an orthopedic surgeon I just shadowed got into MD with 3.2 gpa

[gatorade848]

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he dropped out of college too freshmen year and went somewhere else. Since I have only a slightly higher gpa than he had I was encouraged and asked how did he get in MD, he told me:

His father used to be med school dean's pastor, dean of admission was family friend, and the admission coordinator had a huge crush on his grandpa.



he then elaborated that he only found out after getting in and these facts had no effect on his acceptance...

 

[PressPforPi]

he dropped out of college too freshmen year and went somewhere else. Since I have only a slightly higher gpa than he had I was encouraged and asked how did he get in MD, he told me:

His father used to be med school dean's pastor, dean of admission was family friend, and the admission coordinator had a huge crush on his grandpa.



he then elaborated that he only found out after getting in and these facts had no effect on his acceptance...

Nice use of emoticons.

On another note, maybe he had something going for him that made the adcoms fall in love with him?

 

[apumic]

he dropped out of college too freshmen year and went somewhere else. Since I have only a slightly higher gpa than he had I was encouraged and asked how did he get in MD, he told me:

His father used to be med school dean's pastor, dean of admission was family friend, and the admission coordinator had a huge crush on his grandpa.



he then elaborated that he only found out after getting in and these facts had no effect on his acceptance...

 

[slatermd]

inb4coolstorysibling

People also hit the powerball, bro.

Mediocre GPAs have no problem getting accepted when they are balanced by stellar activities and a solid MCAT. Apply early and NOT top heavy. Don't bother with out-of-state schools that matriculate 8 non residents from 900 apps.

In Soviet Russia 3.3 GPA is not problem for you.

EDIT: apumic may be faster than me, but i herd he smellz

 

[apumic]

inb4coolstorysibling

People also hit the powerball, bro.

Mediocre GPAs have no problem getting accepted when they are balanced by stellar activities and a solid MCAT. Apply early and NOT top heavy. Don't bother with out-of-state schools that matriculate 8 non residents from 900 apps.

In Soviet Russia 3.3 GPA is not problem for you.

EDIT: apumic may be faster than me, but i herd he smellz

You would too if you got off your butt and summited a 15'er with me! Hard to work up a sweat sitting in front of the keyboard!

 

[Frazier]

In other news, the mean stats for accepted students go up with time.

A 3.2 GPA was prob more acceptable a decade ago than it is now.

 

[young2sj]

In other news, the mean stats for accepted students go up with time.

A 3.2 GPA was prob more acceptable a decade ago than it is now.

i was thinking the same thing.

but its crazy how NONE of those connections had any effect..

 

[IHeartNerds]

Was he older? Admissions weren't very competitive in the 1970s-80s, at least to my understanding.

Also, people still get into US medical schools with a 3.2 GPA now.

 

[Cleavername]

In other news, the mean stats for accepted students go up with time.

A 3.2 GPA was prob more acceptable a decade ago than it is now.

i wouldn't even be surprised if that was close to average at that time seeing average gpa of matriculants go up every year.

 

[gatorade848]

Was he older? Admissions weren't very competitive in the 1970s-80s, at least to my understanding.

Also, people still get into US medical schools with a 3.2 GPA now.

hes in his 50s and I think he got in med school around 78

 

[Margra]

<-- 3.2 uGPA matriculating next year (but much better graduate school grades)

 

[theWUbear]

i'm applying next month with a 2.9. come at me bro

 

[phltz]

I've got a ~3.2 cGPA, and I'll be matriculating in the fall at a great school. It's not super common, but it absolutely happens.

 

[gravitywave]

the average accepted GPA here was 3.3 only a little less than ten years ago, so..... brool stry co?

 

[gatorade848]

why/how did the average increase? more competitive ppl started to apply med school or did courses get easier

 

[apumic]

In other news, the mean stats for accepted students go up with time.

A 3.2 GPA was prob more acceptable a decade ago than it is now.

Maybe but when my dad was applying to med school back in the late 70s, you needed around a 3.7/30 to be competitive (pretty much like it is now).

i was thinking the same thing.

but its crazy how NONE of those connections had any effect..

My suspicion is that they DID have an effect w/o him being aware of it.

 

[gravitywave]

why/how did the average increase? more competitive ppl started to apply med school or did courses get easier

both. grade inflation in particular has been well documented almost everywhere in higher education over the last few decades.

 

[0919mmk]

i'm applying next month with a 2.9. come at me bro

I'm curious abt your strategy. I've got low gpa, hoping for good MCAT is pretty much my strategy. You applying DO? Awesome MCAT?

 

[MediCynical]

<-- 3.2 uGPA matriculating next year (but much better graduate school grades)

this

 

[theWUbear]

I'm curious abt your strategy. I've got low gpa, hoping for good MCAT is pretty much my strategy. You applying DO? Awesome MCAT?

3 post back semesters, 1 SMP semester, lots of research, solid MCAT

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=786735

 

[courtnes]

3 post back semesters, 1 SMP semester, lots of research, solid MCAT

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=786735

WU, you hit the nail on the head. Very similar situation for me, got lucky on apps this year so I managed to avoid SMP though I did more time as a post-bac. If you've gotten yourself in a hole, all you can do is put in the work to try to mitigate it. Solid MCAT = crucial for nontrad low GPA.

Also, OP: med school is clean slate. The people that shock you by getting into med school with low GPAs may very well clean the floor with you there if you keep focusing on what you perceive to be their lack of effort and not on keeping up your own efforts. The orthopod you shadowed must have done well in med school to get where he did, despite his undergrad record.

