low stats success stories??

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

tpl12

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2017
Messages
184
Reaction score
151

Members don't see this ad.
I am sure there are a bunch of us here with pretty low stats (either MCAT or GPA or both) who are now sitting twiddling our thumbs waiting for interview invites wondering if they will ever come. We are also probably in it for the long haul. Sooo, if there are any accepted/matriculated low stats friends out there who have a success story to brighten our spirits, I know I would love that.

(By low stats I would suggest <3.5 or <510, but even those aren't really that low. Use your own judgement. Or, if you had particularly low stats for your school, under bottom 10%)

:help::help:
 

hubbsbubbs

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2015
Messages
305
Reaction score
377
I met a girl at Stanford last year who told me she had a 2.85 gpa, engineering major from a top school. don't know her mcat or anything else, but she insisted that its about more than just the numbers.
Shortly after, I met a girl who told me she had a perfect gpa, a 100 percentile mcat, and was also a urm, a d1 athlete, and had insane ECs. So there's that too..
 
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: 11 users

CommyO

Membership Revoked
Removed
2+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2016
Messages
220
Reaction score
108
I met a girl at Stanford last year who told me she had a 2.85 gpa, engineering major from a top school. don't know her mcat or anything else, but she insisted that its about more than just the numbers.
Shortly after, I met a girl who told me she had a perfect gpa, a 100 percentile mcat, and was also a urm, a d1 athlete, and had insane ECs. So there's that too..
lol @ more than just numbers...

Also, she probably did really well on the MCAT, or not; who knows... You should've asked her about her MCAT
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

medstudent257

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2015
Messages
234
Reaction score
124
I am sure there are a bunch of us here with pretty low stats (either MCAT or GPA or both) who are now sitting twiddling our thumbs waiting for interview invites wondering if they will ever come. We are also probably in it for the long haul. Sooo, if there are any accepted/matriculated low stats friends out there who have a success story to brighten our spirits, I know I would love that.

(By low stats I would suggest <3.5 or <510, but even those aren't really that low. Use your own judgement. Or, if you had particularly low stats for your school, under bottom 10%)

:help::help:

I just got an II from Creighton with a 3.94/507. Applied 7/29, II notification 8/7
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

Saifa

Carrion Crawler
5+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2015
Messages
553
Reaction score
1,319
lol @ more than just numbers...
That's fine and dandy if you're AA or hispanic fem but for the most of us, we have to work hard to just get a second glance

Implying that those people don't? Nice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 59 users

mwsapphire

Office of the medical examiner.
5+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2017
Messages
3,580
Reaction score
2,986
Implying that those people don't? Nice.

That's especially upsetting ( what the quoted user said) b/c URM and SES disadvantaged folks only get slack b/c they have to navigate greater barriers to make it to college , earn good grades, and score well on the MCAT to start with.
For example, someone who had to pay for living and school all out of pocket likely has to work a job outside of school, which would put a lower GPA into consideration.
Someone who is from a poor as hell school district wouldn't have as strong of educational background to do well on the MCAT ( which is why some schools in the south/midwest have very low MCAT medians-b/c people from those areas generally have lower MCAT scores) .
TL;DR: SES/URM folks have to work just as hard, if not harder, for those lower stats.



Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
  • Like
Reactions: 43 users

all things possible

Full Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2013
Messages
410
Reaction score
358
I'll keep the positivity going instead. I personally know current medical students who are doing well and a few who had less than average MCATs and/or GPAs that did above average on STEP 1. :)
 
Last edited:

Dr. Stalker

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2014
Messages
1,609
Reaction score
1,748
I am sure there are a bunch of us here with pretty low stats (either MCAT or GPA or both) who are now sitting twiddling our thumbs waiting for interview invites wondering if they will ever come. We are also probably in it for the long haul. Sooo, if there are any accepted/matriculated low stats friends out there who have a success story to brighten our spirits, I know I would love that.

