How Important is GPA for MSTP? Chance me...

[Doye]

Hello, first-time poster here!

I'm currently a sophomore at BU. I have a 3.77 GPA and I just took the MCAT and received a 31. I feel like my stats are pretty below average for MSTP programs but I wanted to get more opinions. Is re-taking worth it? I have about a year of experience in a faculty lab, maybe a little less, and I'm planning on working full time in lab this summer. The new MCAT is coming out and I would have to devote some serious time to studying for this version this summer and I would probably have to tell my PI that I can't work full time since studying + a full time position might be too much.

As far as my application goes, where should I be putting in my efforts?

Should I work full time and not-retake my MCAT and just focus on my research? (Independent project, potentially publishable, I currently have no posters/abstracts).

Should I work part time in lab and focus on improving my MCAT score?

Is my GPA even OK for MSTP?

Obviously, I'm going to apply to non-MSTP programs as well and I'm not expecting to get into Harvard or Stanford or anything but do I have a chance at some solid programs this way?

(BTW, I saw a thread by another poster today where she asked about being a BA vs. a BS in science and I would also be interested in an answer to that hehe if you have the time)

Thanks for the help!

EDIT: I'm hispanic but not one of the URM groups (from Latin America, native).

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Fencer]

You are still considered URM by NIH standards. With that GPA and MCAT, you will have MSTP opportunities. PM me if you need.

 

[Shifty B]

I think it's amusing that you don't consider being hispanic an under-represented minority. Although in many areas of the country, there are a lot of people of hispanic origin, it's definitely under-represented in medicine.

I think you should have a pretty good chance. If you were confident that you could improve 4-5 point equivalents on the new MCAT (b/c perhaps you didn't prepare enough last time), it might be worth retaking because it would give you a chance at better institutions. On the other hand, for some reason people always think that they are going to improve a lot, and I'm not sure how often that happens. So, I say it depends on how hard you tried last time. If you gave it a 75% effort, you are not likely to improve that much and focus on research and getting a good letter, maybe pubs. If you gave it a 25% effort, take it again.

 

[Doye]

I think it's amusing that you don't consider being hispanic an under-represented minority. Although in many areas of the country, there are a lot of people of hispanic origin, it's definitely under-represented in medicine.

I think you should have a pretty good chance. If you were confident that you could improve 4-5 point equivalents on the new MCAT (b/c perhaps you didn't prepare enough last time), it might be worth retaking because it would give you a chance at better institutions. On the other hand, for some reason people always think that they are going to improve a lot, and I'm not sure how often that happens. So, I say it depends on how hard you tried last time. If you gave it a 75% effort, you are not likely to improve that much and focus on research and getting a good letter, maybe pubs. If you gave it a 25% effort, take it again.

Well I know that hispanics are under-represented in medicine but I have read on school's pages and on the AAMC site that only Puerto Rican and Mexican American "count" as URM. As far as the MCAT goes, it was really verbal that did me in. 15/1/15. Haha just kidding. 12/8/11 PS/V/BS. English is my second language. I can speak (without much of an accent) and write just fine (in my opinion) but I am a fairly slow reader and this made the verbal section pretty tough for me. I have read that the new MCAT is even MORE passage based but with more time per question so I don't really know whether my deficit would be balanced out. If I don't have to retake, I would rather not.

 

[indahcathi201]

I am about to finish my application cycle and I had a 31 MCAT with a 3.93 GPA. I know your GPA is a little lower but not too far off. I think I had a disadvantage in that I transferred schools twice. I think being an URM was an advantage. I applied to quite a few higher ranked schools. I was rejected at those schools, but I was still accepted at two very good MSTP programs (NIH funded). I would recommend applying to schools that match your stats.

I think research experience matters A LOT. Get as much as you can. I did research during two summers in undergrad. Then, I joined a lab after graduation and got experience with microRNA. I've been there for two years. During interviews, I pretty much only talked about my research. Know your research well.

On the whole, MCAT and GPA matter too but there are still good schools out there that match your stats. If you can balance doing more research and doing better on the MCAT, more power to you. You're only a sophomore so you can probably do both. I didn't retake the MCAT because I was applying late in the cycle. Nonetheless, improving your MCAT by a few points can open up more opportunities in terms of school choice.

I found these resources helpful:
https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/enrollmentgraduate/85958/mdphdstudents.html
https://www.aamc.org/download/321498/data/factstable19.pdf (not MD/PhD specific)
https://www.aamc.org/download/321512/data/factstable25-1.pdf (not MD/PhD specific)

I hope these things to think about are helpful! Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!

 

[ladyterp]

I am about to finish my application cycle and I had a 31 MCAT with a 3.93 GPA. I know your GPA is a little lower but not too far off. I think I had a disadvantage in that I transferred schools twice. I think being an URM was an advantage. I applied to quite a few higher ranked schools. I was rejected at those schools, but I was still accepted at two very good MSTP programs (NIH funded). I would recommend applying to schools that match your stats.

I think research experience matters A LOT. Get as much as you can. I did research during two summers in undergrad. Then, I joined a lab after graduation and got experience with microRNA. I've been there for two years. During interviews, I pretty much only talked about my research. Know your research well.

On the whole, MCAT and GPA matter too but there are still good schools out there that match your stats. If you can balance doing more research and doing better on the MCAT, more power to you. You're only a sophomore so you can probably do both. I didn't retake the MCAT because I was applying late in the cycle. Nonetheless, improving your MCAT by a few points can open up more opportunities in terms of school choice.

I found these resources helpful:
https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/enrollmentgraduate/85958/mdphdstudents.html
https://www.aamc.org/download/321498/data/factstable19.pdf (not MD/PhD specific)
https://www.aamc.org/download/321512/data/factstable25-1.pdf (not MD/PhD specific)

I hope these things to think about are helpful! Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!

+1 to pretty much everything in this post, including the references. I'm also happy to answer any questions OP, and good luck as well!

Indahcathi- we are eerily similar! Maybe we'll end up being classmates somewhere congrats!

 

[Doye]

I'm bumping this thread. I actually did retake the MCAT and managed to get my GPA to a 3.8 by doing well last semester. I'm happy with my new score (35/36 equivalent). I think spending a significant amount of time over the summer reading papers for my lab work really helped make things easier actually. My lab work hasn't been super productive though...no papers and only one presentation so far. I'm thinking about taking a year off after graduation to get some more research experience in immunology or biology (currently work in Chemistry), maybe through one of the NIH programs. Is it worth it if I would already have ~3 years of experience? I feel like my MCAT bump made me much more competitive than before and I kind of want to maximize my chances at programs like Yale, Hopkins and Cornell.