How good are your grades?

Are your grades good enough to get you where you want to go? You won't know until you hear back from all the schools you have applied to, but you can get a very rough sense of where you stand based on large trends in admissions:

• In general, a student with a 2.5 GPA has a lot of damage-repair to do. Some individual health professions might have a cut-off of a 2.5, but if I want to apply to dental school, medical school in the US, optometry school, or veterinary school, and I have a grade point average at or below a 2.5 my application is a long, l-o-n-g, l--o--n--g shot. It is probably better for me sit out this application season and strengthen myself before I apply.
• A 2.75: not a strong GPA, but a much better position than a 2.5. Still, for a number of health professions, a 2.75 is a weak grade point average. Much depends on the profession you want. Some (not many) professions, more than others, make a special commitment to carefully considering even students with an apparently weak GPA.
• A 3.00: Okay, now you are getting someplace! Depending on the overall "look" of your transcript you, might be a contender. What do we mean by "look?" Things like these: Are your grades going up or down? How have you done in courses like General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry? Have you withdrawn from a huge number of courses? An applicant with a 3.00 might succeed, but the journey could be a rough one!
• 3.25: Congratulations. You are getting better.
• 3.5: Congratulations. You are firmly "in the running" for most health professions? Are you at the top of the heap? Probably not. An application to the toughest schools in the country might have a small chance of success
• 3.75: Here and above: Good for you! You are in a relatively strong position!

Of course, it would be a huge mistake to take the little listing above too seriously! A student is a lot more than just a GPA. On the other hand, it would also be a big mistake to ignore completely the significance of a grade point average. Both low and high grades are earned over a period of time. (And, yes, schools can easily spot when somebody is trying to boost their GPA by taking push-over courses.).

Now, just think of all the things we did not talk about.What is your major? Do you have a job or commute in addition to taking classes? How many letters of recommendation do you have? These issues can play an important part in strengthening (or weakening) your application. Even though it might take careful analysis, some soul searching and more than one opinion making a realistic assessment of how strong your transcript is well worth the effort.

So, hang in there. Ask yourself what you really want to do with your life and "go for it." If good grades continually evade a student, he or she must find out why and solve the problem--or pick another career.

Dental schools, veterinary schools, medical schools--all health professions schools--are looking for intelligent problem-solvers, so don't let a problem transcript stand in your way. Focus on earning good grades one semester at a time.

Best of luck. Come in and talk with us about how your academic record stacks up against your dreams.