High GPA over MCAT

[metalmd06]

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From my observations this cycle, looking at MD Apps and on this forum, it seems to me that GPA outweighs the MCAT a good deal. If you have an average MCAT and a high GPA, it seems you have a better shot than vice versa. Now I know there are many other factors that play into this, but I see a trend of students with a 3.7-4.0 GPA and a 28-32 MCAT being accepted and less students with a 3.3-3.7 GPA and a 32-40 MCAT being accepted.

 

[167649]

From my observations this cycle, looking at MD Apps and on this forum, it seems to me that GPA outweighs the MCAT a good deal. If you have an average MCAT and a high GPA, it seems you have a better shot than vice versa. Now I know there are many other factors that play into this, but I see a trend of students with a 3.7-4.0 GPA and a 28-32 MCAT being accepted and less students with a 3.3-3.7 GPA and a 32-40 MCAT being accepted.

MD apps and SDN are not a good base to the extent of forming an opinion about admissions standards. MD apps in particular is fundamentally flawed and is not at all a good place to get admissions stats that you can trust as accurate.

That being said, both are important, and measure different things (although they relate to each other). Each school has it's own way of determining which is more important, and this also widely varies by applicant and even the person screening the application.

In my own opinion, the MCAT is more objective than the GPA. Too many factors go into a GPA that will vary from applicant to applicant. Less so with the MCAT, which makes it more of an equalizer.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Although I think i should tend to favor GPA over MCAT, ithink both are equally important. The only problem is you have to take undergrad institution into account, and that is nearly impossible

 

[sharpshooter24]

my best friend got into indiana university school of medicine.

Undergrad gpa 3.60
Graduate GPA. 3.85
MCAT....22

applied to 40 schools and only 3 interview offers. only one school in the US gave him acceptance and one school in the caribbean .

just a matter of luck guys. he loves his 2nd year

 

[Inuranic]

my best friend got into indiana university school of medicine.

Undergrad gpa 3.60
Graduate GPA. 3.85
MCAT....22

applied to 40 schools and only 3 interview offers. only one school in the US gave him acceptance and one school in the caribbean .

just a matter of luck guys. he loves his 2nd year

If this is true...awesome.

 

[Hilbert137]

From my observations this cycle, looking at MD Apps and on this forum, it seems to me that GPA outweighs the MCAT a good deal. If you have an average MCAT and a high GPA, it seems you have a better shot than vice versa. Now I know there are many other factors that play into this, but I see a trend of students with a 3.7-4.0 GPA and a 28-32 MCAT being accepted and less students with a 3.3-3.7 GPA and a 32-40 MCAT being accepted.

There are just so many variables though to take into consideration before we can really say anything like this given the sample size. Really though, this isn't that important beyond maybe being slightly (very) interesting. From a practical standpoint, this would mean close to nothing. You should do well in both areas and not plan on doing better in one over the other.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

my best friend got into indiana university school of medicine.

Undergrad gpa 3.60
Graduate GPA. 3.85
MCAT....22

applied to 40 schools and only 3 interview offers. only one school in the US gave him acceptance and one school in the caribbean .

just a matter of luck guys. he loves his 2nd year

Thats hard to believe, what else did he have going for him??? must have been alot.

 

[TheMemoirist]

It's hard to make too many generalizations about the old debate of whether the GPA or MCAT is more important. Truth is, they're both important. Don't let yourself get tricked into believing that it's okay to slide on one part of your app, because that would likely come back to haunt you later. You will see some accepted students with high GPA/low MCAT, or vice-versa, but in reality, it's much more common to see high GPA/high MCAT.

For every person who gets rejected with a low GPA/high MCAT, another person will have multiple acceptances. For every high GPA/low MCAT who gets accepted, another will be struggling to get interviews. Don't let SDN or MDapps skew your perspective. Both elements of the application are important, and the people who get in with uneven GPA/MCAT ratios tend to be those who are outstanding in other regards. Besides, when you're talking about these kinds of people, you're talking about probably less than 5% of the accepted pool, so making generalizations about this demographic has little utility, IMO.

