Harvard

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drabberbadge said:
My friend claims he got into harvard med with a 3.6 gpa and a 36 Mcat
His ECs weren't even good
how could this be possible?
Click to expand...

Uh, is he claiming this *this* year? Because Harvard is a non-rolling school. They haven't released any acceptances yet.
 
SN12357 said:
Uh, is he claiming this *this* year? Because Harvard is a non-rolling school. They haven't released any acceptances yet.
Click to expand...
This was last year
I just recently asked him about his gpa
It was 3.6 science and he said around 3.7 cumulative
 
drabberbadge said:
This was last year
I just recently asked him about his gpa
It was 3.6 science and he said around 3.7 cumulative
Click to expand...

Well, his MCAT is average for Harvard and his cumulative GPA would be within Harvard's 10th percentile. So on a numbers basis it's possible. For whether or not it's likely or fair, that's a different question.
 
SN12357 said:
Well, his MCAT is average for Harvard and his cumulative GPA would be within Harvard's 10th percentile. So on a numbers basis it's possible. For whether or not it's likely or fair, that's a different question.
Click to expand...
It gives me hope lol
I just was curious what sdners would say to this as I was surprised
 
Was he published in Nature for figuring out how to regrow human limbs?

In all seriousness, he could have had some incrdible experiences and back story. His numbers would not bring down Harvard's statistics significantly.
 
mcloaf said:
You serious OP? This was worth a thread?
Click to expand...
Op is jelly, but doesn't want to admit it. Some people just are good with personal statements and interviews, OP.
 
drabberbadge said:
My friend claims he got into harvard med with a 3.6 gpa and a 36 Mcat
His ECs weren't even good
how could this be possible?
Click to expand...

A 3.6 is low for Harvard GPA wise, the MCAT is about average. If he wasn't a URM, my guess is that he probably had killer recommendations and extra curricular activities. An example of this would be multiple first author publications and/or significant research publications in major research journals.
 
Lol yes its very possible to get into HMS with a 3.7/36.

If he isn't URM/Disadvantaged he likely had some good research or ECs you don't know about.
 
The MCAT is fine probably, but did he go to a grade-deflating undergrad school (Princeton, Hopkins, MIT, etc.)? Did he have a 'hard' major like engineering?
 
Was he Chinese and did he volunteer in the Chinese community? Apparently that's all it takes (at least for girls).
 
That doesn't sound so weird to me, I personally know people who have received early interviews at Harvard with sub-30 MCAT scores. It sounds unbelievable, but it happens.
 
darkjedi said:
Duno, but I got I to a top 5 with a 3.6/37, so it's totes possible.
Click to expand...
Pre allo reaction:

Freaked-Out-Nooooooo-Gif.gif
 
He's within the MSAR ranges for the school. Trust me, no one just "gets into" a school like that. First off, they are taking the top 20% of MCAT performers period. Like for real. Even that URM with a "low" 31 is still better than 80% of the test takers. Second, the experiences that these students have are amazing. Life experience, research, service etc. I've interviewed here btw.
 
knv2u said:
A 3.6 is low for Harvard GPA wise, the MCAT is about average. If he wasn't a URM, my guess is that he probably had killer recommendations and extra curricular activities. An example of this would be multiple first author publications and/or significant research publications in major research journals.
Click to expand...

So he probably did have ECs to compensate, but this is really overstating what would be necessary. Multiple first authorships? Really not needed. Probably that 3.6 GPA had a major upward trend in it, which would help too.
 
Do an mdapplicants search and see that your friend is not some outlier but right in range to be accepted. Also, have you considered that maybe this person has some measure of humility and didn't feel like reciting his or her CV in excruciating detail to justify a Harvard acceptance to you?
 
drabberbadge said:
This was last year
I just recently asked him about his gpa
It was 3.6 science and he said around 3.7 cumulative
Click to expand...

If he's really your friend how do you not even know where in the country he is right now? And if he's not your friend, why do you care?
 
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