Chances? 3.5 gpa and 35 mcat

[Memily]

I have a 3.5 gpa (science and overall) and a 35 mcat score with >10 in all sections. I was wondering if I have a shot this cycle? I'm out of school already so my gpa isn't going up any more. The worst part of my application is my transcript. I got Bs in freshman biology and Cs in general chemistry, organic, and physics. My gpa my last year in college was good and I made a lot of As in the other science classes for my major which is how I managed to raise my science gpa. Besides my senior year I don't have an upward trend. I'm worried that my prerequisite grades are going to keep me out of most schools but I feel like there's nothing I can do about that now.

My extracurriculars are pretty average. I've done some research and have shadowed a few different specialties, and I've been volunteering at a hospital in my free time.

I know my chances for DO schools are decent so I'm only asking for MD. I'll be applying to both this summer.

Thanks in advance!

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[JFK90787]

What state of residence OP? I think your stats should be OK for most stuff outside the top 20 or so.

 

[DokDakotaDok]

With your stats, other than a little explaining about your grades, you should be set to get into some mid-tiers. This is assuming you have a good mix of ECs. I wouldn't get your hopes up for a top 20 unless you are either URM or have a crazy story, though. Apply broadly to OOS-friendly schools and to all your state schools. Make sure your app is ready to go by the end of May. This includes all your activities/work, descriptions, and PS. Also have your LORs ready to go, and pre-write your secondaries using the school-specific threads.

 

[Memily]

What state of residence OP? I think your stats should be OK for most stuff outside the top 20 or so.

With your stats, other than a little explaining about your grades, you should be set to get into some mid-tiers. This is assuming you have a good mix of ECs. I wouldn't get your hopes up for a top 20 unless you are either URM or have a crazy story, though. Apply broadly to OOS-friendly schools and to all your state schools. Make sure your app is ready to go by the end of May. This includes all your activities/work, descriptions, and PS. Also have your LORs ready to go, and pre-write your secondaries using the school-specific threads.

I'm a Texas resident (not URM) and really want to go to one of the UT medical schools. I think those are mostly mid-tier but I'm still worried I won't get into any of them.

Should I try to explain my grades in my essays? I don't have a good excuse for them, I just didn't practice enough or do enough homework for those classes. I made sure to work harder for the MCAT.

 

[aspiring20]

I'm a Texas resident (not URM) and really want to go to one of the UT medical schools. I think those are mostly mid-tier but I'm still worried I won't get into any of them.

Should I try to explain my grades in my essays? I don't have a good excuse for them, I just didn't practice enough or do enough homework for those classes. I made sure to work harder for the MCAT.

maybe i am wrong, but there's no need to explain a 3.5.

your GPA is sufficient, but your MCAT is outstanding. you should be good to go.

EDIT: the fact that you got mostly Cs in the prereqs but still pulled off a respectable sGPA is remarkable. be proud of yourself!

 

[Memily]

maybe i am wrong, but there's no need to explain a 3.5.

your GPA is sufficient, but your MCAT is outstanding. you should be good to go.

EDIT: the fact that you got mostly Cs in the prereqs but still pulled off a respectable sGPA is remarkable. be proud of yourself!

Thanks! In total I took around 80 credit hours of science courses, which helped. I guess I'm still uncertain because I know there will be thousands of applicants out there that didn't do poorly in their medical school prerequisites. Those seem like they would be the most important classes to do well in.

 

[TX500]

I have a 3.5 gpa (science and overall) and a 35 mcat score with >10 in all sections. I was wondering if I have a shot this cycle? I'm out of school already so my gpa isn't going up any more. The worst part of my application is my transcript. I got Bs in freshman biology and Cs in general chemistry, organic, and physics. My gpa my last year in college was good and I made a lot of As in the other science classes for my major which is how I managed to raise my science gpa. Besides my senior year I don't have an upward trend. I'm worried that my prerequisite grades are going to keep me out of most schools but I feel like there's nothing I can do about that now.

My extracurriculars are pretty average. I've done some research and have shadowed a few different specialties, and I've been volunteering at a hospital in my free time.

I know my chances for DO schools are decent so I'm only asking for MD. I'll be applying to both this summer.

Thanks in advance!

I wish I had your MCAT score! Your chances look great (I'm a fellow Texas resident applying this cycle, as well). Your MCAT is well above the average for Texas MD Schools (29.9) although your GPA is slightly below (3.65). Nevertheless, your MCAT makes up for it. You should get 3-4 interviews in Texas, no question.

