Help!! 3.4 GPA, 38 MCAT starting Masters

[tiagoe]

Hi Everyone,

I'm very new to SDN, but need your help/advice.

Due to a slew of medical complications my undergrad GPA was a dismal 2.9, after a very lengthy appeal process, I was able to be exempt from the classes I failed due to medical issues, and am now scraping a 3.4 GPA. The good news is I studied my ass off and scored a 38 on the MCAT, and will be starting my masters in biomedical sciences in the fall.

I have good ECs and one publication as the primary author.

I'm really interested in research, so getting into a top tier school is important to me. Do I even have a shot? Or should I re-group and focus on mid/low tier schools?

Thanks so much for reading through this!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[aspiring20]

Hi Everyone,

I'm very new to SDN, but need your help/advice.

Due to a slew of medical complications my undergrad GPA was a dismal 2.9, after a very lengthy appeal process, I was able to be exempt from the classes I failed due to medical issues, and am now scraping a 3.4 GPA. The good news is I studied my ass off and scored a 38 on the MCAT, and will be starting my masters in biomedical sciences in the fall.

I have good ECs and one publication as the primary author.

I'm really interested in research, so getting into a top tier school is important to me. Do I even have a shot? Or should I re-group and focus on mid/low tier schools?

Thanks so much for reading through this!

with a 3.4/38, many mid/low tier schools should be relatively easy well without the masters. but since you want top-tiers so much, then i believe it is much better to beef up your research and use super strong research (not just average top tier research) to compensate for your lower GPA. your MCAT is great even at the piercing tip of the top tiers.

now, you already have a primary author publication? that's very strong. see, if i were you, i'll just **** the master's and apply right away. with a 3.4/38 and already strong research, top tier isn't impossible as long as your OTHER ECs are also strong.

top tiers want everything: high numbers, great research, and strong ECs. since your GPA is already low for top tiers, your every other area must be exceptionally strong. you already have strong MCAT, strong research, what about your other ECs? if they are merely average, then forget about top tiers.

lastly, you shouldn't be to fixated on "top-tiers" to begin with. with your stats and ECs as of right now, an MD acceptance should be well within reach. why not go for that and move on? what is it about a "top-tier" that infatuates you so much?

my advice, drop the masters, apply early and broadly right now, and celebrate your acceptance in a couple of months.

 

[tiagoe]

Thanks for the advice aspiring20... the fascination with top tier schools is that the research I want to get involved with is pretty specific

When you say beef up my research and not just average top tier research, could you give me some examples of what you mean?

In terms of how "strong" my other ECs are, these are a couple highlights:

- founded a NGO
- lots of shadowing experiences
- annual mission trips

If I have a fighting chance at top tier I'd love to go all in after the masters, but if it's a long shot I may take your advice and consider just applying now

 

[aspiring20]

Thanks for the advice aspiring20... the fascination with top tier schools is that the research I want to get involved with is pretty specific

When you say beef up my research and not just average top tier research, could you give me some examples of what you mean?

In terms of how "strong" my other ECs are, these are a couple highlights:

- founded a NGO
- lots of shadowing experiences
- annual mission trips

If I have a fighting chance at top tier I'd love to go all in after the masters, but if it's a long shot I may take your advice and consider just applying now

these are some pretty excellent ECs, and i figure you have other ECs in addition to these "highlights"

i think with a first author publication, your research is as strong as it can be, even for top-tiers.

with your credentials so far, you should have a chance at the top tiers even without the masters. the main question is: how much boost will your master's give you? are you going to have significant additional research experiences that come with your master's program? if so, then it probably is pursuing. but if your master's doesnt offer much, i wouldn't waste a year doing it. you have to decide if the benefits that come with your master's program is worth having/will markedly strengthen an already strong application.

but whenever you apply, ALWAYS apply broadly; definitely include a few of your dream top-tier schools, but make sure to have plenty of mid-tier schools as well. your 3.4 GPA will likely be a significant issue at top-tiers, and even individuals with 3.8+/40+ and stellar ECs cannot bank on the top-tier.

good luck!

 

[tiagoe]

Thanks aspiring20, definitely have a lot to think about but thanks so much for your advice. I will for sure apply broad!