Medical Schools that place higher emphasis on GPA over MCAT

[JessL1499]

Just wondering if anyone knew any med schools that place a higher emphasis on GPA over MCAT. I am trying to figure out which schools to apply to while waiting for my April MCAT score. I have a 3.96 GPA (All A's in premed classes), but I am afraid my MCAT score will not be stellar (maybe ~30). Any help is greatly appreciated. 🙂

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[LockesKidney]

umm yea don't worry about getitng into med school. unless you want to go to an IVY league. you can get into a state school with your eyes closed

 

[windzilla]

umm yea don't worry about getitng into med school. unless you want to go to an IVY league. you can get into a state school with your eyes closed

this statment just sounds a little missinformed.

first many state schools (ucsf for example) are just as hard or harder to get into than an IVY.

Second, if your LOR's arent good, and your EC's dont show dedication in generall, and to a large degree (though there are exceptions) experiance in a clincally relevent way, many schools will be very unimpressed with you high stats.


Third, this is a crap shoot, search around the mdapps site and see what i mean, stellar gpa and mcats are Definatly of paramount importance, as are the EC's and LOR stuff. However even people with everythign in the right place can get rejected from a few schools during there application cycle.

I personally have gotten into school over peers who had better numbers (less experiance though).

Additionally some schools will have a problem with you if your MCAT is way below your GPA. if you get a balance 30 or above it should be OK, from what i understand, but this is the internet so I wouldnt loose any sleep over what I or anyone else here says, often times it will be wrong.
Plus being the internets people will sometimes make comments that are so blatently obvious you feel insulted, you shouldnt read to much into them.


cheers

 

[Carmenita79]

umm yea don't worry about getitng into med school. unless you want to go to an IVY league. you can get into a state school with your eyes closed

Totally depends on the state!

 

[JessL1499]

I guess to be more specific, anyone know of any private schools? I'm already definitely applying to all the state schools. The problem is that I am really interested in research, and my state's med schools don't put much emphasis on research. Thanks!

 

[heeseop]

I guess to be more specific, anyone know of any private schools? I'm already definitely applying to all the state schools. The problem is that I am really interested in research, and my state's med schools don't put much emphasis on research. Thanks!

"Which schools weigh the MCAT more heavily?

Examples include Washington U, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, UC San Francisco, Vanderbilt, UC San Diego, Yale, UC David, Duke

Which weigh the GPA more heavily?

Examples include U Colorado, Oregon, St. Louis U, U Washington, Baylor, U Virginia"

source: accepted.com 😀

 

[notdeadyet]

Third, this is a crap shoot, search around the mdapps site and see what i mean, stellar gpa and mcats are Definatly of paramount importance, as are the EC's and LOR stuff. However even people with everythign in the right place can get rejected from a few schools during there application cycle.

I agree with much of this in spirit, but I'd be careful about reading too much into the MDApps site. It's a fun site, but I wouldn't make any inferences based on the applications there.

One thing you'll find is that SDN is not very representative of the premed community at large. It definitely consists of more of the aggressive and higher end students. This is even more true on MDApps.

 

[Will Ferrell]

Check out the stats from USNews and you'll get a rough idea of which schools place more of an emphasis on grades than mcats. U. Miami, St. Louis U., and Mayo stick out. Any school with an average GPA > 3.7, but average MCAT <33 would weigh GPA more heavily.

 

[foofish]

I guess to be more specific, anyone know of any private schools? I'm already definitely applying to all the state schools. The problem is that I am really interested in research, and my state's med schools don't put much emphasis on research. Thanks!

Careful in applying to all of the state schools (unless you were just generalizing)--some don't accept any out of state applicants (e.g. UMass, it's by law) and others are much harder to get into if you're out of state (which means you'd probably need a stellar MCAT to compete with instate applicants)...

 

[Army_Doc]

Just wondering if anyone knew any med schools that place a higher emphasis on GPA over MCAT. I am trying to figure out which schools to apply to while waiting for my April MCAT score. I have a 3.96 GPA (All A's in premed classes), but I am afraid my MCAT score will not be stellar (maybe ~30). Any help is greatly appreciated. 🙂

"Take your GPA, multiply by 10, then add your MCAT score. If the number you get is close to 70 or above, and you have a well rounded life outside of school, you stand a very good chance of getting into a medical school somewhere. "

-I was told this by my college's medical advisor. I know its an extreme oversimplification, and that activities and life experience can significantly change your competitive level. Normally, I wouldn't mention this "system" to anyone, but with a 3.9 and ~30 MCAT, I hope it gives you the confidence you need in your application process. So don't fret.

Of course, im not guaranteeing you'll go to Harvard, but I know those with lower stats than you that have gotten in various schools all over the country.

Good luck!

 

[Law2Doc]

but I am afraid my MCAT score will not be stellar (maybe ~30).

No point speculating until you know your MCAT -- you will know soon enough. If it's 30ish or above, then numerical stats won't be an impediment to med school. If it's too low, you will want to retake and so it will be irrelevant which schools place more emphasis on GPA etc. But bear in mind that there are many factors involved in med school admissions and ALL OF THEM are important. No one gets in excelling in just one category. The applicant pool is full of people who excel in multiple areas. You will need a competitive GPA, MCAT, ECs, LORs, PS, and interview well to expect admission to an allopathic school. If you aren't competitive in one of these areas, you need to take the time to fix them. This isn't a race. Line your ducks in a row and only then, pull the trigger.

 

[NonTradMed]

Your GPA is great, especially your BCPM (a 4.0 in that area will be great). However, a 30 matched with a 4.0 seems a bit....off? I dunno, I guess when I was in college, I only knew a few people with 4.0 or close to it, and they all did steller on their MCAT (36-40), so I'm wondering if adcoms won't question the difficulty of your premed courses at your school.

But anyway, if you get around a 30, I think you have a good shot at a med school somewhere. Probably your state school---unless you're from Cali, in which case, all bets are off. Don't apply to too many state schools as an OOS candidate since many state schools severely restrict the number of OOSers they take, some won't take any nonresidents.

If your MCAT will be around a 30, look at lower tiered private med schools for 'safeties' (or as close to safeties as med schools can get). Your GPA will help in case your MCAT is less than stellar.

 

[relentless11]

"Which schools weigh the MCAT more heavily?

Examples include Washington U, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, UC San Francisco, Vanderbilt, UC San Diego, Yale, UC David, Duke

I don't know if you were joking or not, but I wouldn't trust any websites other than the actual schools site. Even better, you should be talking to adcoms directly to get accurate information.

In regards to your statement about UCSF, UCSD, and UC DAVIS...these schools actually weigh GPA and MCAT EQUALLY. For one thing, I'm doing a program through UC Davis School of Medicine, and have talked to Ed Dagang, the med school's director of admissions who has stated on numerous occassions that UCD weighs both equally. Additionally considering ALL UC's screen GPA and MCAT, weighing one or the other is moot. The cutoffs for GPA and MCAT are roughly 3.0-3.2, and 24-26 respectively. Meet or exceed those cutoffs, then you get a secondary. I cannot speak for the other schools you mentioned.

If UCSF, UCD, UCSD did weigh MCAT more heavily, they wouldn't have recommended me to do more undergrad post-bacc despite my MCAT score. I suggest that all SDNer's, despite how wonderous and convenient online content can be from 3rd party sites, they should always follow-up with the MSAR and/or admissions offices at specific schools. This is why in your previous thread about finding a book on this type of information, fellow SDNers have suggested the MSAR, rather than 3rd party books.