GPA 3.82 BCPM 3.81 MCAT 29 ... am i screwed?

[dtepper]

Do I have a chance to get into Jefferson(<<<1st Choice), or any medical school (MD) in Philadelphia?
NJ Resident

Pharmacy/Biology Double Major
GPA 3.82
BCPM 3.81
MCAT 29P

Extracurriculars/Awards:

Tutor for elementary school student (This was during high school, Should I include it in my application?)
NYLF-Med member/ Winner of Public Health Symposium (This was also during high school, should I include it in my application?)
Founding Physics club Vice-President for 1.5 years (so far)
Pharmacy Cashier (but i did most of the work of the technicians)
Volunteer at HUP(Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania): 106 Hours over 2 Semesters (53 Hours Transportation services/53 Hours Pre-op Ambulatory Procedures Unit)
Shadowed DO Family Physician for ~30 hours

Future extracurriculars:

Pharmacy Cashier/Tech for different job
Possible continued volunteering at HUP


I was curious if I have any chances getting into Jefferson because I really like their school. Also, what is Jefferson's mcat screening cutoff for primaries?

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[chad5871]

What is your score breakdown? If one section is really low, that could hinder your chances. But if it's a balanced 29, you should get in somewhere. Just make sure to apply early and broadly. And you should have a good chance at getting into one school in Philadelphia (Drexel, Temple, or Jefferson).

 

[Soarin]

Yes, you've a good chance if you have atleast an 8 in each section. Jefferson has a minimum cutoff for an 8 in each section.

 

[abcabc1]

You might get interviews from Drexel and or Jeff. I believe Temple prefers PA residents quite strongly, so that might be unlikely. You won't get an invite from Penn, since they have such competitive standards (MCAT average around 35).

Jeff's website said it's average was 3.7 and 31.1, so you're in the running. If you get an interview, you should have a reasonable chance if you explain to the school that they are your first choice.

You have a chance. Maybe you could try to make an appointment with someone in the Admissions Office if those are granted and talk about your situation. Jeff has Early Decision; maybe you could inquire about that and apply if you're eligible. The requirements for that are usually very tough, but it's worth looking into.

 

[whitestripes]

What I don't understand is how you ended up with a 29 on your MCAT and a 3.82 GPA. Easy school? Grade inflation?

 

[scarletgirl777]

What I don't understand is how you ended up with a 29 on your MCAT and a 3.82 GPA. Easy school? Grade inflation?

Some people are just not great testtakers, or are not great with 5 hour exams It's not a skill you use often in life. Whenever I didn't include the writing section, my practice scores always went up at least 3 points, sometimes a lot more, just because I didn't have to waste that extra hour.

 

[dtepper]

What I don't understand is how you ended up with a 29 on your MCAT and a 3.82 GPA. Easy school? Grade inflation?

People like you are part of the reason I don't like standardized tests. Instead of thinking I had one bad day, you jump to think I didn't deserve the gpa I earned over the course of 3 years.

 

[nogolfinsnow]

Do I have a chance to get into Jefferson(<<<1st Choice), or any medical school (MD) in Philadelphia?
NJ Resident

Pharmacy/Biology Double Major
GPA 3.82
BCPM 3.81
MCAT 29O

Extracurriculars/Awards:

Tutor for elementary school student (This was during high school, Should I include it in my application?)
NYLF-Med member/ Winner of Public Health Symposium (This was also during high school, should I include it in my application?)
Founding Physics club Vice-President for 1.5 years (so far)
Pharmacy Cashier (but i did most of the work of the technicians)
Volunteer at HUP(Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania): 106 Hours over 2 Semesters (53 Hours Transportation services/53 Hours Pre-op Ambulatory Procedures Unit)
Shadowed DO Family Physician for ~30 hours

Future extracurriculars:

Pharmacy Cashier/Tech for different job
Possible continued volunteering at HUP


I was curious if I have any chances getting into Jefferson because I really like their school. Also, what is Jefferson's mcat screening cutoff for primaries?

I'm not sure with the specifics of the PA schools, but the advice for you is similar to advice I'd give to someone with the opposite issue. While your high GPA will probably help offset your lowish MCAT, it won't make up for it completely. Thus you can't go around applying to every school where the avg matriculant GPA is 3.7-3.8 because you might get passed over if the avg MCAT is 32-35. Also, don't apply only to two schools. You might get in, but those schools get lots of apps and it comes down to a little bit of luck. Look through your MSAR for instate or private OOS where the avg matriculant MCAT is in your range. This is the best way to give yourself a good shot. Being unbalanced sucks, I was 2 cycles ago (high MCAT low GPA) and applied in totally the wrong fashion. Fortunately I got in, but I wasted a lot of $$ on 2ndary apps at schools I really had no business applying to. Good luck.

 

[nogolfinsnow]

Some people are just not great testtakers, or are not great with 5 hour exams It's not a skill you use often in life. Whenever I didn't include the writing section, my practice scores always went up at least 3 points, sometimes a lot more, just because I didn't have to waste that extra hour.

But it is a skill you use often enough during your medical career depending on the field you choose. If you hated long standardized tests before, you should try to learn to love them 'cause they're not going away.

 

[spospo]

don't get too down on yourself. i had similar stats: 28 and a 3.9. i managed to get in to 2 schools.

i was only asked about my lower MCAT at one school, maybe 2. i had a good reason for it (or at least i think i did ), but i knew it would sound like i was making an excuse. rather, i just confesed that i was expecting higher than that for myself and that i knew i could do better. it was left at that.

good luck!

