Schools that like high MCATs

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
LEDeVolld said:
does anyone know of medical schools in the US that like high MCATs but won't care about a 3.2 GPA
Click to expand...

How high is high?
 
LEDeVolld said:
does anyone know of medical schools in the US that like high MCATs but won't care about a 3.2 GPA
Click to expand...

Isn't it actually a GPA+MCAT combination? I heard there was some formula the schools use to add the two up.
 
like 37 and i just want to know if there is a school famous for not giving much notice to a low GPA: 3.2
 
LEDeVolld said:
like 37 and i just want to know if there is a school famous for not giving much notice to a low GPA: 3.2
Click to expand...

Are you a URM?
 
I'd say that a 37 makes up for a 3.2. Apply to 15 schools, 5 on high end, 5 middle, 5 low.
 
ha. schools that like high MCATs? that's like saying "do you guys know of any dudes that like girls with nice bodies and tanned skin?"

i would guess chicago med though. my friend got in there with a 3.0 and a 34. not a URM
-mota
 
Jaykms said:
Isn't it actually a GPA+MCAT combination? I heard there was some formula the schools use to add the two up.
Click to expand...

Very few, if any schools use a strict numerical formula like this, though some cut down their interview pool this way.
With a 3.2 and 37, a lot of schools would talk to the OP, depending on what the 3.2 consisted of -- i.e. a 3.8 non-sciences and a 2.8 BCPM probably won't get overlooked by a high MCAT. But no school will be, like, you have a great MCAT, "you're in". More often, you have a good MCAT so we're still talking -- now what ELSE do you have that should make us want to take you.
 
Check out my profile to see what schools NOT to apply to.
 
Do an MDapplicants search for profiles of people who were accepted with 3.0-3.2 gpa and 37+ MCAT (make sure you put in your ethnicity so that you get more accurate results)....
 
Depends on what the story behind your 3.2 is. Did you raise it from something lower by doing well over the past few semesters?
 
I'd say that a lot of schools, except top 10 schools, would be willing to look at you if your GPA shows a trend of improvement.

3.2 isn't the best GPA but it is definitely not the worst either. If it can be shown that you've had a good trend of better grades, it will help you a great deal. If you don't have a good trend, you might want to talk to med school admissions directors and see what kind of advice they give. Some may suggest doing a special masters programs, or they may say to do a postbac. Its really all relative to your given situation.
 
gujuDoc said:
I'd say that a lot of schools, except top 10 schools, would be willing to look at you if your GPA shows a trend of improvement.

3.2 isn't the best GPA but it is definitely not the worst either. If it can be shown that you've had a good trend of better grades, it will help you a great deal. If you don't have a good trend, you might want to talk to med school admissions directors and see what kind of advice they give. Some may suggest doing a special masters programs, or they may say to do a postbac. Its really all relative to your given situation.
Click to expand...

apply to a LOT of schools. I had more or less exactly the same stats, and it took me 2 application cycles to get in. make sure you cover your bases.
 
WashU will definitely look at you favorably. They are the most concerned with MCAT it seems
 
Jaykms said:
Are you a URM?
Click to expand...

Hey...a friend of mine from my alma mater is a URM with a 3.6 GPA and a 32 on his MCAT, great EC's, etc...and he did not get into many schools.
 
I think Keck has a pretty high MCAT average compared to GPA
 
tennisnr2 said:
WashU will definitely look at you favorably. They are the most concerned with MCAT it seems
Click to expand...

GPA is really important to them too. They have a repuation (deserved or not, if you want to debate that there's a thread about it) for being very, very selective about both of the "numbers."
 
LEDeVolld said:
does anyone know of medical schools in the US that like high MCATs but won't care about a 3.2 GPA
Click to expand...

Jefferson's MCAT's stats are much higher (~32) than their GPA stats (~3.4).
 
