2018 Low GPA/High MCAT Thread

[Atay Hlou]

People!! Give some updates! I am applying next year with similar stats (will most likely end up with a 3.4c/3.3s) and 520 MCAT (retook a 503 though). My freshman year started with a 2.75 GPA, sophomore 3.25, junior 3.75 (and senior 4.0 hopefully lol) -->pretty strong upward trend eh? My top choice is USC, but i am applying from NY :/ don't know how it will play out! Give me some advice people!

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[Potentia Virtus]

3.46/3.40. 519.

One II, a few rejections, mostly from reaches (Keck, Washington, gw, indiana). Getting fairly nervous, not gonna lie.

 

[Atay Hlou]

Damn! What do I do? Should I apply to SMPs? I feel that with my MCAT, it's a bit ******ed...
I have been thinking about doing a masters program, which I would think could help (Keck Stem cells and Regenerative Medicine program), or increase my number of hours in research. With the number of credits I have, doing a DIY post bac would not only be ridiculous but also a huge waste of money and time.

 

[silverlinings0618]

It's significantly rarer to have low GPA/high MCAT than high GPA/low MCAT. So the sample size of the former is a lot smaller, which means we can't rely only on what the data report. The fact that it's harder to score in top few percentile on MCAT than getting 4.0 GPA coupled with the fact the mathematics makes it harder to recover from low GPA clearly illustrate the importance of the MCAT and its role in crafting school lists and predicting success.

Hi, I know you posted this a while ago, but can you please let me know how you changed your studying habits to have such a stellar MCAT score? I know the answer to my question doesn't belong here, but I'd extremely appreciate if you can message me. Thank you so much.

 

[892002]

3.52 science GPA and 3.78 non science --> 3.59 cumulative. 516 MCAT. I was pretty disappointed in my MCAT since I knew I needed a much better score to offset my GPA. Haven't been having much luck this cycle.

 

[mwsapphire]

3.52 science GPA and 3.78 non science --> 3.59 cumulative. 516 MCAT. I was pretty disappointed in my MCAT since I knew I needed a much better score to offset my GPA. Haven't been having much luck this cycle.

A 3.5 is not really low lol ( SDN will make you think it is but its IQR for most lower-mid tier programs) ....if you didn't apply too top heavy you should be finnneeee..... but you should have some DO schools in there as well.

 

[ohkarto]

Applied to 35+ total schools with a cGPA and sGPA of ~3.4 and an MCAT of 520.
Have had 3 II total, 1 offered in Jan and the other 2 in late Feb, none of which are considered high-tier schools.
School list was spread out between low, mid, and high tiers (no top 20 save for state schools). As of right now, I've received 26 total rejections and I don't expect to hear back from any more!

Hope this helps someone in the future, feel free to PM if you have any questions!!

 

[Potentia Virtus]

3.49 cGPA, 519. I believe I sent 29 primaries. 5 II, 3 attended. 1 acceptance, 2 WL.

 

[boogiecousins94]

I had a 3.3 and 515 with 3II one WL still waiting on 2 decisions from late Feb. I applied to 29 schools still have to hear from 4 I think but no interviews from state school!

I think low gpa high mcat peeps need be strong/above average in some sort of EC to stand out

 

[920820]

Hey all, now that the cycle is mostly over I wanted to check in on how the low GPA/high MCAT people’s apps went this year.

 

[892002]

Hey all, now that the cycle is mostly over I wanted to check in on how the low GPA/high MCAT people’s apps went this year.

For me, everything worked out fine in the end, but it was really stressful. I didn’t get a lot of IIs and the ones I did get wern’t until Feb. I think a lot of schools screened me out based on the GPA.

 

[mwsapphire]

For me, everything worked out fine in the end, but it was really stressful. I didn’t get a lot of IIs and the ones I did get wern’t until Feb. I think a lot of schools screened me out based on the GPA.

Did you apply DO as well? I feel like DO's pad you out in that situation.

 

[892002]

Did you apply DO as well? I feel like DO's pad you out in that situation.

