Good MCAT bad GPA (really bad)

[mjallen66]

I was hoping for a little info from anyone that has been through the whole app process before.

I am a white male with a good MCAT score ( 40O ) and a horrible GPA (2.6). I live in texas and intend to apply to the state schools. But I was wondering, is there any point in applying out of state or does my gpa just s*ck too bad.

Also, I have good extra currics, volunteer activities, and a great job record.

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[neoncandle]

You know, I know a guy this last year with a similar GPA and good MCAT (mid to low thirties) and he got in at Tech. What about your pre-reqs? Is your recent GPA that bad? Is that your science GPA? You have to show that you can handle class-work... not just one big test usually, but that score is AWESOME. Congrats!

 

[Bono]

It depends on where you want to apply to. I am from texas as well and i applied to 5 schools out of state (3 of them being in the top ten) and i only recieved interviews from the other two schools. My GPA and MCAT were both fairly good. With such a low GPA i am not sure it is going to be worth it unless you really want to go out of state. Then again, when will you have an oppurtunity to apply for medical school again. It is really up to you.

-Bono

 

[berriesarie]

i'm from texas also, and applied to a lot of out of state schools. I got the impression that some private out of state schools tend to look more to "character" than strict numbers so the disparity between your scores might not be as big of a problem as with instate schools that are more numbers oriented. (this is not true of all private schools however) Especially if your gpa has an upward trend you might have an ok chance since a lot of the application process is a crapshoot. You obviously can handle the material, you just have to convince the schools you are serious about applying it to classwork. good luck!

 

[size_tens]

I really think it would be a good idea for you to do a post-bac to at least get your gpa above 3.0. I've never heard of anyone getting into med school with a lower gpa than that. Of course your mcat is awesome but at this point I still believe it would be difficult for you to get in.

 

[medic170]

I was hoping for a little info from anyone that has been through the whole app process before.

I am a white male with a good MCAT score ( 40O ) and a horrible GPA (2.6). I live in texas and intend to apply to the state schools. But I was wondering, is there any point in applying out of state or does my gpa just s*ck too bad.

Also, I have good extra currics, volunteer activities, and a great job record.

if you don't mind me asking, how does one go about scoring in the top 1% on one of the most difficult standardized tests the world has ever seen, but only manage to pull a 2.6?

To answer your question, a lot of schools have a cutoff of 2.75 with the gpa, so just check on their web sites before you apply to see which one do and don't. Be prepared to do some fancy talking explaining that one to the adcom interviewer.

 

[PublicEnemy]

whats your gpa breakdown? how's your bcpm gpa? a 2.6 is pretty low, but even just a few post-bac classes might help you raise it enough to get past most pre-screen cutoffs. i would say go for it and apply now, and definitely apply to out of state schools as well. but if you can, i would try to do something about that gpa in the near future in case you have to re-apply, a few higher level postbac classes, or even retaking some prereqs, i bet in your situation even a few A's (4.0's) or even A-'s (3.7's) would prolly go a long ways in terms of bringing your gpa closer to 3.0. cause with an mcat like that and good ec's, you'd be fine with a 3.0 bcpm and overall as long as you're depicting a new upward trend.

 

[bkmonkey]

One of my good friends applied last year with a 40S and a 2.6. He didn't get a single interview...

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

One of my good friends applied last year with a 40S and a 2.6. He didn't get a single interview...

apparently you have a lot of close friends...got any that are like me?

 

[willthatsall]

Hello post-bacc... And hurry up before your MCAT scores expire. Seriously, 2.6 and 40, can you say slacker?

 

[dcpark74]

I really think it would be a good idea for you to do a post-bac to at least get your gpa above 3.0. I've never heard of anyone getting into med school with a lower gpa than that. Of course your mcat is awesome but at this point I still believe it would be difficult for you to get in.

wise words

 

[Krazed_Medic]

Don't the med schools have a minimum GPA for admission? If they do, then I honestly think you'd be wasting your time and money applying with a GPA lower than what is required. I wouldn't even think they would look at your application. I don't know though, guess there could always be exceptions. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[medic170]

Don't the med schools have a minimum GPA for admission? If they do, then I honestly think you'd be wasting your time and money applying with a GPA lower than what is required. I wouldn't even think they would look at your application. I don't know though, guess there could always be exceptions. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Like I said

 

[Krazed_Medic]

ack! completely didn't see your post medic...sorry.

