How AMCAS medical school applications are evaluated

The AMCAS system is used by a majority of medical admissions committees to streamline the admissions process for both the applicant and the school. AMCAS is the system that forwards your verified GPA and MCAT information to each potential medical school. This means that instead of having to send an individual application, transcript, MCAT score to each school, AMCAS does it all for you.

There are three essential criteria that are presented to committees via AMCAS: overall GPA, science GPA, and MCAT score. In this article, I will discuss the importance of a high GPA and the strategies that will ensure your position as an ideal candidate for medical school.

Overall GPA vs. Science GPA

A high science GPA is a critical factor in medical school admissions.

The course requirements for most medical schools involves a year of the following: general biology+lab, general chemistry+lab, general physics+lab, organic chemistry+lab. Variable requirements include statistics and/or calculus. All these classes get factored into the science GPA, a “number” that indicates to the admissions committee of your personal ability to grasp material taught in medical school. Even though it may seem unfair, it is the most effective way that admissions office can handle the high volume of applicants in an orderly and timely manner.

The overall GPA plays a role, albeit a minor one, in the medical admissions game. If your overall GPA varies from the science GPA significantly, it indicates to committees of your lack of interest in certain subjects and this may be a red flag for some. This is because medicine is an interdisciplinary field and even though most of it is science, being a successful physician may require effective public speaking and English skills. If you have anything less than a B in these courses in college, it may have some bearing on your chances at getting admission. However, maintaining a high science GPA should be a bigger priority. So if you have to chose between acing your Microbiology exam or writing a winning Poetics paper one late night, I would say go for the Microbiology.

Choosing a School and Major the Maximizes Your Science GPA

As long as you have the above required coursework completed, there is no need to pursue upper division coursework (unless you are a science major). If I had known this earlier, I would have majored in economics or political science and truly enjoyed my lab-free undergraduate days. Instead, I chose to major in biology and spend my evenings writing lab reports and memorizing esoteric concepts.

Do NOT feel obligated to pursue a science major if your future plans include medical school. Instead, pursue a major that you genuinely are interested in- may it be art, dance, quantum physics. This will not only guarantee that you will maintain a high overall GPA in college, but also that you will enjoy your college experience. Also, this is refreshing to a medical school since non-science majors provide diversity and interesting insight to the community. As long as you find a way to incorporate a way to take all the required science classes, you will be okay.

Do NOT major in science unless you know 100% that you will get at least a B+ on all upper division coursework. Every science class you take gets factored into the science GPA, not just the prerequisite classes. So if you decided to take an advanced organic chemistry course out of sheer interest and end up getting a D, this will be factored into your science GPA and will look very poor, even though it was an esoteric course. As a science major, you will have to take more science courses in upper division that can be graded more harshly. There is no need to jeopardize your undergraduate science GPA unless you know you will do extremely well in these classes. I’m not here to discourage you if you really want to major in biochemistry or physics, but I do want to warn you of the possible consequences in the growing stiff competition in the world of medical school admissions.

How the College You Attend Gets Factored In

The college you ultimately end up choosing to attend weighs heavily, but indirectly, on medical school applications. For the most part, your capabilities as a medical school student are represented by the three magic numbers: overall GPA, science GPA, and MCAT.

I chose to attend Reed College because of its research-based curriculum and thesis year. Reed College had the facilities that taught me how to think critically and to do self-directed laboratory research that I thought would be a rigorous introduction to medical research and medical school. In fact Reed College churns out the most undergraduates that end up getting a PhD in biology in the nation.

What ends up hurting me in the end is a triple threat: Reed’s anti-grade inflation policy, being a biology major, and being a biology major at Reed. There have only been a handful of 4.0 graduates during Reed’s existence. I don’t think any of them were in any of the science departments (I’d have to double check on this). Imagine how this has affected my overall GPA and science GPA. Considering how hard I work here, I think that I would’ve maintained something close to a 4.0 GPA that I had if I had attended transferred to a university. This is especially because Reed’s upper division courses also have a graded lab portion, unlike other schools. But this is not just the case at Reed.

Most liberal arts colleges have a tougher grading system than other universities. The combination of smaller class sizes and emphasis on academics rather than grades is what drives the GPA down in liberal arts schools. In smaller classes, professors are more careful in evaluating their students and can have more tougher exams because they don’t need to grade a huge volume of exams in a short period of time. I attempted to take organic chemistry at Reed for a semester and dropped it after a couple weeks. The tests were very intensive, involving writing complete mechanisms of reactions and predicting entire chemical structures from scratch. The lab portion was independent. We were asked to try to make a certain chemical with a limited amount of reagents on our own.