No, but I really should have! My school list was probably my biggest mistake. It consisted of fifteen Top 30s + GW, Dartmouth, Drexel, Temple, TJ.

 

[DBC03]

I should probably update this again (I think I might have posted before). 522/3.4 with 6 IIs, 4 acceptances, 3 WL (one turned into an acceptance shortly after being waitlisted). I ended up getting a fairly substantial scholarship, so this has been a surprisingly good cycle.


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[mwsapphire]

I should probably update this again (I think I might have posted before). 522/3.4 with 6 IIs, 4 acceptances, 3 WL (one turned into an acceptance shortly after being waitlisted). I ended up getting a fairly substantial scholarship, so this has been a surprisingly good cycle.


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You had a massive UW trend and oldd grades dragging you down though, didn't you? So that would help explain the insane success ( as in, you weren't the same as a low stats coming straight from college applicant.). But congrats !

 

[DBC03]

You had a massive UW trend and oldd grades dragging you down though, didn't you? So that would help explain the insane success ( as in, you weren't the same as a low stats coming straight from college applicant.). But congrats !

Yes - best case scenario - hyp grad, terribly bad freshman year, good grades since, etc. still only one T20 interview, but I feel the school I’m going to is my best fit!


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[calivianya]

No love from MD schools here, but I got IIs from most of the DO schools I applied to despite being complete in November, attended 3 of them, and was accepted to all three.

I wish I'd realized just how seriously MD schools take ECs before applying - I might just have applied DO only in the first place. My ECs were extremely weak except for paid clinical experience.

 

[mwsapphire]

No love from MD schools here, but I got IIs from most of the DO schools I applied to despite being complete in November, attended 3 of them, and was accepted to all three.

I wish I'd realized just how seriously MD schools take ECs before applying - I might just have applied DO only in the first place. My ECs were extremely weak except for paid clinical experience.

Was paid clinical exposure your only EC?

Paid clinical exposure, along with shadowing and some service hours, is a decent list of EC's. You'd just be lacking research, which lower/mid tier MD schools may think is forgivable.

 

[calivianya]

Was paid clinical exposure your only EC?

Paid clinical exposure, along with shadowing and some service hours, is a decent list of EC's. You'd just be lacking research, which lower/mid tier MD schools may think is forgivable.

No, I had some (~150-ish hours) clinical volunteering and minimal (<20 hours) shadowing and non-clinical volunteering. I'm pretty sure the non-clinical volunteering was my biggest problem. It got called out specifically in a couple of interviews.

Seems like lack of research is forgivable with decent non-clinical volunteering (and vice versa), but schools want either one or the other. Being minimal to none on both is a real problem. If I had skipped clinical volunteering altogether and had done non-clinical volunteering in its place, I think my outcomes may have been different just based on what my interviewers told me.

 

[Nedsson]

Got accepted to a top 20 and a few mid/low tier schools with a sub 3.3 gpa and >95 percentile mcat so it's possible peeps


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Similar. I ended up having a great cycle with my sub 3.5 gpa (I did kill a 4.0 the last three years though) and 99% MCAT. I think some schools must really ascribe a lot of value to the MCAT.

 

[mwsapphire]

Similar. I ended up having a great cycle with my sub 3.5 gpa (I did kill a 4.0 the last three years though) and 99% MCAT. I think some schools must really ascribe a lot of value to the MCAT.

If you had a 4.0 for 3 years I really think that was the bigger factor....

 

[ekmf27050]

I wish I had seen this thread before I applied for some encouragement...

3.3 sGPA, 3.4 cGPA, 520 MCAT, upward GPA trend
Applied to 30 schools (holy essays)
12 interviews, 9 attended: 6 acceptances, 2 WL, 1 rejection
Interviews were about 50% mid-tier MD, 25% top-tier MD, 25% DO

 

[BtmoreRavens18]

So happy to see everyone else's success!!!