Sorry for the multiple posts, my computer was completely freaking out (damn you Bill Gates)
 
Sorry for the multiple posts, my computer was completely freaking out (damn you Bill Gates)
 
tennisnr2 said:
WashU will definitely look at you favorably. They are the most concerned with MCAT it seems
Click to expand...
isn't washu like a top10 school? i think they also want a 3.8gpa.
 
Sinbadthesailor said:
does colorado accept(like) out-of-staters?
Click to expand...
Research what the out of state tuition is for Colorado and report back!
 
i agree that you should apply to lots of schools so that you have the best change of getting in. There's no way you can predict which schools will like you based on a high MCAT but medium GPA.
 
i dont see any correlation between gpa and mcat on mdapplicants. but then there are very few people who have real high mcat's and low gpa's. so if you list schools like usc and jefferson as being mcat ******, i dont think there is any way to prove or disprove your claims.
 
anon-y-mouse said:
Research what the out of state tuition is for Colorado and report back!
Click to expand...
does it affect your admissions chances though? and do you pay out-of-state tuition all 4 years, or just the first?
 
I have a crappy gpa, but high MCATs & got recruiting brochures from Albany Med, Pitt & Wash U in St. Louis. Of those, I only applied to Pitt, but got interviewed & accepted. I suspect that if a school is sending brochures based solely on how you did on the MCAT, they care about it quite a bit.
 
slim06 said:
I have a crappy gpa, but high MCATs & got recruiting brochures from Albany Med, Pitt & Wash U in St. Louis. Of those, I only applied to Pitt, but got interviewed & accepted. I suspect that if a school is sending brochures based solely on how you did on the MCAT, they care about it quite a bit.
Click to expand...

Of course those recruiting letters don't necessarily mean anything. I got one from Wash U, but they still haven't accepted me....
 
I'm making a list of schools that are worth applying to next year and I'm putting those that like high MCATs up high on the list. I checked the medapplications thing and found some that seemed good for my situation.

My science is : 3.3
non sicence is :3.05
total: 3.2

Do they like to see that you had shadowed a dr?
 
Sinbadthesailor said:
does it affect your admissions chances though? and do you pay out-of-state tuition all 4 years, or just the first?
Click to expand...

Colorado allows you to establish residency during your first year, so you pay about $73,591 for the first year and about $22,018 for each subsequent year.
 
and what schools DON'T like high MCAT scores??

The more profiles you observe, the more you'll see that the trend is in your favor. More people who have high MCAT's with lower GPA's get into medical schools than people who have low MCAT's scores with higher GPA's...(thus my dilema, but that's another story...)
 
Orthodoc40 said:
and what schools DON'T like high MCAT scores??

The more profiles you observe, the more you'll see that the trend is in your favor. More people who have high MCAT's with lower GPA's get into medical schools than people who have low MCAT's scores with higher GPA's...(thus my dilema, but that's another story...)
Click to expand...


the caveat is that you apply smartly. I guess that was my mistake 'cause I definitely felt the opposite: that a high GPA with a so-so MCAT has been viewed more favorably than the other way around.
 
ahumdinger said:
the caveat is that you apply smartly. I guess that was my mistake 'cause I definitely felt the opposite: that a high GPA with a so-so MCAT has been viewed more favorably than the other way around.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Though you see more people with say a 3.2 or 3.1 type GPA getting in w/high MCAT scores than you see people with a 24 - 27 MCAT and a 3.8 GPA...
 
so what you guys are saying is that i should be happy with a high MCAT low GPA. MCAT ****** here I come!
 
LEDeVolld said:
so what you guys are saying is that i should be happy with a high MCAT low GPA. MCAT ****** here I come!
Click to expand...

Well, I'd trade with ya! Good luck!
 
The real question should be which schools like low MCATS! You have a 37 so I would feel pretty comfortable if I were you. If you are applying this upcoming cycle rock the spring semester and try to bring it to a 3.3-3.4.
 
