"Low" GPA high MCAT Acceptances

[commymommy]

What kind of an mcat score would I need with a science gpa of 3.3/overall 3.6 ?

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[Malarkey]

Sadly, I am unable to inspire anyone yet.

 

[EMDrMoe]

No need to put low in quotes here! Out of undergrad in '95, my GPA was 3.18 but I retook organic in 2000 and my AMCAS GPA was 3.23ish. My science GPA was 3.03. I have 3Cs and 3Ds in bio classes. I have a master's degree in Athletic Training from '96 and have been working ever since. I took the August 2000 MCAT and scored well. At the interview with my first choice school, the Dean of Admissions said about my GPA, "but that's not you now." She understood.

 

[Jalby]

I'm actually in that situation. Let me be honest with you, it is better to have a low MCAT and high GPA than the reverse. I applied two years ago with a 3.18 and a 37, and didn't get a single interview. It is only after trying hard for two years that I am now applying and getting good interviews. So basically, I had to do something to try and bring up my GPA before applying.

 

[mongoose]

It seems I am the winner here! My (sc)amcas GPA is 2.71. You read that right, 2.71. I have been accepted and will be going to medical school next year. The story: graduated from Pikeville College (yea, the one with the osteopathic med school) with a bachelor's is business administration and a whopping 2.4 gpa in 1998. Started at University of Tennessee in 2000 and am doing much better, with my overall science gpa near 3.7 (business majors take nearly no science so sci.gpa didn't get ruined there). MCAT = 30 (10,10,10,o). Already have one acceptance and expect another in the mail monday or tuesday, possibly another somewhere in the not too distant future. So, can anyone beat a 2.71 amcas gpa? I bet I have the lowest of anyone accepted this year! I am not sure if I should be proud or ashamed, really.

 

[Bevo]

Id be proud! You are the 2nd success story Ive read. ttac was the other. I graduated brandeis with a 2.4 (2.1 science gpa) gpa in economics in 2000. going to college in dallas where my gpa is a 3.1 now. Taking only science courses here. every story I read is just provides me with more hope. Its too easy to get discouraged. I love reading success stories like this.

Thanks

 

[monchi]

My story is similar to Jalbrekt's. Low undergrad GPA, with a solid MCAT score. Unfortunately, I was a biochem major and blew off studying and had a good time. Pulling all-nighters before exams and for reports got me A's in non-science classes. But that strategy doesn't work for classes like O-chem, so... My science GPA is bad – about a 2.8. My MCAT that time around was a 32. OK, but not spectacular. No interviews.
So, I wised-up. Senior year, I spent time with the books, and did research. Got a Masters in bio, and the grad GPA was high, a 3.7, all grad science. Worked for two years, studied for (this time!) and retook the MCAT. Got a 35 this time, and interviews. I was accepted to one a week ago, and I'm on a few other waiting lists that I hope to be accepted from.
I think a low GPA is something that can be worked out, but it takes time and effort. And I think expectations should be kept realistic. Although I'm pretty sure I could handle the work at a top-tier school, only one of these that I applied to looked twice at my application and offered an interview. But I am happy with the school I was accepted to and the ones I'm waiting for. Especially if the alternative is not getting in at all!
I also agree with Jalbrekt that low MCATs are more acceptable than a low GPA. Especially a low science GPA. So Imbebo, keep working for those A's in your science classes, and ace the MCAT! We'll be colleagues soon!

 

[mpp]

I was accepted at Mayo with a GPA lower than their average and an MCAT higher than their average...only slightly higher and lower on both accounts though.

I also had an unfinished graduate degree in which I left the last semester so my graduate GPA was quite low. They asked about at this at the interview but I suppose they were satisfied with my reasons for leaving and neglecting my academics while in graduate school.

 

[mcwmark]

I applied three times with a 3.2 science GPA (with a 2.8 and a 3.0 GPA junior/senior year) and a 39Q MCAT. I can say with certainty that if you're in this situation, you MUST apply EARLY, and get everything in before everyone else. Nothing changed between by 2nd and 3rd applications except for the timing--returning secondaries, etc.