 

[LP1CW]

Dude, you're a white guy. It's not happening.

One exam doesn't excuse an entire career of underachievement. So, you'll need to be doing post-back work. And you should take at least 4 classes per term to prove that you can handle the rigors of a full time load. As of now, you haven't proven it.

What evidence will a school have that you're going to do something different in medicial school?

 

[Alexander99]

One of my good friends applied last year with a 40S and a 2.6. He didn't get a single interview...

Makes perfect sense to me. What school wants a student with great potential but completely wastes it by not applying themselves? If they admit the student, I don't think they'd be satisfied thinking, "He/she failed the boards but had the potential to have one of the highest scores."

 

[Ryan]

I know it has been said before but, try it out and see, if it doesn't work out POST-BACC!

 

[Sweet Tea]

So, what's the whole story here? Some questions...

How old are you? Are you still in undergrad or did you graduate? How old is that GPA, what was your major, and do you have a reason why it is so low? What is your bcpm GPA? What kind of "great" extra currics do you have?

If you're still in school, then I would highly suggest you do a post-bacc before applying. If you're not in school, well, you might have to do a post-bacc anyway because your grades might be out-of-date.

Obviously, with an MCAT score like that you know how to study well enough to make better grades than a 2.6. The burden is on you to prove that you can make better grades, so go out and take the courses to prove it. If you're done with school than obviously your GPA isn't going to change, but at the very least you can say "Hey, this is what I've done now, and it's much better than my previous grades". Med school isn't going anywhere and the application process is expensive emotionally, psychologically, and financially. Wait until you're the best candidate you can be before putting yourself through that mess.

 

[KatieOConnor]

I wouldn't apply this year, I think it'll be a waste of money. Talk to your premed advisor and start taking undergraduate courses immediately. Take a year off from working full time if you have to, just take those courses and do well. Do an official post bac program or just take courses. You can obviously do the work... you just need to show that you are willing to live up to your potential.

But, talk to your premed advisor he/she would have a better idea than me (I am pretty clueless about a lot of things with this whole admissions game)

 

[Fermata]

I was hoping for a little info from anyone that has been through the whole app process before.

I am a white male with a good MCAT score ( 40O ) and a horrible GPA (2.6). I live in texas and intend to apply to the state schools. But I was wondering, is there any point in applying out of state or does my gpa just s*ck too bad.

Also, I have good extra currics, volunteer activities, and a great job record.

That combination of MCAT/GPA looks awful suspicious. You better be able to give Adcoms a reasonable explanation for it.

 

[thewzdoc]

I was hoping for a little info from anyone that has been through the whole app process before.

I am a white male with a good MCAT score ( 40O ) and a horrible GPA (2.6). I live in texas and intend to apply to the state schools. But I was wondering, is there any point in applying out of state or does my gpa just s*ck too bad.

Also, I have good extra currics, volunteer activities, and a great job record.

.......post-bac to get that GPA up otherwise you'll be in the pile of "You won?t believe this" applications.

 

[bkmonkey]

Makes perfect sense to me. What school wants a student with great potential but completely wastes it by not applying themselves? If they admit the student, I don't think they'd be satisfied thinking, "He/she failed the boards but had the potential to have one of the highest scores."

They spoke with the dean sometime after the rejection and the dean pretty much said, "that's great your scored well on a SINGLE test, but everything else looks pretty awful." One day can't really make up for four years of mediocre work.

 

[fullefect1]

wow, I wish I could slack so much and pull off a score like that. Did you also slack in high school and pull off like a 1600 on your SAT's?

 

[bkmonkey]

wow, I wish I could slack so much and pull off a score like that. Did you also slack in high school and pull off like a 1600 on your SAT's?

No, actually I didn't. I was offering the experiences of a friend of mine. I was pretty average coming out of high school.

