Any less than 3.3 GPA's with interviews?

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theWUbear

theWUbear

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Thought I'd start a sister thread to the one for below average MCAT's and interviews (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=351659)

Who here is interviewing/has interviewed with less than a 3.3 GPA (science or otherwise)?

If you have already interviewed, how did you deal with any "doubts raised about your ability to handle the rigors of med school" or other questions about your GPA?

Regardless of whether or not you have completed interviews, what do you think helped you a lot in getting an interview despite the low GPA?
 
The title would suggest you are looking for people with GPAs greater than 3.3

How misleading. I want my click back

-----

EDIT: thanks for fixing it!
 
Haha, indeed I fixed it right before you posted
 
I'm interested to see if many interviews are given to lower GPA's
 
I have a 3.05 uGPA but a 3.9 gGPA. I'm assuming you mean uGPA's under 3.3 so I'll give my opinions on this 🙂

I have interviewed at one DO school so far and received an acceptance there. Personally, I was very worried last year after I started my masters program at Wayne State's medical school because so many people on SDN told me it wouldn't make a difference, that I needed to bring up my uGPA instead or do an SMP. Now I know that a lot of the time I need to take things with a grain of salt on here 🙂

I think that the fact that I have 12 interview invites and 1 of them so far from an MD school that isn't in my state even shows that my gGPA does matter to schools and it shows them I've become a lot more focused since undergrad (when I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life for 3 years lol). I haven't attended any MD interviews yet, but at my first interview the only question they asked me regarding this was "Do you think you have the discipline to make it through this program?" I discussed my master's program mainly in response to this because I had such a huge leap in my GPA since undergrad that obviously I have been doing things differently. They didn't even ask me to explain my poor uGPA (and one of the interviewers had definitely read my file beforehand).

Besides my GPA, I think my stronger LOR's this time around and my research project also helped, and obviously applying very early helped (2 cycles ago I only had my primary in around this time). I also feel like if this had been the first year I applied I probably would have gotten passed over everywhere like I did my first application cycle two years ago. But the fact that I have done so much between now and then to improve my application shows that I am absolutely serious about medical school. They want someone who they know will graduate. I know I will graduate, and I've done enough over the past two years to show them that.
 
theWUbear said:
Thought I'd start a sister thread to the one for below average MCAT's and interviews (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=351659)

Who here is interviewing/has interviewed with less than a 3.3 GPA (science or otherwise)?

If you have already interviewed, how did you deal with any "doubts raised about your ability to handle the rigors of med school" or other questions about your GPA?

Regardless of whether or not you have completed interviews, what do you think helped you a lot in getting an interview despite the low GPA?
Click to expand...

MD / DO or both? Carribean?

All? Define.
 
I know one dude who had a 3.2 who got an interview at burger king....😎
 
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^ At least he was able to spell Burger King properly.

I would like to know about this as well, since my cGPA is a 3.3.
 
my undergrad GPA is about a 3.2, but my grad gpa is 3.9, and I have amid-30s MCAT. 3 MD interviews, 2 acceptances, one waitlist
 
I have 7 interviews and my ugrad GPA is less than 3.0 for TMDSAS and AMCAS, and right at 3.0 for AACOMAS. My grad GPA is 3.64... I have 5 DO and 2 MD interviews... And my MCAT is below average, at a 27. Overcoming a low GPA can be done, but its not easy...

I have only been to one interview so far... But I am prepared for the dreaded question about my academic focus. Personally, I am confident that I can excel in med school, I was very successful in grad school, and when I went back to take a few ugrad classes I got straight A's... Being a nontraditional student may help me in not getting those questions since ugrad was years ago.

I feel that my unique and extensive experiences have made my GPA an afterthought... Sure, it matters, but my applications also show that I am persistent and driven. I had great LORs, lots of research and clinical experience, etc... I mean, getting MD interviews with a 2.91 GPA has to mean that I am more than just numbers to the adcoms... Your GPA isn't everything...
 
Well, its time to deduce from this thread that even given the type of premed who uses SDN it is rare to find a person who made up for a uGPA under 3.3. Time to get worried :scared: Then time to do our best to get back to competitive status 😎
 
theWUbear said:
Well, its time to deduce from this thread that even given the type of premed who uses SDN it is rare to find a person who made up for a uGPA under 3.3. Time to get worried :scared: Then time to do our best to get back to competitive status 😎
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Why do you say that? Your thread has only been around for 2 days and you already have 3 people with below 3.3s with interview invites (2 with atleast one MD invite). Individuals below a 3.3 can get interviews just based on these 3 peoples experiences... you just have to show you want it (bring up your scores with a post-bac or grad school program) and do as good as you can with the MCAT.

