Is this in any way being competative?

[patrick1674]

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[Contrarian]

I'm assuming you're currently a freshman? In short, yes, if you rebound nicely from a poor freshman performance, you can still have a great shot at medical school. So try to identify and fix whatever had been holding you back, and focus on the next few years.

A 3.4 and a 28 would put you below average in both key statistical categories for pretty much all US allopathic schools. Generally if your gpa is a bit below average, like a 3.4, then you want a stronger than average mcat score. I'm also assuming you haven't taken the MCAT yet, and won't be taking it for a couple years. When you do end up studying for it, aim for something like a 32 or above.

Note that there are a lot of intangibles in the process, so it's hard to hypothetically rate someone's chances based solely off of numbers.

 

[patrick1674]

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[Contrarian]

the school's statistic probably factors in a competitive MCAT score. sometimes a school's reputation can backstop a lower gpa, but it's unlikely to do anything for a lower mcat score.

 

[jckut10]

Take for instance if someone had a 3.4 GPA and a 28 MCAT; how would someones chances into med school fair??

The reason why I'm asking this is because at my undergrad school they say that their "track record" is that "people with a 3.4 at our school typically have a 70% chance of getting into a US med school"... or something like "with a 3.4 GPA our students have a 70% chance of getting into a US med school".

Does that make sense at all or is it even fisable?


Also while I'm at it I want to ask about my freshman grades. For my fall semester I realy messed up... 2.4 GPA, about a 2.2 sGPA.
The break down was
Writing B
Chem C+
Bio C
Psych C+
So if I work much more harder can I save myself and still be competative down the line for US med schools?

According to AMCAS, you'd need about a 33 on the MCAT to have a 70% chance to get in. A 28 MCAT with a GPA between 3.4 and 3.6 gives you about a 46% chance.

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table24-mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt.htm

I know certain schools just have a very good track record, and yours may be one of them. Nevertheless, I wouldn't count on the school's reputation to push me over the edge -- letters of recommendation are much more important, and you really need at least a B+ (prefereably an A) in a class to impress the professor.

As soon as you get back from break go to your PreHealth office and try to find more information about those numbers. AMCAS will want to know more than just your GPA and MCAT score. What schools did accepted students apply to? What ECs did they have? I suspect your school may be very good at connecting students to doctors (for shadowing) and volunteer activites, and has a very good MCAT prep program.

 

[J ROD]

You may have a shot but the odds are against you....I would strongly recommend getting either the MCAT or GPA competitive....

33+ MCAT with a 3.4

OR (somewhere in the middle)

28 MCAT with a 3.9

 

[Catalystik]

OP, your school may have a good track record for applicants with a GPA of 3.4 because they actively discourage anyone who doesn't have a sufficiently high MCAT score to compensate for it. Aim for a 33+ if your GPA is 3.4, or raise your GPA with another year of school before you apply.

Get enough As to balance your poor semester and you can still be competitive. Many people have worse blemishes on their record than you do and go on to get a med school acceptance.