English, Foreign Language, and Music majors do very well in med school admissions (keep in mind these are top students in their majors AND top 10-20% in every single premed pre-req too, which is harder than if the pre-reqs are part of your major.)
So then rigor of the college and grade deflation/inflation matter ?
Really so the doctor I see may have gone to an undergrad school with grade inflation,
and the person rejected might be an MIT or Cornell graduate who had a lower GPA but is actually brighter ?
I know this is a common thread and not the question here, but very sad if true.
I am sure many could get straight As if they select a super-safety school and easy major.
So all you potential doctors out there, go to your safety school, and aim low in your major.
That is the game apparently.
I know that sounded sarcastic, but I actually think there is a huge advantage to attending a safety school and being a top student. Wish my own kids had done that, they suffer the downside of the opposite decision, in terms of grades and number of hours they must study (and less time for EC, sleep etc).
I have been wondering about this exact issue. How can a student-athlete from MIT with a 3.6 be less qualified for med school than a regular (the kids call it NARP) student from a SUNY school with a 3.8? Makes no sense to me.
Ha - they do all call it NARP.
I thought it was just my kid being kinda snotty when he referred to NARPs (non athlete regular people). Didn’t realize it was more common . . . . Even as a D3 athlete, he has probably 25-30 hours a week in season on his sport, and about 10-15 hours a week out of season.
However, if, like most premed freshmen, you switch interests or are weeded out, or if you make it through the premed gauntlet but aren’t admitted to med or do school … If you attend a school with a lot of influence (state flagship, Top 40 National University or LAC, Top 5 regional university…) you can use your university 's career center and network to find a job, and you know your preparation is solid enough o get into grad school. If you attend a public directional where the average act is 21 you’re likely to have way more problems with either outcome.
That’s why choosing a university for a premed has to be strategic and depends on how likely it is they will need the resources of a more prestigious university.
Research findings also apply: if you are lower income or first generation, pick the most prestigious university with the best financial aid package as this is what will serve you best (in particular, replacibg networks your family can’t provide). However if you’re an upper middle class, very strong student , choosing an honors college is going to turn out just fine Because your parents will e able to supplement some of what may be missing.
It’s my high school athlete daughter who chose not to play in college who calls herself a NARP so no snotty intent at all lol.
Off-topic, but add me to the list who thought that the term NARP was specific to my kid’s school/friends.
In reality, it’s rare to be an athlete and a premed successfully. Being premed means ranking top 10-20% in every class taken, plus volunteering at a clinic or hospital plus meaningful research takes up all the srudent’s time. In division 3, because the season is shorter, it’s doable as long as you take a glide year (take MCAT spring senior year, apply in June, spend year after graduation doing research and going to interviews).
My daughter has two teammates with perfect gpa’s. One is a mechanical engineer (now in grad school) and the other a business major. Both transferred from D1 schools because they wanted a smaller school, but I don’t think they find that much difference in the D2 practice schedule.
So I’m a physician, plus I was on an ADCOM at a Med school. They don’t care about ECs unless it was helping sick kids in Haiti or doing some other socially relevant activity. Grades and MCATs are most important. Don’t even think of doing a D1 unless it is an IVY.
I have a sad tale about a patient of mine who playing volleyball D1 and took her science courses in the summer at local less rigorous schools. She had As but couldn’t get a good enough score on her MCATs. Tried to get in for 3 years, finally has given up.
If your goal is med school , that should come first.A NESCAC or other top academic D3 would be fine if you are super-organized and take your hardest classes out of season when possible.