cGPA above average, but sGPA below average..what shall i do?

[ponybreeder4]

my science gpa is a 3.158 and overall gpa is 3.578...first off are these rounded up on MCAT to 3.2 and 3.6? and second where does that put me in the applicant pool
i have great EC's
what mcat do i need to make me competitive for even the lowest tier med schools

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[aggie08]

my science gpa is a 3.158 and overall gpa is 3.578...first off are these rounded up on MCAT to 3.2 and 3.6? and second where does that put me in the applicant pool
i have great EC's
what mcat do i need to make me competitive for even the lowest tier med schools

You science is low, your regular is slightly below average.
So, find school MCAT averages and that will give you a vague idea of what you need. You need above average.

However,

Nobody is going to be able to tell you if you will get into x school with y MCAT. There are millions of these posts here.

Bottom Line: Nothing you can do about the GPAs right now, do your best on the MCAT and apply where you think you can get it. If you get in, great. If not, figure out how to improve your application and move on.

 

[mechtel]

I think you mean are they rounded up on your AMCAS application. They are rounded to two decimal points (i.e. 3.16).

If there is such a gap, you probably haven't taken many science classes. The best you could do is to take some more in which you are reasonably certain you could get an A.

As for MCAT, tha's impossible to the answer. Obviously you should do very well to demonstrate you handle the basic sciences. How well will vary I suppose. 40 of course should do it and 30 is unlikely to do so.

 

[shiftingmirage]

Check out the spreadsheet in this thread.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527971

It allows you to put in GPA, MCAT, and it gives your competitiveness at all the allo schools (I believe they were working on one for DO schools, but don't know if it was completed).

As for MCAT, I would suggest a 30-32.

 

[BlueElmo]

That sGPA will hold you back a lot. You need to bring it up by any means.

 

[CoolWhipp]

Your GPA is below average. In terms of GPA, this puts you somewhere around the middle of the pile. Aim for a 30+ on the MCAT.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Moving to What are my Chances.

Honestly, with that sGPA, being so far below average, you're going to need an MCAT score that shows that you're capable of handling the science workload in med school. I think you need a 32-34 to give you a good chance of getting in, though a 30 might at least convince some school somewhere to bring you in for an interview.

 

[Stratego]

IMO an MCAT of 32 would compensate for your cGPA at the less-selective allo schools. You'd still need to address the low BCPM GPA or it will seriously limit your applications. If I were you, I'd take enough upper-level science classes, getting all As, to get it above 3.3 before applying.

For DO schools you'd be fine with an MCAT of 26 and a recent upward trend in your science classes.

 

[dancindoc85]

i have a low sGPA as well (due mostly to a D in one class ) and I got a 36T..... last year I received one interview that turned into a waitlist. pretty tough. ironically, it was a physics class that i got a D in and then i got a 13 in that section on the mcats. haha

my interviewer at osu said it was "cute" ....

so... basically, there's no telling what will happen to us with weird stats. do your best on the mcats and load up on recommendations from people who can attest to your intelligence, that's all i can say.

and if you have to apply twice, so be it. i'm enjoying my full-time ER job and time off as much as possible!

oh, and as a side-note - if you have a TON of classes factored into your existing GPA... do a calculation to find out HOW MANY A's in upper level science classes you would have to receive to boost your sGPA significantly... it's NOT as easy as it sounds... i'd have to take a plethora to make any difference at all....