Hi! I am just starting my non-formal post-bac at Georgia State University. I completed Physics I with a B+ and believe that will complete Physics II with a B or B+. Since I completed my bachelor’s in Brazil, which is a different educational system all together, I would like some advise as what is considered good enough for Med school. Do I need all As? I was so proud of my B+ I cannot start to tell you about it, since I haven’t seen Physics in 18 years! Thanks.
You’re likely to need mostly As across the entirety of your academic history. The grading system here awards 3 to a B and 4 to an A. Some colleges award + and - modifiers which alter the point awards slightly and others do not. Figure on wanting to average across your entire education something in the 3.7 or higher range if you can. Lots of younger applicants achieve nearly perfect 4.0 averages on their medschool applications so you don’t want to “stick out” too far below.
You might want to invest some energy into totally understanding how your Brazil degree and academic marks translate here for med school.
As long as you’re completing a post-bacc program in the U.S., I wouldn’t worry about your grades before now, especially since they’re not from a U.S. school and there’s no basis for comparison. All that matters now is how you perform as a post-bacc. B’s are not good enough, but they’re completely irrelevant if they’re only in one subject and you excel in the others. You’re in good shape if your overall GPA is a 3.7 as a post-bacc, at least from what I’ve gathered from others in your position.
You will need to do well on the MCAT as well. Aim for at least a 30, but higher scores than that will really help your overall package.