USArmyDoc said:
The real question should be which schools like low MCATS! You have a 37 so I would feel pretty comfortable if I were you. If you are applying this upcoming cycle rock the spring semester and try to bring it to a 3.3-3.4.
Click to expand...

The dude just got screwed by the Texas schools, and did not get in this cycle after applying to all of them.
I'm pissed that he didn't get in actually, and wish he had.
However that is the genesis of this thread.
He is making a list for next year with that in mind.
I guess my point is that its not always an easy situation even with a high mcat.
 
LEDeVolld said:
so what you guys are saying is that i should be happy with a high MCAT low GPA. MCAT ****** here I come!
Click to expand...


Your situation depends a lot on the trend in your grades, what kind of course loads you took when you got those grades, and a lot of other factors.

I don't know if you go to a school affiliated with a medical school, but I go to an undegrad institution affiliated with an allopathic medical school and our Associate Dean of Academic Enrichment and Minority Affairs at the affiliated med school actually will personally meet with students in an advisor like fashion and help advise you what you should do. Some other med schools do that too.

Its nice, because they don't flat out tell you that you shouldn't apply like the advisors do, but rather steer you in the right direction to what you could do to improve.

I'd apply broad range to a lot of schools, especially state schools because with the exception of some states, like Cali or Penn or those lacking a medical school, you generally have the best shot at a state institution.

This is especially true in states like Florida, Texas, NJ, and NY to an extent. Secondly, you should look through the MSAR and apply broad range to schools like SLU, GWU, Albany, NYMC, or Rosalind Franklin which generally are not too number whorish so to speak.

If you don't get in, during the first round, I'd consider doing a special masters program in which you take first year medical school classes and show that you can handle the rigor of medical school.

However, I'm not sure you'll need to do that with your GPA and MCAT if your profile's other aspects are good.

Is there a way you could give your ECs?? What kind of medical work have you done?? Have you done research, and research that has been published??? What kind of leadership roles have you assumed?? These things also come in handy because you already meet the minimum at some schools, but what your profile looks like is important once you get past the numbers stage.
 
bobito said:
The dude just got screwed by the Texas schools, and did not get in this cycle after applying to all of them.
I'm pissed that he didn't get in actually, and wish he had.
However that is the genesis of this thread.
He is making a list for next year with that in mind.
I guess my point is that its not always an easy situation even with a high mcat.
Click to expand...

guju
My ECs are

Volunteer for the red cross for 3 years about 200 hours
Volunteer in ER for 50 hours
CPR instructor for the red cross
Held officer position for the red cross for 3 semesters.
EMTB
National Dean's list and Dean's list at my school for each semester.

My grades went from low 3s for my degree to 3.9s through the last 60 hours of premed and one semester of 20 hours all hard science with a 4.0.

After Feb 1st I've lined up a doctor to shadow and I'm going to start volunteering again. I also am looking to do some research.
My GPA isn't going far, I'm only taking 2 classes and I'm tutoring full time.

Yeah bobito, I've had to fight the desire to feel disdain for the schools, because it's a process and I'll reapply. I really need the cheap tuition because I'm getting married soon and I'm going to have to sell my car to apply to 30 schools next year and buy a smokebomb or motorcycle for 500 bucks. I'm not going to change my mind and persue something else and I don't need another year to prepare, so this is really just me getting the shaft. It's my own fault because I only applied to 6 schools in texas and I didn't apply to Baylor.
 
LEDeVolld said:
I'm making a list of schools that are worth applying to next year and I'm putting those that like high MCATs up high on the list. I checked the medapplications thing and found some that seemed good for my situation.

