Yes, I was admitted with a GPA < 3.0. It's not the end of the world, but you need to address it in your applications. However, having a difficult course load is not a good enough excuse in the eyes of admissions. I was at a top 10 university majoring in biology - and yes, I had to take orgo, biochem, and so on and so forth. I had a 2.7 overall gpa, and yes it was hard, but there were also students in the same classes who had a 3.9. My issue was that I was also undergoing chemotherapy and dealing with a severe illness. I brought that up in my applications, and it must have helped.
Your other credentials have to be good though to compensate. I scored in the 1500s on the GRE, scored a 40S on the MCATs, had some relevant internship/volunteer experiences, wrote a strong essay, received good recs, and had a ton of leadership experience. I got into UIC, Harvard, Emory, Columbia, and UMDNJ. I was rejected by GWU, Minnesota, and Yale. So I guess you can say it was roughly a 60% success rate.
Don't give up hope no matter what though. If you are truly dedicated to this profession, then you will fight to the end for the opportunity. If the first round doesn't work out, there are ways of strengthening your chances for the next attempt. If you put your mind and heart to it, you will surely get it!