 

[dreghsSC]

sounds like you can do the work but just are lazy about studying... Post-bacc and find a way to get your self to study

 

[kingcer0x]

Im going to go against most of the people on this thread and say that, if you apply to the schools with the lowest mcat averages in the country, you will get in somewhere. I would right one heck of a PS though. Do a post-bacc while you wait and apply to as many schools as you can afford to, while asuming (for now) that you won't get in this cycle.

Then (if you are not a troll), while you are soul searching, figure out why the hell your mcat and gpa are so disparate, and fix it before med school.

 

[UT_OC]

I was hoping for a little info from anyone that has been through the whole app process before.

I am a white male with a good MCAT score ( 40O ) and a horrible GPA (2.6). I live in texas and intend to apply to the state schools. But I was wondering, is there any point in applying out of state or does my gpa just s*ck too bad.

Also, I have good extra currics, volunteer activities, and a great job record.

Wow congrats on that crazy MCAT score. Want to trade MCAT score for GPA? haha

 

[gujuDoc]

Here's my take, if this is your case........

Perhaps you should apply to a special master's program or a master's program of some sort, and show you can handle rigorous science courses.

That will improve your GPA greatly, and make you competitive.

Either that or get a second degree and take all hardcore sciences and show you can do well in sciences.

 

[jtorres]

in the end you will only know what you can do if you apply. getting advise here is great and all but how many people here sit on an adcom. no one. you will never unless you apply, you have nothing to lose. only you know your story and who knows, it migh be a good one. go for it.

 

[MoosePilot]

It's an interesting question. Be sure to post how it goes, because I'm in a similar boat, although not as extreme.

 

[CJMPre-Med]

I'm in (or will be in after I take the MCAT, hopefully ) a similar situation. My cumulative GPA at one point was a 1.7 (yes, you read that correctly )-- I just totally screwed up for a number of years (not going to class, failing etc.). If I have 2-3 years of a 3.85+ (which I'm in the midst of right now), which would bring my cumulative GPA up to around a 3.3-3.4 (and my science GPA would be around a 3.8), including all the pre-reqs and supplemental science courses such as biochem and physics in medicine, and then nail the MCAT with like a 36+ (which I'm shooting for), do you think someone in my position would be able to be competitive for an in-state school (NY)? My personal statement is obviously going to "explain" my previous failings etc., and if I have solid EC's and LOR's, and they see 2-3 years of a 3.85, let's say (with pretty much all sciences), will they be able to get beyond my past foibles? Honestly curious...

 

[MoosePilot]

I'm in (or will be in after I take the MCAT, hopefully ) a similar situation. My cumulative GPA at one point was a 1.7 (yes, you read that correctly )-- I just totally screwed up for a number of years (not going to class, failing etc.). If I have 2-3 years of a 3.85+ (which I'm in the midst of right now), which would bring my cumulative GPA up to around a 3.3-3.4 (and my science GPA would be around a 3.8), including all the pre-reqs and supplemental science courses such as biochem and physics in medicine, and then nail the MCAT with like a 36+ (which I'm shooting for), do you think someone in my position would be able to be competitive for an in-state school (NY)? My personal statement is obviously going to "explain" my previous failings etc., and if I have solid EC's and LOR's, and they see 2-3 years of a 3.85, let's say (with pretty much all sciences), will they be able to get beyond my past foibles? Honestly curious...

It can be pretty difficult to recover from a GPA rut like that. Have you done the math and figured out how many 3.85 semesters you need to offset your 1.7 semesters? Have you actually gotten some 3.85 semesters under your belt?

Same thing with the MCAT, do you have a good reason to think you can score 36+? That thing is pretty nasty, trust me

If both of those things come together, I think a 3.3 overall and BPCM plus a 35+ MCAT would get you into a state school.

 

[CJMPre-Med]

It can be pretty difficult to recover from a GPA rut like that. Have you done the math and figured out how many 3.85 semesters you need to offset your 1.7 semesters? Have you actually gotten some 3.85 semesters under your belt?