But, for what it's worth, I still believe that a high MCAT can overcome a less than perfect GPA (but definitely not under 3.0) more easily than a high GPA can cover for lackluster performance on the MCAT. Just my $0.02.

 

[GulabJamooMD]

hate to say it, but being Black or Mexican REALLY helps...

 

[ChubbyChaser]

I knew a guy with a 4.0 and 23 MCAT. He only got one interview and that was at ECU which interviews pretty much everybody. THe rest of his application was pretty solid too.

 

[167649]

my best friend got into indiana university school of medicine.

Undergrad gpa 3.60
Graduate GPA. 3.85
MCAT....22

applied to 40 schools and only 3 interview offers. only one school in the US gave him acceptance and one school in the caribbean .

just a matter of luck guys. he loves his 2nd year

Statistically, it becomes increasingly difficult to gain admission to school the further away from either (GPA or MCAT) average you are. After a certain point it becomes extremely rare. Although a 22 is on the rare end for US allo, it is not unheard of. Look at the MSAR and you can be surprised; I can think of a recent year where someone was admitted to Harvard with ~17. It goes to show you that even a name like Harvard can see past these statistics in exceptional cases. But again, you need to be very, very exceptional to beat the odds.

The same goes the other way, just as rarely a person with a sub 3.0 GPA is admitted. But to get by it is tough, and your friend was very smart to apply as broadly as he did and one of the lucky few (it really is a few) to be admitted in that statistical classification.

 

[167649]

hate to say it, but being Black or Mexican REALLY helps...

Hispanic

🙂

 

[ChubbyChaser]

hate to say it, but being Black or Mexican REALLY helps...

O lord, Please No flame war!!

 

[scowdeva]

Just to add another anecdotal story...I know one guy who comes from a very well-connected family of doctors. He is great with people, was in the honors college at a prestigious university, and graduated with above a 3.9 GPA. He wouldn't tell me what his exact MCAT was, but he did admit that it was less than a 27 but more than a 23 (he would pick a box, but not tell an exact number). He has applied two years in a row, applied to both allo and the highly respected osteo programs, and is still without an acceptance. Matter of fact, this year he hasn't had an interview yet. Ya gotta have the whole package, or at least have most of the package with just slight deficits in some areas that are made up by better-than-average other areas!

 

[scowdeva]

hate to say it, but being Black or Mexican REALLY helps...

Seriously guys, just ignore these attempts to make someone mad. These trolls need to get a life...don't fan the flames by responding to it.

 

[EkLiLiaN]

Seriously guys, just ignore these attempts to make someone mad. These trolls need to get a life...don't fan the flames by responding to it.

I agree!

 

[Bre]

From my observations this cycle, looking at MD Apps and on this forum, it seems to me that GPA outweighs the MCAT a good deal.

Certainly feels that way to me at the moment haha

Curse you GPA!

 

[ncb]

Me: 33 and 3.36. No acceptances. 1 interview, 20 rejections.

 

[BC848]

Hispanic

🙂

There is nothing wrong with referring to a person as Mexican if the person is from Mexico... Obviously the above poster was just trying to cause a stir so it doesnt matter anyway.

Back on topic, 3.8 gpa, 3.8 science, 29 MCAT - 16 applied, 1 acceptance (state school), no other interviews and schools arent giving me any info

 

[tf2medic]

someone applied to 40 schools?? JESUS CHRIST SO MUCH MONEY WASTED. ahhhhhhhhhhh i don't wanna know the cost of all those apps. thousands upon thousands of $$ just to have your stuff looked at?? i guess it'll pay off in the end haha

 

[DoctorPardi]

Check out this Pre-Allo FAQ Series thread: What is more important GPA or MCAT?