Question about getting into med school

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mikey1294

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I'm new to this and everyone tells me that you need pretty close to a 4.0 average to get into medical school. So the way I see it is that you need to be a perfect student. Can any one tell me more information on what you need to do to get into med school.

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mikey1294 said:
I'm new to this and everyone tells me that you need pretty close to a 4.0 average to get into medical school. So the way I see it is that you need to be a perfect student. Can any one tell me more information on what you need to do to get into med school.

You do not need to be perfect to get into med school. I had a 3.4 undergrad gpa and an average MCAT score, and I got into lots of schools. You should strive for perfection, but nobody os perfect.
 
mikey1294 said:
I'm new to this and everyone tells me that you need pretty close to a 4.0 average to get into medical school. So the way I see it is that you need to be a perfect student. Can any one tell me more information on what you need to do to get into med school.

The minimum GPA for acceptance is 2.75 for most schools. The higher your MCAT is, the lower your GPA can be.

For example,

A person with a 3.0 and 35 MCAT would likely be equivalent to an applicant with a 3.5 GPA and a 30 MCAT.

To say that you need a 3.9 or 4.0 to get into medical school would perhaps be true for only the top medical schools, and assuming your MCAT was not exceptional.
 
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medic170 said:
You do not need to be perfect to get into med school. I had a 3.4 undergrad gpa and an average MCAT score, and I got into lots of schools. You should strive for perfection, but nobody os perfect.

I agree that nobody is perfect, but my personal opinion is that GPA matters a lot more than MCAT. I came out of undergrad with a 3.15 GPA and a high-30s MCAT, but didn't get in anywhere. Went through grad school and improved my GPA substantially, then got into a bunch of programs.

I'd say that
3.0 GPA & 35 MCAT = trouble
3.5 GPA & 30 MCAT = reasonable to good
3.5 GPA & 35 MCAT = good to excellent

That's just my opinion, though. I'm sure there are people with the opposite experience.
 
AmateurChef said:
I agree that nobody is perfect, but my personal opinion is that GPA matters a lot more than MCAT. I came out of undergrad with a 3.15 GPA and a high-30s MCAT, but didn't get in anywhere. Went through grad school and improved my GPA substantially, then got into a bunch of programs.

Just my opinion, though. I'm sure there are people with the opposite experience.

I was always told that a good MCAT can somewhat make up for a poorer GPA. Oh well, I guess either one can sorta make up for the other, depending on the disparity between them.
 
you sound like you are just starting. studentdoctor.net has some great resources you should check out. you should also talk to your advisor about specifics.

and don't worry! you don't have to have a 4.0 to get into med school.
 
To be a fairly competitive applicant, you should have about a 3.5 GPA and 10s on all three sections of the MCAT. Of course, the higher these numbers are, the more competitive you become. But I would say that if you have these numbers, *most* schools will at least look at your extracurricular activities and other experiences before deciding whether to invite you for an interview, and *most* schools would accept you with these numbers if you had some really good ECs and showed a dedication to medicine. With that said, medical schools are looking for a really diverse student population, and since no one has figured out yet what formula they use, your best bet is to keep your grades up and get involved in some interesting activities that you enjoy. And, of course, everyone has different life experiences, etc, so there really is no definitive cutoff for gpa/mcat scores to be accepted.
 
AmateurChef said:
I agree that nobody is perfect, but my personal opinion is that GPA matters a lot more than MCAT.

Really. I feel like the opposite is true, since GPA can be influenced by how easy (or difficult) a given school is. The MCAT, on the other hand, is pretty much equal for everybody. While it's not a perfect test, I think it's a much more reliable and fair way to compare everybody. Just my opinion. :)
 
Well what would you guys suggest take easy courses and have a higher GPA or take harder courses and have a lower GPA? Thanks for all the help.
 
The higher the GPA, the better, but keep in mind that adcoms can see right through a super easy schedule. And, no matter what, you'll have to take the medical school pre-reqs (chem, physics, bio, etc.), which will probably not be easy.
 
OSUdoc08 said:
The minimum GPA for acceptance is 2.75 for most schools. The higher your MCAT is, the lower your GPA can be.

For example,

A person with a 3.0 and 35 MCAT would likely be equivalent to an applicant with a 3.5 GPA and a 30 MCAT.

To say that you need a 3.9 or 4.0 to get into medical school would perhaps be true for only the top medical schools, and assuming your MCAT was not exceptional.

yo man..i think ur information is SERIOUSLY flawed...2.75!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i dont think so..not in any US allopathic school that I know of. it is VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY rare.
 
drguy22 said:
yo man..i think ur information is SERIOUSLY flawed...2.75!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i dont think so..not in any US allopathic school that I know of. it is VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY rare.

For most U.S. allopathic schools it is 2.75-3.0.

I was giving a bare minimum. Take a look at some schools websites, before you get your panties in a bunch. It doesn't mean you will get accepted, but it is the minimum where they will accept your application.

If you have a 40 MCAT a 2.75 overall, and a 3.2 science GPA, you'll get in somewhere.
 
OSUdoc08 said:
For most U.S. allopathic schools it is 2.75-3.0.

I was giving a bare minimum. Take a look at some schools websites, before you get your panties in a bunch. It doesn't mean you will get accepted, but it is the minimum where they will accept your application.

If you have a 40 MCAT a 2.75 overall, and a 3.2 science GPA, you'll get in somewhere.

its very very rare. And u didnt mention a 3.2 science GPA...nor did u mention a 40 MCAT score. id say its only possible ir ur a URM.
 
drguy22 said:
its very very rare. .... id say its only possible ir ur a URM.

... or a big name legacy, or a kid of the dean, etc. Bottom line is the person with the low end GPA who got in will almost certainly have had something else going for him. The typical applicant shouldn't ever rely on those numbers and consider themselved competitive.
 
drguy22 said:
its very very rare. And u didnt mention a 3.2 science GPA...nor did u mention a 40 MCAT score. id say its only possible ir ur a URM.

It really depends on where you apply, where you are regionally located, what your MCAT is, and what recommendations and extracurriculars you have.

You can't base anything off of merely a GPA.

I have a friend with a 3.8 GPA that did not get an interview at a top 10 MD school in the nation, and another friend with a 3.4 GPA and a 2.9 science GPA that did.
 
OSUdoc08 said:
For most U.S. allopathic schools it is 2.75-3.0.

I was giving a bare minimum. Take a look at some schools websites, before you get your panties in a bunch. It doesn't mean you will get accepted, but it is the minimum where they will accept your application.

If you have a 40 MCAT a 2.75 overall, and a 3.2 science GPA, you'll get in somewhere.


Why are you guys jumping on OSUdoc? He is right. for most schools, the MINIMUM gpa they will except is 2.75. He never said you would get accepted, but you have to have that to even apply.
 
mikey1294 said:
I'm new to this and everyone tells me that you need pretty close to a 4.0 average to get into medical school. So the way I see it is that you need to be a perfect student. Can any one tell me more information on what you need to do to get into med school.
mikey, I'd do some thread searches and see if you can come up with the answer. the forum also has some stickies (at the top) and they are a useful tool.
 
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