I'm PhD --> MD, 3.4cGPA, 3.3 sGPA (big upward trend and 3.9gGPA), 520MCAT
Green card holder with no state of residence so only applied to private schools
Applied to all tiers and was lucky to get interviews at a mix of schools

20 apps, 6 II (5 attended), 4 A and 1 WL

Good luck to anyone in the future navigating the GPA/MCAT imbalance!

 

[515plusOrBust]

Also late to the party, but will post here for encouragement to future applicants like us.

~3.5 cGPA, slight upward trend, 519 MCAT
35 primaries, 4 II, 1 A (lower mid tier MD), 2 WL (still on as of now)

 

[Happymadness]

It is great to hear success stories from fellow low GPA/high MCAT folks, but could you guys give us a better idea of which schools gave you a chance? It would really help me in building my school list for this cycle! @ekmf27050 @515plusOrBust @DBC03 @Taylor Swift

It also sounds like most of you had upward trends, but has anyone been successful with a relatively stable "low" GPA throughout undergrad? My highest semester GPA was a 3.77 and that was only one semester. Meanwhile, all of my other semesters I had semester GPAs floating between 3.45-3.55, giving me the 3.52 I have now. Any advice?

 

[SpyF0X]

It is great to hear success stories from fellow low GPA/high MCAT folks, but could you guys give us a better idea of which schools gave you a chance? It would really help me in building my school list for this cycle! @ekmf27050 @515plusOrBust @DBC03 @Taylor Swift

It also sounds like most of you had upward trends, but has anyone been successful with a relatively stable "low" GPA throughout undergrad? My highest semester GPA was a 3.77 and that was only one semester. Meanwhile, all of my other semesters I had semester GPAs floating between 3.45-3.55, giving me the 3.52 I have now. Any advice?

I applied late (September) with a ~3.55 gpa, ~3.45 sgpa, 519 MCAT. Sent about 20 secondaries, mostly to MD/PhD programs that also consider for MD only. Got 4 IIs, 2 for MD only, 2 for MD/PhD. One of each was top 20, the other lower-mid tier. Accepted to both the lower tier schools MD only programs, still on a waitlist for one of the top 20. My gpa was pretty consistent throughout college, but my course load/work schedule/research involvement got much more intense so I tried to describe an upward trend in that regard.

 

[ekmf27050]

It is great to hear success stories from fellow low GPA/high MCAT folks, but could you guys give us a better idea of which schools gave you a chance? It would really help me in building my school list for this cycle! @ekmf27050 @515plusOrBust @DBC03 @Taylor Swift

It also sounds like most of you had upward trends, but has anyone been successful with a relatively stable "low" GPA throughout undergrad? My highest semester GPA was a 3.77 and that was only one semester. Meanwhile, all of my other semesters I had semester GPAs floating between 3.45-3.55, giving me the 3.52 I have now. Any advice?

I did about 1/3 low tier MD, 1/3 mid tier MD, and 1/3 top tier MD. I then added in 4-5 DO schools that I liked. I got interview invites from mostly mid and top tier MD, along with all my DO apps. Sorry I can't comment on the GPA trend- my first two years were bad, but my last two + my post bac year were really strong. Good luck!

 

[Hopeless102]

I have a 3.3 cGPA and 3.24 sGPA from a top 10 Ivy league undergrad. My MCAT is a 514 so not necessarily super high but I'm wondering if you guys have any advice for low GPA/decent MCAT applicants. I plan on applying very broadly and including 5 DO schools. Thank you!

 

[Day1dreamer]

Hey applicants from the 2018 cycle! Sitting with a 3.58 cGPA (Really bad grades when I was a senior in high school) and a heavy upward trend. Got a 520 MCAT as well. Any advice/ what schools gave you love with a low GPA/High MCAT combo?

 

[sizzletizzle]

Got accepted to a top 20 and a few mid/low tier schools with a sub 3.3 gpa and >95 percentile mcat so it's possible peeps

hi there! do you mind if i ask - which top 20? i'm trying to make a list of higher tier schools that truly evaluate holistically so it helps to know which schools are willing to accept low GPA/high MCAT (with strong ECs and upward trend toward the end). i also have a sub 3.3 in both overall and sGPA and a 90+ % mcat!

