Accepted with a sub 3.0 GPA?????

[DoubleOSeven]

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Did anyone out there get accepted to DO school with a sub 3.0 undergrad GPA???

 

[cookypuss3]

Mine was 3.2... big whoop... I definitely think it's possible to get accepted to a DO school with a GPA <3.0... it's all about who you know... work your contacts and anything is possible..

 

[andrea]

I would suggest that you would need a fairly stellar MCAT to counterbalance the low GPA. And your extracurriculars would need to be average or above average. At KCOM, our ave GPA is 3.4 and MCAT 27. Hope that helps.

 

[melancholy]

2.97 here in undergrad. Grades aren't everything, but you have to show you can handle the coursework. Having a decent MCAT does help boost your academic credentials. I think once you get past the numbers game, those other aspects of your "resume" not number-related will make a big influence on whether you are accepted or not.

 

[daveyboy]

If you have a good upward grade trend and good MCAT you will get in somewehere, MD or DO. I know a couple people with ~2.98 that got into a Texas MD program a few years ago on the first try. If you have that GPA with the AACOMAS formula you may need to try a few times. Also keep in mind the effect of the economy on competetiveness of seats, i.e. recession = more applicants.

 

[phar]

ever heard of student accepted to medical school with 2.4gpa. No? well you just heard.

GPA is just ONE of the factors in determining acceptance to medical school.

 

[DoubleOSeven]

thanx for the feedback guys! for those of you wtih a sub 3.0 gpa, did you addrress this in your personal statement? if so, how?

 

[melancholy]

Hi there,
I think when I wrote my personal statement, I MAY have briefly mentioned my lower grades, but I did not want to detract from other personal strengths I wanted to talk about and I felt a more succinct personal statement would be a better read for the admissions committees. Also, my grades did improve quite a bit my last year in college so I felt if they were truly curious about my slightly subpar GPA, they could check my transcript and see the work I did to improve my GPA. Hopefully the transcript did the talking.

 

[DC2DO]

Wow, I'm really surprised.. that gives me some hope 🙂


What's the lowest MCAT scores and still getting accepted?

(Obviously, you wouldn't want to have BOTH low gpa and mcat, just wondering).

 

[lindajane]

Here is the thing about GPAs and MCAT scores: you can ask people about their numbers and their stories until you are BLUE in the face, but that is all they will EVER be--THEIR stories. You just never know when it comes to your personal situation. There are always going to be people who defy the norms on both ends of the spectrum. There IS no "formula." You just have to put your applications out there when you feel most ready and see what happens. I know of just as many people who had fabulous numbers and credentials who didn't get in anywhere as I know of complete *****s with no social skills and average numbers who got acceptances. What goes on behind the doors of admissions offices is one of the world's great mysteries, in my opinion!

Spend less time worrying about what everyone else is doing, and more time studying and making yourself an outstanding applicant, and you will do fine.

Best of luck!

 

[melancholy]

Wonderful advice! Everything is relative and personal based on each individual applicant. Use what you have to make yourself the best applicant possible to admissions committee. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, but sometimes how you present yourself can influence adcom decisions.

Oh yeah... and remember that once you're in med school, everyone starts off even. =)

 

[Careofme]

.......I think it also matters WHERE you went.......

i.e. community college or private university, etc.

Good luck with the appz.

care

 

[melancholy]

I think the undergrad where you attended can definitely have a factor, but consideration for your undergrad can vary WIDELY depending on what medical school you are applying to. Some schools don't really make a distinction in your GPA whether you went to a state college, private U, Ivy, or whatever so it is still important to try and get a high enough GPA to make initial "cutoffs" in the application process. (This can actually put you at a disadvantage if you went to a significantly more competitive school compared to someone who had a much easier time in school, but adcoms do look past the "numbers" once it gets down to interviewing I think.) I do feel that osteopathic schools might not be as strict with these cutoffs for various reasons.

 

[Plinko]

lindajane is right on the money in my opinion. Addcoms are littered with the most unpredictable groups of people there are. Unless you are truly immune to their whims--i.e. if you go to MIT which has a 100% acceptance rate to medical school--all you can do is throw your hat in the ring and hope for the best. When I applied to med school I was a Texas resident applying mostly to in state schools with a 32T MCAT and a 3.4 GPA from UT-Austin and graduate work from Columbia Univ in NYC and only got interviews at UTSA, TTech, and TCOM. I was accepted at TCOM and Tulane--not sure about TTech because the application process in TX doesn't inform you of your acceptances beyond your first choice--and rejected pre-interview at about ten other schools. I had my travel plans to pretty much all the schools in Texas, save for Baylor and UTSW, all lined up when I heard of friends getting in to those schools with substantially lower numbers than myself. I didn't even get invites to interview at those schools. Even Nostradomus couldn't predict what will happen with any given applicant in any given application year. I'm happy where I ended up, so I can't complain. But I sure feel foolish about the countless hours I spent trying to predict how the system was going to treat me. If you truly want to know the heterogeneity of matriculants' numbers, go to the schools' websites and take a peek. A lot of schools offer that info. UTSW, a top twenty school, the year I appllied, had a MCAT range of 42-21. If the person with the 21 chose to adhere to the law of averages they would have been making the biggest mistake of their life. It goes to show that you never know unless you apply.

 

[Wo1verine7DO]

I know a guy who is a MS2 at University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor who had a 2.5 Undergrad at Notre Dame Engineering, but he got a 38 on his MCAT and was an EMT for a year off. So its possible with a really low GPA.

 

[Nater44]

All of you are incredibly helpful and really give us applicants a true look at what the admissions process is all about. This forum has really helped guide me through this mind bending process. Thanks 😀

 

[DoubleOSeven]

Thanx for all the input guys! You've all been super helpful!

 

[OnMyWayThere]

What do you mean " it's all in who you know"? I know many doctors who would bend over backwards for me that graduated from schools that I'd consider. One is a friend of the Dean at one school. I can't seem to figure out what he can possibly do though... there is a admission process that EVERYONE goes through. Let me know...

Thanks,
J

 

[Idiopathic]

Originally posted by phar
ever heard of student accepted to medical school with 2.4gpa. No? well you just heard.

GPA is just ONE of the factors in determining acceptance to medical school.

Must have been the 'determination', eh Phar? But dont forget, that 2.4 was @ Harvard🙂 where 90% are either A's or B's

 

[Idiopathic]

Not to be crass, but...

Schools have a certain number of spots that they can allocate to students that do not meet ANY admission requirements (save basic science prerequisites). If you have extenuating circumstances (ridiculous financial burden, are native american, small town school), you can be considered cceptable with a 2.5 GPA and 18 MCAT. Otherwise, I would expect that with a <3.00 GPA, you would need 9's at least on the MCAT.

 

[stomper627]

Ever consider a Post-Bac Program? These will give you an opportunity to let a school see that you can do the work. You were just lacking in one of the criteria they want.
Worked for me here at LECOM. They gave me an opportunity to show them what I could do in person under their professors....not what I looked like on paper with unknown professors or courses.
stomper
MSIII