I do wonder what percentage of SDN pre-meds are 3.3 and below (I feel like it is less than pre-meds with below 30 MCAT scores... but I could be wrong)
 
I had a 3.4 gpa, got 3 interviews, accepted into a US MD school - UIC
(applied to 20 schools, half of them were cali)

I was never asked about the gpa in the interviews

I imagine 3.3 would not be a deal breaker if the rest of your app is strong. esp mcat score can make up in part, for a low gpa.


my undergrad - UCSD. major bioengineering
mcat 37
extracurriculars - pretty mediocre

in short 3.3 shouldn't "rule you out" at most places, you just need to have something else in your app to make up for it. mcat is probably the best place to do so.
 
Meerkatology said:
I had a 3.4 gpa, got 3 interviews, accepted into a US MD school - UIC
(applied to 20 schools, half of them were cali)

I was never asked about the gpa in the interviews

I imagine 3.3 would not be a deal breaker if the rest of your app is strong. esp mcat score can make up in part, for a low gpa.


my undergrad - UCSD. major bioengineering
mcat 37
extracurriculars - pretty mediocre

in short 3.3 shouldn't "rule you out" at most places, you just need to have something else in your app to make up for it. mcat is probably the best place to do so.
Click to expand...

im sure the 37 helps. obviously with mcat higher is always better but what is your threshold for a "strong mcat" here if u have a lower gpa
 
carbear02 said:
im sure the 37 helps. obviously with mcat higher is always better but what is your threshold for a "strong mcat" here if u have a lower gpa
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The average matriculent mcat score is 30 as of 3 years ago. This # may have changed.

so i'd imagine any score above the average would help you make up for other areas, while a score below average would require other areas to make for it.

I've heard about the rule of adding where mcat score + (Gpa x10) = total score of academic competitiveness. so according to that formula, 1 mcat score increase would help to make up for 0.1 gpa.

but of course that is a very rough way of looking at it and it is not an absolute or proven formula by any means.

schools care more that you are not deficient in any area rather than being stellar in something, so having a 2.5 gpa and a 45 mcat would be much less desireable than a 3.5 gpa and a 35 mcat.
 
Getting interviews with a 3.3 gpa is happens nearly everywhere. Getting accepted is another story. They might just interview you just because your app is interesting. But when it comes down to making a decision on your acceptance, adcoms will probably look back at your numbers and be like... "dubya tee eff.. no way"
 
3.33 cGPA here with two interviews so far and its still pretty early. 3.88 post bac/science gpa and 36 mcat though. I think the key for people with crummy undergrad gpa's like us is to make everything else about your application stellar. A bad GPA can be explained if your MCAT and extracurriculars are in order, but if two or more of these areas are lacking they'll start to see a pattern and wonder why.
 
UbuntuGM said:
Getting interviews with a 3.3 gpa is happens nearly everywhere. Getting accepted is another story. They might just interview you just because your app is interesting. But when it comes down to making a decision on your acceptance, adcoms will probably look back at your numbers and be like... "dubya tee eff.. no way"
Click to expand...
Look at the statistics. People with low grades get in too.
 
UbuntuGM said:
Getting interviews with a 3.3 gpa is happens nearly everywhere. Getting accepted is another story. They might just interview you just because your app is interesting. But when it comes down to making a decision on your acceptance, adcoms will probably look back at your numbers and be like... "dubya tee eff.. no way"
Click to expand...

If you're numbers weren't good enough or acceptable you most likely wouldn't have gotten the interview. The interview is more about vetting, intangibles, and if you're a good fit; objective information can already be gathered from your application. They wouldn't look back and be shocked that you were interviewed, unless of course you bombed your interview.
 
35 yo matriculant with 3.15 uGPA applied to Pitt only and was accepted
 
I think a better title for this thread would be "Are there any people with GPA/sGPA less than 3.3 who have not done any postbacc degrees who have interviews"
 
UbuntuGM said:
Getting interviews with a 3.3 gpa is happens nearly everywhere. Getting accepted is another story. They might just interview you just because your app is interesting. But when it comes down to making a decision on your acceptance, adcoms will probably look back at your numbers and be like... "dubya tee eff.. no way"
Click to expand...

Not really, once you get an interview you are mostly good enough for them on paper. After that its your interview recommendation and LORs that become most important in determining your acceptance.
 
rafflecopter said:
3.33 cGPA here with two interviews so far and its still pretty early. 3.88 post bac/science gpa and 36 mcat though. I think the key for people with crummy undergrad gpa's like us is to make everything else about your application stellar. A bad GPA can be explained if your MCAT and extracurriculars are in order, but if two or more of these areas are lacking they'll start to see a pattern and wonder why.
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when were you complete? what kind of EC's do you have?
 
