How much does GPA count during/after interview?

[mariambaby3]

Suppose an individual is invited for an interview, during and after the interview, will his/her GPA still play a role in the admissions process? In other words, does the GPA and MCAT score only help an applicant get an interview, after which the competitiveness of the applicant is judged solely on the performance of his/her interview?

Or do admission committees still place an emphasis on the GPA even after the interview?

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[Thego2guy]

Suppose an individual is invited for an interview, during and after the interview, will his/her GPA still play a role in the admissions process? In other words, does the GPA and MCAT score only help an applicant get an interview, after which the competitiveness of the applicant is judged solely on the performance of his/her interview?

Or do admission committees still place an emphasis on the GPA even after the interview?

Of course the GPA is used as a tie breaker between two equal applicants, but the way the interview goes matters substantially more at that point. Don't mess up the interview.

 

[gettheleadout]

Only defensible answer: it depends on the school.

 

[Narmerguy]

Only defensible answer: it depends on the school.

+1. There's simply no way to know how schools handle this without one of them explicitly stating it.

 

[NickNaylor]

Suppose an individual is invited for an interview, during and after the interview, will his/her GPA still play a role in the admissions process? In other words, does the GPA and MCAT score only help an applicant get an interview, after which the competitiveness of the applicant is judged solely on the performance of his/her interview?

Or do admission committees still place an emphasis on the GPA even after the interview?

Very school specific. Mayo, for example, disregards GPA and MCAT once you interview. Michigan, on the other hand, seems to minimize the importance of the interview somewhat: on my interview day the admissions director implied that giving the interview more importance than your multi-year record as described on AMCAS made little sense. It depends on each school's philosophy for choosing future students.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Only defensible answer: it depends on the school.

+1. There's simply no way to know how schools handle this without one of them explicitly stating it.

My point is the social dynamics will differ from school to school, from year to year even.

It depends on each school's philosophy for choosing future students.

All true.

 

[Nymphicus]

In my experience most schools definitely look at GPA again when re-reviewing after the interview.

 

[Aerus]

Again, it really depends. But I would imagine that it could be a deciding factor. People get interviews for all sorts of reasons and when it really comes down to two almost equally compelling applicants, GPA might start to factor in a bit.

Just do your best in GPA and you won't have to worry about this too much.