low grades but top 20 acceptance

[desidr]

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hey guys -- any chances at a top 20 with lower than stellar gpa's?

 

[pcguy2]

Yah, people have been accepted. But they always have 40+ MCAT and amazing ECs and LOR from Jesus Himself.

 

[Bluntman]

hey guys-- has anyone out there been accepted to a top 20 with some really low grades on their transcript, like C or D?

or a really low gpa?

*A* low grade will never matter. A really low gpa is a much different story...but there are always exceptions.

 

[akinf]

Yah, people have been accepted. But they always have 40+ MCAT and amazing ECs and LOR from Jesus Himself.

I don't agree entirely. I saw some girl's profile going to Mayo with 3.75 GPA, relatively sub-standard MCATs, very good ECs. She must be a very interesting person to talk to because she got into UCSF as well. Did I mention she got a full-ride at Mayo. I'm sure some of you know who I am referring to.

 

[Reimat]

hey guys-- has anyone out there been accepted to a top 20 with some really low grades on their transcript, like C or D?

or a really low gpa?

I didn't have very low grades, but I had 2 C's in a history and a psych class, overall GPA = 3.55, science GPA 3.61 when I applied and I got into a 'top 20'. However, I also did fairly well on the MCAT, so who knows? It's a bit of a crap shoot, and it never hurts you (except in the wallet) to try

 

[C.P. Jones]

how about "low" (28-30) mcat, and above average gpa (3.7-3.8)

i guess it really depends on very strong ECs

 

[jackieMD2007]

Yah, people have been accepted. But they always have 40+ MCAT and amazing ECs and LOR from Jesus Himself.

👍

 

[nosugrefneb]

hey guys-- has anyone out there been accepted to a top 20 with some really low grades on their transcript, like C or D?

or a really low gpa?

Me. Cs and Ds throughout first year, one C senior year, 3.3 overall GPA. 29 MCAT. What can I say? I am dumb.

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

I don't agree entirely. I saw some girl's profile going to Mayo with 3.75 GPA, relatively sub-standard MCATs, very good ECs. She must be a very interesting person to talk to because she got into UCSF as well. Did I mention she got a full-ride at Mayo. I'm sure some of you know who I am referring to.

3.75 isn't a low GPA though. However, I guess you're just showing the opposite side...low MCATs, high GPA

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

how about "low" (28-30) mcat, and above average gpa (3.7-3.8)

i guess it really depends on very strong ECs

30 is average for medical schools, but applicants have gotten into the top 20 schools with your stats.

 

[SailCrazy]

hey guys-- has anyone out there been accepted to a top 20 with some really low grades on their transcript, like C or D?

or a really low gpa?

Absolutely. There are always a bunch who fit this category every year, but they are still a small percentage of the overall accepted pool.

Generally these applicants will have other strong factors (not just a great MCAT) that make them somewhat unique and more attractive to adcoms.

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

Me. Cs and Ds throughout first year, one C senior year, 3.3 overall GPA. 29 MCAT. What can I say? I am dumb.

Cs and Ds aren't hot, but a 3.3 overall afterwards isn't so bad. Congrats on getting it up there.

 

[zobo]

Graduated college with a 2.5 and after post-bac it was at 2.9. I am high on a waitlist at a top 20 school and have gotten into other allo schools. FYI, I am not an URM. The key for me is a very high MCAT and non-science GPA since I never took science classes in college.

 

[Medskool2006]

Hey Guys, am planning on applying to US schools this summer (am a canadian applicant) and where can I find a list of the top 20 med schools.

I wrote the mcat last summer and got a 25 : 10P, 6V, 9B . Am gonna write it again and will definitly improve. My gpa is ~ 3.85. I have good amount of ECs so what do you guys think are my chances in getting accepted.


Thanks

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

Hey Guys, am planning on applying to US schools this summer (am a canadian applicant) and where can I find a list of the top 20 med schools.

I wrote the mcat last summer and got a 25 : 10P, 6V, 9B . Am gonna write it again and will definitly improve. My gpa is ~ 3.85. I have good amount of ECs so what do you guys think are my chances in getting accepted.


Thanks

US News reports.

GPA is great and your ECs seem fine, but be discriminatory. Your candidacy is based on your MCAT scores. 30+ if you want great odds on the top 20.

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

Graduated college with a 2.5 and after post-bac it was at 2.9. I am high on a waitlist at a top 20 school and have gotten into other allo schools. FYI, I am not an URM. The key for me is a very high MCAT and non-science GPA since I never took science classes in college.

