GPA matching MCATS

[Deepak_nc]

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i have a 3.2 BPCM and a 3.2 overall gpa and i made a 30R on the mcats..... does that match?

 

[rugirlie]

Originally posted by R_C_Hutchinson
the more i think about this the more i come to the conclusion that its really about motivation more than anything. a person can cram and get A's, but if they dont really give a damn about what they're learning (i.e. they've wanted to be a doctor since HS because they think it will earn them respect) then they'll forget it entirely. the MCAT can be reviewed for, but if you've forgotten the material because you just wanted the grade, then you'll certainly pay for it. More and more i see people like humanities majors who love to read and engineers who love to tinker with things ending up doing well on the test. all the "i'm just bio/MCDbio because it's the easiest major that looks good to med schools" people end up doing poorly.

i can definitely see this as a valid point, but really none of us knows the "secret" or the real reasons why people do how they do in undergrad classes and/or mcats.... besides a "good" score is all relative to the speaker at least in a certain range....

 

[bigbaubdi]

Originally posted by R_C_Hutchinson
I think that anyone willing to put their social life on the chopping block can get a rounded 4.0 if they have a single major and take light courseloads..i take my hat off to anyone with such a high GPA, it does show an extreme degree of stoicism.

The irony is that as doctors many of us will have no meaningful social lives anyway depending on what we get into.

People have this notion that ppl with high GPAs are studying all the time but that is simply not true. In my experience, most high GPAers are much more involved with community service, research, etc than folks with lesser GPAs. IMHO, the view that people with high GPAs are in the library studying 24 hours a day is just an unfair stereotype.

Regarding the single humanities major vs the double major, do you honestly think that adcoms who are reviewing thousands of applications will see the difference between a 3.9 humanities major and a 3.7 double major? That doesn't seem real likely to me, especially when some adcoms use screening formulas to exclude large numbers of applicants.

 

[HawkeyeBFP]

It's been noted for years that humanities majors do better overall on MCAT. This is not news. It's a consistent trend. I suspect this has something to do with the fact that people who major in humanities and ALSO complete med school requirements tend to be more driven and focussed than, say, people who major in biology because it's a "normal" premed major.

MCAT largely tests your ability to read critically. You need to know the basic science (and know it well if you plan on getting a really good score) but of the two, being able to read the passages and extract the most from them will help you more than an iron grip on the mechanism for keto-enol tautomerization.

😎

That said, what's the point in obsessing about matching things up? You think there's something out there the adcomms haven't seen before?

Not.

 

[R_C_Hutchinson]

Originally posted by bigbaubdi
The irony is that as doctors many of us will have no meaningful social lives anyway depending on what we get into.

People have this notion that ppl with high GPAs are studying all the time but that is simply not true. In my experience, most high GPAers are much more involved with community service, research, etc than folks with lesser GPAs. IMHO, the view that people with high GPAs are in the library studying 24 hours a day is just an unfair stereotype.

Regarding the single humanities major vs the double major, do you honestly think that adcoms who are reviewing thousands of applications will see the difference between a 3.9 humanities major and a 3.7 double major? That doesn't seem real likely to me, especially when some adcoms use screening formulas to exclude large numbers of applicants.

I think at the point where your application is really reviewed (post secondary/interview) that yes, your majors, their difficulty and your courseload certainly come into play. and honestly, assuming your MCAT is good, neither a 3.7 nor a 3.9 will get screened anyway. every screening formula i've ever heard of or seen will accept a 3.5/30MCAT with the most brutal having that as their cutoff. look at the entering classes- there are always those people who have lower stats but still get in on other merits. those people must have made it past screening too.

as for having no social life: its a choice. if you value a statistic more than human interaction, then by all means do what you will. I can say that thinking about what i would want in a doctor/professor, his/her interpersonal skills would be right up there with his/her technical knowledge. to that end i'd say spending time with friends is just as valuable as spending it with a textbook.

 

[Jade Tigress]

Lots of good information here...many mentioned "other factors" besides GPA and MCAT score to add to the "magical mix of numbers" that adcoms are looking for.

Case scenario:

What if an applicant had a :
- Less than 3.0 GPA Cumulative
- Humanities major
- MCAT score 38 Q
- Published in accredited journal during Undergrad years
- Extensive clinical and benchtop research experience along with exposure to medicine and stuff

Reason for less than steller GPA is due to personal problems, and the familiar "not used to transition from highschool to college"

Does this applicant stand a chance of getting into medical school? Not extremely elite, but what about decent?

 

[nrosigh]

Here's a guess - obviously the undergrad GPA is the weakest point of your app, to the point of being a major liability. There are people with sub-3's who get in, but very very few. Most people who have a cumulative GPA under 3 also take some post-bacc classes to show that they're capable of doing the work.

In addition to some extra courses, the rest of your (or whoever's hypothetical app that is) app is solid. That MCAT will get you looked at.

 

[rmp]

Originally posted by PhatGtDmB
I was wondering if anyone can help me with my dileema about my gpa not matching my mcat scores. I currently have a 3.88 gpa at Georgia Tech (AND NO THERE IS ABSOLUTLY NO GRADE INFLATION the average student here is around a 2.6-2.8 gpa) and i only scored a 29 (ps: 12 vr: 8 b:9) . I strongly believe my vr score will not get me into med school and planning on taking it again itn april. I was wondering if anyone on the board have any opinions about my mcat score not matching my gpa (wil the adcom look badly on this). Thanks.

