What constitutes a 'competative' GPA

[CrazyLikeAFox]

For the majority of DO schools? 3.0? 3.3? 3.8?
Thanks


The reason i ask is, while some school say something along the lines of, you need a gpa of (some number) to apply, this number is 'usually' much lower than what it takes to be really competative.

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[thanecyan]

The national oGPA is around 3.45, sGPA 3.33

If you're applying to somewhere like TCOM or COMP, then it's higher, more like 3.5-3.6 IIRC

 

[Dr.Inviz]

For the majority of DO schools? 3.0? 3.3? 3.8?
Thanks


The reason i ask is, while some school say something along the lines of, you need a gpa of (some number) to apply, this number is 'usually' much lower than what it takes to be really competative.

Obviously, 3.8 is most competitive. Shoot for the moon ... even if it is the legal blood alcohol level of your home state ...

 

[scdocusc]

you'll have to look at the individual schools in relation to GPA. I know at some schools such as VCOM if you are .01 under their average they want you to improve it. Dont look at the overall average for DO schools because that is VERY VERY misleading.

 

[Dr JPH]

3.3ish

 

[MaximusD]

3.3ish

It all depends on MCAT and a li'l bit of extracurriculars...

3.3-3.4 and a 26 MCAT will make you a competitive...

A 3.3 and a 22 MCAT is not competitive, although it has been done..

A 3.2 with a 30+ MCAT is competitive.

It IS a bit of a sliding scale within reason... and it also depends on other things like residency of the state and letters of recommendation...

 

[scdocusc]

its important to look at your sGPA the hardest because they will during admissions. You could have a 3.7 (which is great) but if your sGPA is a 3.3 and your MCAT is average, then youre up the creek.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

you'll have to look at the individual schools in relation to GPA. I know at some schools such as VCOM if you are .01 under their average they want you to improve it. Dont look at the overall average for DO schools because that is VERY VERY misleading.

Wow, they're strict. The average got to be the average because just as many people scored under it as scored over it. Just out of curiosity, what is the average GPA at VCOM?

 

[Pansit]

Wow, they're strict. The average got to be the average because just as many people scored under it as scored over it. Just out of curiosity, what is the average GPA at VCOM?

Not a math major, but I think that would the median in which the same amount of people scored above or below the specified number. A large portion of a class could be above the average but maybe a few people with a low gpa were accepted which brings the average to a lower number than what the class may actually be...

 

[Muscles00GT]

its important to look at your sGPA the hardest because they will during admissions. You could have a 3.7 (which is great) but if your sGPA is a 3.3 and your MCAT is average, then youre up the creek.

I'd have to disagree. What constitutes an average MCAT in your opinion? I would think a science gpa of 3.3 is pretty solid and with a decent MCAT, you would be ok.

 

[joesgirl122803]

What if you have an overall gpa of 3.94, a science gpa of 3.891 and an MCAT score of 24? Do they assume you can't take standardized tests or you would have done better on the MCAT and don't offer you a spot?

 

[Muscles00GT]

What if you have an overall gpa of 3.94, a science gpa of 3.891 and an MCAT score of 24? Do they assume you can't take standardized tests or you would have done better on the MCAT and don't offer you a spot?

If you're overall and science GPA are that high, I think a 24 MCAT would definitely be acceptable for DO's.

 

[joesgirl122803]

I hope your right. I have had or will have interviews at WVSOM, OUCOM, and LECOM at Erie. I would love to go to WVSOM, the environment in Lewisburg is wonderful.

