Session 23 In today's episode, Ryan and Rich take a question from the forums over at OldPreMeds.org about whether a poor undergraduate school can hurt your chances at getting into medical school.  OldPreMeds Question of the Week: Scenario: From an NP who wants to go back to medical school; Mom with 2 kids; Has been a nurse practitioner for 5 years and made up her mind to follow her dreams of going to medical school. Enrolled in a community college but worried about her undergraduate science GPA of 2.9 and receiving F in one of her classes. How much is her undergraduate grades going to haunt her as she tries to move forward? Here are the insights from Ryan & Rich: Only 2% of people who apply to PA also apply to MD or DO school. PA itself seems to become a direct route for people to go into medicine. It's a grade baggage you don't have to worry about NP course load might be lower than a special master's program (MPH) An NP degree is a great accomplishment. Although it won't directly impact the GPA, it will certainly impress the admissions committee. How the admissions committee looks at your numbers: Generally, students get too focused on a single GPA number. Go to the AMCAS and look up what your grade chart will look like (science vs. non-science). This is how an admissions committee sees your grades. They don't see a single number, but the net trend and the totals at the bottom to give them a good idea of what your trends are like. Major takeaway from this episode: Your undergraduate school days may haunt you but you have plenty of opportunities to overcome them.