how important is sGPA for top schools?

[pioneer22]

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Hi,

Is sGPA a critical factor for top medical schools (ie. Harvard, Stanford Columbia, etc)?
Example: Student from top UG (ie. Harvard Stanford Columbia etc) has a 3.5-3.6 sGPA, 3.8+ cGPA and 518+ MCAT...would they get screened out (ie. at Hopkins) due to the sGPA being near lower percentile of admitted students?
Or would the strong MCAT compensate for the lower sGPA, especially considering student's competition at top UG?

Thanks

 

[LavarBall]

MSAR.

 

[Goro]

Stop obsessing on a single data point. The entire app is important.

Stats get you to the door, but ECs get you through.

If your stats are < the school's 10th %ile, you'd better have something damn good to make up for it.

 

[pioneer22]

Stop obsessing on a single data point. The entire app is important.

Stats get you to the door, but ECs get you through.

If your stats are < the school's 10th %ile, you'd better have something damn good to make up for it.

I'm wondering about getting 'to the door' ... would a 3.5 sGPA 518+ MCAT do that?

 

[Forever Geebs]

As someone else suggested, MSAR.


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[asrw77]

To be perfectly honest with you dude a 3.5 518 from Columbia as an ORM is probably not going to get you in the door of any of those med schools you listed unless you have other significant accomplishments

 

[Lucca]

There's really no way to answer this question and attempts to run the risk of just getting lost in the weeds. Look at the MSAR, decide for yourself whether its worth your time and money to apply and then apply or don't. That's really all there is to it.

 

[Forever Geebs]

There's really no way to answer this question and attempts to run the risk of just getting lost in the weeds. Look at the MSAR, decide for yourself whether its worth your time and money to apply and then apply or don't. That's really all there is to it.

Agreed.


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[Gilakend]

Stop obsessing on a single data point. The entire app is important.

Stats get you to the door, but ECs get you through.

If your stats are < the school's 10th %ile, you'd better have something damn good to make up for it.

I always here this "don't apply if less than 10th percentile" which I understand, but even if you're in like the 25th percentile isn't that still a pretty big reach?

 

[DrRiker]

I always here this "don't apply if less than 10th percentile" which I understand, but even if you're in like the 25th percentile isn't that still a pretty big reach?

My GPA will be 10th-50th for most mid tiers and MCAT 90th+. In this scenario, I think it's less of a reach.

 

[pioneer22]

My question is if sGPA is that important in light of cGPA and MCAT being up to standard for top schools.
Like you're telling me a 3.5-3.6 sGPA, 3.8+ cGPA and 518+ MCAT from Columbia, Yale, etc would be viewed that harshly by top schools and the MCAT doesn't show they have scientific capacity?

 

[LavarBall]

My question is if sGPA is that important in light of cGPA and MCAT being up to standard for top schools.
Like you're telling me a 3.5-3.6 sGPA, 3.8+ cGPA and 518+ MCAT from Columbia, Yale, etc would be viewed that harshly by top schools and the MCAT doesn't show they have scientific capacity?

So you decided to ignore what everyone said, ask the same question again, and hope for a different answer?

The ranking of your school matters little, if at all. Use MSAR. If you’re lacking in one area you may be able to make up for it with stellar numbers in another as Goro suggested.

 

[Forever Geebs]

So you decided to ignore what everyone said, ask the same question again, and hope for a different answer?

The ranking of your school matters little, if at all. Use MSAR. If you’re lacking in one area you may be able to make up for it with stellar numbers in another as Goro suggested.

This. Well said. Was going to type up a similar response until I read yours.


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[Gilakend]

My GPA will be 10th-50th for most mid tiers and MCAT 90th+. In this scenario, I think it's less of a reach.

That makes sense, but say you were 25th percentile for both? Would that make it a reach or is that still a "target" school?

 

[DrRiker]

That makes sense, but say you were 25th percentile for both? Would that make it a reach or is that still a "target" school?

I think it would be wise to consider new schools and DO at that point. I suppose you are imagining a 3.6/505-510 applicant? With the right EC's and a strong commitment to medicine, the 25th percentile might be a fine place to be. Wandering straight out of undergrad, folding towels for the ED twice a year, maybe a gap year or DO would be a good idea

 

[Gilakend]

I think it would be wise to consider new schools and DO at that point. I suppose you are imagining a 3.6/505-510 applicant? With the right EC's and a strong commitment to medicine, the 25th percentile might be a fine place to be. Wandering straight out of undergrad, folding towels for the ED twice a year, maybe a gap year or DO would be a good idea

That could be an example. But I was looking more for a broad rule of thumb more so. I didn't have a particular candidate in mind, for example: somebody with average extracurriculars but above average research (multiple pubs or first author) but a 3.6-3.7 and 515-516. They would be around 25th percentile in stats for every top school even though their research is above average. I feel like that is still definitely a reach though.

That's just an example, I guess I'm just trying to figure out how to accurately figure out what, with a solid overall app, what is the GPA/MCAT percentile where it's considered a "reach". So I can utilize MSAR completely.
If that makes sense at all

 

[athman8]

Science GPA is just slightly more important than cumulative. On a 5 point scale of importance, med schools reported it was a difference of 0.1. I'm on mobile so I can't link it, but don't worry about this stuff. What you have is what you have.

 

[DrRiker]

Ok k

That could be an example. But I was looking more for a broad rule of thumb more so. I didn't have a particular candidate in mind, for example: somebody with average extracurriculars but above average research (multiple pubs or first author) but a 3.6-3.7 and 515-516. They would be around 25th percentile in stats for every top school even though their research is above average. I feel like that is still definitely a reach though.

That's just an example, I guess I'm just trying to figure out how to accurately figure out what, with a solid overall app, what is the GPA/MCAT percentile where it's considered a "reach". So I can utilize MSAR completely.
If that makes sense at all

I see what you mean. It would be great to have a clearer picture of what a 50th percentile applicant looks like beyond their academic stats

 

[Gilakend]

Ok k

I see what you mean. It would be great to have a clearer picture of what a 50th percentile applicant looks like beyond their academic stats

Word. Apps are so much more than GPA/MCAT

 

[DrRiker]

Word. Apps are so much more than GPA/MCAT

And the MSAR's report on "% of applicant's with X category of experience" is nearly useless. Of course 97% of all applicants had research experience, volunteering in lab for one semester is perhaps the easiest box to check! It would be more meaningful to see how that percentage varies along the GPA/MCAT spectrum. And then, it would be great to see the number of hours in each activity category per GPA/MCAT. A 3D hours/GPA/MCAT graph for each AMCAS activity category for every school would certainly be enough to satisfy the collective SDN neuroticism for years.

 

[mwsapphire]

I always here this "don't apply if less than 10th percentile" which I understand, but even if you're in like the 25th percentile isn't that still a pretty big reach?

I think IQR ( 25th-75th) is waaayy different than being in that bottom quartile. I read somewhere that IQR is where you're within range, but below 25th, you need something to compensate as you're on the bottom end. This was referring to MCAT scores though.

Also, a 3.5 sci GPA is not terrible OP, it's still good for MD with your high MCAT, but T10 schools are likely out of reach. Plenty of BU/Keck class schools to look at, though.