My friend who graduated from UVA had a fairly average gpa but he wanted to become more of a competitive applicant so he’s enrolled at a near by college to get a second degree. Apparently in Virginia if you get a second bachelors degree the the med schools won’t bother to look at your gpa from your first degree.
But from what I’ve researched, every med school lists that transcripts from ALL previously attended colleges must be turned in. Is what my friend had said true? If I get a second degree, will my gpa from my first degree be omitted from review for med schoool?
Schools will see every grade you’ve ever earned at the college level. I can’t speak for what they do with that. I imagine that if you earned a second Bachelor’s, they’d consider that very strongly, but they wouldn’t entirely disregard your earlier grades.
I did a cursory review of all three med schools in VA and found nothing related to a 2nd bachelor’s degree making one more competitive than without it.
I did, however, find the statement below … maybe your friend extrapolated something like it to be relevant to him, and used that in his personal statement sort of directing the adcom to overlook an otherwise, underachieving GPA?
Applicants are expected to have grades of C or better in all required courses. Credits earned through advanced placement programs or CLEP are acceptable. Applicants may enhance their chances of acceptance by taking graduate course work in natural science. In recent years, students matriculating at EVMS have had a mean GPA of 3.44 and a mean MCAT of 30.
Virginia schools, like those elsewhere in the U.S., are using the AMCAS or AACOMAS application clearing house. All your transcripts and grades are submitted to these application services. What individual schools do with those grades once they see the entirety of the application is up to the individual school.
You don’t apply to individual schools initially - you apply to AMCAS, for example, and designate U.Va., EVMS and VCU in Virginia, or AACOMAS and designate VCOM. The AMCAS/AACOMAS procedures are uniform.
hth
Mary