acceptance with a 2.99??

[orangr85]

Hey guys.

I know there is a thread similar to the "what are my chances" one and such - Sorry for that. I'm just wondering if there are students out there who have gotten accepted, and are attending medical school that applied with a ug. 2.9-3.05 ish gpa? I know this is on the far low side as far as a science gpa goes, but i'm just wondering if it happens. I'm waiting on aacomas to finish up my gpa calc, and am pretty sure i'll end up in this range. has anyone had luck with such a gpa previously?

thanks. 👍

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[premedmind]

It's rare/unlikely as far as I know. There is no other way to truly know other than to apply.

 

[noonday]

It's rare/unlikely as far as I know. There is no other way to truly know other than to apply.

untrue.

while i got a fair # of outright rejections (and when i called, they said b/c i didn't have a 3.0 minimum) i still got into one MD school (and would have been more, but i aimed too high) and a bunch of DO.

if you totally rock in every other way, it happens.

 

[orangr85]

it's always good to hear from ppl who've been here and beat the odds.

i had sent a detailed message asking about gpa cut offs and such to a few schools this past week and saw that ccom just replied to me. Their adcom advisor told me that the gpa is low but i look okay otherwise and should apply....so i guess there's at least one place i may have a shot! 👍

 

[Faze2]

untrue.

while i got a fair # of outright rejections (and when i called, they said b/c i didn't have a 3.0 minimum) i still got into one MD school (and would have been more, but i aimed too high) and a bunch of DO.

if you totally rock in every other way, it happens.

Well done. Good choice on the Henry Rollins avatar. What schools did you get accepted to? If you don't mind me asking.

 

[pamolive]

I'm in the same boat. I'm doing PCOM's post bac program to try and improve my chances. I've definitely heard of it happening. Just do whatever you can to prove that you're worthy, and with time you'll definitely get in somewhere.

 

[Bacchus]

I'm in the same boat. I'm doing PCOM's post bac program to try and improve my chances. I've definitely heard of it happening. Just do whatever you can to prove that you're worthy, and with time you'll definitely get in somewhere.

I know someone doing that same program right now. Biomedical sciences, right?

 

[Meatwad]

untrue.

while i got a fair # of outright rejections (and when i called, they said b/c i didn't have a 3.0 minimum) i still got into one MD school (and would have been more, but i aimed too high) and a bunch of DO.

if you totally rock in every other way, it happens.

You cure cancer or something?

 

[Lamont]

its not impossible, but its tough. apply very broadly (all of them for instance), understand your situation, be realistic, and do what you can. apply early, get all your secondaries in quickly, and pray. i had a 3.2/3.3/22Q. the MCAT is looow, and my gpa wasnt much higher than yours. i also had a fantastic resume. it can be done so dont give up hope, just have a backup plan in place.

good luck man.

 

[Meatwad]

Very interesting. I suppose DO schools truly do act in a more forgiving nature towards students' past and look at the whole picture.

 

[EEL08]

its not impossible, but its tough. apply very broadly (all of them for instance), understand your situation, be realistic, and do what you can. apply early, get all your secondaries in quickly, and pray. i had a 3.2/3.3/22Q. the MCAT is looow, and my gpa wasnt much higher than yours. i also had a fantastic resume. it can be done so dont give up hope, just have a backup plan in place.

good luck man.

I have roughly the same stats. Would you mind sharing what some of your ec's, etc. were? I might not be able, or decide to, take the September MCAT and instead wait for January but I feel like I've got pretty good ec's.

 

[Meatwad]

I have roughly the same stats. Would you mind sharing what some of your ec's, etc. were? I might not be able, or decide to, take the September MCAT and instead wait for January but I feel like I've got pretty good ec's.

So you submitted your app with no MCAT score yet?

 

[EEL08]

So you submitted your app with no MCAT score yet?

Yes, is that bad for some reason? I've already had it released to AACOMAS.

 

[MaximusD]

Yes, is that bad for some reason? I've already had it released to AACOMAS.

🙁 That was not wise unless your practice scores were stellar.

With a 2.99, you might be wasting your money with an MCAT <24. Not only that, but it's best to only let schools see you at your strongest point... a 2.99/23 MCAT isn't the best thing to show them...

Best of luck, however. Please understand that much of the application process has nothing to do with your ability to become a physician. Instead, think of it as a sales pitch with you as the product...

 

[EEL08]

🙁 That was not wise unless your practice scores were stellar.

With a 2.99, you might be wasting your money with an MCAT <24. Not only that, but it's best to only let schools see you at your strongest point... a 2.99/23 MCAT isn't the best thing to show them...

Best of luck, however. Please understand that much of the application process has nothing to do with your ability to become a physician. Instead, think of it as a sales pitch with you as the product...