👍

 

[sandros1]

Graduated college with a 2.5 and after post-bac it was at 2.9. I am high on a waitlist at a top 20 school and have gotten into other allo schools. FYI, I am not an URM. The key for me is a very high MCAT and non-science GPA since I never took science classes in college.

THANK YOU for posting this. I had a very similar undergrad experience, and it is reassuring to note that all is not lost if one is willing to work hard to overcome past discrepencies. Congrats on the acceptances! 👍

 

[BAM!]

Hey Guys, am planning on applying to US schools this summer (am a canadian applicant) and where can I find a list of the top 20 med schools.

I wrote the mcat last summer and got a 25 : 10P, 6V, 9B . Am gonna write it again and will definitly improve. My gpa is ~ 3.85. I have good amount of ECs so what do you guys think are my chances in getting accepted.


Thanks

based purely on stats, that 25 will hurt you really bad. Your GPA is solid which shows you have the potential to score really well on the MCAT, but the 25 could easily keep you out of med school. I think it's a good idea to take the MCAT again and really focus before hand. Study for 3 months, roughly 1 for each subject. Do practice problems for several hours every day for this period, and I'm sure you'll do really well. It sounds like a lot, but the MCAT is just as important than your GPA, if not more. It makes sense to put a lot into the MCAT. I knew this one guy who took the Princeton Review class twice before taking the MCAT to increase his chances of getting into a state school to save on tuition. A gamble, but I hope it worked for him. Good luck!

 

[SailCrazy]

US News reports.

GPA is great and your ECs seem fine, but be discriminatory. Your candidacy is based on your MCAT scores. 30+ if you want great odds on the top 20.

I'd say that in all honesty a 30 doesn't eliminate you from conseration at top twenty school, but definitely does not give you "great odds." Move that to a 34-36 and you probably have those great odds.

That said, working from a 25 I think your current goal and focus should be only on solid and extensive MCAT prep. As one person said, a 25 could keep you out of allopathic schools entirely. Take things one step at a time. Don't start worrying about scores and potential schools until after the MCAT is done. You can definitely get there, but there is a lot of work to be done.

Good Luck!

 

[Law2Doc]

Hey Guys, am planning on applying to US schools this summer (am a canadian applicant) and where can I find a list of the top 20 med schools.

I wrote the mcat last summer and got a 25 : 10P, 6V, 9B . Am gonna write it again and will definitly improve. My gpa is ~ 3.85. I have good amount of ECs so what do you guys think are my chances in getting accepted.


Thanks

Your previous post suggests you are a reapplicant, so one would think you already would know what the top schools are. 🙄 At any rate a 25 MCAT and a reapplicant suggests that you will not have much of a chance getting into a top 20 school. You should pick up an MSAR and apply to a more realistic range of schools with perhaps at most one or two longshots in the top 20.

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

I'd say that in all honesty a 30 doesn't eliminate you from conseration at top twenty school, but definitely does not give you "great odds." Move that to a 34-36 and you probably have those great odds.

That said, working from a 25 I think your current goal and focus should be only on solid and extensive MCAT prep. As one person said, a 25 could keep you out of allopathic schools entirely. Take things one step at a time. Don't start worrying about scores and potential schools until after the MCAT is done. You can definitely get there, but there is a lot of work to be done.

Good Luck!

Yep, you're right. To reiterate low 30s will give you good odds while in the mid 30s will give you better odds. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[NoSoupforYou13]

32 MCAT is now average (as indicated in new edition of US News) for accepted med school applicant.

It was previously 30.

 

[gafft]

3.2 cumm and going to Columbia.

 

[gafft]

...not only a 3.2 cumm....but once had a 1.8.....and yes, going to Columbia. (Obviously, I am exceptional in other ways....details unnecessary)

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

32 MCAT is now average (as indicated in new edition of US News) for accepted med school applicant.

It was previously 30.

And so the fun begins. Yikes!

 

[NonTradMed]

There's always exceptions, but don't cherry pick those as assurances that there's hope for you in your specific case, not unless whatever made that person stand out despite low stats also occurs for you. The best route to a top 20 acceptance is still the old fashioned route: high stats, good/great ECs, good/great recs. Any other way is alot less assured.

 

[Law2Doc]

There's always exceptions, but don't cherry pick those as assurances that there's hope for you in your specific case, not unless whatever made that person stand out despite low stats also occurs for you. The best route to a top 20 acceptance is still the old fashioned route: high stats, good/great ECs, good/great recs. Any other way is alot less assured.

