Wait till next cycle? 3.5 GPA, 518 MCAT

[nrosdo]

Hi all, looking for some advice about whether I should apply next cycle, do a post bacc/masters, or take a gap year. I am a URM and a VT resident.

MCAT: 518
cGPA: 3.54
sGPA: 3.28

ECs:
- Volunteering in a Hopsital (300+ hours)
- Scribe in Plastics and Derm (800+ hours)
- Clinical research coordinator in plastics (1000+ hours and 7 publications)
- Philanthropy through my sorority
- Tutor for o-chem, gen chem, gen bio, cell bio, systems phys, physics, calc, stats (150 hours)

I know my list is obviously not well rounded (has a lot of reach schools) but this is the rough draft for where I would like to apply: BU, Tufts, Columbia, Drexel, Duke, UMich, UVA, Emory, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Penn State, UVM, and Pitt

I'm super open to hearing any recommendations for how to improve my app, where to apply, and whether I should apply next cycle or take a gap year after graduation. Thanks everyone!

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[deleted804295]

Your sGPA is low enough that it would be screened at many top schools and your MCAT is high enough that you would get yield protected at any low tiers.

If you haven't submitted your primary I would recommend taking a gap year and maybe some science classes if you can afford it to boost that sGPA. It would be nice if you also volunteered with the disadvantaged.

 

[Dr panda]

your MCAT is high enough that you would get yield protected at any low tiers.

Never heard of that. You want to say that if you have low gpa, you should intentionally aim for low MCAT to save yourself from being yield protected?

 

[deleted804295]

Never heard of that. You want to say that if you have low gpa, you should intentionally aim for low MCAT to save yourself from being yield protected?

No. A low GPA and high MCAT can be balanced out by exceptional ECs and/or exceptional life story.

Why don't you take a look at MSAR for top schools and see where OPs GPA lies on the grid? A GPA like this would barely fly at my state school.

 

[Dr panda]

No. A low GPA and high MCAT can be balanced out by exceptional ECs and/or exceptional life story.

I mean, why would one be screwed for having high MCAT? Since when high MCAT became a barrier for entering low tier school? Why do you have to justify getting a good score?

 

[Cornfed101]

What is your GPA trend?

 

[deleted804295]

I mean, why would one be screwed for having high MCAT? Since when high MCAT became a barrier for entering low tier school? Why do you have to justify getting a good score?

A high MCAT is a barrier for low tier schools because schools seek out students who are likely to go there.

If it's a mission based school and a candidate with higher stats fits that mission then that is OK.

Edit: Also this diatribe doesn't seem helpful for OP. I suggest you search Yield Protection or DM me if you would like to know more.

 

[Cornfed101]

A high MCAT is a barrier for low tier schools because schools seek out students who are likely to go there.

If it's a mission based school and a candidate with higher stats fits that mission then that is OK.

Yield protection isn't really a thing for those of us with disparate stats. Schools will understand that OPs GPA is on the lower end and treat the MCAT as redemption as long as the GPA trend is upward. How do I know this? I interviewed with a 4th-year med student who told me that my GPA wasn't a red flag even though it is below 10th percentile for the school (and my MCAT was above 90th percentile).

 

[Dr panda]

A high MCAT is a barrier for low tier schools because schools seek out students who are likely to go there.

That sounds really interesting. I don’t want to say that you are wrong, but let’s defer this to adcoms. Because the logic of a potential low gpa student “so, I know the material well, but my gpa will not get me into a top school, so may be I should intentionally get low MCAT to have a chance at least somewhere” doesn’t make any sense to me.
@gonnif @Goro @LizzyM @Catalystik
@Moko

 

[nrosdo]

What is your GPA trend?

A strong upward trend. Freshman year ended with a 2.9 then increased from there, the past two semesters have been 4.0.

 

[Etopn23]

Wait until next year. I am urm with similar stats (3.5/520) with a very strong upward trend (<1 freshman gpa) and received interviews at many of the programs you listed. Make sure you cast a wide net. You will not be yield protected and you will get interviews from all ranks.

Ignore the gpa % if you have an upward trend with high mcat. Apply to all t20s you can see yourself going to if you can afford it and agree with their missions.

Edit: apply early! Have had schools specifically mention I got my application in first and were impressed with the quality (pre-write secondaries)

 

[Goro]

Your sGPA is low enough that it would be screened at many top schools and your MCAT is high enough that you would get yield protected at any low tiers.

If you haven't submitted your primary I would recommend taking a gap year and maybe some science classes if you can afford it to boost that sGPA. It would be nice if you also volunteered with the disadvantaged.

A single high MCAT score is NOT going to get any applicant resource protected.

 

[deleted853480]

A single high MCAT score is NOT going to get any applicant resource protected.

Is resource proctecting really thing and when do schools do it?

 

[deleted859689]

It’s just late in the cycle RN for MD. If you want go for DO this cycle 😉

next cycle for MD! Try finding an underserved community to volunteer in over the year and keep doing relevent EC’s!

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

What URM community do you represent? Do you have service to that community? A postbacc can only help you, though you may not strictly need it depending on where you are aiming and what your upward trend looks like.

 

[Goro]

Is resource proctecting really thing and when do schools do it?

Yes, it's a thing.

Mission based schools do it from historical norms. A Harvard/Stanford caliber candidate is less likely to go to Drexel or SLU, for example