I was saying I have roughly the same stats as Lamont. My sgpa should be around 3.4 something and and overall around 3.2 something. My grad gpa is about a 3.6. Although I know the 22 on the MCAT still does not bode well for me.

 

[MaximusD]

I was saying I have roughly the same stats as Lamont. My sgpa should be around 3.4 something and and overall around 3.2 something. My grad gpa is about a 3.6. Although I know the 22 on the MCAT still does not bode well for me.

I must have misunderstood something... you should be OK if you apply broadly and interview well.

 

[EEL08]

I must have misunderstood something... you should be OK if you apply broadly and interview well.

It's okay, this is the 2.99 gpa thread, I was just going off what Lamont was saying. I know with my MCAT score I'm not a strong candidate numbers wise but I really do think I have good experiences. I posted it all over in the what are my chances? thread but I haven't had any feedback yet. I'm still torn between trying to take the MCAT again in September or waiting until January. The DO I'm volunteering with, actually a graduate of PCOM, thinks I should give myself more time and wait until January. I'm just hoping most schools will take that as an update to my app and not reject me too early based on my numbers. My husband and I have applied to 14 schools so hopefully that is considered broadly.

 

[Meatwad]

Uhh, unless you have an amazing GPA and amazing ECs, I wouldn't suggest waiting till January.... way too late. Take it ASAP.

 

[EEL08]

Uhh, unless you have an amazing GPA and amazing ECs, I wouldn't suggest waiting till January.... way too late. Take it ASAP.

Well my GPA is not amazing. You can look over in the what are my chances thread to see what my ec's are. I just worry that my score won't be much better. I'm not going to study for verbal and I could use some tips on how to better study for the sciences. The last time I mainly read the Kaplan books but didn't focus enough on doing problems. I do have the Examkrackers 1001 books. Should I go through those?

 

[DOEYEGUY]

I had a 2.97 when all was said and done. I got a 2.1 my first year of college and averaged a 3.4 my last 3 years. I did have a 32 MCAT though. I know I got my interviews based on my MCAT score and all I did was explain to the interviewers how i screwed up my first year of undergrad. One of the nice things about Osteopathic programs is that they are more willing to look beyond your raw numbers.

Don't give up hope. Make sure when you interview you have a solid explanation for your lower scores and that you appear confident.

 

[BrianD]

Yes, is that bad for some reason? I've already had it released to AACOMAS.

I took the gamble and came out with an OK score. I was willing to take the chance for the advantage of getting the app in early.

 

[EEL08]

I took the gamble and came out with an OK score. I was willing to take the chance for the advantage of getting the app in early.

That's what I was trying to do. Of course I know this isn't super early but I wouldn't call it late either. The only thing is that it's been almost two weeks since I sent the money order and they haven't processed it yet. If I realized it would take that long I would have sent it two weeks before submitting.

 

[BrianD]

That's what I was trying to do. Of course I know this isn't super early but I wouldn't call it late either. The only thing is that it's been almost two weeks since I sent the money order and they haven't processed it yet. If I realized it would take that long I would have sent it two weeks before submitting.

They are a little slow in processing mail. When I last got an email back from them asking about my transcript update status on the 9th, they were still processing mail from the 3rd of August.

 

[orangr85]

i HAVE heard of some people getting in with 2.99ish gpa's, but usually they have a superb MCAT to counter that, which i don't have ...
i started this thread to see if there were any others out there like myself, and i guess there are!!

I'm still unsure of wether my gpa will bein the 2.9 range, or as high as the 3.1 range - it all depends on what classes aacomas counts as "science" , as i am unsure of a few of them. I got a 24 S on my first MCAT ( 10vr, 7ps, 7bs ), but am retaking it in a few weeks ( hopefully for an upper 20's or low 30's score ) and i have a stellar resume loaded up with the usual research, volunteer work, shadowing, extracurrics, jobs, hurricane relief, field work here and abroad, and great lor's, etc etc...
even then the chances don't seem great - , so i just hope to see a few interviews if i apply very broadly!! i'm counting on my grad program at the u of c this fall to show continued dedication to ADCOMS...after speaking to a few schools most have urged me to apply anyways...
it's disheartening bc other pre-meds are harsh when they hear the words "2.9", but i think adcoms tend to be more understanding...

i guess well never know till we apply..best of luck to everyone in this boat. 👍👍

 

[orangr85]

oh and one more thing..
as i was browsing through the threads i saw the lmu-dcom thread started by doctormom78 a bit further down - it shows the stats of the starting class there..
if u look at mean gpa's and MCAT's, they all run in the 3.1-3.2 sci gpa and 24 MCAT range....if this is the "mean" gpa at that school, and there are students currently attending there with similar gpa's and MCAT's. touro-CA also has similar stats available for their current class - If these are the "means", then someone applying with a 2.9-3.0ish gpa and 23+ MCAT wouldnt necessarily be an incredible outlier from the mean...so it's not always as bad as it seems.