Surprisingly, I got interviews at some UCs the second time around, but not the third. My third time around I only applied to 10 schools, received interviews and accepted, chose MCW because a friend (then a third year student) sold me on it.

As much as they say the MCAT can break you, I would have easily traded a 39 for a 3.9 GPA. Oh well.

 

[sandflea]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by monchi:
•

I also agree with Jalbrekt that low MCATs are more acceptable than a low GPA. Especially a low science GPA.•••••i totally agree with this too. i've been saying this all over this board for months but no one seems to really believe me. the MCAT, overall, seems to hold less weight than your GPA. your GPA *MUST* be competitive. adcoms seem more willing to forgive a lowish MCAT score than a low GPA.

 

[oneironaut]

I have plenty of interviews, but still no acceptances, with a 32 MCAT. To those of you with a low gpa (like me) did you get a lot of interviews that you then got rejections from?

 

[muhali3]

solid 9 year bump.

but...I am interested in people this cycle who have succeeded despite low GPA/high MCAT.

 

[CodeBlu]

solid 9 year bump.

but...I am interested in people this cycle who have succeeded despite low GPA/high MCAT.

I know a friend who got in with a 3.2 and a 36

 

[Flasheh]

What are our cut-off points? 3.3 or lower? 36 or higher?

This being SDN, I feel some would describe an applicant with a 3.6 as having a low GPA.

 

[muhali3]

low GPA is < 3.5

high MCAT is 34+

I have a LizzyM score of 70. And have a low GPA/high MCAT situation as defined above. I have a ridiculous upward trend though.

 

[Schizotypy]

3.45/34. Don't exactly meet your MCAT criteria, but near it.

 

[muhali3]

3.45/34. Don't exactly meet your MCAT criteria, but near it.

yeah, I've seen your MDapps before. I was wondering how you got into UArizona despite being out of state.

 

[Schizotypy]

yeah, I've seen your MDapps before. I was wondering how you got into UArizona despite being out of state.

This year the UA schools are accepting up to 50% OOS students. Last year they accepted 25%. Prior to that they did not accept many OOS, I think.

Ps. Say hi to Tyrande for me

 

[MegMurry]

solid 9 year bump.

but...I am interested in people this cycle who have succeeded despite low GPA/high MCAT.

jesucristo nice necrobump haha

I know a friend who got in with a 3.2 and a 36

You also know a friend who got in with an even wider disparity between mcat and gpa.....

I don't have a ridiculously upward trend in GPA. Rather, it's a ridiculously downward trend in ug (think 4.0 to 3.0 in 4 years), but a competitive GPA in a masters. I think what really helped me was taking time off and having a very diverse / unconventional background. At my interviews thus far, my academic record hasn't come up but once. Even then, I explained efficiently and we moved on to a lot of other things in my application.

 

[liveoak]

if you look at the chart they give, a 3.2 + 36 (65+ percent) gives you a great shot to get in. It shouldn't even be a question. If you are at 3.4 you really don't have that low of a GPA.

 

[CodeBlu]

jesucristo nice necrobump haha



You also know a friend who got in with an even wider disparity between mcat and gpa.....

I don't have a ridiculously upward trend in GPA. Rather, it's a ridiculously downward trend in ug (think 4.0 to 3.0 in 4 years), but a competitive GPA in a masters. I think what really helped me was taking time off and having a very diverse / unconventional background. At my interviews thus far, my academic record hasn't come up but once. Even then, I explained efficiently and we moved on to a lot of other things in my application.

This is very true... but I don't disclose your stats

 

[JHU 2010]

this is me! 3.3 cGPA, 3.0 sGPA, 38Q MCAT

12 interviews and one acceptance so far!