(By low stats I would suggest <3.5 or <510, but even those aren't really that low. Use your own judgement. Or, if you had particularly low stats for your school, under bottom 10%)

:help::help:
A student with a 499 recently enrolled at a mid-tier NY school I know of. Nice fella; hell of an application. MCAT was abysmal, but he did have a stellar GPA and unique "ECs." He was a non-trad, NYPD high ranking officer for a number of years before enrolling in medical school.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users

On_The_Way_Up

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
810
Reaction score
1,079
1.4 GPA and I got into medical school in the Carribean. If only my professors could see me now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 11 users
Members don't see this ad :)

DBC03

Full Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
2,432
Reaction score
3,043
A student with a 499 recently enrolled at a mid-tier NY school I know of. Nice fella; hell of an application. MCAT was abysmal, but he did have a stellar GPA and unique "ECs." He was a non-trad, NYPD high ranking officer for a number of years before enrolling in medical school.

MSAR shows Duke accepting below 500 well within the bottom 10% of applicants. Heck, even my GPA fits with their stats (not that it means much). If I'm successful this round, I will certainly update this thread.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users

Goro

Full Member
Lifetime Donor
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
70,776
Reaction score
111,447
I met a girl at Stanford last year who told me she had a 2.85 gpa, engineering major from a top school. don't know her mcat or anything else, but she insisted that its about more than just the numbers.
Shortly after, I met a girl who told me she had a perfect gpa, a 100 percentile mcat, and was also a urm, a d1 athlete, and had insane ECs. So there's that too..
When you see stories like this, it's because people reinvent themselves, and they are to be applauded. No med school is doing anyone any favors by admitting people who are at risk for failing out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 9 users

DaWeasel

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2016
Messages
80
Reaction score
73
I have a mentor who was admitted to an MD school with an MCAT barely in the 50th percentile. Nothing really exceptional, just a hard worker. They now operate a successful practice in a competitive subspecialty. It's been done by people before you so don't lose hope
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users

MD_Odyssey

Full Member
Joined
May 19, 2017
Messages
21
Reaction score
9
Some schools within a month, others over 3 months (tended to be the more competitive ones, top 20, t10 etc). I had a high mcat and a good story I believe, which helped overcome the gpa. Still was an uphill battle, got rejected by many, including lower tier schools, and waitlisted to a bunch.
Can I ask-what is your story?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

sehnsuchtsermedico

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2016
Messages
190
Reaction score
176
3.50 uGPA, 3.35 sGPA, MCATs: 23, 23, 506. Applied to about 30, 14II, 6 attended, 3 accepted. Got a full tuition scholarship plus a little extra.
(I also have a master of public Heath, worked on an amazing border health project.)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 11 users

seneradia

Full Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2018
Messages
32
Reaction score
52
Hey guys,

My MCAT is 502, but I had a high GPA of 3.91, and I only got one interview and was accepted! The interview was what got me in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 8 users

PhilzCoffeeAddict

Full Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2017
Messages
334
Reaction score
444
I don't mean to be a debbie downer or the bearer of bad news, but I REALLY want to express that applying with low stats or EC is a HUGE gamble. I don't recommend it because an application takes up an entire year and A LOT of money. It's doable as many people on here will tell you, but its not a guarantee by any means. Again, don't take this negatively! I'm celebrating in your achievements, I just don't want people who are about to apply thinking they can get the same end results because of a person getting in with similar stats.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users

bmbdoc1010

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2017
Messages
41
Reaction score
46
3.2uGPA and ~3 sGPA, 516 MCAT, upward trend and good ECs including a publication. Got 5II this cycle and accepted on a scholarship to one. It’s possible!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 13 users

DrStephenStrange

Neurology PGY-1
5+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2017
Messages
3,500
Reaction score
5,575
Though this is the Pre-medical-MD forum, but I thought I'd share my story here anyway. This cycle, I got accepted to 2 DO schools (ATSU-KCOM and ARCOM). I attended 4 DO and 1 MD IIs, and turned down ~10-12 other DO IIs. I almost went Caribbean (SGU) because even though I had great GPAs (cGPA 3.72 sGPA 3.70), as an ESL student, I always thought my struggles in the MCAT (18, 487, 492, 500, 499) would keep me out. Now I'm just humble and grateful I got in a U.S. school and will do anything to not disappoint. I'm also from Haiti (extremely URM) and immigrated here after surviving the earthquake in 2010. Life keeps giving me lemons, and I just keep making lemonade .

