Importance of grades in MD/PhD applicants

[ohhi]

My advisor seems to think that the actual GPA isn't as important as it is for MD, or something. That MCAT and research experience/letters of rec are far more important. For example, I have between a 3.5 and a 3.6, but she thinks I should apply this year and not take gap year(s).

What do you guys think? In general, are grades less important, especially considering difficulty of the courses/univeristy/commitment to research?

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[sakata8242]

Yeah, I'd be real careful about taking that advice at face value. At most programs you have to be considered a suitable candidate for BOTH the MD program and MSTP to get an offer. Grades matter in MD admissions, so they are just as important in an MSTP applicant.

 

[Neuronix]

My advisor seems to think that the actual GPA isn't as important as it is for MD, or something. That MCAT and research experience/letters of rec are far more important. For example, I have between a 3.5 and a 3.6, but she thinks I should apply this year and not take gap year(s).

What do you guys think? In general, are grades less important, especially considering difficulty of the courses/univeristy/commitment to research?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/what-are-my-chances-read-before-asking.539268/

We have no idea what to tell you because we don't know what your MCAT and research experience are. Less than a 3.6 isn't great, but isn't insurmountable either if the rest of your application is strong.

 

[uniqenam]

In my experience, premed advisors are worthless, especially for MD/PhD. They believe that because "MD" is in the title that they must be an expert, and will tell you lots of bogus stuff. Mine were aghast at my lack of volunteering/shadowing, and said they wouldn't even interview me at my time of application if they were an adcom. They will give lots of cookie-cutter advice like "having experiences" and "being a leader", which I guess is fine for MD-only apps, but just detracts from proving to an MSTP that you're really passionate about basic science. Your best bet is to go with Neuronix's stickied WAMC post, because it's steeped in actual data.

 

[gbwillner]

The best advice I can tell you is that everything matters and everything is important. The relative importance of one thing over another is subjective and totally dependent on the specific program/director/interviewer you are talking to.

 

[theproffer]

It really depends on the program. I'll offer my experience during this cycle as an example, my gpa 3.4<x<3.6 for both cumulative and science, but my MCAT is 36<x<40, and I also have a few pubs. I have gotten> 6 interviews at a wide range of programs including some "higher ranked" schools and some "lower ranked". I think in half of my interviews my grades were a topic of discussion (didn't matter the school "rank"). So I truly believe it's institution specific. PM me if you want to talk further. If you can make a strong story based on your application and write some convincing essays to match this, you can absolutely be successful.