My GPA does come up in every interview though (mainly because I got solid Cs in all the big ones: Chem, Physics, and Organic), and I wrote about my UG grades for every "optional" essay
I have a decent upward trend though.

 

[MegMurry]

This is very true... but I don't disclose your stats

<3 I appreciate that. And what I said up above is as close as I'm going to get to disclosing them until the cycle ends.

After all, the crazier the disparity, the fewer of us there are

 

[phltz]

When you ask this sort of question, you're getting into territory where every candidate is fairly unique, and every adcom is going to focus on different stuff, so it's hard to generalize. Yes, a very high MCAT will help. Given the huge number of applicants, many of whom have both a high GPA and a high MCAT, in may not help enough. Once you've already got a bunch of bad or even mediocre semesters under your belt, a low GPA is very hard to bring up. You'll want to make the rest of your application as outstanding as possible.

If you're looking for anecdotes, I had some success last cycle with a ~3.2 and a 42, but I don't think my MCAT score was the strongest point in my app.

 

[Jalby]

I'm actually in that situation. Let me be honest with you, it is better to have a low MCAT and high GPA than the reverse. I applied two years ago with a 3.18 and a 37, and didn't get a single interview. It is only after trying hard for two years that I am now applying and getting good interviews. So basically, I had to do something to try and bring up my GPA before applying.

I wonder how that guy turned out....

 

[aSagacious]

Here you go: http://i55.tinypic.com/v4o2om.jpg

 

[sector9]

Here you go: http://i55.tinypic.com/v4o2om.jpg

I thought you were posting a pic of Jalby. Imagine my disappointment when I saw some boring graphs

 

[torshi]

how do people do horrible in their pre-reqs but kill the MCAT while some people do really well in their pre-reqs and score low sometimes. Very confusing...Assuming they both had the same amount of prep etc.

 

[Stumpyman]

I thought you were posting a pic of Jalby. Imagine my disappointment when I saw some boring graphs

Same

 

[music2doc]

What kind of an mcat score would I need with a science gpa of 3.3/overall 3.6 ?

With that split, I'd average them (med schools state they evaluate cGPA and sGPA as about equal in importance) and say you're probably equivalent to a 3.45, so....

Here's your answer.

If you're white, you would need a 30-32+ (~80-90th percentile) to break a 50% chance of getting an acceptance somewhere (assuming you applied broadly and intelligently). With a 39-45 MCAT (99+th percentile), you would have a 84% chance of getting in somewhere.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

How much does upward trends carry weight in regards to to GPA? I had a 3.3 for my last semesters grades and I'm looking at a 4.0 this semester with 14 credits with 2 pre-req classes.

 

[kpcrew]

how do people do horrible in their pre-reqs but kill the MCAT while some people do really well in their pre-reqs and score low sometimes. Very confusing...Assuming they both had the same amount of prep etc.

Well, I did pretty bad in physics. When I was studying for the MCAT, I targeted the subjects that I knew that I needed to review more thoroughly and ended up doing really well on the physical sciences section.

 

[MilkmanAl]

how do people do horrible in their pre-reqs but kill the MCAT while some people do really well in their pre-reqs and score low sometimes. Very confusing...Assuming they both had the same amount of prep etc.

It was a combo of a crap freshman year and a physics major for me. I only put about 2.5 weeks into studying for the MCAT, too.

 

[music2doc]

How much does upward trends carry weight in regards to to GPA? I had a 3.3 for my last semesters grades and I'm looking at a 4.0 this semester with 14 credits with 2 pre-req classes.

Well 14 credits is hardly anything, so I doubt it will carry much weight, to be honest. For someone with a 4.0 over 3-4 semesters (or more), the difference can be quite significant. However, I am not really sure where in the process you are, so I have no idea what your overall GPAs are and when you plan to apply. As a result, what I am saying may not be all that relevant to you.

 

[bobow98]

How would my friend do with a 3.4/42? Engineering major at a tough school...does he have a shot at some top tiers and/or scholarships with his juicy score?