I spent my following summer at University of California, Riverside taking the organic chemistry course again. The exams at certain points were multiple choice (!) and the lab portion involved following a simple protocol every meeting rather than using critical thinking to adapt what was learned in lecture into lab. And since the class was well over 200 students, the entire course was streamlined this way so that grades could be put up on time and TAs could minimize the amount of time it took to grade.

Conclusion?

Most liberal arts school have a very strong philosophy on learning rather than being taught. The curriculum is almost always tougher and the average GPA of a graduate almost always significantly lower. Not to put down larger universities, but Reed students could blow UCR students out of the water in organic chemistry. But who is more likely going to get into medical school: the B- student that learned how to synthesize a ester alcohol on his own or the A student that mastered the art of multiple choice and rote memorization? I would say the A student because that is what AMCAS sees and the system is blind to any fine detail.

First, students who have learning disabilities need to work on developing self knowledge while in high school. They need to understand what learning style works best for them. They need to have an arsenal of learning strategies in hand that they know will allow them to achieve success in school. Such strategies might include asking for extra time to take tests, listening to books read out loud instead of reading them, or making up acronyms to help them remember important material.

Next, the learning disabled student needs to understand the legal rights that he or she is entitled to. The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), which was passed in 1990, protects the confidentiality of records, so colleges do not have access to any disability records. Because of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, colleges cannot discriminate in accepting students with learning disabilities. Students with learning disabilities have to be allowed reasonable modifications in order to complete their education, such as extra time for tests, alternate test forms and other things. One difference at college over high school is the student must take the initiative to request help when at college. In high school, the law demands that the school identify and help LD students, but not so in college.

Students with learning disabilities need to make special preparation for the transition into collage life. Students need to be aware of the options they have for college. Some colleges have open admission policies, which allow anyone with a high school diploma to enter the college. Others have selective criteria and may only accept students with a certain GPA or test score. There are also two types of colleges based on the length of the education. Two-year colleges usually have open admissions policies and allow the student to earn an Associates Degree. These are sometimes referred to as Community Colleges. Four-year colleges or universities are often more selective in their admissions acceptance and offer more specialized degrees. Some colleges have programs designed for students with learning disabilities. Those with severe learning disabilities should seek one of these institutions.

Just because a student has a learning disability does not mean that he or she cannot and should not pursue higher education. The law demands reasonable accommodation for those with LD at colleges and universities. LD students who are planning to go to college need to have a good understanding of their own learning strategies and what helps them learn best. By doing some research and planning well for the transition, even students with learning disabilities can succeed and even thrive in the college setting.

Primarily due to the availability of online programs, the range of obtainable disciplines has expanded so that most bachelor programs have a corresponding masters certification. With today’s online education opportunities, you can earn online Masters degrees in interesting areas such as computer science, education, or health care management.

Advantages of Masters Degrees

The advantages of online Masters degrees are abundant. There is no commuting, class times are flexible, materials are archived online, and over-enrollment is rarely an issue. Given these unique benefits, it’s worth considering your various masters degree options.

Different Kinds of Master’s Degrees

Master of Liberal Arts (M.A.), Master of Science (M.S.), Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.), and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) are the four most popular types of certification. You can also earn a Master in Library Science (M.L.S.), Social Work (M.S.W.), Public Health (M.P.H.), and Education (M.Ed.).

Job Opportunities with a Masters Degree

Because a bachelors degree has now become the standard for most industries, individuals who have earned online Masters degrees have a decisive advantage in the job market. Earning your masters degree demonstrates to employers an elevated level of dedication and competency in a given field because of the additional credentials.

According to the US Census Bureau, those with a master’s degree can expect to make more than twice as much as those with only a high school diploma and almost 20% more than those with only a bachelors degree. Considering this income boost, the time and money invested in a masters education is clearly worth it.

Nancy Lambert is an executive for Accredited-Online-Colleges.com Accredited-Online-Colleges.com provides information on hundreds of degrees offered online through accredited colleges and universities. From online certificates to Associates, Bachelors, Masters and PhD degrees, Accredited-Online-Colleges.com helps students and adults discover the advantages of earning their master’s degrees online.