Totally agree. These kinds of threads always bring to light a handful of exceptions, but most people don't get to be exceptions. There will always be someone with a low MCAT or a low GPA or no research, or no clinical experience, or whatever else the thread seeks, but that means nothing if 99% of the people with that same flaw don't get in. And you never really know what kind of an "in" or "hook" someone has in terms of the acceptance. Assume that the further away from the mean matriculant figures you are, the lower your chance of acceptance. You may be pleasantly surprised, but if not at least you are being realistic.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

Hey OP, please get over yourself. Top 20 schools my ass.

🙄

 

[wendywellesley]

Hey OP, please get over yourself. Top 20 schools my ass.

🙄

exactly!!
you can still be super doc and not go to a top 20 school.
it really doesn't matter where you go to school, just be happy.

 

[SailCrazy]

That said, working from a 25 I think your current goal and focus should be only on solid and extensive MCAT prep. As one person said, a 25 could keep you out of allopathic schools entirely. Take things one step at a time. Don't start worrying about scores and potential schools until after the MCAT is done.

Hey OP, please get over yourself. Top 20 schools my ass.

🙄

I tried to say that a little more gently!

 

[vkhalsa]

exactly!!
you can still be super doc and not go to a top 20 school.
it really doesn't matter where you go to school, just be happy.

i totally agree with you, but i also don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to go a top school.

 

[wendywellesley]

i totally agree with you, but i also don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to go a top school.

no, there's nothing wrong with that, i agree.

but if you are applying with numbers lower than the average for top 20 schools, then you have to be realistic and realize you can still get into a competitive residency and do all the things you want to do with your MD graduating from school that's not top 20. it happens, it really does.

that's all.

 

[Pkboi24]

32 MCAT is now average (as indicated in new edition of US News) for accepted med school applicant.

It was previously 30.

US new is BS. I highly doubt 32 is the new average. That is ridiculous.

 

[vkhalsa]

US new is BS. I highly doubt 32 is the new average. That is ridiculous.

either way the msar has the national median at 31 (10,10,11bio)

 

[wendywellesley]

either way the msar has the national median at 31 (10,10,11bio)

of matriculants?!?! wow.

 

[Bluntman]

US new is BS. I highly doubt 32 is the new average. That is ridiculous.

When people quote the "average" MCAT/GPAs for applicants and matriculants, they're going off of the official AAMC data that is posted here, and not some US News numbers-du-jour. The real data isn't even available for 2006 yet (and I doubt it will be until sometime in the summer, after we all fill out the matriculating student questionaire).

 

[Medskool2006]

Your previous post suggests you are a reapplicant, so one would think you already would know what the top schools are. 🙄 At any rate a 25 MCAT and a reapplicant suggests that you will not have much of a chance getting into a top 20 school. You should pick up an MSAR and apply to a more realistic range of schools with perhaps at most one or two longshots in the top 20.

I only applied to two school in canada, one required mcat the other one didn't. I'm somewhat familiar with US schools so thats why i asked.

 

[somewhere2010]

i have a D+, which killed my BCPM GPA, but it's obvious when looking at my transcript that it's a fluke...plus i explained it away in my app (ie "i never went to class and learned from my mistake"). i got into 3 top 20 schools. schools don't put nearly as much weight into random bad things as you think - they know we're human!

 

[Law2Doc]

I only applied to two school in canada, one required mcat the other one didn't. I'm somewhat familiar with US schools so thats why i asked.

Either way, your stats are not currently ones that suggest you realistically should be looking primarilly at the top 20 schools. Maybe apply to one as a longshot, but otherwise be more realistic. Pick up a copy of the most recent MSAR, it will likely be helpful to you.

 

[rutennis]

how did you get a 3.2 and then get into columbia med? what did you do that was exceptional??
I'm on a simliar boat, and i'm waiting for my mcat scores this june...

 

[o00roxy00o]

i have been reading for awhile but this is my first time posting. i got waitlisted at UNSOM and if i dont get in this time around i am going to reapply next year. my mcat is a 31 (9 ps, 12 v, 10 bs) and my cum gpa is a 3.56, sci gpa is 3.24. i know my science gpa is a little low but what are my odds of getting into allo schools in general? my ec's are alright- not outstanding but wasnt an issue in interviews. thanks guys 🙂

 

[wendywellesley]

i have been reading for awhile but this is my first time posting. i got waitlisted at UNSOM and if i dont get in this time around i am going to reapply next year. my mcat is a 31 (9 ps, 12 v, 10 bs) and my cum gpa is a 3.56, sci gpa is 3.24. i know my science gpa is a little low but what are my odds of getting into allo schools in general? my ec's are alright- not outstanding but wasnt an issue in interviews. thanks guys 🙂