 

[Memily]

I wish I had your MCAT score! Your chances look great (I'm a fellow Texas resident applying this cycle, as well). Your MCAT is well above the average for Texas MD Schools (29.9) although your GPA is slightly below (3.65). Nevertheless, your MCAT makes up for it. You should get 3-4 interviews in Texas, no question.

Thanks, I really hope you're right. Good luck this cycle!

 

[SOMBound13]

Quote:
Originally Posted by aspiring20
maybe i am wrong, but there's no need to explain a 3.5.

your GPA is sufficient, but your MCAT is outstanding. you should be good to go.

EDIT: the fact that you got mostly Cs in the prereqs but still pulled off a respectable sGPA is remarkable. be proud of yourself!

Thanks! In total I took around 80 credit hours of science courses, which helped. I guess I'm still uncertain because I know there will be thousands of applicants out there that didn't do poorly in their medical school prerequisites. Those seem like they would be the most important classes to do well in.

Well, since your grades in the prereqs are a problem, what were the other BCMP courses you took? Were they "higher up" courses that demonstate ability? What was your major?

 

[Memily]

Well, since your grades in the prereqs are a problem, what were the other BCMP courses you took? Were they "higher up" courses that demonstate ability? What was your major?

I have a science major and minor, so I took a lot of upper and lower division biology courses. I'm not sure if that demonstrates anything.

 

[skais595]

I'm a Texas resident (not URM) and really want to go to one of the UT medical schools. I think those are mostly mid-tier but I'm still worried I won't get into any of them.

You should be really fine for Texas schools! Your state takes care of its own.

 

[MicroSteph]

You should be really fine for Texas schools! Your state takes care of its own.

I couldn't agree more. Texans have it good! Just apply early and you'll be fine, I think.

 

[Memily]

You should be really fine for Texas schools! Your state takes care of its own.

I couldn't agree more. Texans have it good! Just apply early and you'll be fine, I think.

I hope you're right! Honestly I'd be happy getting in to any of the schools here.

Also, what counts as applying early? Some of my friends that have applied said anything before August is good, is that right? I'm pretty sure TMDSAS opens in May so that seems late to me.

 

[Jas1360]

I hope you're right! Honestly I'd be happy getting in to any of the schools here.

Also, what counts as applying early? Some of my friends that have applied said anything before August is good, is that right? I'm pretty sure TMDSAS opens in May so that seems late to me.

I would say that as long as you finish your secondaries before August you are still early. That usually means submitting the primary on day 1. So submit your application the very first week of June.

 

[flodhi1]

Texas schools tend to be understanding and forgiving of some issues. You have a good chance. Your As in senior year and MCAT score more than make up for a few dents in your application. Remember to apply early June 1st and apply broadly though.

 

[Memily]

I would say that as long as you finish your secondaries before August you are still early. That usually means submitting the primary on day 1. So submit your application the very first week of June.

Texas schools tend to be understanding and forgiving of some issues. You have a good chance. Your As in senior year and MCAT score more than make up for a few dents in your application. Remember to apply early June 1st and apply broadly though.

Thanks for the advice,I'll try to apply as early as possible.

I don't know if you can answer this, but do you think "applying broadly" would be helpful in my case? I feel like if I can't get into my in state schools then I have no chance at out of state ones.

 

[Jas1360]

Thanks for the advice,I'll try to apply as early as possible.

I don't know if you can answer this, but do you think "applying broadly" would be helpful in my case? I feel like if I can't get into my in state schools then I have no chance at out of state ones.

Yes, apply broadly. Apply to OOS schools, just make sure they are friendly to OOS applicants. The best way to tell is to look at the MSAR and see what percentage of their class is OOS versus IS. I would look for schools that are 20% or higher with OOS matriculants.

Just compare your MCAT and GPA to those OOS friendly schools. You will want one or two reach schools, several schools that have similar stats, and some schools where you have better stats.

 

[Memily]

Yes, apply broadly. Apply to OOS schools, just make sure they are friendly to OOS applicants. The best way to tell is to look at the MSAR and see what percentage of their class is OOS versus IS. I would look for schools that are 20% or higher with OOS matriculants.

Just compare your MCAT and GPA to those OOS friendly schools. You will want one or two reach schools, several schools that have similar stats, and some schools where you have better stats.

Thanks for the advice. I'll try to pick some OOS MD and DO schools that I have a reasonable shot at.