PhatGtDmB,

Are you a Georgia resident? If so your numbers should at least get you an interview with MCG and Mercer granted your LORs and ECs are good. Local ADCOMS in the area are aware of Tech's stiff grading scale so rest assure your 3.88 will be appreciated. However your MCAT might be a little low for Emory. Word is they're average MCAT is a 33. Emory has high aspirations therefore they are making a point to accept the "best and the brightest" in an effort to compete with the Ivy's. I wish you the best of luck. PM me if you have specific questions.

Cheers!
rmp

 

[R_C_Hutchinson]

Originally posted by indo
GPA and MCAT are like gas milage and horsepower.


they're related (ie engine configuration, displacement, tuning etc) but measure two different qualities.

wouldnt that mean they're inversely related?
a porsche gets like 15 miles per gallon where a put put honda gets like 40.

 

[LFosterMD07]

Originally posted by doc05
these are typical matching gpa/mcat combinations. How to interpret a mismatch: If your MCAT is much lower, you are an overachiever/not too bright; if much higher, you will seen as lazy/unmotivated.

3.3/28

3.5/30

3.6/31-32

3.7/32-34

3.8/34+

3.9+/35+

best of luck.

I got a 27, 8 Verbal, 9 Physical, and 10 BS, and finished undergrad with a 3.9. I believe I'm very bright since I got accepted to every medical school I applied and one of them had MCAT averages in the 30's. I just finished my first semester and did very well. My point is, your MCAT does not have to exactly match your GPA. Personally I feel your GPA is more important because it shows how hard you will work which is what medical school is all about. Don't get me wrong, still do well on your MCAT but if you have a high GPA like mine, you don't have to get a 30+ to get into medical school.

quote:
"However your MCAT might be a little low for Emory. Word is they're average MCAT is a 33. Emory has high aspirations therefore they are making a point to accept the "best and the brightest" in an effort to compete with the Ivy's. I wish you the best of luck. PM me if you have specific questions.

Cheers!
rmp"

By the way, I got into Emory with my 27 so the person with the 29 and 3.8 in Georgia, I would go for it!

 

[Beth_yu]

my stats weren't a great concern to me but due to this thread, I am getting really nervous now.

I have
3.5 overall GPA 3.56 science GPA

Engineering major
(I take 18-24 credit hours every quarter just so I can graduate early-uition fee is too expensive)

2 research jobs + 1 regular job
( I work a lot throughout college to pay for tuition fee and living fee)

37 MCAT

Does that mean that I am lazy and unmotivated?
Any comments?

 

[LFosterMD07]

You are not lazy and unmotivated! You have a good GPA to be an engineering major and having three jobs. I had friends during undegraduate that were engineering majors and did not work at all and still couldn't get a 3.5. Be proud of your numbers and don't let what people say on this thread cause you to be less confident in yourself. What people say on here is their opinion and not from an admissions officer. You have a good reason why you don't have 4.0 and express that in your personal statement. But in all, you have good numbers and I know people with less than what you have get into good medical schools.

 

[Beth_yu]

Originally posted by LFosterMD07
You are not lazy and unmotivated! You have a good GPA to be an engineering major and having three jobs. I had friends during undegraduate that were engineering majors and did not work at all and still couldn't get a 3.5. Be proud of your numbers and don't let what people say on this thread cause you to be less confident in yourself. What people say on here is their opinion and not from an admissions officer. You have a good reason why you don't have 4.0 and express that in your personal statement. But in all, you have good numbers and I know people with less than what you have get into good medical schools.

Thanks LfosterMD07. You are right, I shouldn't listen to anyone. What was I thinking?

I should not feel less confident about myself. Yes, self-confidence is important

 

[JohnHolmes]

3.9+ Science
3.9+ Overall
40+ MCAT

Im sure there is a correlation more between MCAT and board scores than MCAT and med school grades per se. There was some link on AAMC...

Coops

 

[coldsteel]

All this discussion about grade inflation and GPA comparisons are ridiculous. It's especially concerning when you consider that you are all science students. The most basic tenet in any of the natural sciences is that a quantitative comparison between two entities must involve entities that are matched to be as equal as possible in all regards other than the variable being tested. The only way you can draw conclusions about the GPAs of students at two universities is if the curricula are exactly the same, and the students take the exact same tests in all there courses (i.e. standardized tests). As an example...at the undergraduate institution I attended the basic biochemistry course for biology majors was identical to the one I took in medical school, except for the fact that the tests in my undergraduate course were all essay questions. The same biochemistry course offered at the local state university is (as I realized when teaching part of the course) the equivalent of the cell biology course I took as a sophomore and the tests were of the multiple choice memorize and regurgitate the answers variety. Now how could you possibly compare the GPAs of students at these two schools and draw any accurate conclusions about them? This is why the MCAT, LSAT, USMLE, GRE, and a multitude of other standardized exams exist. They are the great equalizer.