Scores VS Experience

[prasinos]

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Just how much can experience compensate for lower GPA & MCAT?

(Ex) 2 years of full-time clinical work while doing pre-med, volunteering at hospitals, some medical research, between 3.3-3.7 GPA, between 29-33.

Would schools like Hopkins or UCSF consider interviewing a person with this type of profile?

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

Is your GPA a 3.3 or a 3.7? That 0.4 difference can make a big difference. Also, are you talking a 29 MCAT or a 33 MCAT? I think that someone with a 3.7, 33, 2 years full-time work in a clinical setting and otherwise great application stands a good chance at being interviewed by (a) top school(s), but I wouldn't put money on someone with a 3.3 and 29 MCAT being interviewed by top schools. It has definitely happened, I'm sure, but I would think it's more the exception than the rule.

 

[Law2Doc]

Just how much can experience compensate for lower GPA & MCAT?

(Ex) 2 years of full-time clinical work while doing pre-med, volunteering at hospitals, some medical research, between 3.3-3.7 GPA, between 29-33.

Would schools like Hopkins or UCSF consider interviewing a person with this type of profile?

The experience you describe is good, but isn't going to create the "wow" factor needed to overcome lackluster grades. In general, schools expect you to have both good numerical and non-numerical stats. There is no sliding scale that allows you to do poorly in one area if you overcome it in another -- med schools expect you to be great in all areas.

I agree with the prior poster -- the actual numbers we are talking about are relevant as your range makes a big difference in terms of the schools you would be competitive for. If you have a 3.3/29 and your ECs, I probably would not waste my time applying to those schools. But with a 3.7/33 it becomes worth a shot. Pick up the MSAR, and see what schools your stats compare favorably to. Those are the ones you will have the best chance of getting interviewed at.
I would also suggest that you not even think about what schools you are competitive at until you sit for the MCAT (I gather from your other posts you haven't yet). Until you do, it is impossible to know if you are competitive for med school or taking a longshot. It has become a bad cliche on SDN to ask for chances "assuming" a good score before actually taking the test.

About half of all applicants will not get into ANY allo school. So your first step should be to make yourself competitive for getting into A med school. Only then can you start to dream about getting looked at by the more prestigious ones.

 

[viostorm]

Experience in no way compensates for scores.

There are people with good scores AND experience.

 

[elderjack21]

Is your GPA a 3.3 or a 3.7? That 0.4 difference can make a big difference. Also, are you talking a 29 MCAT or a 33 MCAT? I think that someone with a 3.7, 33, 2 years full-time work in a clinical setting and otherwise great application stands a good chance at being interviewed by (a) top school(s), but I wouldn't put money on someone with a 3.3 and 29 MCAT being interviewed by top schools. It has definitely happened, I'm sure, but I would think it's more the exception than the rule.

I agree. Top schools turn away many applicants that have the "complete package," so a 3.3 and 29 probably isn't going to cut it unless you can add to the diversity of the class in some other way besides age. 3.7, 33 is very respectable with the type of experience you are talking about.

I have been working full-time for the last five years, so I have lots of experience, but was lacking pre-reqs. I posed a similar question last year to an admissions officer, they told me to do whatever I could to have a high GPA and MCAT score as I finished my pre-reqs. They said they would rather me quite working, volunteering, etc and have the higher scores than too have lower scores.

The numbers are just the key to the rest of the process...secondaries, interviews, but those activities will carry you to acceptance.