2.90 cGPA, 3.85 sGPA and 520 MCAT

[Grant94]

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Up until around late Junior Year of undergrad I never knew exactly what I wanted to do. I took a lot of dual credit hours in High School (+30), and even though I never failed, I "earned" plenty of C's and even a D. Unfortunately, this trend continued until late Junior Year. Over one particular Summer Break, thanks to some contacts via a friend, I was able to land a few dozen hours shadowing a Surgeon and an Anesthesiologist in the OR. From pre-op to post-op I absolutely loved it, and I knew this was the place where I wanted to be for a life career. Unfortunately, years of childish laziness and lackadaisical effort left me with a horrible GPA. The one (and possibly only) positive was that I was not a science major, therefore when I took a year+ extra to study and knock out pre-reqs, I was able to culminate a pretty solid MCAT and sGPA score. With these credentials, do I have any shot at getting into Medical School?


cGPA= 2.90
sGPA=3.85
MCAT=520

EC: A few dozen hours shadowing in the OR and about 100 hours volunteering at homeless shelters.

 

[GrapesofRath]

1) Yes you have a chance. How much of a chance? Very difficult to say in a situation like this
2) You wont be getting in if those are the extent of your ECs. Take a gap year and enhance them. A discordant stat applicant cant go in with lacking ECs.
3) Any chance you might be able to take more classes to get the cGPA>3.0? A number of places will unofficially screen out a <3.0. >3.0 would be huge for getting sufficient eyeballs on your app.

 

[Goro]

A 520 MCAT is nothing to sneeze at!!!

 

[Grant94]

GoR, I'm going to try retaking a couple of classes to boost my cGPA. Have a meeting with an advisor next week! Any ECs that you would recommend?

Goro, thank you! I had been studying for around a year for it, almost 3-4hrs per day (even more on the weekends.) I just hope its enough to absolve me from some of my "sins".

 

[7331poas]

GoR, I'm going to try retaking a couple of classes to boost my cGPA. Have a meeting with an advisor next week! Any ECs that you would recommend?

Goro, thank you! I had been studying for around a year for it, almost 3-4hrs per day (even more on the weekends.) I just hope its enough to absolve me from some of my "sins".

You need to at least get to a 3.0 or you can forget it.

Once you get there, you are still limited because some schools may have an electronic screener at somewhere slightly above a GPA.

Meaning, if you applied now, you might get your application rejected before anyone even looks at your file.

Boost your GPA, get straight As. They really do need to be straight As.

 

[TXhopeful]

WOW, 520? Killed it....seriously great job! If you don't mind me asking, what was your undergraduate GPA? I'm in a similar situation with a 2.9 GPA from my graduating university, but I've taken 25 hours of post-bacc classes since then with all A's (not sure what all the cumulative or science GPA's are now). Also curious to see how universities look at sGPA vs. cGPA vs. whateverGPA, seeing as you have a wonderful science GPA and killed the MCAT. Best of luck to you! #teamunderdog

 

[Grant94]

Thanks! My current stats represent my uGPA. I didn't do a post-bacc, but instead just added another year to my undergrad, it was much more cost efficient for me.

 

[VegasPreMed]

I was in a similar position last cycle (3.14 cGPA, 518 MCAT). Same deal with the early D's (multiple) and F's (multiple). I took around three years of full time courses to repair that damage, though.

I was accepted at 3 MD's and the only DO I interviewed at. It is totally possible, do not give up. Cast a wide net (>20 schools) and make sure they are the lower tier ones. Ideally hit the ones with their own SMP/linkage programs.

Get a good story together and tell it well. Mine was brought up on every interview. Ramp up the EC's.

If you can get your cGPA to above a 3.0 you will have a better shot. Many programs will autoscreen you out. Best of luck!

 

[7331poas]

I was in a similar position last cycle (3.14 cGPA, 518 MCAT). Same deal with the early D's (multiple) and F's (multiple). I took around three years of full time courses to repair that damage, though.

I was accepted at 3 MD's and the only DO I interviewed at. It is totally possible, do not give up. Cast a wide net (>20 schools) and make sure they are the lower tier ones. Ideally hit the ones with their own SMP/linkage programs.

Get a good story together and tell it well. Mine was brought up on every interview. Ramp up the EC's.

If you can get your cGPA to above a 3.0 you will have a better shot. Many programs will autoscreen you out. Best of luck!

That is NOT a similar position. You had a 3.0. He doesn't.

Take my advice and do not apply until you have a 3.0.

 

[VegasPreMed]

If you can get your cGPA to above a 3.0 you will have a better shot. Many programs will autoscreen you out. Best of luck!

That is NOT a similar position. You had a 3.0. He doesn't.

Take my advice and do not apply until you have a 3.0.

And this is why I mentioned both getting above the 3.0 cut off and that they would likely be autoscreened out beneath that.

 

[7331poas]

And this is why I mentioned both getting above the 3.0 cut off and that they would likely be autoscreened out beneath that.

and my point is that he will not get his GPA above a 3.0 before this cycle so he should NOT apply this year.

 

[VegasPreMed]

and my point is that he will not get his GPA above a 3.0 before this cycle so he should NOT apply this year.

sim·i·lar
ˈsim(ə)lər/
adjective

1. 1.
   resembling without being identical.

Unless I'm overestimating critical thinking skills here, it would seem rather obvious that their cGPA would not be above 3.0 this coming cycle. Hence the advice that it would be best to get it above that cut off before applying.

 

[Grant94]

Is there any harm in applying while I still have below a 3.0, and if I am rejected applying again after I meet/surpass a 3.0? Do schools look positively on re-applicants who have raised their resumes?

I ask this because of the almost two years I would be "giving up."

 

[VegasPreMed]

I am not as familiar with re-applicant strategies, but my understanding is that the improvement is not necessarily a "positive" but simply "expected". Similar (ha! see what I did there?) to how volunteer experience is somewhat of a "positive" in regular admissions, but generally is "expected".

The big time consensus on here seems to be that is is more detrimental to be a re-applicant than not. Getting above the 3.0 is important, as there is not a published list of schools that do not have that hard cut off. If you are determined to apply, I would call the programs you are interested in individually so you do not throw away money.