 

[xochitl]

Hey applicants from the 2018 cycle! Sitting with a 3.58 cGPA (Really bad grades when I was a senior in high school) and a heavy upward trend. Got a 520 MCAT as well. Any advice/ what schools gave you love with a low GPA/High MCAT combo?

also had a 520 but a lot lower of a GPA and I honestly think that with your gpa as long as you have good ecs and a nice upward trend you could apply almost anywhere. You never know where you're gonna stick. But I got love from tufts, BU, USC, wayne state, and a couple CA public schools.

 

[xochitl]

hquties

 

[Tiger28]

Yes - best case scenario - hyp grad, terribly bad freshman year, good grades since, etc. still only one T20 interview, but I feel the school I’m going to is my best fit!


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I knew it was too late to replay, If you saw the this post,
would you mind to tell me how to post-bac? and how to get help from Goro? thank you so much.

 

[initialize]

I have the opposite problem... 3.97 gpa and 511 MCAT. I kinda wish I had a lower gpa and higher MCAT


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[MedicineN'Jazz]

3.33 515! ~67 then

You, sir, are a god

Edit: Had to make that capital G lowercase lmao

 

[boogiecousins94]

You, sir, are a god

Edit: Had to make that capital G lowercase lmao

hahaha why

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

hahaha why

Dude 515?! Lol I only got that score in my dreams

 

[non-trad-sad-man]

also had a 520 but a lot lower of a GPA and I honestly think that with your gpa as long as you have good ecs and a nice upward trend you could apply almost anywhere. You never know where you're gonna stick. But I got love from tufts, BU, USC, wayne state, and a couple CA public schools.

Can I ask you about your experience with the CA schools? My dream schools are USC/UCLA/UCSD/UCI and I would love to know your approach on what made you an attractive candidate. I am a low GPA, high MCAT nontrad and when my verified sGPA came out I have been pretty bummed since. I want to believe on paper I'd be at least invited to secondaries, but I'm curious what your narrative is to get the IIs

 

[initialize]

Do you guys think I’ll be fine with a 3.97 / 511?


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[non-trad-sad-man]

Do you guys think I’ll be fine with a 3.97 / 511?

You have my opposite problem. I have a friend with your exact stats (and I mean to 3.97 / 511 exact) that got 6+ II and 3+ A, including some really good programs. His ECs were really strong though. Hope that gives you some hope

 

[LukaDoncicLuk]

What up low gpa high mcat fan. (3.3c 3.2s 525) Hoping to pick up some tips/commiserate. What are your school lists shaping up like? I know it might be a waste but I'm planning on sending in about 10 apps to top tier/reach schools. I feel like every school is a reach with my gpa but I'm hoping someone sees some potential in me.

 

[ekmf27050]

What up low gpa high mcat fan. (3.3c 3.2s 525) Hoping to pick up some tips/commiserate. What are your school lists shaping up like? I know it might be a waste but I'm planning on sending in about 10 apps to top tier/reach schools. I feel like every school is a reach with my gpa but I'm hoping someone sees some potential in me.

My app list was about 1/3 low tier, 1/3 mid tier, 1/3 top tier. The mid and top tier schools showed me the most love. I interviewed at 9 schools and was below the 10th percentile GPA for all of them including the school I'm going to. Similar stats as you. Good luck!

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

My app list was about 1/3 low tier, 1/3 mid tier, 1/3 top tier. The mid and top tier schools showed me the most love. I interviewed at 9 schools and was below the 10th percentile GPA for all of them including the school I'm going to. Similar stats as you. Good luck!

What are some low tier schools?

 

[tryptamine]

What up low gpa high mcat fan. (3.3c 3.2s 525) Hoping to pick up some tips/commiserate. What are your school lists shaping up like? I know it might be a waste but I'm planning on sending in about 10 apps to top tier/reach schools. I feel like every school is a reach with my gpa but I'm hoping someone sees some potential in me.