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=3657243#post3657243

 

[Law2Doc]

i have been reading for awhile but this is my first time posting. i got waitlisted at UNSOM and if i dont get in this time around i am going to reapply next year. my mcat is a 31 (9 ps, 12 v, 10 bs) and my cum gpa is a 3.56, sci gpa is 3.24. i know my science gpa is a little low but what are my odds of getting into allo schools in general? my ec's are alright- not outstanding but wasnt an issue in interviews. thanks guys 🙂

See if you can get feedback from places you were rejected from as to what things you need to improve. Your numerical stats seem fine, so it's possible you fell short in some other area -- ECs, LORs, interviewing skills, PS, etc. It's possible that you applied to too few places or too late, but don't assume that is the case unless an adcom tells you so, or you may neglect something you can fix. At any rate, no one can give you much input, other than to tell you that you have stats comparable with folks who do get in places. Reapplicants are expected to substantially improve their applications from the prior cycle, so you really need to figure out where you fell short. Good luck.

 

[gafft]

how did you get a 3.2 and then get into columbia med? what did you do that was exceptional??
I'm on a simliar boat, and i'm waiting for my mcat scores this june...

I flunked out of school. Then I transferred to a school that doesn't take transfer credit. Double major/double minor 3.75. Then I climbed the corporate ladder and kicked ass in an MBA position. Then I aced an ivy league postbacc program while working three paid jobs and three volunteer jobs, compiled 15 LOR's in my premed office and got a 36S. Five minutes into my Columbia interview, I quoted Newton's Principia verbatim at the interviewer's request....could not have hurt me.

But yes, I was accepted at a top 20 school with F's, D's and C's. I also interviewed and got waitlisted at Stanford and Cornell and was accepted to my state school.

Don't misunderstand...almost 20 med schools rejected me flat w/out interview.

 

[rutennis]

that's awesome! I am imprseed by your achievements....
My situation is that i have a 3.0 GPA (which is below medical school standards) and i'm waiting to hear from my MCAT scores. i'm doing some pretty good research at Harvard in which a paper will be published this summer. I suppose the research might help a bit, but I don't think a lot (right?).....

I need some advice.. Im deciding whether I should go to the carribean schools this fall, or wait another year to see if i get into an American school.. I could do another year of research and wait to enter for fall of 2007, but i'd rather just start med school asap. What do you think ?
Also, is it possible to go to a carribean school for the year and then transfer to an american school ?

 

[Law2Doc]

I flunked out of school. Then I transferred to a school that doesn't take transfer credit. Double major/double minor 3.75. Then I climbed the corporate ladder and kicked ass in an MBA position. Then I aced an ivy league postbacc program while working three paid jobs and three volunteer jobs, compiled 15 LOR's in my premed office and got a 36S. Five minutes into my Columbia interview, I quoted Newton's Principia verbatim at the interviewer's request....could not have hurt me.

But yes, I was accepted at a top 20 school with F's, D's and C's.

So you're saying it's an easilly duplicatable route.

 

[gafft]

So you're saying it's an easilly duplicatable route.

No. But I am saying that 'duplicatable' is not a word and if it actually is a word, it shouldn't be.

 

[gafft]

that's awesome! I am imprseed by your achievements....
My situation is that i have a 3.0 GPA (which is below medical school standards) and i'm waiting to hear from my MCAT scores. i'm doing some pretty good research at Harvard in which a paper will be published this summer. I suppose the research might help a bit, but I don't think a lot (right?).....

I need some advice.. Im deciding whether I should go to the carribean schools this fall, or wait another year to see if i get into an American school.. I could do another year of research and wait to enter for fall of 2007, but i'd rather just start med school asap. What do you think ?
Also, is it possible to go to a carribean school for the year and then transfer to an american school ?

I don't know about you but I am 30 years old. If you are younger than me, than yes...wait another year and apply to US allopathic schools. I don't care if it takes you two more years of busting your ass 120 hours a week. You can do it and you'll be glad you did for as long as you live.

 

[Depakote]

Yah, people have been accepted. But they always have 40+ MCAT and amazing ECs and LOR from Jesus Himself.

I got a LOR from the J-Man.

It wasn't easy to get though. I had to spend a year or two helping him with his Stem Cell Research.

 

[Law2Doc]

No. But I am saying that 'duplicatable' is not a word and if it actually is a word, it shouldn't be.

Do a google search -- many of the online dictionaries have it.