3.14 cgpa and 3.08 sgpa, pending MCAT, strong extracurriculars/research

[Lish3120]

Hi guys, basically my cgpa as of now as a Senior with one semester left is 2.94 and when I retake gen chem (C) physics 1 (D) another sgpa booster, plus my internship (6 credits) and assuming I ace everything, I will end with a 3.14 cgpa and 3.08 sgpa. I am taking my mcat either April or May and expect to get 506+. I have an upward trend.

extracurriculars include:
-2 years scribing in the ER (will continue in gap year)
-2 years as event coordinator and national liason officer for my Pre-SOMA org.
-500+ volunteer hours in various specialties (ER, acute rehab, pediatrics, telemetry, etc)
-Shadowed pediatrician, ER physicians, opthalmologic surgeon in India
-Currently teaching ESL online to kids in china
-strong letter of rec from DO and my public health professor, and will ask for 2 letters when i retake phys/chem
-published a public health newsletter on hidden chemicals in the daily environment last sem (not sure if relevant)
-doing breast cancer research for my internship at RWJ, will be published by May
-During gap year- will most likely be working at RWJ continuing research, will definitely continue scribing, and generally staying active

Three Questions: 1) What are my chances of getting into literally any US DO school (aka im fine with lower tier)?
2) Since I am taking physics, chem, the science gpa booster, + internship this semester should I take the MCAT in April while Im studying physics/chem anyway or wait until school ends? Thanks!!
3) also depending on whether I choose to take a science gpa boosting class or retake calc, my sgpa would go up or cgpa would go up. Is it better to have a higher sgpa or cgpa? Cuz if i retook calc instead of the sgpa booster, cgpa would be 3.19 and sgpa would be 2.8

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[adrian710]

1) Low chances - Even with a good MCAT that GPA may be killer. I suggest a year of retakes and not to apply this cycle.

2) Take MCAT when you are ready and have ample time to fully concentrate on that

3) At a min sGPA and cGPA need to be above 3.0 but even so I suggest you take my advice in bullet #1

 

[Goro]

Agree 1000%

1) Low chances - Even with a good MCAT that GPA may be killer. I suggest a year of retakes and not to apply this cycle.

2) Take MCAT when you are ready and have ample time to fully concentrate on that

3) At a min sGPA and cGPA need to be above 3.0 but even so I suggest you take my advice in bullet #1

 

[Lish3120]

thanks for the replies, after some scheduling changes, I calculated that if I take physics, gen chem, an intro science class, calc and my internship, my cgpa would be 3.22. / sgpa still 3.08, with these stats and a great mcat score, would I have a chance at the lower tier DO schools?

 

[adrian710]

Sure you have a "chance" but not a very solid on (average are around 3.4 GPA) and you will have to apply early and broadly for even that slim chance. A year of retaking classes really is in your best interest. If you are not successful, you risk being a re-applicant. Be patient.

 

[mathnerd88]

thanks for the replies, after some scheduling changes, I calculated that if I take physics, gen chem, an intro science class, calc and my internship, my cgpa would be 3.22. / sgpa still 3.08, with these stats and a great mcat score, would I have a chance at the lower tier DO schools?

Your chances are not very good for an acceptance. However, if you go on the underdog thread, you can see which schools applicants with lower stats have been accepted to. Your chances at BCOM may be fine, but you'll have to apply the first day AACOMAS is released. It also depends on your MCAT, of course.

 

[Lish3120]

Sure you have a "chance" but not a very solid on (average are around 3.4 GPA) and you will have to apply early and broadly for even that slim chance. A year of retaking classes really is in your best interest. If you are not successful, you risk being a re-applicant. Be patient.

That's true, however to retake enough classes to get my cgpa up to a 3.4 / sgpa 3.33 seems to take just one semester assuming all A's. If I retake over the summer, is it still possible to apply this cycle and send them my grades in August or would this be too late?

 

[mathnerd88]

That's true, however to retake enough classes to get my cgpa up to a 3.4 / sgpa 3.33 seems to take just one semester assuming all A's. If I retake over the summer, is it still possible to apply this cycle and send them my grades in August or would this be too late?

With a strong MCAT, you will be fine. Make sure you apply early!

 

[Lish3120]

With a strong MCAT, you will be fine. Make sure you apply early!

thank you!!

 

[adrian710]

That's true, however to retake enough classes to get my cgpa up to a 3.4 / sgpa 3.33 seems to take just one semester assuming all A's. If I retake over the summer, is it still possible to apply this cycle and send them my grades in August or would this be too late?

That would work but when would you have time to study MCAT becomes the next problem if you are consumed w classes this next semester and all of summer?