 

[MaximusD]

wvsom was a great school but i can't justify 75k per year in principle debt

 

[joesgirl122803]

i know the school is expensive but the small town environment is what i was raised in so i would probably be the most comfortable there. i spent two years at Ohio University Athens completing my undergrad (started at the southern campus) and i just did not like the college town have to party and be drunk all the time environment. if it was the only school i got into fine, but i would choose WVSOM first. that says a lot since i am an ohio resident and the tuition would be less than half that of WVSOM

 

[scdocusc]

VCOM sGPA average is 3.4 I had a 3.39 and was told that I needed to improve it over their average in conjunction with my MCAT. VCOM tends to look more carefully at your GPA than MCAT score so it is important that your GPA meets or exceeds their average in order to matriculate. I'm not saying that people wont get in with a 3.3 sGPA at all. The same goes for the lower MCAT scores. However, I must say again that a good many schools look at your sGPA more carefully and if you overall GPA is high and your science is low it raises alarms to some schools and could decrease your chances. I am speaking from experience in this particular area of the application process and while it wont apply to most schools you have to be aware that if you are in that situation to fix it or be working to fix it. ie: retake classes or take more science courses if you have the time or money. preferably both

 

[MaximusD]

VCOM sGPA average is 3.4 I had a 3.39 and was told that I needed to improve it over their average in conjunction with my MCAT. VCOM tends to look more carefully at your GPA than MCAT score so it is important that your GPA meets or exceeds their average in order to matriculate. I'm not saying that people wont get in with a 3.3 sGPA at all. The same goes for the lower MCAT scores. However, I must say again that a good many schools look at your sGPA more carefully and if you overall GPA is high and your science is low it raises alarms to some schools and could decrease your chances. I am speaking from experience in this particular area of the application process and while it wont apply to most schools you have to be aware that if you are in that situation to fix it or be working to fix it. ie: retake classes or take more science courses if you have the time or money. preferably both

I have a 3.05 sGPA and got into 3 DO schools... two of which are arguably the most competitive...

 

[MaximusD]

i know the school is expensive but the small town environment is what i was raised in so i would probably be the most comfortable there. i spent two years at Ohio University Athens completing my undergrad (started at the southern campus) and i just did not like the college town have to party and be drunk all the time environment. if it was the only school i got into fine, but i would choose WVSOM first. that says a lot since i am an ohio resident and the tuition would be less than half that of WVSOM

or it could be bc you're a premed and it's easy to spend your future income seeing as it has no short-term effects

 

[bigdog8829]

i would shoot for at least a 3.6
give yourself some leg room for a sub-par mcat performance as well
to have the school of your choice, i think 3.7-3.8

 

[Muscles00GT]

Just figured i'd throw this out there, but a good friend of mine had an overall gpa of about 3.3 and a science gpa of 3.2. got a 26 on MCAT and was accepted to LECOM, WVSOM, and a couple others I can't remember. AND he applied late.

 

[thanecyan]

You give me hope MaxD

 

[MaximusD]

good, that is my intention... just don't blindly think that it will work to have that low of a gpa with a mediocre MCAT.

I busted my butt for three-four months to pull my MCAT up from a 21 to a 32... if you do the work, you will see results.

And I also feel bad for tooting my horn..that wasn't my intention.

 

[Atlas]

I agree. A 3.3-3.6+ GPA is competitive. A MCAT score 24+ should do the trick, although mine was lower than that. BTW...I'm graduating this June! Holla!! I also talk about this on my blog - the link is below. Hope that helps!

 

[bigdog8829]

good, that is my intention... just don't blindly think that it will work to have that low of a gpa with a mediocre MCAT.

I busted my butt for three-four months to pull my MCAT up from a 21 to a 32... if you do the work, you will see results.

And I also feel bad for tooting my horn..that wasn't my intention.

i think that is the one thing i learned in my 4 years of college

 

[igcgnerd]

can't the posted gpa's on a school's website also be misleading because the aacomas lets repeated courses raise an applicants gpa? Are those 3.5 averages with repeated courses?