 

[SOMBound13]

I hope you're right! Honestly I'd be happy getting in to any of the schools here.

Also, what counts as applying early? Some of my friends that have applied said anything before August is good, is that right? I'm pretty sure TMDSAS opens in May so that seems late to me.

Since you're already out of college, why not shoot for the first day or so?

 

[Memily]

Since you're already out of college, why not shoot for the first day or so?

I will. I just never know when my letters of rec and committee letter will be in, although I also don't know if you have to have those to be complete/verified.

 

[SOMBound13]

I will. I just never know when my letters of rec and committee letter will be in, although I also don't know if you have to have those to be complete/verified.

Have you requested your LORs? Did you provide a "need by" date so that they'll go to the Committee ASAP? Does your Committee set up a mock interview after they've rec'd all of your LORs?

I made the mistake of not telling one of my recommenders an early "need by" date. As time went on, and the other LORs were in, the missing one was interfering with my ability to get a Committee date. When that last one was finally submitted, the Committee was "booked" until later in the fall. In the end, I got lucky because of a cancellation, but it could have been disastrous.

If I had to this process over, I would be asking for LORs now, give a "need by" date of about April 15th. Do you know when your school starts doing Committee interviews and what the sign up process or queue process is? Since each school is different, you may find a better method.

 

[Memily]

Have you requested your LORs? Did you provide a "need by" date so that they'll go to the Committee ASAP? Does your Committee set up a mock interview after they've rec'd all of your LORs?

I made the mistake of not telling one of my recommenders an early "need by" date. As time went on, and the other LORs were in, the missing one was interfering with my ability to get a Committee date. When that last one was finally submitted, the Committee was "booked" until later in the fall. In the end, I got lucky because of a cancellation, but it could have been disastrous.

If I had to this process over, I would be asking for LORs now, give a "need by" date of about April 15th. Do you know when your school starts doing Committee interviews and what the sign up process or queue process is? Since each school is different, you may find a better method.

Wow, I really haven't thought about all that yet. Thanks for the advice! I should probably start emailing people this weekend to request letters and find out what my committee's process is.

 

[Jas1360]

Wow, I really haven't thought about all that yet. Thanks for the advice! I should probably start emailing people this weekend to request letters and find out what my committee's process is.

Yes, do that now.

As far as submitting, AMCAS does not have to have received your LORs in order for you to submit. So the only thing that will keep you from hitting the submit button is you and your essays. Also, make sure you send all your transcripts the first week of May. The only exception would be if your grades are not posted yet. In that case, you can order the transcript and select that it be sent as soon as your spring grades are posted.

If you do it this way and submit you application on day 1, AMCAS will have it verified by the end of June, probably sooner than that. I submitted first thing in the morning and was verified that same day.

You only have to select one school to submit and add more later, but you should probably choose all the important ones by July.

In June, you should be making sure all your letters have been submitted and you should be talking to anyone who has not submitted your letter if they said they would. I usually talked to letter writers in February and then in April I would remind them that I would need a letter by June. In May, I filled out my AMCAS and sent them the information for submitting letters. I followed that up with a personal email, letting them know they should have received an email from AMCAS about the letter. Sometimes things go to junk mail so this way I would know if my letter writer actually received the information. I would also remind them in this email that I needed the letter at the beginning of June and ask them if they would be able to meet that deadline.

That strategy worked very well for me and all my documents were in well before any deadlines. I knew that the letters did not have to be in by June but I did not want to be begging for letters in August or September when 50 other students suddenly decided they needed letters for grad schools.

I think you will have a successful application because you are preparing for this application season and you are starting to line things up. I saw too many students around me who did not have their application complete in September or even October. They made excuses about their letter writers or transcripts but I knew that their problems could have been easily avoided if they had done the work back in April, May, and June.

Sorry that was really long. Good luck

 

[Memily]

Yes, do that now.

As far as submitting, AMCAS does not have to have received your LORs in order for you to submit. So the only thing that will keep you from hitting the submit button is you and your essays. Also, make sure you send all your transcripts the first week of May. The only exception would be if your grades are not posted yet. In that case, you can order the transcript and select that it be sent as soon as your spring grades are posted.

If you do it this way and submit you application on day 1, AMCAS will have it verified by the end of June, probably sooner than that. I submitted first thing in the morning and was verified that same day.

You only have to select one school to submit and add more later, but you should probably choose all the important ones by July.