My science is : 3.3
non sicence is :3.05
total: 3.2

Do they like to see that you had shadowed a dr?
Click to expand...

http://www.studentdoc.com/medfind.html

I always thought this link was a nice guide. I wouldn't hold all my faith in it, but it at least gives you some starting point. The biggest problem I see with it is the "penality" it gives for lacking the home state of residence of some schools. To explain what I'm talking about... although not every school favors students from their home-state, often times these students are the most represented because the compose the bulk of the applications (SUNY--Upstate falls into this category for sure). Also, in some states you can get residency in less than a month (New Jersey). Obviously, that would make about 99% of their students NJ residents at the time of matriculation. This website seems to forget about that fact, and sometimes give you an unneccesary penalty. Anyway, it is still helpful.
 
browniegirl86 said:
(re: washu) GPA is really important to them too. They have a repuation (deserved or not, if you want to debate that there's a thread about it) for being very, very selective about both of the "numbers."
Click to expand...

To add to the WashU discussion. I got rejected pre-interview. 4.0 science GPA, 3.17 overall. My last 71 credit hours were all A. Take a peek at my mdapps to fill out those numbers and ECs if you want.

To the OP, it seems to me that for some schools a ~3.2 overall GPA can be overcome by kicking a lot of ass in every other aspect of the application (ECs, MCAT, gpa trend, essays, interviewing well). For some schools (WashU, Penn, NYU, Harvard) it can't. Ask me in 6 weeks and I will be able to tell you more conclusively 🙂 . For the top schools, my sense is you've got to have something that really makes you stand out for them to want to look at you (and i'm not talking mcat). I didn't get anywhere untill I sent an update about winning a concerto competition with my performance of rach II.
 
dbhvt said:
To add to the WashU discussion. I got rejected pre-interview. 4.0 science GPA, 3.17 overall. My last 71 credit hours were all A. Take a peek at my mdapps to fill out those numbers and ECs if you want.

To the OP, it seems to me that for some schools a ~3.2 overall GPA can be overcome by kicking a lot of ass in every other aspect of the application (ECs, MCAT, gpa trend, essays, interviewing well). For some schools (WashU, Penn, NYU, Harvard) it can't. Ask me in 6 weeks and I will be able to tell you more conclusively 🙂 . For the top schools, my sense is you've got to have something that really makes you stand out for them to want to look at you (and i'm not talking mcat). I didn't get anywhere untill I sent an update about winning a concerto competition with my performance of rach II.
Click to expand...

My overall GPA did what yours did. It went from 3.1x to 3.2x due to the fall semester. I wonder if that will help. Are we able to sample the AMCAS application before it is available?
 
LEDeVolld said:
My overall GPA did what yours did. It went from 3.1x to 3.2x due to the fall semester. I wonder if that will help. Are we able to sample the AMCAS application before it is available?
Click to expand...

I can't tell you for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if <3.2 is some sort of real or pyschological threshold for adcoms (ie, man we like this guy, but just can't bring ourselves to give a precious spot to someone with a 3.1x GPA)

I'm not sure about sampling AMCAS before it's available, but you can probably calculate it yourself. Just realize that you have to include all post-secondary grades. If you repeated a class, include both grades. The AMCAS website might have some info on exactly how many points +'s and -'s get you. I know I was a little shocked when AMCAS spit out a 3.17 for me. I had close to a 3.5 when I ran the numbers, but there were a few F's in there that I repeated. Amazing what putting those F's back into the calculation did to my GPA.
 
LEDeVolld said:
does anyone know of medical schools in the US that like high MCATs but won't care about a 3.2 GPA
Click to expand...

Why am I always the person who ends up posting this?

Anyhow, your GPA is weighed according to your undergrad institution: in most cases medical schools have stratified system in which they group colleges (I know Northwestern has a five level scale) according to their rigorousness and academic reputation. This can either play out in your favor or severely cripple your application; good luck
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
Activities continued from High School
Replies
2
Views
83
PreMed2006
P
F
List of Schools that Reject Pre-Secondary?
Replies
3
Views
504
TIN25
T
B
ACMAS High School Courses Question
Replies
0
Views
214
Beaverfan
B
P
Top 20 schools that have rural focused programs?
Replies
12
Views
1K
curlydoctor
C
thunderlight8
New school that opened?
Replies
11
Views
2K
Goro
Goro
Top