 

[czanetti]

http://mdapplicants.com/selectschool.php

pick the schools your interested in and look at the avg gpa and mcat score for accepted students. Its at the top of the page underlined. That would be a good current estimate for each school

 

[ocwaveoc]

i would shoot for at least a 3.6
give yourself some leg room for a sub-par mcat performance as well
to have the school of your choice, i think 3.7-3.8

You must be either dilusional or stupid. At least a 3.6 GPA? I think it's safe to say that for most DO schools 3.3 - 3.4 is fairly competitive although not a shoe in. For top schools I'd say 3.4-3.5. These numbers are of course with competitive MCAT (24-27 minimum) and sufficient ec, decent LOR etc.... Where do you get these numbers from?

 

[akhil4]

Hi, this is my first time using SDN and I'm really impressed at the way people are so helpful here. I have a 3.2 overall and a 3.0 science gpa from the University of Virginia and 34 MCAT (11P, 13V, 10B). I have a decent but not great amount of clinical work through volunteering at my local hospital and free clinic and medical research experience. What are my chances with these stats for any DO in 08 or am i looking to boost my GPA through an post bac or other program. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[t-funk]

I'm not sure about most of the DO schools but my top choice DO school states quite clearly that you should have a 3.6 GPA, 3.6 sGPA, and a 27 MCAT to be considered competitive. I'm sure that somewhere around half of those accepted will have lower stats than this, but those stats are not considered competitive to the school. From the statistics that I have seen, there are DO schools such as DMU and OSU which now have average GPAs in the 3.5-3.6 range with MCAT averages in the 25-27 range. If it were me, I would aim for at least these numbers to feel comfortable although many people with wonderful ECs and other experiences get in with lower stats. There are also many very qualified applicants with great stats who are rejected.

 

[ocwaveoc]

I'm not sure about most of the DO schools but my top choice DO school states quite clearly that you should have a 3.6 GPA, 3.6 sGPA, and a 27 MCAT to be considered competitive. I'm sure that somewhere around half of those accepted will have lower stats than this, but those stats are not considered competitive to the school. From the statistics that I have seen, there are DO schools such as DMU and OSU which now have average GPAs in the 3.5-3.6 range with MCAT averages in the 25-27 range. If it were me, I would aim for at least these numbers to feel comfortable although many people with wonderful ECs and other experiences get in with lower stats. There are also many very qualified applicants with great stats who are rejected.

So your observation is specific to those two schools. If you look at most of the schools websites which lists accepted students stats (and US news book), you'll find that most of DO school's overall GPA for accepted students is 3.3-3.4 with MCAT score of 8-9 in each section. These are simply the published facts from each school and the US News report. Of course to sleep better at night, if you had 3.6 and 10 in each section of the MCAT you'll get in pretty much at any DO school given you have other positive attributes ie EC, LOR and good interview skills.

 

[GreenShirt]

Hi, this is my first time using SDN and I'm really impressed at the way people are so helpful here. I have a 3.2 overall and a 3.0 science gpa from the University of Virginia and 34 MCAT (11P, 13V, 10B). I have a decent but not great amount of clinical work through volunteering at my local hospital and free clinic and medical research experience. What are my chances with these stats for any DO in 08 or am i looking to boost my GPA through an post bac or other program. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Those stats would be fine for DO school. You'll meet the 3.0 cutoff for many of the schools. The slightly lower GPA is compensated by your high MCAT. Go for DO in '08 and don't worry about taking more classes right now.

 

[Chargers]

what about a 3.8 GPA with a 24P Mcat (6 on verbal)??? with everything else highly competitive.

 

[scdocusc]

sounds great. You'll be just fine. Now go out and get trashed at your nearest bar in the name of medicine.

 

[MaximusD]

what about a 3.8 GPA with a 24P Mcat (6 on verbal)??? with everything else highly competitive.

no doubt about it 6 in verbal might hurt you...

the GPA is amazing though... god speed

 

[Chargers]

Yeah, I will try to get around 8-9 on verbal next time. BTW can anyone give me a list of schools that look heavily at GPA? I am a Cali resident. I don't mind going to Alaska, if I have too. Thanks