MD Interesting Journey (grade trend) Chances

[determinedPreMed]

Hi all,

This is my first post here and I really enjoy this website. I am going to be applying to MD soon. I would like some chances for MD admission since I have a long story. Thank you in advance for the help!

My cumulative GPA is 3.45, and my science GPA is 3.40.
My MCAT is a 37.

My undergrad major is in Math and Computer Science from a Top 25 national university.

I did seven years of undergraduate (5 at my top 25 undergrad institution and the final 2 at a local state school) and I have the following grade trend:
First two years (63 semester units) : 3.006 cumulative GPA
Next three years (104 semester units): 3.480 cumulative GPA
Final two years ( 64 semester units): 3.850 cumulative GPA

I have 120 hours of shadowing (over the course of 3 years) as well as 200 hours of hospital volunteering (over 2 years) and some (40-50) hours of non-medical volunteering.

I am Asian and a resident of Florida.

I am concerned about my GPA but I wonder if my strong upward trend will matter and what my MD chances are. Thank you!

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[PremedPri]

Upward trends do matter so you're looking good there, and your high mcat is definitely a plus to the gpa. The extracurriculars are also on par with what med schools are looking for. If you are really concerned about the gpa you could take outside programs that are meant to boost it, but with that mcat score I'm sure your gpa will be overlooked in most cases

 

[determinedPreMed]

Thanks for the answer! After 7 years of coursework I don't think my GPA will budge anymore. Still think it's OK?

 

[PremedPri]

No problem! I'm sure you'll be fine. mcat is a more holistic stat and a 37 is amazing. Be proud of yourself and apply with confidence!!!

 

[determinedPreMed]

Thank you! Good luck to you too!

 

[determinedPreMed]

No problem! I'm sure you'll be fine. mcat is a more holistic stat and a 37 is amazing. Be proud of yourself and apply with confidence!!!

Thank you! Good luck to you too!

 

[aztlannation]

Outstanding MCAT! (I'm so jealous). Your upward trend in grades will definitely look good - but your GPA is not that high. Also, you have ECs that almost every applicant has..what makes you unique? I think having another EC or two that really sets you apart will make your application solid. Take on some leadership roles, start a club or a program, contribute greatly to your community - other than just volunteering your time. I know people with 36 MCAT and 4.00GPA that got rejected from almost all top tier schools because of a lack of distinguished ECs.

 

[determinedPreMed]

Outstanding MCAT! (I'm so jealous). Your upward trend in grades will definitely look good - but your GPA is not that high. Also, you have ECs that almost every applicant has..what makes you unique? I think having another EC or two that really sets you apart will make your application solid. Take on some leadership roles, start a club or a program, contribute greatly to your community - other than just volunteering your time. I know people with 36 MCAT and 4.00GPA that got rejected from almost all top tier schools because of a lack of distinguished ECs.

Thank you so much! Do you think some lower-tier in-state schools will accept me? I definitely agree I can't be picky haha. I like your point. I do need to be less generic. Maybe I can organize some events in my community in the coming months!

 

[Var_Surfin23]

The MCAT trumps the GPA. It's not even close. Unless it's something extreme like a 2.5 and 43 MCAT but honestly that's more interesting than bad because that's a very rare combination of scores, so I would not sweat your GPA one bit. I hope the story behind why you switched schools is one where you grew as a person. I think you have the basic elements for a competitive application. It depends on how you write it up. My gut feeling is that you'll be fine.
Let me be the first to say: Congratulations on being accepted to medical school Class of 20SOON!!!

 

[determinedPreMed]

Thank you. Does anyone else know of things that I can do to strengthen my application?

 

[QiasTheKid]

Look into LSU, they take some OOS with high MCATs like yourself, but more importantly, they have this "30 hour rule" where they exclusively look at the last 30 credits in your degree.

 

[Im76at711]

The MCAT trumps the GPA. It's not even close. Unless it's something extreme like a 2.5 and 43 MCAT but honestly that's more interesting than bad because that's a very rare combination of scores, so I would not sweat your GPA one bit. I hope the story behind why you switched schools is one where you grew as a person. I think you have the basic elements for a competitive application. It depends on how you write it up. My gut feeling is that you'll be fine.
Let me be the first to say: Congratulations on being accepted to medical school Class of 20SOON!!!

This isn't always true. Some schools have low avg MCATs (28,27) but like 3.8 GPAs. It all depends on the school and what they are looking for!