Official: GREAT MCAT + TERRIBLE GPA THREAD

[medicine_man]

---I am sorry if this is redundant. I wasn't sure which forum to post this Thread in---



I guess I started this thread because, upon looking at the postbacc forums, I noticed that there are a lot of people (especially those applying or accepted to the georgetown smp) with relatively poor GPAs (<3.4) and AMCAS BCMP (<3.2), but somehow turn out with exceptional MCAT scores (>29 or 30).

Currently, I am a second semester Junior w/ a GPA of 3.268 and a BCMP of about 2.8. I am hoping to graduate college with around a 3.5 and a 3.2 respectively. I will be taking the MCAT this August, and I am really nervous that because my GPA is relatively low, I will score relatively low on the MCAT (<27).

Just for my own sake of encouragement, is there anyone out there who has, or knows someone who has accomplished a relatively good MCAT score with a low GPA?

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[CaliforniaBear]

Yup, check out my profile (below). I was really unfocused in college, so my grades don't reflect my abilities. I actually tried on the MCAT, so I did well. The prep courses definitely helped, plus I seem to do well on standardized tests. Don't be discouraged.

 

[batchild39]

yup, that's me

 

[imrep1972]

---I am sorry if this is redundant. I wasn't sure which forum to post this Thread in---



I guess I started this thread because, upon looking at the postbacc forums, I noticed that there are a lot of people (especially those applying or accepted to the georgetown smp) with relatively poor GPAs (<3.4) and AMCAS BCMP (<3.2), but somehow turn out with exceptional MCAT scores (>29 or 30).

Currently, I am a second semester Junior w/ a GPA of 3.268 and a BCMP of about 2.8. I am hoping to graduate college with around a 3.5 and a 3.2 respectively. I will be taking the MCAT this August, and I am really nervous that because my GPA is relatively low, I will score relatively low on the MCAT (<27).

Just for my own sake of encouragement, is there anyone out there who has, or knows someone who has accomplished a relatively good MCAT score with a low GPA?

Scored a 36R with a 2.95R cume (according to AAMCAS). I just really screwed around in college the first time around.

 

[junebuguf]

Someone already tried starting a thread like this before and never really got it off the ground. Heres why: if you have a bad cum and/or bcmp gpa, you *need* to have exceptional MCAT scores. Not good, not solid, but exceptional. Look at the other low gpa thread and check out mdapplicants. Those with low, low gpas (<3.2) who have been successful have MCATs that average in the mid 30s.

PS 29-30+ is not an exceptional MCAT score....even for those with great grades. Its merely close to the average of all accepted applicants, which makes it a 'good' score. Again, if you're gpa is way below the average accepted gpa of 3.6, your MCAT should be way above the average of 30 to compensate. And yes this applies, even if every med school denies that grades and gpa offset each other.

 

[emorygirl]

wow, i never thought i would find a site that addresses EVERY SINGLE question i have ever had about med school, but i have, and now i will be posting here all night. a lot of you guys seem pretty knowledgeable as to how differing med school stats will be viewed, so i've got a question for you. i have a mediocre gpa/ good MCAT situation myself (3.4/ 37N, respectively) and i've heard everything from "you can get into Harvard, for sure" to "a disparity like that indicates a total lack of motivation on your part." which seems more reasonable, and how should i go about improving my competetiveness as an applicant before i apply to med school?

thanks so much.

 

[Phil Anthropist]

Welcome to SDN, Emorygirl!

First things first...

YOU DO NOT NEED A POSTBAC!!!

Well maybe you're shooting for top med schools...okay it looks like you are...Why not just take a full courseload for a year, get As, and pull your 3.4 up to say around a 3.6? But again, unless you're trying to make your "mediocre" GPA solid, you don't need a postbac. The low GPAers here tend to have sub-3.2 (even sub-3.0) undergrad cumulative and/or science GPAs. Trust me, your GPA is NOT bad. Below matriculant averages? Sure. BAD? Not compared to most of us here.