 

[Didmybest]

you should absolutely apply, a 29 mcat will not keep you out of medical school.

 

[dtepper]

by the way the breakdown was:
8 VR
10 BS
11 PS
Overall: 29P

I am really frustrated because I wanted a 30 and my last 4 scores the last 2 weeks before the MCAT were: 31, 33, 35, 32 (all AAMC) ... o well.. anyway, I REALLY badly want to get into jeff... I will most definitely make an appointment with their admissions office and I appreciate all the feedback greatly. I'm trying to keep hope alive.

 

[dtepper]

shameless bump... (i'm desperate)

 

[Bacchus]

What I don't understand is how you ended up with a 29 on your MCAT and a 3.82 GPA. Easy school? Grade inflation?

Absolutely no grade inflation. Average GPA is ~3.0 upon graduation.

 

[Dendrite]

I think you have a good shot OP. If you were to retake, there is always the probability of the score turning out the same or worse, which is risky. Many people have done well with that score.

Just some advice with Jefferson though. I applied there, and received absolutely no word about my application. I had to call them months after turning in all my material to ask them why my electronic status page said I was "incomplete." Turns out, they hadn't even looked at the application, and updated it to "complete" only after I called. So even though I turned in all the application material as early as possible, including the app fee, my file was in the same pile as those that completed their file in October. I still haven't received a formal rejection or any word that the application season has closed from them. I just think it was a bit rude to leave applicants in the dark like that, especially after paying them the hefty application fee. I'm sure many others have had different experiences, and that the school is still good (if it wasn't, then I wouldn't have applied there), but the experience left a sour taste.

My advice is that if you are interested in Jefferson, send them an interest/intent letter and just keep yourself updated with whatever is going on with your file from the beginning.

 

[dtepper]

Thanks Dendrite for the advice and bump. Any idea of my chances can be commented here or mdapps. I'm getting the secondary jitters. Also, does anyone know how to write a letter of intent/interest? Do i just say, "Dear Jeff, You Rock! I want to be your lover! I hope you accept me. Sincerely, Me." or something else?

 

[ZagDoc]

But it is a skill you use often enough during your medical career depending on the field you choose. If you hated long standardized tests before, you should try to learn to love them 'cause they're not going away.

Agreed. The USMLE makes the MCAT look like a sack lunch. In the course of medical school, you will take two large standardized tests that are arguably more important than the MCAT (if you do poorly once you're pretty much screwed). After your intern year, you take another large standarized test. You take standarized test to receive board certification for your field, and ever 5 years after that for the rest of the duration of your practice.

The plus is that standardized test taking skills can be developed and improved. There isn't much of an "intelligence" glass ceiling.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

What I don't understand is how you ended up with a 29 on your MCAT and a 3.82 GPA. Easy school? Grade inflation?

29 is not that ****ing bad. It is just a hair below the average for matriculants. We're talking about maybe five MCAT questions away from a 32 or so.

Yes, you are going to be competitive at a lot of places. MCAT could be better, but it could be worse.

Your clinical experience, while not horrible, is probably a bigger weakness to your application than your MCAT.

 

[NTF]

29 is not that ****ing bad. It is just a hair below the average for matriculants. We're talking about maybe five MCAT questions away from a 32 or so.

Yes, you are going to be competitive at a lot of places. MCAT could be better, but it could be worse.

Your clinical experience, while not horrible, is probably a bigger weakness to your application than your MCAT.

I agree. Assuming that you're a PA resident at the very least you should get an interview at Temple. Jefferson is kind of an odd school. I've heard that clinical or biomedical research is a big deal for them. I honestly don't think that your MCAT will hurt you that much at mid-tier schools like Jefferson. I think it's the "story" you present and whether your "story" fits with what they want. I'd start doing research on Jefferson's focus and trying to tailor your secondary and interview to meet that. Everyone's got a story to tell. How you tell it matters. While pharmacy work is interesting, it's not really the same as patient care. I do think trying to make the most of your clinical experience will make the most difference.

 

[dtepper]

I promise, this is the last bump. >.> Thanks for all the input.

 

[italian919]

Thanks Dendrite for the advice and bump. Any idea of my chances can be commented here or mdapps. I'm getting the secondary jitters. Also, does anyone know how to write a letter of intent/interest? Do i just say, "Dear Jeff, You Rock! I want to be your lover! I hope you accept me. Sincerely, Me." or something else?

dtepper, I am in basically the same situation as you... 8 VR, 10 BS, 11 PS, 3.95 gpa... I want to send letter(s) of intent as well, but I don't know the right way to go about it..

Has anyone been successful in doing so, and do you think the letter necessarily helped you? At what stage in the process is it appropriate?

 

[kaps22]

dtepper- I pm'd you!

 

[dtepper]

This is a post I made on Pre-allo about LOI's. It answered all my questions, I hope it helps!

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=6879106#post6879106

 

[Dulcina]

What I don't understand is how you ended up with a 29 on your MCAT and a 3.82 GPA. Easy school? Grade inflation?

ignore that comment. some people are so quick to judge.

 

[cherish]

Yes, you've a good chance if you have atleast an 8 in each section. Jefferson has a minimum cutoff for an 8 in each section.

does jefferson has a minimum cutoff for writing sample score?? I got L on writing on my first MCAT, and a K for the second time , but i really want to go jefferson

 

[dtepper]

dunno cherish... sry. anyone? I never have even heard of a ws cutoff...