Low gpa high MCAT, chances of getting in?

[strugglingpremd]

Hey so I have a 2.9 gpa and a 516 MCAT…do I stand any chance…?

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[MawbleIM]

Hey so I have a 2.9 gpa and a 516 MCAT…do I stand any chance…?

Read this

Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

So you want to be a doctor, but your GPA is terrible. Is that the end? Rule #1: Take a deep breath, and stop fussing. The sky is not falling. But you are going to need to reinvent yourself. This will take both time and money. And always remember that you’re in a marathon now, not a sprint...

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[KnightDoc]

Hey so I have a 2.9 gpa and a 516 MCAT…do I stand any chance…?

Chance? Yes, you stand a chance.

Data published by the AAMC indicates that applicants with your stats have a chance that's around 8% below average, which would have been around 28% last year. Most of the successful applicants would have had something special distinguishing them from the vast majority that were unsuccessful. High SMP GPA, maybe a linkage with a guaranteed acceptance, spectacular ECs, URM, low SES, etc. Do you have any of them? If not, the odds are very low, at least for MD.

 

[GoPenguinsGo]

Something Knightdoc forgot to mention but do you have an upward trend in your GPA, or is it a roughly flat 2.9 the whole way?

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Assuming decent ECs, slim but worth applying chances for MD, decent chances for DO. Highly suggest a post bacc to get gpa to 3.0 or above since that should help quite a bit

 

[Proudfather94]

Hey so I have a 2.9 gpa and a 516 MCAT…do I stand any chance…?

Can you take a year of full time upper level classes? If you can and get a good grade in all of them some MDs and alot of DOs should take a chance on you.

 

[Goro]

Assuming decent ECs, slim but worth applying chances for MD, decent chances for DO. Highly suggest a post bacc to get gpa to 3.0 or above since that should help quite a bit

The MD (and many DO) schools don't need the donations.

Your suggestion is mandatory advice.

 

[strugglingpremd]

The MD (and many DO) schools don't need the donations.

Your suggestion is mandatory advice.

So you’re saying no chance at all? Lol

 

[Goro]

So you’re saying no chance at all? Lol

Yup.

Also, getting accepted is 100% on. We can only advise on chances of getting an II.

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

Check the admission requirements for schools you're interested in. Many schools, both MD and DO, screen out GPA below 3.0 or 3.2. Your MCAT indicates that you have the capacity to succeed in medical school. But you also need to get your GPA up past the screening level or your app won't even get looked at.

 

[YCAGA]

What is your science GPA? If your cumulative GPA is 2.9, normally that means your science GPA is in even worse shape. You might need to take a two-step approach where you do a post-bacc and then an SMP. To be honest with a 2.9 GPA you might not have the study skills to (currently) succeed in an SMP and it's just not worth risking $50-$60,000.

 

[cincincyreds]

Hey so I have a 2.9 gpa and a 516 MCAT…do I stand any chance…?

First off congrats on the the MCAT score. Unfortunately your gpa will not get you into an MD school. You might have a chance at a DO school. I would fully recommend getting an MPH degree and show how good you are. There are a bunch of med schools that offer the MPH program. It is one year. Just google MPH programs and you can find the list online.

 

[gyngyn]

I would fully recommend getting an MPH degree and show how good you are.

Although the concepts taught in Public Health school are relevant and enriching, the degree itself will have little effect on a candidate's application to an MD school.
DO schools see things differently.

 

[Goro]

Although the concepts taught in Public Health school are relevant and enriching, the degree itself will have little effect on a candidate's application to an MD school.
DO schools see things differently.

At my school, we tend to find MPH recipients lacking as candidates. I find that their course work is not preparative for the rigors of med school.

 

[LaughingGas10]

At my school, we tend to find MPH recipients lacking as candidates. I find that their course work is not preparative for the rigors of med school.

How about MHA (masters in healthcare administration) ?

Or is it just better to do an SMP program for GPA repair ?

 

[Goro]

How about MHA (masters in healthcare administration) ?

I wouldn't even take that seriously.

