GPA question

[MD33]

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I would like to ask the board a two-part question...what undergrad GPA is a baseline for getting into any med school? A top 20? I graduated from a decent school (BC) with a 3.15, and am planning out my postbac right now. I'm wondering how many courses I have to take to get the GPA up to an acceptable level. I expect to do a 3.8-4.0 in the program, and perform 35+ on the MCAT. What aggregate GPA would be enough, with a couple years med-related experience and a backstory involving brain injury refocusing priorities? Thanks so much...

 

[Lokhtar]

The median GPA for last year was somewhere around 3.7. That's for all medical schools. The top schools generally have 3.8+, with University of Washington (I believe) the highest at 3.91 median. Everyone expects to get a 35+ on the MCAT, but few do. In any case, if you do get a 35+, everything else is stellar, you can get into a med school with a 3.4 or so. Top twenty? That's no guarantee for people with a 3.8/34, and generally many people have something going for them other than stats (which also have to be very very good nonetheless).

 

[MD33]

Thanks for the informative reponse, I'm thinking I might want to do a masters program after basic postbac courses (bio, phys, chem, org) to get that GPA up around a 3.5. If improvement is shown in the postbac vs. regular undergrad, how heavily is that weighted? I assume the top schools will reject a low overall GPA out o fhand, but how far down the list does that extend? Thanks.

 

[Lokhtar]

Thanks for the informative reponse, I'm thinking I might want to do a masters program after basic postbac courses (bio, phys, chem, org) to get that GPA up around a 3.5. If improvement is shown in the postbac vs. regular undergrad, how heavily is that weighted? I assume the top schools will reject a low overall GPA out o fhand, but how far down the list does that extend? Thanks.

A masters degree will not help your undergrad GPA. They are counted separately. If you want to keep improving that GPA, you have to keep taking undergrad courses (upper level sciences).

If improvement is shown in post-bac, they'll certainly take that into consideration, but it can really only go so far. Some schools will reject low GPA offhand, but if you apply with something like a 3.4, your choices are already very limited. Will you be weeded out automatically with a 3.4? It depends, and the answer is probably at some places. It doesn't extend linearly down the list as you are thinking (e.g, you may get an interview at a '21st' ranked school but be rejected from a '65th' ranked school off hand). Med school rankings are weird anyway, and most people ignore them. Obviously, there is a hierarchy there in terms of prestige and other attributes, but generally they are all very hard to get into, so its not like getting into an undergrad school or something like that.