 

[WeAreNotRobots]

i was thinking the same thing.

but its crazy how NONE of those connections had any effect..

Yeah let's think about this one...did he go to a school where he DID have those connections or a school where he DID NOT? Get that answered and you have the truth.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

You would too if you got off your butt and summited a 15'er with me! Hard to work up a sweat sitting in front of the keyboard!

I'm still trying to figure out if this refers to a mountain or to a SOS who is matriculating this fall 🙂 Some people like climbing on top of both kinds and working up a sweat.

 

[Longshanks]

why/how did the average increase? more competitive ppl started to apply med school or did courses get easier

Grade inflation.

A few months ago someone linked up a research article from some education journal demonstrating that grade inflation has been rampant across the nation, in all undergraduate universities, but the rate of inflation is significantly higher in private universities than it is at state universities.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

i got in with a 2.1 GPA. umad?

 

[Longshanks]

i got in with a 2.1 GPA. umad?

 

[Kaustikos]

i got in with a 2.1 GPA. umad?

1.2 over here. wut wut? But then I got, like, a 96 on my MCAT 👍 And I cured cancer, freed the slaves by helping Abraham Lincoln, killed Hitler, defeated Bowser and won at Sim City.

umad?

 

[mtbtx]

Moral: start hitting on the deans

 

[theWUbear]

1.2 over here. wut wut? But then I got, like, a 96 on my MCAT 👍 And I cured cancer, freed the slaves by helping Abraham Lincoln, killed Hitler, defeated Bowser and won at Sim City.

umad?

 

[MacVA]

Maybe but when my dad was applying to med school back in the late 70s, you needed around a 3.7/30 to be competitive (pretty much like it is now).

Agreed. There were also less seats available, my dad also told me average gpa out of college were floating in the 2.x range.

But he said connections would actually get you into medical school back then...

 

[Longshanks]

Maybe but when my dad was applying to med school back in the late 70s, you needed around a 3.7/30 to be competitive (pretty much like it is now).

Calling BS on this story. Another old man story telling revisionist history of "back in my day". The MCAT was on a completely different score scale in the 70s, and it's well known that during the late 60s-70s that in response to the projected physician shortage by the 80s that medical schools doubled their enrollment and admissions were no where near as competitive as now. And while enrollment was increasing, there was a decrease in applicants due to the draft and other societal factors at the time, which only evened out more towards the late 70s due to the increase of women applicants.

 

[MostWanted78]

I've got a ~3.2 cGPA, and I'll be matriculating in the fall at a great school. It's not super common, but it absolutely happens.

If you don't mind me asking, where did you get in, and with what mcat score?

 

[SFGuy2011]

I got in with a 3.33 cumulative GPA and a 31 MCAT - nothing spectacular. If you have a low GPA then you better have a strong upward trend or a solid Post-bacc. I had the latter, and things worked out alright.

It's definitely possible, but not everyone that gets into medical school has a 38 and a 3.96. Why would anyone be so shocked that someone got in with a 3.2 unless they read their entire application?

 

[byurazorhog]

I got in with a 3.33 cumulative GPA and a 31 MCAT - nothing spectacular. If you have a low GPA then you better have a strong upward trend or a solid Post-bacc. I had the latter, and things worked out alright.

It's definitely possible, but not everyone that gets into medical school has a 38 and a 3.96. Why would anyone be so shocked that someone got in with a 3.2 unless they read their entire application?

Based on the color of your signature, I take it that you have decided to go to Duke? Congrats!

 

[nabeel76]

i was thinking the same thing.

but its crazy how NONE of those connections had any effect..

Yeah I was thinking the same, if the applicants family was indeed that close to the medical school admissions committee I am sure they recognized his application when it came in, and so even though he may not have realized that it helped him it very well could have.

 

[phltz]

If you don't mind me asking, where did you get in, and with what mcat score?

I'll probably go to Michigan, although I might still go to Penn if I come off of the waitlist. 42R.

 

[getdown]

It's part of the game and part of life. Learn it. Love it.

 

[movax]

I'll probably go to Michigan, although I might still go to Penn if I come off of the waitlist. 42R.

Mind if I PM you? Applying this cycle with similar stats to yours, looking at UMich in particular (in-state).

 

[SouthParkMD]

Hey phltz, and other people who have low gpas. My GPA right now is pretty awful, but its encouraging to see people get into med school with low gpas. Would you mind if I PMd you to get advice and share my situation?

 

[phltz]

Yeah, you can PM me, although I won't promise a prompt reply.

 

[Kaustikos]

Honestly, if you have a low gpa - an SMP is what you need to look into. 👍

 

[rhcarolina]

Hey phltz, and other people who have low gpas. My GPA right now is pretty awful, but its encouraging to see people get into med school with low gpas. Would you mind if I PMd you to get advice and share my situation?

I was able to get into med school with a low GPA, but also a strong upward, lots of ECs and research--my MDApps sums up my experience this application cycle. I'd be happy to help you

 

[mjscal]

Apumic is correct. Average accepted gpa in the late 70's for medical school was somewhere around 3.5. In 1979 the average accepted gpa for the Texas schools was 3.59. Given that there has been considerable grade inflation over the last 30+ years it is actually easier to get in now. If we assume the average grade inflation is the reported .14 per decade a 3.2 from the late 70's would be around 3.6 today. Not many students with a 3.2 in the 70's were getting into medical school.

 

[MSRM]

like mentioned above, think the time period makes a huge difference. although not completely related, i know many doctors who had less than stellar grades and activities from mediocre colleges that got into great residencies several decades ago.