In June, you should be making sure all your letters have been submitted and you should be talking to anyone who has not submitted your letter if they said they would. I usually talked to letter writers in February and then in April I would remind them that I would need a letter by June. In May, I filled out my AMCAS and sent them the information for submitting letters. I followed that up with a personal email, letting them know they should have received an email from AMCAS about the letter. Sometimes things go to junk mail so this way I would know if my letter writer actually received the information. I would also remind them in this email that I needed the letter at the beginning of June and ask them if they would be able to meet that deadline.

That strategy worked very well for me and all my documents were in well before any deadlines. I knew that the letters did not have to be in by June but I did not want to be begging for letters in August or September when 50 other students suddenly decided they needed letters for grad schools.

I think you will have a successful application because you are preparing for this application season and you are starting to line things up. I saw too many students around me who did not have their application complete in September or even October. They made excuses about their letter writers or transcripts but I knew that their problems could have been easily avoided if they had done the work back in April, May, and June.

Sorry that was really long. Good luck

Thanks for all your help! I appreciate the long answer since I don't know much about this whole process. I'll take your advice!

 

[Jas1360]

Thanks for all your help! I appreciate the long answer since I don't know much about this whole process. I'll take your advice!

No problem, its nice to put all that useless information to use,

If you have been to the application websites you will find instruction pdfs. There is one on the AMCAS website and one on the AACOMAS website. They are both about 30 pages or more and I read them both all the way through

But if you ever have time its good to look at them, especially the sections that apply to you. I had lots of non-traditional questions so many sections applied to me.

 

[Memily]

No problem, its nice to put all that useless information to use,

If you have been to the application websites you will find instruction pdfs. There is one on the AMCAS website and one on the AACOMAS website. They are both about 30 pages or more and I read them both all the way through

But if you ever have time its good to look at them, especially the sections that apply to you. I had lots of non-traditional questions so many sections applied to me.

I'll definitely take a look at those. Thanks again for all your suggestions!

 

[Goro]

You should be fine for most middle-tier programs, and most probably your state school. 3.6 is the general cutoff of cometetiveness, but that's clearly not an iron-clad rule.
Definitely forget about the Ivies and Stanford.

I have a 3.5 gpa (science and overall) and a 35 mcat score with >10 in all sections. I was wondering if I have a shot this cycle? I'm out of school already so my gpa isn't going up any more. The worst part of my application is my transcript. I got Bs in freshman biology and Cs in general chemistry, organic, and physics. My gpa my last year in college was good and I made a lot of As in the other science classes for my major which is how I managed to raise my science gpa. Besides my senior year I don't have an upward trend. I'm worried that my prerequisite grades are going to keep me out of most schools but I feel like there's nothing I can do about that now.

My extracurriculars are pretty average. I've done some research and have shadowed a few different specialties, and I've been volunteering at a hospital in my free time.

I know my chances for DO schools are decent so I'm only asking for MD. I'll be applying to both this summer.

Thanks in advance!

 

[SOMBound13]

As far as submitting, AMCAS does not have to have received your LORs in order for you to submit. So the only thing that will keep you from hitting the submit button is you and your essays. Also, make sure you send all your transcripts the first week of May. The only exception would be if your grades are not posted yet. In that case, you can order the transcript and select that it be sent as soon as your spring grades are posted.

Very true about not needng the LORs in order to submit. However, if you need the LORs to get your name on the calendar for your Committee Mock Interview, then you need those early. My undergrad wouldn't let you schedule your Interview until all LORs were rec'd. If that's the case at your undergrad, and there are a lot of med school applicants, you could end up with a late date on the calendar if you procrastinate.


Does this forum have a "what I would do differently" thread? People could post their missteps so the next cycle of applicants can learn from them.

 

[Jas1360]

Very true about not needng the LORs in order to submit. However, if you need the LORs to get your name on the calendar for your Committee Mock Interview, then you need those early. My undergrad wouldn't let you schedule your Interview until all LORs were rec'd. If that's the case at your undergrad, and there are a lot of med school applicants, you could end up with a late date on the calendar if you procrastinate.


Does this forum have a "what I would do differently" thread? People could post their missteps so the next cycle of applicants can learn from them.

Very good point, my school does not have a committee letter so that was a non-issue for me. I kind of wish they did offer committee letters, it seems like the mock interview would be a great help.

 

[pgoyal]

Hey Jas, (sorry Memily for jumping in on the thread)

follow up questions - i'm a nontrad, inexperienced with the application cycle and was wondering about the letters. I have all my letters in interfolio (3 science, 2 nonscience, 1 volunteer, 1 research, 2 supervisors from the 2 jobs I did, and 1 physician. - I thought I'd just max out on the letters just in case so i can cherry pick later).

