Can clinical experience and MCAT make up for a low GPA

[Cawolf]

somehow rise to 99.9th %tile of test takers

As an aside, with the new scores AAMC apparently only posts percentiles in integers.

It is possible, with the right amount of work to get this score with a sub 3.0 GPA. I agree with the sentiment, but for the few people who have unrealized potential, it is important that there is a carrot-on-a-stick. So yes, the majority of people should not just assume it's doable, but it is doable.

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[RustBeltOnc]

I disagree, not everybody is ready to be a phenomenal student right out of the gate. Thankfully, many AdCom's agree with me. Not sure exactly what you mean by "there is no SMP in real life."

There are no "do overs" in the real world.

 

[RustBeltOnc]

I disagree, not everybody is ready to be a phenomenal student right out of the gate. Thankfully, many AdCom's agree with me. Not sure exactly what you mean by "there is no SMP in real life."

Put another way: no AdCom member has to compete for work in the real world. Hence, they can afford the idea of "redemption."

The rest of us, who do compete for the real work, can't.

 

[ZedsDed]

As an aside, with the new scores AAMC apparently only posts percentiles in integers.

It is possible, with the right amount of work to get this score with a sub 3.0 GPA. I agree with the sentiment, but for the few people who have unrealized potential, it is important that there is a carrot-on-a-stick. So yes, the majority of people should not just assume it's doable, but it is doable.

I agree completely.

 

[ZedsDed]

Put another way: no AdCom member has to compete for work in the real world. Hence, they can afford the idea of "redemption."

The rest of us, who do compete for the real work, can't.

Thoughts about this @gyngyn ?

 

[mehc012]

Both. you will get great grades and you need to.

? redemption? think about what you are proposing: more school to get into school.

I couldnt get a 40, but ... even I don't have the patience for that. There is no SMP in real life.

There are plenty of opportunities to turn things around in real life. People do it every day. They go back to school, join the military, resolve to stay out of jail, make sure their kids have better opportunities than they did, etc. For some people, regular college is the SMP of real life.

Redemption for med school is hardly as burdensome as you are insinuating. In my case (because yes, people who can pull a 40 on the MCAT can be brought down, hard, by immaturity, work ethic issues and/or life circumstances), med school was something I'd never considered before. It was going to take a few years to get clinical experiences and to ensure that med school was actually right for me anyway...I just took classes in the evenings while doing that. It cost me <$10k and no additional time.
For others, especially those who decide earlier that medical school is right for them, or whose initial poor performance was caused by a health issue or life circumstance which they resolve, it can be as simple as getting $#!tty grades in the first 2 years of college and a 4.0 after that. And for some, an SMP is the most efficient route and they are willing to spend the money on it.

I concur that even someone with a 40 MCAT is at a disadvantage if they have a low gpa, but your other points are overstated (at a minimum).

 

[mehc012]

There are no "do overs" in the real world.

That is patently false.

 

[ZedsDed]

That is patently false.

I would say that there are no "do-overs." But one can turn one's life around; mistakes can't be undone however.

 

[gyngyn]

Thoughts about this @gyngyn ?

I'm afraid I don't quite understand the meaning of the post.
Applicants do get credit for the distance traveled.

 

[RustBeltOnc]

That is patently false.

I would say that there are no "do-overs." But one can turn one's life around; mistakes can't be undone however.

that is what I am getting at.

 

[mehc012]

that is what I am getting at.

Then it's no different than an SMP or a postbacc. It's not like your undergraduate GPA is erased from your application if you complete one of those. You simply show adcoms that who you were is not an accurate reflection of where you are now, and what you are now capable of performing academically.

Similarly, the high school dropout with a kid can get their GED, knock out a 2yr degree that gets them a decent paying job, work through college, rock out a 4.0, and end up getting a terminal degree with no debt. It doesn't erase the past, but nobody cares about who you were 20yrs ago when you're successful now.

 

[RustBeltOnc]

Then it's no different than an SMP or a postbacc. It's not like your undergraduate GPA is erased from your application if you complete one of those. You simply show adcoms that who you were is not an accurate reflection of where you are now, and what you are now capable of performing academically.

Similarly, the high school dropout with a kid can get their GED, knock out a 2yr degree that gets them a decent paying job, work through college, rock out a 4.0, and end up getting a terminal degree with no debt. It doesn't erase the past, but nobody cares about who you were 20yrs ago when you're successful now.

Circling back to the OP:

To many of us, a low GPA and high MCAT looks bad
It will complicate admissions to med school
It speaks to issues that will complicate future success (IMHO and experience)

 

[mehc012]

Circling back to the OP:

To many of us, a low GPA and high MCAT looks bad
It will complicate admissions to med school
It speaks to issues that will complicate future success (IMHO and experience)

Nobody has ever argued against the fact that you are worse off, no matter what your MCAT is, with a low gpa than a high one.