Sent from my SM-G950U using SDN mobile
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 21 users
Members don't see this ad :)

ekmf27050

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2017
Messages
521
Reaction score
1,113
3.4 cGPA, 3.3 sGPA
Panicked about the GPA right up until my first acceptance. But I had an upward trend, crushed the MCAT, and presented my "story" of ECs and goals pretty coherently. Interviewed at 9 schools, accepted at 6.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 8 users

kulmpke

Full Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2017
Messages
340
Reaction score
1,092
Next year this thread is going to be "3.9, 514. Somehow made it!" lol
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 30 users

Gilakend

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2012
Messages
1,830
Reaction score
3,519
Hey guys,

My MCAT is 502, but I had a high GPA of 3.91, and I only got one interview and was accepted! The interview was what got me in.

Go Rockets
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

bahdahboom

MS-4!!
5+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2015
Messages
197
Reaction score
237
3.5 GPA, 506 MCAT, crazy strong upward trend, lots of ECs, 1 interview, 1 acceptance.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

Clemsonfive0

New Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2018
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Good work...was this amcas gpa or transcript gpa? I ask because I have similar transcript grades but about a 2.9 in both sci and ao amcas and am retaking the mcat in August and turning in amcas/tmdsas app mid June. Hoping to have enough time to get my supplementals in at a decent time without hurting my study time for mcat. Is there a ton of emphasis on the amcas calculation, such as a possible cut off, or is it mainly trends and resiliency in that dept? Also are a lot of secondary apps beastly and time consuming? Anybody?
 

Blakeb_212

Full Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2016
Messages
144
Reaction score
99
3.2 gpa 503 mcat reapplicant 3 DO acceptances and 2 MD waitlists. Being persistent is always helpful and things will work out, not always on the time frame that we want them to, but sooner or later they will. As mentioned earlier, mine was more of a reinvention route.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users

justcuriouser

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
May 11, 2018
Messages
21
Reaction score
18
Idk if this counts as low stat because I did an SMP and did well in it but my undergrad GPA was 3.1 and science 2.8? I think. I only got accepted to one school though off the waitlist but still.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6 users

PolarEagle

New Member
Joined
May 14, 2018
Messages
1
Reaction score
7
3.3 cgpa, 3.1 sgpa, 518 MCAT

5 II, 2 acceptances, 3 waitlists
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6 users

RNthenDoc

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2017
Messages
1,044
Reaction score
2,004
~60th percentile MCAT

5 acceptances

ECs and interview skills count! If you want it bad enough and it isn’t TRULY out of reach it can be done. The stats for MD schools are easily available. I think I had roughly a 30% chance of getting into an MD, but I did.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Members don't see this ad :)

celery123

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2017
Messages
29
Reaction score
35
3.2 sGPA, 3.7 cGPA, 503 MCAT, non-trad, 4 II, 3 waitlists, 1 acceptance. Potentially could've had more acceptances, but I withdrew from the waitlists after my first acceptance in February because it was my top choice :) .
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users

freak7

Stuck in a tacky hat
5+ Year Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2016
Messages
3,565
Reaction score
7,293
I know this was from a while back, but I still want to address it.

First, that's unacceptable. URM have to work just as hard. Nothing can compensate for low GPA or MCAT and poor EC, if that's what you're implying. Your bitterness shows too much, take it down a notch.

Second, these are the population that most of us serves/ will be serving.

Third, I hope you don't reflect your lack of compassion anywhere near your applications. You're absurd.
You realize you're replying to a post that's almost a year old, correct?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

saffe94

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2017
Messages
64
Reaction score
43
3.49 cGPA, 3.65 sGPA, 513, I had 5 MD IIs and 3 DO IIs. Admitted to my top choice MD school with partial scholarship.

It can be done!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users

bigloley

Full Member
Lifetime Donor
10+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
299
Reaction score
134
3.1 gpa, 2.9 sgpa. Went to a low tier MD school, now a resident at MGH. It can be done! (With a lot of hard work)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 26 users

jdrb0130

Full Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2015
Messages
185
Reaction score
64
Idk if this counts as low stat because I did an SMP and did well in it but my undergrad GPA was 3.1 and science 2.8? I think. I only got accepted to one school though off the waitlist but still.
Congrats. Where did you do your smp?
 