Well, I have a year and a half of a 3.9 already, and intend to have at least this coming year (along with the two summer courses I'm enrolled in now) as a 3.8+ as well. If I decide to take the extra year, it'll be another year of 3.8+ as well. As far as calculating my GPA, well, I just did it (I had guesstimated it previously), and if I take the extra year of courses before I apply, I'll end up with a 3.2 or so cumulative (but my science GPA will be around a 3.9). In light of that cumulative GPA, do you think that if I explain what happened in my personal statement and point out that I have 3 years or so of 3.8+ under my belt (including about 60 credits of science during that time), that they'll be forgiving?

I'm actually just hoping to get an interview, because I have total confidence in my people skills (being a waiter for 8+ years'll do that for ya ), and feel that that would put me over the top. So what would you think?

Same thing with the MCAT, do you have a good reason to think you can score 36+? That thing is pretty nasty, trust me

No reason except for my own ego. Heh, seriously though, I'm an excellent test-taker, and have done very well on the sample sections of the exam I've taken.


Btw, what's BPCM? I probably will end up taking that extra year, because if I don't, my cumulative GPA will be about a 3.02 at best (although my science GPA will still be around a 3.85). I dunno...


Here's to hoping... <crosses fingers>


Thanks for the response.

 

[MoosePilot]

Well, I have a year and a half of a 3.9 already, and intend to have at least this coming year (along with the two summer courses I'm enrolled in now) as a 3.8+ as well. If I decide to take the extra year, it'll be another year of 3.8+ as well. As far as calculating my GPA, well, I just did it (I had guesstimated it previously), and if I take the extra year of courses before I apply, I'll end up with a 3.2 or so cumulative (but my science GPA will be around a 3.9). In light of that cumulative GPA, do you think that if I explain what happened in my personal statement and point out that I have 3 years or so of 3.8+ under my belt (including about 60 credits of science during that time), that they'll be forgiving?

I'm actually just hoping to get an interview, because I have total confidence in my people skills (being a waiter for 8+ years'll do that for ya ), and feel that that would put me over the top. So what would you think?

No reason except for my own ego. Heh, seriously though, I'm an excellent test-taker, and have done very well on the sample sections of the exam I've taken.

Btw, what's BPCM? I probably will end up taking that extra year, because if I don't, my cumulative GPA will be about a 3.02 at best (although my science GPA will still be around a 3.85). I dunno...


Here's to hoping... <crosses fingers>


Thanks for the response.

BPCM = biology/physics/chemistry/math, or in other words your science GPA (that's the terminology AMCAS uses).

With your strong BPCM and definite upward trend, I'd say your GPA will be less of a negative factor than the pure number might otherwise be. That science GPA is wonderful and the overall is not at all gross. Totally my opinion, but I think it would be odd not to get interviews, then with your people skills an acceptance is yours to earn

Good luck!

 

[velo]

Btw, what's BPCM? I probably will end up taking that extra year, because if I don't, my cumulative GPA will be about a 3.02 at best (although my science GPA will still be around a 3.85). I dunno...


Here's to hoping... <crosses fingers>


Thanks for the response.

If I remember my amcas correctly BPCM is your Biology/Physics/Chemistry/Math GPA (the "science" GPA).

In general, I'd say if you can get your GPA up into the mid 3's and have a 35+ MCAT you should definitly get through the initial screening of your primary and probably score some interviews...it would be best to get the GPA up to at least a 3.5, but understand that even if you do that adcom's will still view it as inconsistant with a 35+ MCAT so be prepared to try and explain that. You really don't want to be "making up for" your GPA or MCAT by having a high score on the other...ideally the two scores should compliment each other. If you are compensating for one however, I think (I'm not an adcom) that they are more likely to forgive a less than stellar MCAT score if you have a strong GPA from a competitive school than the other way around. The GPA represents 4 years of work and the MCAT is only one day...

Good luck though, with some persistance I'm sure you can get in somewhere!

 

[gujuDoc]

May I say something to the original poster????

It is much easier to get by and rectify a bad gpa than if you had done something like take the MCAT 4 times and fail it........because a bad GPA can be brought up by a formal postbac, Special Master's program, or even another degree because you can show improvement and trends are looked at positively.