Anyway, other than your numbers, what else is there to your profile? How are your extracurricular activities? Did you serve major leadership roles? Do you have a major upward trend in your grades? Do you have publications? What makes you stand out?

Numbers alone never tell the whole picture. Harvard is NEVER a sure thing. One of my best friends was gunning for Harvard. It was his top choice. I don't know if he got in or not, but I'm guessing he didn't because he ended up at another top 5 school. Anyway he had the same MCAT as you (well different WS), a 4.0, and some excellent ECs (but no research).

Another person I know went to a specific undergrad school (which shall remain nameless) with its own (US News unranked) med school. With a 36 MCAT and around a 3.8 GPA he got waitlisted there, but he did get into his state school. His ECs weren't so great.

So no one can make an educated guess regarding your chances of getting into a top med school if you just mention your numbers...

 

[emorygirl]

thanks for the prompt and encouraging response, Phil Anthropist! i don't mean to sound neurotic, i know i'm not the worst candidate ever but fellow pre-meds and career counselors can say some of the scariest things

to answer some of your questions.... i'm not aiming for the top in terms of school quality. as of now my ideal is UMiami ...my highest hope would be for Emory Med School or NYU but i'll take what i can get

my ECs are pretty diverse but not outstanding- dance company, sorority, a non-health related volunteer program, work-study lab work in a med school lab and the CDC but no publications or anything, mostly lab drudgery

i graduate in may and right now i'm completing the app for the nih irta program. i'm figuring if i get it i can take a course or two to beef up my academic profile while doing research (would one or two courses make a sig. difference?) unfortunately doing the "super senior" thing and taking a full courseload for another year is pretty much out of the question as my parents have expressed that it's the ONE thing they wouldn't provide further financial aid for. (4 years of Emory tuition leaves one's parents extremely bitter, i think my mom would rather shove 50 thousand bucks up her butt than pay 15 dollars for an Emory t-shirt)

 

[exmike]

thanks for the prompt and encouraging response, Phil Anthropist! i don't mean to sound neurotic, i know i'm not the worst candidate ever but fellow pre-meds and career counselors can say some of the scariest things

to answer some of your questions.... i'm not aiming for the top in terms of school quality. as of now my ideal is UMiami ...my highest hope would be for Emory Med School or NYU but i'll take what i can get

my ECs are pretty diverse but not outstanding- dance company, sorority, a non-health related volunteer program, work-study lab work in a med school lab and the CDC but no publications or anything, mostly lab drudgery

i graduate in may and right now i'm completing the app for the nih irta program. i'm figuring if i get it i can take a course or two to beef up my academic profile while doing research (would one or two courses make a sig. difference?) unfortunately doing the "super senior" thing and taking a full courseload for another year is pretty much out of the question as my parents have expressed that it's the ONE thing they wouldn't provide further financial aid for. (4 years of Emory tuition leaves one's parents extremely bitter, i think my mom would rather shove 50 thousand bucks up her butt than pay 15 dollars for an Emory t-shirt)

i think you can aim 'higher' than those schools. i had a much lower gpa and and slightly lower mcat and i got into a school around where you are aiming. i also did at nih irta. good luck

 

[liverotcod]

i think you can aim 'higher' than those schools. i had a much lower gpa and and slightly lower mcat and i got into a school around where you are aiming. i also did at nih irta. good luck

One thing I didn't see in your application as reported: clinical experience. No matter where you apply, you will definitely want to be able to talk effectively about your exposure to medicine. In the next few months before the June AMCAS, why not pick up some shadowing or clinical volunteer work? It might make all the difference.

 

[emorygirl]

One thing I didn't see in your application as reported: clinical experience. No matter where you apply, you will definitely want to be able to talk effectively about your exposure to medicine. In the next few months before the June AMCAS, why not pick up some shadowing or clinical volunteer work? It might make all the difference.

thanks for the help, guys. yeah, i have a hospital volunteering position lined up for the summer.