MedicineN'Jazz

calling all jazzites
5+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2016
Messages
1,040
Reaction score
1,135
Reapplicant with 3.5cGPA/3.3sGPA.Took the MCAT four times with an average of 496, and a range of 490-500. Applied last year to 60 MD/DO schools. Rejected to all 60, with just one interview. This year, applied to 37 medical schools (MD only). Recieved 6 interviews, attended 5, and accepted to 2! It can be done;)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 20 users
D

deleted861396

applied my junior year of college with a 510, 3.51 cGPA/3.06 sGPA, 25 rejects and 1 waitlist at my state school. decided to take the risk and go the SMP route after graduation, busted my ass off, and will now be studying for my MD in two months. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users

DeadlyWarbler

Biologist
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2006
Messages
476
Reaction score
199
Good work...was this amcas gpa or transcript gpa? I ask because I have similar transcript grades but about a 2.9 in both sci and ao amcas and am retaking the mcat in August and turning in amcas/tmdsas app mid June. Hoping to have enough time to get my supplementals in at a decent time without hurting my study time for mcat. Is there a ton of emphasis on the amcas calculation, such as a possible cut off, or is it mainly trends and resiliency in that dept? Also are a lot of secondary apps beastly and time consuming? Anybody?

In my experience applying last year, secondaries take up a huge amount of time and money. They will have you write at least one essay, but most had several smaller mini-essays (which seem easy, but take up so much mental energy to write properly). Plan to pay $60-110 per secondary app. It's all worth it if that interview invite comes through!
 

DeadlyWarbler

Biologist
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2006
Messages
476
Reaction score
199
Reapplicant with 3.5cGPA/3.3sGPA.Took the MCAT four times with an average of 496, and a range of 490-500. Applied last year to 60 MD/DO schools. Rejected to all 60, with just one interview. This year, applied to 37 medical schools (MD only). Recieved 6 interviews, attended 5, rejected from 1, silence from another, waitlists from 2, and acceptance to 1! It can be done;)

Now that is a great story! You should be applauded on your resilience. I have a similar story (lower GPA, higher MCAT) and have been previously rejected by about the same number of schools. (3 interviews, 1 waitlist). I am currently reapplying after completing an M.S. program and hoping for a similar outcome!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

MedicineN'Jazz

calling all jazzites
5+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2016
Messages
1,040
Reaction score
1,135
Now that is a great story! You should be applauded on your resilience. I have a similar story (lower GPA, higher MCAT) and have been previously rejected by about the same number of schools. (3 interviews, 1 waitlist). I am currently reapplying after completing an M.S. program and hoping for a similar outcome!
Thanks so much! It’s been a choppy ride this year for sure. An M.S. will definitely boost your app, wishing you the best of luck mim rafiki!
 

DeadlyWarbler

Biologist
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2006
Messages
476
Reaction score
199
Thanks so much! It’s been a choppy ride this year for sure. An M.S. will definitely boost your app, wishing you the best of luck mim rafiki!

Thank you! That definitely boosts my mood today!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

ipromise23

New Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2018
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
3.2uGPA and ~3 sGPA, 516 MCAT, upward trend and good ECs including a publication. Got 5II this cycle and accepted on a scholarship to one. It’s possible!

what schools if you dont mind me asking?
 

chemdoctor

Full Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2016
Messages
1,818
Reaction score
997
I had an unbalanced MCAT and debated not submitting, but I think that the GPA helped me out a bit.

Still... posting on “low stat success stories”, with a GPA above a 3.4 is kinda ridiculous... lol I mean I get that this is SDN where anything below a 3.9 is considered awful but seriously

Not whining. Good job on your success, but you were a pretty good applicant to begin with!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users

DrStephenStrange

Neurology PGY-1
5+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2017
Messages
3,500
Reaction score
5,575
Still... posting on “low stat success stories”, with a GPA above a 3.4 is kinda ridiculous... lol I mean I get that this is SDN where anything below a 3.9 is considered awful but seriously

Not whining. Good job on your success, but you were a pretty good applicant to begin with!
3.4 is below average for most MD schools, and sometimes needs in-state status, incredible ECs, excellent MCAT, and/or URM status to help alleviate its weight on the balance.

Sent from my SM-G950U using SDN mobile
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Top