 

[MossPoh]

oh and one more thing..
as i was browsing through the threads i saw the lmu-dcom thread started by doctormom78 a bit further down - it shows the stats of the starting class there..
if u look at mean gpa's and MCAT's, they all run in the 3.1-3.2 sci gpa and 24 MCAT range....if this is the "mean" gpa at that school, and there are students currently attending there with similar gpa's and MCAT's. touro-CA also has similar stats available for their current class - If these are the "means", then someone applying with a 2.9-3.0ish gpa and 23+ MCAT wouldnt necessarily be an incredible outlier from the mean...so it's not always as bad as it seems.

Yea. It is the mean, but you can also guess that it'll increase a tidbit next year. It'll probably take 3 or 4 years to reach full speed though.

 

[orangr85]

i agree...
but i also hear that many osteopathic schools are increasing their seats this year as well, so that should help. I've heard from the staff at CCOM they are planning to add at least 25 more spots in their class....i duno about anywhere else.

 

[MaximusD]

let's hope PCOM doesn't... 270 is enough... and that means a lot coming from a former Penn Stater.

 

[worldhealer]

I once went to Yale Medical School for a special open house program they had arranged for a club at my school. When asked about whether students below a certain GPA should not even attempt to apply, the Dean gave the extreme example of one student that was currently attending Yale Medical School who was accepted with a 2.8 GPA. He said the student had done extraordinary outside activities; though I don't remember exactly what, it was something along the lines of starting a health-related project to reach out and help his community. I say, if you truly want to pursue medicine and dedicate your life to it, don't give up.

 

[jonb12997]

3.05 GPA when applying, 24M MCAT, excellent EC's with GREAT letters, applied early in the season (complete with letters to schools by beginning of Sept) = 5 interviews, 2 acceptences, 1 current 3rd year at UNECOM!

 

[orangr85]

awesome jonb! the stats and timing are almost identical to mine. makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.!

 

[gasapple]

3.05 GPA when applying, 24M MCAT, excellent EC's with GREAT letters, applied early in the season (complete with letters to schools by beginning of Sept) = 5 interviews, 2 acceptences, 1 current 3rd year at UNECOM!

That is great! 👍 Where did you hail from originally (residency) when you applied to UNECOM, I'm curious...

 

[MossPoh]

let's hope PCOM doesn't... 270 is enough... and that means a lot coming from a former Penn Stater.

Hmm. Outside of a few freshman courses, I rarely had courses over 25 people. I wasn't a science major, so perhaps that is why.

Increasing class size is kind of stupid in my opinion. That was originally one of the reasons MDs frowned upon osteopathic back in the day. (They didn't have quite the resources to support that number) 270 is a TON for a medical school. That is essentially my high school class size. While my goal isn't to become friends with everyone, I don't want to see someone 2 years in and wonder who it is. You can only increase seats so much before you degrade educational quality. Just because one can fit an extra 30 chairs in a room does not mean they need to go in there.

 

[mrjbb]

If you apply and get rejected from all of your US med school choices then a Carrib med school wouldn't sound bad. It depends though, how bad you want to be a doc.!! 😉

 

[orangr85]

yeah, carrib's arent so bad - but for most people, especially myself, after 4 years of undergrad, research, volunteer work , shadowing, cramming for the MCAT, and more, i dont' see a point in going to the carrib when so many carrib schools will accept students without an MCAT or even 3.0 gpa, and only after 2 years of college... ( schools like MUA, AUA, etc ). for the "harder" carrib schools like ross or st.georges it's a different story i guess.

in the end, i'm only 22. A year here and there isn't going to bother me when i'm a doctor..I'd rather stick it out and try to be an american grad.

 

[Meatwad]

Hmm. Outside of a few freshman courses, I rarely had courses over 25 people. I wasn't a science major, so perhaps that is why.

Biggest class I've ever had in undergrad has been 800 people in cell biology.

 

[Empi]

I know a pediatrician who got into an allopathic school with a 2. something.

I think she rocked out her mcats.

 

[StringerBell]

I know a pediatrician who got into an allopathic school with a 2. something.
I think she rocked out her mcats.

Me:
2.9 uGPA (2.5 Science.)
WHOA.

3.9 gGPA (3.9 Science)

34R MCAT

Got 3 D.O. interviews and waitlisted (eventually accepted) at each of those 3 schools.

Currently an OMS-I at Western. 🙂

It can be done. You just have to want it badly enough.