 

[SpartanWolverine]

I think a strong MCAT score can make a big difference in your case. I had a GPA not too far away from yours and the equivalent of a 518 (36) on the MCAT. I had no trouble with acceptances to DO schools. With a 3.22/3.08 and a good MCAT score you should do fine if you apply broadly and early.

 

[adrian710]

I think a strong MCAT score can make a big difference in your case. I had a GPA not too far away from yours and the equivalent of a 518 (36) on the MCAT. I had no trouble with acceptances to DO schools. With a 3.22/3.08 and a good MCAT score you should do fine if you apply broadly and early.

Lol a 518 is on another level damn well done

 

[OrdinaryDO]

Lol a 518 is on another level damn well done

It depends when it was taken. The very first MCAT seemed to have a really terrible scoring and everyone seemed to be scoring incredibly high. That is besides the point, though, since you are scored against one against one another and not the test itself. The MCAT will work for you or against you and I will elaborate.

A High MCAT with a lower-end GPA is the best case scenario in a scenario of counter-balances. (eg. low GPA/High MCAT vs Low MCAT/High GPA). However, a Low MCAT with a high GPA could actually look far worse than it actually is. If a person has, let's say, a 3.9 cGPA and ~3.7+ sGPA and comes out with an MCAT of ~22 or ~498, somewhere in that area, then the ADCOMs could look at that and deduct that your GPA may be inflated and your institution may not be very challenging at all. That is the love hate relationship we share with the MCAT and GPAs

 

[DrMikeP]

That's true, however to retake enough classes to get my cgpa up to a 3.4 / sgpa 3.33 seems to take just one semester assuming all A's. If I retake over the summer, is it still possible to apply this cycle and send them my grades in August or would this be too late?

Depends on your MCAT with the summer class idea (not the first one)! A really good MCAT score w/3.33 sgpa on retakes would possibly give you a shot with an August submission. I wouldn't hold my breath for a 518, but 505-10 would give you a fair chance. However, that is a heavy winter/summer load and with studying for MCAT, is it worth it or would you risk making your chances worse by making a C or 2 and 495 MCAT? Only you can answer that for yourself.

If you are set on it, just get everything possible done on the application once it opens so you can rush your transcript in mid Aug (don't forget some schools take 2 weeks before official transcript shows summer grades) and fingers crossed be verified (4-6 weeks) by maybe end of August/Mid Sept and that would put your apps being sent out September. Remember it takes time to get transcripts sent and verified and then med schools take time to process your application, so schools with 9000 apps in at that point may not even get to reviewing you application until end of Sept or even mid October.

Weigh out if you took a year and pulled that Science gpa up above 3.4 and scored a ~510 on MCAT, would you have a shot at a DO school you may would like better?

Best of Luck!

 

[doctorinthehouse_]

It depends when it was taken. The very first MCAT seemed to have a really terrible scoring and everyone seemed to be scoring incredibly high. That is besides the point, though, since you are scored against one against one another and not the test itself. The MCAT will work for you or against you and I will elaborate.

A High MCAT with a lower-end GPA is the best case scenario in a scenario of counter-balances. (eg. low GPA/High MCAT vs Low MCAT/High GPA). However, a Low MCAT with a high GPA could actually look far worse than it actually is. If a person has, let's say, a 3.9 cGPA and ~3.7+ sGPA and comes out with an MCAT of ~22 or ~498, somewhere in that area, then the ADCOMs could look at that and deduct that your GPA may be inflated and your institution may not be very challenging at all. That is the love hate relationship we share with the MCAT and GPAs

I strongly disagree with your latter statement @OrdinaryDO . A strong GPA shows consistency, a low MCAT could display any number of things (test-taking anxiety, technical difficulties at testing center, etc). Depends on your university. I went to a top university in my state, am graduating suma cum laude (high honor) and I score low on the MCAT. -Not trying to start an MCAT battle on here, so please don't reply with statistics and board scores, blah blah-

It landed me 2 acceptances, one of which was my top choice. OP: take SDN advice with a grain of salt. I recommend that you retake coursework, take a diagnostic MCAT to see where you are at and go from there. Your GPA needs to show improvement, as medical school is double the credits you took (semester-wise) in undergrad. It displays your ability to handle the course-load in medical school. You seem well-rounded, now you really need to focus on academics.

Best of luck!

 

[mathnerd88]

I strongly disagree with your latter statement @OrdinaryDO . A strong GPA shows consistency, a low MCAT could display any number of things (test-taking anxiety, technical difficulties at testing center, etc). Depends on your university. I went to a top university in my state, am graduating suma cum laude (high honor) and I score low on the MCAT. -Not trying to start an MCAT battle on here, so please don't reply with statistics and board scores, blah blah-

It landed me 2 acceptances, one of which was my top choice. OP: take SDN advice with a grain of salt. I recommend that you retake coursework, take a diagnostic MCAT to see where you are at and go from there. Your GPA needs to show improvement, as medical school is double the credits you took (semester-wise) in undergrad. It displays your ability to handle the course-load in medical school. You seem well-rounded, now you really need to focus on academics.

