2018-2019 Cycle Low GPA/High MCAT Thread

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Day1dreamer

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As interview invites start to pour in I was hoping to start this thread to get an idea of when us low GPA/High MCAT folks start getting some attention. Feel free to drop stats, complete dates, and what schools have begun to offer you interviews!
 
Fellow low GPAer with a LizzyM of 70 here! Submitted my primary day 1. Feeling pretty good about my story and the cohesiveness of my application other than my grades. My GPA is my ghost and I will be insecure about it until an acceptance. Also curious about the timeline of IIs for those with lopsided stats like ours...😵
 
I realized I never put my stats down, my bad. 3.5 GPA and 520 MCAT. Applying to 30 schools with 18 secondaries currently submitted. No II's yet. Fingers crossed that we make it through!
 
JBruinW said:
3.3 and 525. Multiple Ws and Ds.

I have submitted 22 secondaries so far and have about 15 left to go.

I sincerely doubt I'll be getting any early interview invites because there are a ton of applicants out there with better stats.

That being said... we got this.
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How is that even possible? I don't understand how anyone could have less than a 3.5 GPA and above a 520+ MCAT combined. It blows my mind.
 
Robin-jay said:
How is that even possible? I don't understand how anyone could have less than a 3.5 GPA and above a 520+ MCAT combined. It blows my mind.
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Deflationary school...rough start...illness...issues in family...working during undergrad...didn’t have a direction in life early on...non traditional students...undiagnosed/untreated chronic problems...housing insecurity...etc etc etc. This is a thread for people to support each other not to justify themselves.
 
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Lucca said:
Deflationary school...rough start...illnesss...issues in family...working during undergrad...didn’t have a direction in life early on...non traditional students...undiagnosed/untreated chronic problems...etc etc etc. This is a thread for people to support each other not to justify themselves.
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Gosh you're so likeable. I envy all those MSTP IIs you're getting but the little I know of you suggests you deserve it.
 
JBruinW said:
Did you include any reaches? I feel like a 3.5 is different enough from a 3.3 but just curious.
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Yeah I included maybe 15% reaches in my school list, just in case. I came from a top 10 school notorious for grade deflation and had a ridiculous upward trend (3.95/4.0 in my last two years). I'm hoping that will offset my poor dual enrollment grades/sophomore year GPA. Not looking to make excuses, just trying to show that I've learned and am better for it now.
 
Nice. I was just super immature and didn't take college seriously at all for the first 2 years. I went to a top 25 school and have a strong upward trend so I help that helps me out. I included 4-5 top tier schools but am applying broadly to ~30 MDs and 3 or 4 DO schools.
 
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JBruinW said:
Nice. I was just super immature, had some health issues, and didn't take college seriously at all for the first 2 years. I went to a top 25 school and have a strong upward trend so I help that helps me out. I included 4-5 top tier schools but am applying broadly to ~30 MDs and 3 or 4 DO schools.
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You'll do great! Did you all write secondary essays about your grades/upward trends? I believe my committee letter already addressed it, but I'm wondering if I should be sending in an essay explaining my circumstances as an update.

@Lucca any thoughts?
 
Robin-jay said:
How is that even possible? I don't understand how anyone could have less than a 3.5 GPA and above a 520+ MCAT combined. It blows my mind.
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I have a 3.43 and got a 519, but had I bothered to study psych/soc or cars, it probably would have been at least a 520. He said he had multiple Ws and Ds. I’m guessing he’s like me: pretty smart and actually motivated, but made some bad academic decisions. It happens.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
I have a 3.43 and got a 519, but had I bothered to study psych/soc or cars, it probably would have been at least a 520. He said he had multiple Ws and Ds. I’m guessing he’s like me: pretty smart and actually motivated, but made some bad academic decisions. It happens.
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I guess I can understand doing it on the science section (including pysch/soc.), but I never understood how to ace the CARS section to 90+%. I could never find a way to adequately study for that part. I think the highest practice test score I had for that section was 80-85% percentile.
 
Robin-jay said:
I guess I can understand doing it on the science section (including pysch/soc.), but I never understood how to ace the CARS section to 90+%. I could never find a way to adequately study for that part. I think the highest practice test score I had for that section was 80-85% percentile.
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I got in the 95th %ile on the real thing without studying, but I’m a writer and have been reading novels and non-fiction since I was very young. I really couldn’t tell you how to study because I’ve never had to study for the verbal sections of standardized tests.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
I got in the 95th %ile on the real thing without studying, but I’m a writer and have been reading novels and non-fiction since I was very young. I really couldn’t tell you how to study because I’ve never had to study for the verbal sections of standardized tests.
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Exactly, it seems as though its either study all your life for it by reading and writing, or just don't do that well on it period.
 