1. you would recommend not submitting any more than is required, right? i.e. if a school asks for 3-6 submit just 3 right?
2. when exactly would you recommend sending the letters? can you send them right when you submit the 1' or do you wait for the schools to contact you with 2's

thnx.

 

[Jas1360]

Hey Jas, (sorry Memily for jumping in on the thread)

follow up questions - i'm a nontrad, inexperienced with the application cycle and was wondering about the letters. I have all my letters in interfolio (3 science, 2 nonscience, 1 volunteer, 1 research, 2 supervisors from the 2 jobs I did, and 1 physician. - I thought I'd just max out on the letters just in case so i can cherry pick later).

1. you would recommend not submitting any more than is required, right? i.e. if a school asks for 3-6 submit just 3 right?
2. when exactly would you recommend sending the letters? can you send them right when you submit the 1' or do you wait for the schools to contact you with 2's

thnx.

As far as number of letters, quality is always better than quantity. However, if the school asks for 3-6 and you know for a fact that 4 of your letters are outstanding, it would be best to send all four. The same goes for sending 6 letters if you knew the quality of all six letters was very high and if each letter would bring something different to the table.

The main thing to do is make sure you meet the requirements of the school. Every school has slightly different requirements about who they want letters from and how many. After you read the schools website, if you still have questions feel free to contact the school directly.

If we are talking about DO schools, you can probably wait until you receive the secondary to send the letters. The reason for this, is that I found that each DO school stated in the secondary how many letters, who needs to write them, and how they want to receive them. The good news about the fact that you used interfolio is that every school I know of accepts letters through interfolio. Just double check that all your letters are on official letterhead. Sometimes that holds up applications.

 

[pgoyal]

would you have any advice for tmdsas? (besides that it opens in may)

also wanted to clarify if the following strategy (w. details) sounds good to you:
(as you can perhaps relate being a nontrad i have this fleeting "out of the loop" fear - that i'm missing some detail that will screw up this whole process.) let me know if i've missed anything and i'll owe you one!

1. may 1st - begin filling out online application
1a. personal statement - heavily reviewed/edited
1b. work/activities section
1c. coursework
1d. loe - good letters on official letter head. use interfolio with amcas ID and letter ID
2. may 1st - request all transcripts be sent
can i also send my loe's to amcas from interfolio at this time?
3. may 1st - check out sdn official application thread for info/feedback
4. june 1st - finish application & submit with school selection
do i assign letters to school at this point?
5. fill out secondaries 2-3 days upon receiving them. (try to prewrite some)
6. sit on my ass praying for an interview.
7. find out how to prepare for reapplication - gpa/clinical experience

 

[Jas1360]

would you have any advice for tmdsas? (besides that it opens in may)

also wanted to clarify if the following strategy (w. details) sounds good to you:
(as you can perhaps relate being a nontrad i have this fleeting "out of the loop" fear - that i'm missing some detail that will screw up this whole process.) let me know if i've missed anything and i'll owe you one!

1. may 1st - begin filling out online application
1a. personal statement - heavily reviewed/edited
1b. work/activities section
1c. coursework
1d. loe - good letters on official letter head. use interfolio with amcas ID and letter ID
2. may 1st - request all transcripts be sent
can i also send my loe's to amcas from interfolio at this time?
3. may 1st - check out sdn official application thread for info/feedback
4. june 1st - finish application & submit with school selection
do i assign letters to school at this point?
5. fill out secondaries 2-3 days upon receiving them. (try to prewrite some)
6. sit on my ass praying for an interview.

1. Yes
2. Yes, and there is a form you print off from the application website, that you have the school send with the transcript. I'm not sure about the LOR and interfolio for AMCAS, I am guessing yes, but for AMCAS my LOR writers sent it themselves on the computer.
3. Yes, but actually more info will be there in July, at which point you can start pre-writing secondary essays
4. Yes, and yes you will designate what letters go to which schools for AMCAS
5. Yes
6. No, forget about app season and focus on school, ECs, work, or anything to keep your mind off the season

I know absolutely nothing about TMDSAS but I am guessing everything is very similar. I would look for an instruction packet or pdf on their website.

 

[pgoyal]

awesome. thnx.

 

[phant0m0o0o]

You don't get sent secondaries, once you submit there is a link on tmdsas to the secondaries.

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