I have a 3.38 cgpa with a 3.26 sgpa and have received 2 interviews so far. I had one really bad year while playing football and had a very strong upward trend in my junior (3.85) and senior years (3.9). Also, I do not have a post-bacc. EC's are fairly strong with ncaa athlete, year of research, volunteering both clinical and non-clinical, shadowing, and two years of clinical work.
 
asnlady said:
wow congrats! how does the rest of your app look if you don't mind me asking?
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Well not much volunteering, no shadowing, 31 on my MCAT, some research in artifiial heart valves (my undergrad is chem eng) but nothing outstanding I'll tell you that. My grandmother was very rich and gave a very large sum of money to Pitt Med a long time ago and made it well known that her grandchildren would be applying someday in the future. She didn't want a wing named after her or anything like that but she did want her 2 grandchildren to be doctors!
 
djmcheme said:
My grandmother was very rich and gave a very large sum of money to Pitt Med a long time ago and made it well known that her grandchildren would be applying someday in the future. She didn't want a wing named after her or anything like that but she did want her 2 grandchildren to be doctors!
Click to expand...

that.... explains it.....
:idea:
 
djmcheme said:
Well not much volunteering, no shadowing, 31 on my MCAT, some research in artifiial heart valves (my undergrad is chem eng) but nothing outstanding I'll tell you that. My grandmother was very rich and gave a very large sum of money to Pitt Med a long time ago and made it well known that her grandchildren would be applying someday in the future. She didn't want a wing named after her or anything like that but she did want her 2 grandchildren to be doctors!
Click to expand...

Whatever gets the job done, eh!
 
djmcheme said:
Well not much volunteering, no shadowing, 31 on my MCAT, some research in artifiial heart valves (my undergrad is chem eng) but nothing outstanding I'll tell you that. My grandmother was very rich and gave a very large sum of money to Pitt Med a long time ago and made it well known that her grandchildren would be applying someday in the future. She didn't want a wing named after her or anything like that but she did want her 2 grandchildren to be doctors!
Click to expand...

man! i lucked out. i told my grandfather to do the same for another school but instead he decided to build a free clinic and a library. totally ruined my chances! 😛
 
Suncrusher said:
I think a better title for this thread would be "Are there any people with GPA/sGPA less than 3.3 who have not done any postbacc degrees who have interviews"
Click to expand...

I have a 3.28 overall, and 3.29 science. Got an interview for UMDNJ-NJMS, and only one rejection so far (UC Davis). No postbacc.

Staying optimistic 😀
 
I've got a 3.23 cGPA, and an interview to University of Michigan so far. I'm still waiting on everywhere else. My saving graces were good recent schoolwork (4.0 postbac), good MCAT (42R), and an interesting story (Peace Corps, research, general craziness).
 
djmcheme said:
well not much volunteering, no shadowing, 31 on my mcat, some research in artifiial heart valves (my undergrad is chem eng) but nothing outstanding i'll tell you that. My grandmother was very rich and gave a very large sum of money to pitt med a long time ago and made it well known that her grandchildren would be applying someday in the future. She didn't want a wing named after her or anything like that but she did want her 2 grandchildren to be doctors!
Click to expand...

tfm
 
My cgpa is 3.28 and sgpa is 3.12 with three DO interviews and one MD interview. Recently offered another interview at KCOM but don't know if I will attend yet. No postbacc. MCAT is 26 and I have three acceptances so far and waiting for decision on the other. I am also an NCAA athlete (football) but don't know how much that has helped but did talk about in interviews. I have always interviewed well, even in high school. Shadowing, volunteering, and lots of leadership roles and involvement on numerous boards in college. Also had stellar LOR's I believe and worked on personal statement for both apps for a long time with numerous re-writes. Worked closely with pre-professional adviser/committee for one semester but should have done more earlier. My reference from this adviser must have been okay though. No research b/c just didn't have time to get it in really. All summers and most afternoons are practice, practice, lift, etc. I applied fairly early for both apps which I think is the key for low numbers. I am pleasantly surprised that I am in this position this early in the process. So for those of you with low numbers, there is hope!
 
GPA is ~3.2. A little higher (.1 maybe), sgpa is similar, but I don't want to open up IE to log onto AMCAS and get the real number 🙂

But it's been 3.5 plus the last 60% of classes at a top school. Had one US MD interview at an OOS school, was rejected from instate schools, including the DO school (wtf?),and I had a lot of DO interviews. The question never came up except at one DO where I had to explain a D. The MD interview was blind so I brought it up and said to focus on my last 5 semesters.

I think a good story helps get interviews. I don't want to give up much personal info, but I mentioned in my personal statement my issues adjusting to college and how I was able to work my way up after finding my true passion in science/research, and how I want to bring this passion to medicine after some intense shadowing experiences and after doing some volunteer work that, based on my undergrad research, allowed me to substantially clinically help the patients I volunteered with . Hope that helps.

