Great MCAT, Poor GPA

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yojimborobert

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41O MCAT
3.33 cGPA
3.20 sGPA (when calculating this, are engineering and upper div. sciences included?)

I've done a bit of research (second author on a paper), shadowed doctors, and have some other decent ECs to list. I know that my MCAT score is terrific, but I also realize that my GPA is holding me down a lot. Will this hurt me too much to get into a top tier school? Will I make the first cut and get an interview? Thoughts/ideas?
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You can still apply to top-tier schools, but you should also apply to a handful of lesser schools and many a couple of DO schools.
 
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At least one DO school is going to jizz in their scrubs over your MCAT score. Consider trying to retake a couple classes so that the DO schools replace your grade (boosts your GPA substantially). I agree that you should apply to both MD and DO. You are definitely not out of the running at MD schools. With that MCAT, many might be willing to trade off you bringing down their GPA average in exchange for the boost from your MCAT. Case Western comes to mind as one that seems pretty forgiving of GPA.
 
Just so you know dont waste your money for top teir school. Unless you cured cancer there is no way they would accept a 3.2. After all why would they when there are like so many people with 3.9 and 37+??
 
longhorn09 said:
You can still apply to top-tier schools, but you should also apply to a handful of lesser schools and many a couple of DO schools.
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yea i disagree. with that gpa you dont have a chance at the top-tier. apply broadly to the lower-tier and you'll have a decent shot, throw some do's in there for backups
 
Spiker said:
Just so you know dont waste your money for top teir school. Unless you cured cancer there is no way they would accept a 3.2. After all why would they when there are like so many people with 3.9 and 37+??
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A friend of mine just got accepted to Stanford with 3.3 and 36. Never hurts to try.
 
FSAP said:
A friend of mine just got accepted to Stanford with 3.3 and 36. Never hurts to try.
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I wont believe that unless there is significant other reasons...super awesome volunteering? leadership? or Underrepresented? liked I said the chance is ridiculously low but sure it doesnt hurt except for like 100$ each school. I just dont like to give people false hope.
 
I'd apply broadly. It doesn't hurt to apply to some top schools, but just make sure you don't put all your eggs in one basket. At a middle-tier school, you'd have a stellar chance. I mean, you pretty much did the best thing you could in your situation - smoked the MCAT. Your score will definitely catch the eyes of the schools you apply to, so it's not like they'll toss your app out the window at first glance. And you have nothing to worry about in the EC department. So I'd be optimistic.
 
mmmcdowe said:
At least one DO school is going to jizz in their scrubs over your MCAT score. Consider trying to retake a couple classes so that the DO schools replace your grade (boosts your GPA substantially). I agree that you should apply to both MD and DO. You are definitely not out of the running at MD schools. With that MCAT, many might be willing to trade off you bringing down their GPA average in exchange for the boost from your MCAT. Case Western comes to mind as one that seems pretty forgiving of GPA.
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Sorry, I had to mention this. I uncontrollably laughed out loud when I read that. It's not funny anymore though
 
Thanks for all the input guys... This also makes me somewhat re-evaluate my GPA, since I realized that it is only my UC GPA from Berkeley and doesn't include the community college grades that should be counting also (I was a transfer student... 3.6 in the CC, 3.1 in the UC). As far as re-taking classes, do new grades replace old ones, and where can I retake them? I'm sure if I retook some of my tougher science classes at a community college I'd get a helluva lot better grade than what I did at Cal.

Thanks for all the replies!
 
Spiker said:
Just so you know dont waste your money for top teir school. Unless you cured cancer there is no way they would accept a 3.2. After all why would they when there are like so many people with 3.9 and 37+??
Click to expand...

There's more to the game than numbers alone.
 
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yojimborobert said:
Thanks for all the input guys... This also makes me somewhat re-evaluate my GPA, since I realized that it is only my UC GPA from Berkeley and doesn't include the community college grades that should be counting also (I was a transfer student... 3.6 in the CC, 3.1 in the UC). As far as re-taking classes, do new grades replace old ones, and where can I retake them? I'm sure if I retook some of my tougher science classes at a community college I'd get a helluva lot better grade than what I did at Cal.

Thanks for all the replies!
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New grades don't replace old ones for AMCAS, but all courses taken as an undergraduate will be reflected in your GPA.
 
Wow, congrats! What's your secret (focus on books? practice tests? self study post-prep course) ??

Try not to retake in CC, for reasons u and adcoms can think of.
I think great ECs, LORs, and your MCAT score + maybe 1 more yr of classes can make up for your gpa.
 
Wow, congrats! What's your secret (focus on books? practice tests? self study post-prep course) ??

Try not to retake in CC, for reasons u and adcoms can think of.
I think great ECs, LORs, and your MCAT score + maybe 1 more yr of classes can make up for your gpa.
 
JimmerJammerMrK said:
There's more to the game than numbers alone.
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that is why i said in a later post that unless you got some extremely good EC and stuff it would be hard even with a high GPA. His EC is average maybe slightly above average.
 
Shawnpremed said:
Wow, congrats! What's your secret (focus on books? practice tests? self study post-prep course) ??

Try not to retake in CC, for reasons u and adcoms can think of.
I think great ECs, LORs, and your MCAT score + maybe 1 more yr of classes can make up for your gpa.
Click to expand...
Took the Princeton Review course and took the MCAT about a week after the course finished. I think the fact that I teach SAT Bio and Chem classes helped out a lot. I suppose I have to go dig out my CC class grades, but I have already graduated so what 1 more year of classes would you be referencing?
 
You need to apply broadly: top tiers are difficult to predict but you especially will need a good balance of top, middle, and lower ranked schools because your GPA will be a huge obstacle. I'd go for only a few top schools because, as previously posted, medium selectivity schools are going to be your best bet given your opposing MCAT and GPA. Try to add more of a "wow" factor through ECs.
 
Just updated my GPA's with CC grades... not a tremendous change, but it rose them .2 across the board. Does this change much?
 
yojimborobert said:
Just updated my GPA's with CC grades... not a tremendous change, but it rose them .2 across the board. Does this change much?
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That's a completely different story! 3.5/41 combo will make you very competitive for mid-tier schools, and you can also apply to a few top-tier schools. Good job of acing the MCAT!:thumbup:
 
Spiker said:
that is why i said in a later post that unless you got some extremely good EC and stuff it would be hard even with a high GPA. His EC is average maybe slightly above average.
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Honestly, you just sound jealous. You really think a guy has no shot at top schools with a LizzyM score of 74?
 
A 3.3 coming from Cal is not too bad. Most people coming from schools notorious for grading boosting have no idea what-so-ever how crazy our profs are. I think most colleges recognize the prestige of the university and usually give you an extra point (not widely publicized) for going there. Keep your head up and apply widely. Im sure you'll have at least one offer to interview from a top tier if your EC and LOR are good.
 
just a bump... are there any tools out there to calculate your GPA? I'm not sure how to handle Credit/No Credit, and what constitutes a science, math/physics/bio/chem, and other stuff.
 
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