Or is it just better to do an SMP program for GPA repair ?

The SMP is my preferred way to go as it is an audition for medical school.

 

[LaughingGas10]

I wouldn't even take that seriously.

The SMP is my preferred way to go as it is an audition for medical school.

I agree SMP the preferred way for students with low GPA and good MCAT.

How about for students with good GPA and lower MCA (maybe in the range of 506-511, and could not get in). If finances are not a big issue, would there be any utility to doing an SMP program to show commitment to medicine as an audition ?

 

[Proudfather94]

I agree SMP the preferred way for students with low GPA and good MCAT.

How about for students with good GPA and lower MCA (maybe in the range of 506-511, and could not get in). If finances are not a big issue, would there be any utility to doing an SMP program to show commitment to medicine as an audition ?

I feel like the money would be better spent by investing in better materials or a tutor and trying the MCAT again if you want a top school. If you didn't get into any school with a 506-511 either you're not applying to schools that are reasonable to apply to with that score or you have another issue with your application.

I just wanted to add that that's a huge range for the MCAT as well. A 506 would be DO only with a pretty decent chance to get in and a 511 would be good for a decent amount of MD schools.

 

[gyngyn]

How about MHA (masters in healthcare administration) ?

Or is it just better to do an SMP program for GPA repair ?

MHA is viewed the same as an MPH. In fact, Master's are generally viewed to be completely grade inflated so they do little to repair undergrad performance.
SMP grades are not averaged into undergrad gpa's. Graduates can hope to find traction at the medical schools that have had success with their graduates in the past, or a linkage.
Post-bac's are averaged into the undergrad gpa and are useful for trend, as well.

 

[gyngyn]

If finances are not a big issue, would there be any utility to doing an SMP program to show commitment to medicine as an audition ?

Not at my school.

 

[Goro]

How about for students with good GPA and lower MCA (maybe in the range of 506-511, and could not get in). If finances are not a big issue, would there be any utility to doing an SMP program to show commitment to medicine as an audition ?

The concept of "commitment to Medicine" is way off base. You show your commitment by all of the things needed in a good application packet.

A good GPA and a lethally weak MCAT can be remediated by an SMP with good linkage. My schools gets some nice med students from our SMP who do this very path.

Students with good GPA and lower MCAT (maybe in the range of 506-511, and could not get in) are using the wrong school list. A candidate like this could easily get into a good DO school, and possibly thier state MD school.

 

[cincincyreds]

Although the concepts taught in Public Health school are relevant and enriching, the degree itself will have little effect on a candidate's application to an MD school.
DO schools see things differently.

100% agree. I see a lot of candidates failing to obtain a spot because of a below average MCAT or GPA. The MPH is a way to raise the GPA and also at some places gets the candidate an interview which can be helpful.

 

[LizzyM]

100% agree. I see a lot of candidates failing to obtain a spot because of a below average MCAT or GPA. The MPH is a way to raise the GPA and also at some places gets the candidate an interview which can be helpful.

The MPH has no value with regard to "raising the GPA". Frankly, if the MCAT shows the capacity to do well in medical school but the GPA shows that academic performance as an undergrad was suboptimal, then the only way to remedy the situation is to show that your academic performance in courses taught in medical school is up to par. That means betting $50,000 that you can out perform the average medical student in medical school classes which is essentially what a SMP (special masters program) is. If you do poorly in the SMP, it is game over, but if you do well, it can be the evidence that a med school needs to determine that you have what it takes to succeed academically.

 

[gyngyn]

The MPH is a way to raise the GPA and also at some places gets the candidate an interview which can be helpful.

This applies to DO schools, MD, not so much.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Moving to WAMC.

Almost no chance with the 2.9, but it's your money. You would stand a better chance if you spend a year doing post bacc/SMP.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Hey so I have a 2.9 gpa and a 516 MCAT…do I stand any chance…?

You could have a 4.0 and 520+ MCAT, and you still might not get into medical school. It's not just your numbers that matter even though they are important to hold a conversation on your file.