Robin-jay said:
Exactly, it seems as though its either study all your life for it by reading and writing, or just don't do that well on it period.
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I think it can be learned, but not in a month or two. I think it's something you really need to start doing from the time you start college (or preferably high school) at the earliest if you want to do really well and it's not something you're naturally good at.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
I think it can be learned, but not in a month or two. I think it's something you really need to start doing from the time you start college (or preferably high school) at the earliest if you want to do really well and it's not something you're naturally good at.
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Well I guess it doesn't matter for me too much anymore since the MCAT is past me. Hopefully boards stick with the science.
 
Robin-jay said:
Exactly, it seems as though its either study all your life for it by reading and writing, or just don't do that well on it period.
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I also did well on CARS without any studying. I used to read stuff like Lord of the Rings under my desk in 5th grade. I guess not paying attention in class paid off big time on the MCAT.
 
JBruinW said:
I also did well on CARS without any studying. I used to read stuff like Lord of the Rings under my desk in 5th grade. I guess not paying attention in class paid off big time on the MCAT.
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Same. My first book that I read on my own was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea lol.
 
Day1dreamer said:
All quiet on the western front when it comes to II's right now. If I'm this worried in late August, I have a feeling that I'm going to be in for a long year.
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I feel you. All quiet here too. Several of my friends are getting multiple IIs, but I’m just here like:

E1D7B16F-6E72-4EDD-A668-CB3360F21235.png
 
You have a really good reason for a low GPA. Isn't JHU one of the most notorious grade deflaters? I haven't heard anything back either but I was only complete at most schools late/july early august. Have 25 Secondaries done planning on doing 10-15 more + 5 DO schools.
 
I am in pretty much the same boat. Everything was in by Aug 15th (except three schools that I did not realize we CASPer schools [which I took in June] and needed to send scores today :/). I am just on edge since people are getting interviews for the past month.
 
Snow2232 said:
I am in pretty much the same boat. Everything was in by Aug 15th (except three schools that I did not realize we CASPer schools [which I took in June] and needed to send scores today :/). I am just on edge since people are getting interviews for the past month.
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Same. A lot of my friends and classmates are getting IIs, and I’m getting silence. Just trying to pray a lot.
 
I don't think med school care about UG school grade deflation reputation anymore. I know two recent JHU BME grad with low GPA and 3.9 grad GPA and one got one interview only (in-state) and other got 4 with 2 admissions.
 
Hi all!

3.16 UG cGPA 2.9 sGPA, 3.6 grad cGPA (all science classes), 523 MCAT (130/132/131/130) checking in.

So far I've filled out secondaries for 47 schools, received one II (to the med school at my top 10 undergrad that's notorious for grade deflation) and one R (from a UC that I should have realized was basically IS-only.)

The high from my first II is wearing off and I'm starting to feel the August crunch! Hoping we all get some love as adcoms turn from the rock-star top 0.1% of apps to actually filling out the rest of their class. Maybe some of us weirdos can fit in there somewhere!
 
Shubniguroth said:
Hi all!

3.16 UG cGPA 2.9 sGPA, 3.6 grad cGPA (all science classes), 523 MCAT (130/132/131/130) checking in.

So far I've filled out secondaries for 47 schools, received one II (to the med school at my top 10 undergrad that's notorious for grade deflation) and one R (from a UC that I should have realized was basically IS-only.)

The high from my first II is wearing off and I'm starting to feel the August crunch! Hoping we all get some love as adcoms turn from the rock-star top 0.1% of apps to actually filling out the rest of their class. Maybe some of us weirdos can fit in there somewhere!
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Which UC if you don’t mind me asking.
 
Rejected from UCSD pre-2°!

I still haven't gotten a 2° from UCLA or UCSF. (or Vanderbilt even though they kept sending me those fancy "you have a high MCAT apply to us" letters.)
 
Shubniguroth said:
Rejected from UCSD pre-2°!
Click to expand...

Me too! Internet high five!