I'll be keeping a close eye on your cycle @JBruinW -- my stats are really similar (3.3c, 3.2s, 524). Hoping for the best, but buckling in for a long year. Good luck!

 

[BombsAway]

LOL how would you characterize people with 515 and 3.5?

fine

 

[shinny]

Also chiming in, 3.2 cgpa, 3.7 ggpa, 521 mcat, had 5 interviews (4 MD, 1 MD/PhD), resulting in 1 R, 4 WL, and accepted off two of those WL. Will be attending the MD/PhD program.

Most of my interviews came from mid-low tier schools, perhaps because they made up the majority of my school list. In hindsight I probably should have applied to more top 40s given my ECs/research experience but was deterred by my gpa. Regardless it was a more successful cycle than I anticipated

 

[ekmf27050]

What are some low tier schools?

For me personally: low yield schools (comparatively high number of applicants ie Rosalind Franklin, Temple) and DO schools

 

[DokterMom]

A high MCAT evidences your intelligence and knowledge of the material --
A high GPA shows you can sustain effort and perform well over the long term.

A high MCAT combined with a low GPA says "Really smart, but...?" and your job as an applicant is to answer the "but what?..." question and ameliorate any doubts about the consistency of your future performance.

There's always one or more reasons for low GPA. What was it for you?:

• Immaturity? Simple young and stupid?
• Misplaced priorities? Partying too much or not serious about a career?
• Substance abuse?
• Simple laziness?
• Lack of organizational skills?
• Family problems or interpersonal drama?
• Mental health issues? Depression?
• Culture shock and slow to adapt?
• Adolescent rebellion?
• Learning disabilities?

Edited to add that not all reasons are harmful:

• Low SES so had to work many hours per week to support self or family
  
• Division 1 athlete so had practice
• Had to care for sick/disabled relative

And there's also the picture your individual courses and semesters paint. Was it lots of B's with a few A's and C's thrown in? A few failures? One or two bad semesters (why?) A slow start? Were your poor grades in the sciences? Humanities? Writing classes? Is English your native language?

Bottom line is the "Really smart, but...?" question. Answer that to the admissions committee's satisfaction and you're in.

 

[deleted548851]

Wanted to give some encouragement.
Had a 3.5cGPA right on the nose; 3.63sGPA and 520 MCAT.
Applied to 35 total schools, recieved 5II's, and netted 2 accepts (1 from a brand new MD, one off a WL to my in state (going to this one))
I still made it despite having 2 IA's (alcohol, and which were not overlooked or glossed over, came up at every interview), and not receiving any help as ORM.

The rest of my app was pretty standard too, various volunteering, research- was able to snag a pub but not during app cycle- was an update.

Low GPA/high MCAT is definitely a better spot to be in that the other way around.

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

A high MCAT evidences your intelligence and knowledge of the material --
A high GPA shows you can sustain effort and perform well over the long term.

A high MCAT combined with a low GPA says "Really smart, but...?" and your job as an applicant is to answer the "but what?..." question and ameliorate any doubts about the consistency of your future performance.

There's always one or more reasons for low GPA. What was it for you?:

• Immaturity? Simple young and stupid?
• Misplaced priorities? Partying too much or not serious about a career?
• Substance abuse?
• Simple laziness?
• Lack of organizational skills?
• Family problems or interpersonal drama?
• Mental health issues? Depression?
• Culture shock and slow to adapt?
• Adolescent rebellion?
• Learning disabilities?

And there's also the picture your individual courses and semesters paint. Was it lots of B's with a few A's and C's thrown in? A few failures? One or two bad semesters (why?) A slow start? Were your poor grades in the sciences? Humanities? Writing classes? Is English your native language?

Bottom line is the "Really smart, but...?". question. Answer that to the admissions committee's satisfaction and you're in.

I get that you mean well, but this post was a bit insensitive. Not every school is looking to only admit the “really smart.”