Best of luck!

MCAT is standardized; GPA is not. I can go to CC and take all the prerequisites and easily get an A without much studying, but will struggle getting A's at a major university. Believe it or not, there is a difference between classes and grades between different colleges.

Your points do have some validity, but what makes you become a doctor and go onto residency is not your grades; but your board sores, which is probably much more difficult than the MCAT, but tested in a similar environment. You have to face your test-taking anxiety, technical difficulties at testing center, etc.

There are plenty of Engineering degree students who would also strongly disagree with your statement. What if I majored in Physics? My GPA would be super low because of the difficulty level of the classes. You can go to Harvard and almost every student graduates with at least a 3.5. GPA is more likely skewed because it isn't the same. Everyone takes the MCAT, and the scores are proportional to all the Pre-Meds taking the exam and applying for medical school.

That's why everything matters- GPA, MCAT, etc. I know my school would rather take a low GPA and high MCAT than the opposite. In fact, most of the established schools traditionally have an acceptance with a higher MCAT score, but the average GPA stays around the same. For the past couple years my school has had the same average GPA, but a higher MCAT average for matriculants. Look at Touro's average- they have a high average MCAT (30+) but a lowerish average GPA (3.4.) Same goes with CCOM, AZCOM, NYIT, etc.

 

[doctorinthehouse_]

MCAT is standardized; GPA is not. I can go to CC and take all the prerequisites and easily get an A without much studying, but will struggle getting A's at a major university. Believe it or not, there is a difference between classes and grades between different colleges.

Your points do have some validity, but what makes you become a doctor and go onto residency is not your grades; but your board sores, which is probably much more difficult than the MCAT, but tested in a similar environment. You have to face your test-taking anxiety, technical difficulties at testing center, etc.

There are plenty of Engineering degree students who would also strongly disagree with your statement. What if I majored in Physics? My GPA would be super low because of the difficulty level of the classes. You can go to Harvard and almost every student graduates with at least a 3.5. GPA is more likely skewed because it isn't the same. Everyone takes the MCAT, and the scores are proportional to all the Pre-Meds taking the exam and applying for medical school.

That's why everything matters- GPA, MCAT, etc. I know my school would rather take a low GPA and high MCAT than the opposite. In fact, most of the established schools traditionally have an acceptance with a higher MCAT score, but the average GPA stays around the same. For the past couple years my school has had the same average GPA, but a higher MCAT average for matriculants. Look at Touro's average- they have a high average MCAT (30+) but a lowerish average GPA (3.4.) Same goes with CCOM, AZCOM, NYIT, etc.

Not interested in this battle lol. I don't have test taking anxiety or any of those things, they were just examples. Just as inflation is an example (previous poster mentioned). I also did not attend a CC. I went to a 4 year very competitive university that is nationally known and majored in Molecular biology. It depends on your institution. I'm just offerring my opinion, just as you offerred yours.

 

[mathnerd88]

Not interested in this battle lol. I don't have test taking anxiety or any of those things, they were just examples. Just as inflation is an example (previous poster mentioned). I also did not attend a CC. I went to a 4 year very competitive university that is nationally known and majored in Molecular biology. It depends on your institution. I'm just offerring my opinion, just as you offerred yours.

Agreed. Everyone has differences of opinion.

 

[OrdinaryDO]

I strongly disagree with your latter statement @OrdinaryDO . A strong GPA shows consistency, a low MCAT could display any number of things (test-taking anxiety, technical difficulties at testing center, etc). Depends on your university. I went to a top university in my state, am graduating suma cum laude (high honor) and I score low on the MCAT. -Not trying to start an MCAT battle on here, so please don't reply with statistics and board scores, blah blah-

It landed me 2 acceptances, one of which was my top choice. OP: take SDN advice with a grain of salt. I recommend that you retake coursework, take a diagnostic MCAT to see where you are at and go from there. Your GPA needs to show improvement, as medical school is double the credits you took (semester-wise) in undergrad. It displays your ability to handle the course-load in medical school. You seem well-rounded, now you really need to focus on academics.

Best of luck!

Well you have every right to disagree, but my information came right from the ADCOMs mouth and sure as heck made sense to me. I also have 2 acceptance with no honors and a decent MCAT and GPA, so those don't prove anything.

 

[DOApplicant021592]

"Will be published by May"? Did your PI guarantee that you are going to be published? Also, publishing takes a long time, dont plan on a specific date.

Source: I'm a published first-author (trust me, it takes a long time after submission)

 

[yuppiedoctor89]

What was your trend? Has there been an upward grade trend?

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