I still haven't gotten a 2° from UCLA or UCSF. (or Vanderbilt even though they kept sending me those fancy "you have a high MCAT apply to us" letters.)
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I’m kind of annoyed that Vandy didn’t send me one of those letters despite a 519, but I know people with lower scores who got one lol.
 
wontonsoup said:
I just noticed you only applied to 6 schools!? What was your thought process and how did you choose them?
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I’m in an SMP through USUHS. Most of the folks in our program get accepted to USUHS because they really set us up with tons of resources to be super competitive. The other schools I chose based on where family is plus a school that is known to be extremely military friendly.
 
srk2021 said:
I don't think med school care about UG school grade deflation reputation anymore. I know two recent JHU BME grad with low GPA and 3.9 grad GPA and one got one interview only (in-state) and other got 4 with 2 admissions.
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It's kind of a grab bag with JHU Shah Rukh Khan (nice username btw). From what I understand the average GPA of admitted applicants from that school is cGPA=3.65 and sGPA=3.55. From what I've heard from adcoms I've talked to, they do in fact still consider factors like grade deflation. It won't save you from an extremely low GPA though.
 
kepler16b said:
Of course GPA is not the whole picture, but medical schools would be making a mistake if they did not take in to account the fact that JHU BME students are going be having harder classes/course-loads than your average state school biology grad.
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The consensus on here seems to be that some schools may take into account grade deflation from some of the top UGs, but that your GPA is still your GPA and it is not likely to help you very much.
 
Day1dreamer said:
It's kind of a grab bag with JHU Shah Rukh Khan (nice username btw). From what I understand the average GPA of admitted applicants from that school is cGPA=3.65 and sGPA=3.55. From what I've heard from adcoms I've talked to, they do in fact still consider factors like grade deflation. It won't save you from an extremely low GPA though.
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So that's like 0.15 bonus for going to JHU? SRK happens to be my initials too 🙂
 
srk2021 said:
So that's like 0.15 bonus for going to JHU? SRK happens to be my initials too 🙂
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I wouldn’t count on that. Schools take deflation into account differently, and many of them don’t give it a ton of weight because the number is still the number. JHU is a well-known school though, so it might help a little.
 
Shubniguroth said:
Rejected from UCSD pre-2°!

I still haven't gotten a 2° from UCLA or UCSF. (or Vanderbilt even though they kept sending me those fancy "you have a high MCAT apply to us" letters.)
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were you verified recently? I dont have UCLA and it took me about 5 weeks to get UCSF (as an OOS with LM of 67)
 
srk2021 said:
So that's like 0.15 bonus for going to JHU? SRK happens to be my initials too 🙂
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Closer to 0.1 to be honest. Even then, it's not something you should spend your time speculating about. Once again, owning your GPA and weaving it into your narrative seems to be the way to go.
 
MomJeansandDadJorts said:
were you verified recently? I dont have UCLA and it took me about 5 weeks to get UCSF (as an OOS with LM of 67)
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Nope! I was verified on 07/11. (took a bit longer because of a paper transcript)

Although I suppose that would be about 5 weeks to today...

I just wish schools like Vanderbilt had a clearer yes/no about their secondary.

If I'm going to get it, shouldn't I already have it? I get why schools keep their interviews open-ended until the end of the season and put the vast majority of people on hold. But shouldn't secondaries be clearer than that???
 
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Yeah I'm instate and was verified 7/20 and haven't heard anything from any of the UCs except SD where I'm now complete. I've heard that the UCs are slow but who knows. My ecs are p bad for all of them but the more research heavy ones (SD and SF from what I can tell).


I haven't gotten any of those fancy vandy emails. Only junk mail from podiatry schools lol
 
srk2021 said:
So that's like 0.15 bonus for going to JHU? SRK happens to be my initials too 🙂
Click to expand...
I agree. BTW, I am not a JHU student. My son declined JHU BME admission and chose to go to another top 20 school with full tuition scholarships and doing a science major not engineering major.
 
JBruinW said:
Yeah I'm instate and was verified 7/20 and haven't heard anything from any of the UCs except SD where I'm now complete. I've heard that the UCs are slow but who knows. My ecs are p bad for all of them but the more research heavy ones (SD and SF from what I can tell).


I haven't gotten any of those fancy vandy emails. Only junk mail from podiatry schools lol
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You’re already ahead of me. UCSD told me to get lost (I’m OOS though). But I’m also getting the silent treatment from vandy (I wouldn’t apply anyway).
 
What is UP I'm rocking a 3.0/516 and I was complete late because my committee letter took foreeeeeever. Got one II so far at my state school but there's a rumor that they give an interview to every in state applicant so I'm not convinced that it means they think I can handle things academically. It might just mean they think I live here. Which I do. Waiting to hear back when you aren't even sure if you qualify is awful. Hoping for success for everyone in this thread!
 
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