What are my chances

[roman111]

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I am in a real dilemma, I applied last year but got rejected I guess primarily due to my low GPA(I have 3.20 cumulative with more than 30% of classes C and one D- had family and finance problems) and MCAT of 27. Then I repeated my MCAT now I have 38. Also I went to Post bac. program and I have 4.0 in post bac program. So do I stand any chance for medical schools or my poor performance will haunt me forever? Please advise me.

 

[RxnMan]

Your previous performance will hurt you. The good thing is you have a great MCAT and you've done well in the post-bacc. Without knowing how many classes you took in the post-bacc (1 or 10?) and how it affects you GPA, I'll tell you that you've definitely helped yourself. Like any applicant at your level of competitiveness, you'll have to apply to a large number of places, interview well, and be happy where you go.

 

[roman111]

I went ahead and did the one year Masters in Biomedical Science (37 hours) but the sad thing is even with my all 4.0s for 37 hours I am only looking at about 3.4 of Science GPA. Will that cut it? I know my MCAT and last year of performance should tell that I am not dumb but do school really look at that or they just see me as another below average fish in a pond?

 

[RxnMan]

I went ahead and did the one year Masters in Biomedical Science (37 hours) but the sad thing is even with my all 4.0s for 37 hours I am only looking at about 3.4 of Science GPA. Will that cut it? I know my MCAT and last year of performance should tell that I am not dumb but do school really look at that or they just see me as another below average fish in a pond?

When looking through applicants, I expect most ADCOMs go straight to the cumulative GPA and MCAT lines of your AMCAS. If one of those isn't up to snuff, then they'll go elsewhere - like science GPA. If that isn't good, they might start looking at the last year of work, looking for an upward trend, etc.

Somewhere in there, if you don't make the cut, the ADCOM gets bored and puts your application in the round file.

What is your cumulative GPA? If it's near your science GPA, then a 3.4/38 will open doors.

 

[roman111]

After my post bac program my new cumulative gpa is 3.4 yes. Will this be strong enough to open those doors that you talk of ? Sorry but I am kind of desperate for info right now. Thanks once again .

 

[Meatwad]

Was your master's considered an SMP (Special Master's Program)? Meaning, you took the classes alongside medical students?

If so, with your MCAT and 4.0 GPA in the program, I think you are most likely going to get into at least the school where you went for the master's. That's an amazing accomplishment to get a 4.0. And it's not like your overall GPA is atrocious (<3.0). I definitely think, if you applied to a lot of schools, you'll get in at least 1 or 2 places.

 

[Nasem]

man a 38 on the MCAT is not something you just go out and get.... that makes your application stand out pretty nicly.

Apply to bunch of lower tier schools, they'll be amazed at that 38 that they'll forget to look at the rest of ur application 🙂

good luck

 

[Terry4568]

37 hours sounds like a pretty full academic load, and that fact will help you in addition to your having done well in the classes.

Case in point: I'm a non-trad applicant with a spotty undergrad GPA, and I took a couple of solid science courses (two semesters of biochemistry, one of human physiology) at a reputable school before applying, and I did so to (a) bump up my science GPA, (b) get back into studying mode, (c) prep for the MCAT, and (d) show schools I could handle the science courseload.

As far as (d) went, I got to talk to a couple of admissions officers after my first application cycle, and I got both unfriendly and friendly variants of the same response. The unfriendly response: "It's nice that you took the science classes and that you did well in them, but what we really want to see is that you can handle a full load of science coursework and do well in all of your classes. If you have to quit your job to do a full-time postbac program, well, that's what it's going to take." The friendly response: "We really want to see that you can handle a full load of science coursework and do well in all of it, but we realize that not everyone can drop everything and become a full-time student in order to get into med school."

So, yes, it's true that your old academic record doesn't vanish, but academically and MCAT-wise, you've greatly improved your chances of acceptance over last time.

 

[DrBubbles]

You will definitely get some looks and nods from some schools. If you want the security of applying DO, go for it. However, with your high MCAT and high graduate gpa, in addition to a Master's degree, you'll definitely turn some heads. And taking some time off can be a good thing too. Like the other posters have said, apply broadly. But I do believe you'll get in--SMPs are designed to get applicants with your numbers into medical schools, and most of them have between a 70-85% acceptance rate of their graduates into med schools, both MD and DO. So relax, apply, and see what happens!