Doubtful

With a 3.1 thus far and a 3.3 expected from here on out?

Sorry, but probably not. Your pre-req average looks pretty dismal -- you're highest grade is an A- in biology =(

Nice MCAT though. And 2yrs of research is solid.

 

hmmm..........maybe you should aim for a 4.0 from here on out yeah?

 

Yeah, but that's still not good enough..

 

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Friend connection: my friend applied in a recent cycle and had around the same GPA as you. The only difference is that she scored a 40 on her MCATS and has already gotten two acceptances. I hope this makes you feel somewhat better.

Edit: Sorry. Six points is a lot. If you nudge it up there to a 3.3-3.4 I'm sure you'll get in somewhere if you apply widely and broadly. Try applying to DO schools perhaps as safeties?

 

Excuse me, this ranking system sounds terrible. Mind telling me which college this is?

 

I see an upward trend in every single subject area. My personal opinion is that you have a shot of getting into somewhere as long as you apply broadly. But I also tend to be more optimistic then most people on this site. By the way, could you take basic Math courses to raise your BCPM? Like: Intro to Stats or Mathematical Logic. I personally really liked Genetics but our grading system is nowhere as ridiculous as yours.

I definitely sympathize though even though I would not bring up the issue in an interview. With solid LORs from doctors you've shadowed and a good interview, I don't see why not. Then again HeatherMD appears to be more on top of her game than I am as far as Medical Applications are going.

Stick in there. I have faith in how you're doing.

 

I know you have the ability to get a 4.0 this year. You just have to be clutch and do your best. I think you can possibly end up with a 3.3 or even a 3.4 which will (with you EC) definitely give you a chance at MD school. I know this may sound cheesy but this is your moment and you need to take it.

 

Where do you go that it's NOT like that?

My university sets the average at a B-, and most classes score an average of 65, making the distribution the same as the OP's. Getting an A is the top 20% of the class (top 7% receives A+, top 13% after them get an A).

It's not a terrible ranking system, it's quite normal.

 

OP, I'm a junior and planning on applying by the end of my senior year as well. You gotta buckle down and study and find a way to get those A's. My school is similar, and I was in a similar situation two quarters ago by never quite being able to get that 4.0 in any class I took. What are your study habits; do you take advantage of office hours? I think you need to set your mindset and first believe that you CAN get an A instead of only settling for 3.3. Your MCAT is great. If I can get an A in a class, you definitely can. 34 shows that. Just believe in yourself.

 

Can you change schools now so you don't have to do so much damage control?

 

Unfortunately, I think that's how grading works at most schools. That's how it is at my school anyway...

I'm confused. Why would you stop your ECs and research when starting this new program?

 

yeah a C+ is usually the average at my school too. sometimes professors are nice and make it B-.

to the OP: do not be doubtful. no one can believe in you if you can't believe in yourself. and you will never make it if you have doubts. work hard focus on your goal and your future classes. do not focus on your past grades you cannot change them now. just do the best you can and believe that you can make it. good luck

 

Top 20 and top 20% are two very big differences when you go to a large state school where classes are like filled with 350 students. Rochester is a private school so perhaps Top 20 may correlate with top 20% since the classes should be a lot smaller.

 

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I disagree with HeatherMD. I think adcomms will notice the discrepancy between your MCAT scores and GPA, and give you the benefit of doubt in terms of how difficult the classes were. Sure your gpa is not too strong, but if you can get a 3.3 cumulative with a 34 MCAT. You have a very good chance at lower/middle tier medical schools. Hopefully you have an upward trend though in those science classes....And with your EC's.. you could get an acceptance or two. Take as many science classes as u can, and get that GPA up with straight A's from now on. If all else fails, you could always do an SMP.

 

He said Top 20 scores which usually lie between 90-100. This means the twenty best students....This is quite different from top 20% which would incorporate a greater number of people in the range to get an A. It would only be the same if the class had 100 students exactly. The OP mentioned that the classes have 300 or so students in the class, which means that approximately 7% of the class receives A's. Thats terrible....but if it helps, medical schools do look at difficulty of undergrad and take it into consideration.