My MCAT isn't crazy high either. SDN can really make you feel like you have no chance. Also, I'm not a URM (in b4 troll)
 
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I have a 3.3 plus or minus 0.1GPA , although my first two years were terrible and my last two were pretty darn good. Just graduated from a top10 uni and am currently doing research instead of grad school work. (not a stellar mcat either, mid-30s)

Have lots of clinical volunteer and shadow hours (500+) and one really important leadership/community service activity.
I've gotten 5 MD interviews so far (one top 10, 1 top 30, and the rest are in the 40-60s range based on research ranking).

I think as long as you demonstrate that you know what it takes to become a doctor and write good essays that show that you know what it takes, you have a pretty good shot at at least 2 or 3 interviews.

Haven't gotten accepted yet, though I still have two more interviews to go. Wish me luck plz!
 
I currently have a 3.2 GPA and I am trying my best to get these grades up. I have been taking just about an class I can get my hands on that I have somewhat of an interest in. I added a second major and a minor and I also take classes at other universities and colleges. By the time the next cycle comes up I should have around a 3.3 ish. I haven't done any post bacc, although I have extended my undergrad into the entrails of forever. I am preping for MCAT now an my practice tests are averaging about 31 right now and inching upwards. I am hopeing to apply to 13 schools ( if I can find the money) this up coming cycle just to see what happens. If I reapply I will be applying in the 3.5 ish range and I am pretty sure I will get some results then. If you have low GPA it does come up but it takes a ton of work to get it there.
 
I had a ~3.0 at a good college, which I finished in 2001. I was not a premed. In 2009-2010 I did a one year postbac program for career changers and got a 4.0, bringing my cumulative average to 3.23 (according to AMCAS - when I do the calculation myself I get a 3.19). I applied to 10 schools this cycle, and have received 5 interviews and one acceptance so far. Strangely, I've actually gotten more love from the top schools than the mid-range ones.

It's very possible to get interviews with less than a 3.3 GPA. Obviously, you need to make up for low grades with strengths elsewhere. It's also necessary to prove you've got the mental horsepower to be a doctor despite your tarnished academic past.
 
My cGPA is a 3.3, sGPA 3.67, MCAT 27. I have 8 interviews so far, 5 DO and 3 MD. I am a non-trad. with a lot of clinical experience which has certainly helped me. I think you have to highlight your strengths in your app as much as possible and hope for the best.
 
theWUbear said:
bumping for more explanations of how people managed interviews with poor numbers
Click to expand...

Well I actually went to the same undergrad institution as u,according to you avatar lol. I graduated in May and I've had 4 MD interview invites. I've been accepted to 2 (including a partial scholarship offer to one), rejected from 1 and still waiting to go to the fourth. I'll just say that Wash U can make u feel like if you don't have X gpa and X MCAT then you won't get in anywhere but if you make use of all the opportunities that the school affords to you, you can and will get in somewhere. Go talk to Dean Herman, get the MSAR book, go to the writing center to get help on your personal statement, spend time talking to your recommenders about what it is you are trying to do and make sure your EC's are on point. Don't get worried, get active and make your dream a reality. :luck:
 
undergrad GPA 3.26 (science 3.2)
grad GPA 3.89

accepted to Loyola, active status pooled at Virginia Tech, still waiting to hear from University of Minnesota
 
ugrad ~2.8
post-bacc ~3.3
MCAT 34

Have one acceptance, still waiting to hear from two other schools I interviewed at. Only applied MD - was going to add DO later, but got my acceptance early Nov. Obviously, I had a few other mitigating factors including several years of research and a few pubs.
 
MediCynical said:
undergrad GPA 3.26 (science 3.2)
grad GPA 3.89

accepted to Loyola, active status pooled at Virginia Tech, still waiting to hear from University of Minnesota
Click to expand...

Awesome! May I ask what type of grad program you did? What was your MCAT?

Oh, and my overall GPA is 3.41 but my science GPA is 3.14. I have had one interview at one of my state MD schools. Rejections/silence everywhere else. MCAT 10 11 10 31O.
 
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cGPA: 3.19
MCATs: 27, 28, 28, 35
4 app cycles, no post-bacc
1 interview, 1 MD acceptance (this cycle)

Under 3.3 can be done, its just that every other aspect of the application has to make up for it. Had lots of clinical exp., some publications, and I didn't get in until my MCAT drastically improved my last attempt.
 
Brudaddy said:
My cGPA is a 3.3, sGPA 3.67, MCAT 27. I have 8 interviews so far, 5 DO and 3 MD. I am a non-trad. with a lot of clinical experience which has certainly helped me. I think you have to highlight your strengths in your app as much as possible and hope for the best.
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i was wondering which schools you applied to? and if the subsequent posters could mention which schools are giving out their interviews as well? it would be much appreciated!
 
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