Lots of Cs, but decent GPA = OK?

[MattGMD]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I'm a senior, CA resident with 8 C's, mostly in sciences during my 1st two years, but have 2 of these in my senior yr. However my overall cGPA is 3.4, with a sGPA of 3.1. With this overall GPA, do the # of C's still matter a lot? (To me, a C is like 2 B's anyway, not counting units). i procrastinate a lot sometimes🙁. However i do have A's and very few B's as far as the rest of my grades go.
My MCAT score however is 37R, and I've done the typical 4 yrs volunteering and research with abstract publication and poster presentation. i've played sports for 2 yrs, and TAed for 1.5 years.

Do I have a shot at a California med school? Do I have a shot at any US med school? I'm depressed about applications and my performance right now.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Stratego]

Maybe you'd have a shot at UCDavis, otherwise your BCPM GPA is below the bottom 10th percentile for the other CA schools. Your great MCAT score compensates for the low cGPA, but when you pick schools to apply to, be sure to check on their bottom 10th percentile BCPM before adding them to your list. Your second handicap will be having recent Cs in science classes, though depending on which science classes you got them in early on could be another negative. It would be a reasonable idea to take some upper-level science classes during your glide year, getting straight As, and mentioning this in update letters through the cycle. If the worst happens and you end up applying again, your BCPM GPA will be higher in a year. What happened this year?

 

[Krisss17]

I'm a senior, CA resident with 8 C's, mostly in sciences during my 1st two years, but have 2 of these in my senior yr. However my overall cGPA is 3.4, with a sGPA of 3.1. With this overall GPA, do the # of C's still matter a lot? (To me, a C is like 2 B's anyway, not counting units). i procrastinate a lot sometimes🙁. However i do have A's and very few B's as far as the rest of my grades go.
My MCAT score however is 37R, and I've done the typical 4 yrs volunteering and research with abstract publication and poster presentation. i've played sports for 2 yrs.

Do I have a shot at a California med school? Do I have a shot at any US med school? I'm depressed about applications and my performance right now.

Thanks for your help.

I'm not sure I understand how you can have a 3.1 sGPA if you have so many C's in the sciences unless you took a lot of sciences. For each C grade, that is a 2.0 average. You would have to have an awful amount of A's (probably at least 8) to bring that up to a 3.0. The B's would only average into the midrange.

I am impressed with your MCAT though! That might help your case.

Good luck

 

[CoolWhipp]

...That might help your case...

It definitely will. Thats a very strong score. CA schools are tough, I wouldn't be expecting too much from them. You do have a chance at medical school in the US, however. Keep your head up, and apply broadly.

Good luck.

 

[buccsmf1]

California is tough. With a GPA like that it's going to be hard but I'd still give it a shot. I think if you apply broadly enough then at least one MD school might jump on your stellar MCAT score. If no MD schools do, you'll be a lock for a DO school

Good luck!

 

[MattGMD]

I'm not sure I understand how you can have a 3.1 sGPA if you have so many C's in the sciences unless you took a lot of sciences.

I'm a UCSD bio major with tonnes of units. I did take a lot of sci's and got A's, mostly throughout my last 2 years. However because I was studying for this May's MCAT, was taking taking an upper div bio withOUT the prereq, and maybe had to deal with really bad depression/premed anxiety, I paid for it all.

I'm going to stay for a 5th year and take more upper div bio classes, instead of doing a postbacc or an SMP. If I get 4.0s all year long, will this improve my admission chances to an extent for the UC schools?

For my top 5 school choices next year, would it be a good or bad idea to put my own school and other UC's as my top choices to show interest? Or should I use all safeties as top choices?

Thanks a lot for your encouragement. I know I'm not dumb, just need a lot of support and time management changes.

 

[Mobius1985]

1) I'm going to stay for a 5th year and take more upper div bio classes, instead of doing a postbacc or an SMP. If I get 4.0s all year long, will this improve my admission chances to an extent for the UC schools?

2) For my top 5 school choices next year, would it be a good or bad idea to put my own school and other UC's as my top choices to show interest? Or should I use all safeties as top choices?

1) Good choice. If you are successful getting straight As, yes, it will improve your chances for a state school.

2) You will need to apply widely, including your less-selective state schools, and perhaps 15 others. Include a few dream schools, but mostly stick to reality and safeties. You do not rank your choices when you apply, BTW. The schools have no idea what your opinion of them is unless you write an update letter later in the cycle.

 

[MattGMD]

The schools have no idea what your opinion of them is unless you write an update letter later in the cycle.

Thanks.

If I choose my own UC, or another UC for the guaranteed admission agreement (I forget the exact name?), so that if I get accepted, I HAVE to go there, would that be a good idea? or should I put a safety OOS school for that same agreement, considering my stats?

 

[CyclistOK]

Thanks.

If I choose my own UC, or another UC for the guaranteed admission agreement (I forget the exact name?), so that if I get accepted, I HAVE to go there, would that be a good idea? or should I put a safety OOS school for that same agreement, considering my stats?

Are you talking about early decision?

 

[MattGMD]

Are you talking about early decision?

Correct. Would choosing this option be a good idea? If so, what type of school should I choose for this? My own UC? the least selective CA school? Or a safety school?

Thanks

 

[JJMrK]

Honestly, I don't think you have much of a shot at a CA school. Maybe at Davis, Irvine, or USC.

I do think you have a shot at a top 20 though, and an excellent chance of getting an acceptance somewhere.

 

[Mobius1985]

Early decision is not a good idea unless you clearly exceed the usual parameters for a given school, and are unable to go anywhere else for, say, family reasons. If you do have great numbers and exceed the parameters, what's to say you wouldn't get a scholarship offer at another school that would make it cheaper than your in-state school, if you'd applied more broadly? If you are not accepted EDP, you can then apply after October 15 for the usual admissions process at multiple schools, but applying that late statistically decreases your chances of an interview offer.