What is a competitive GPA for medschool?

[laura_mideon]

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I was just curious what is a competitive gpa to get into med school? I am considering applying, so far my overall gpa is 3.61 and my science/math gpa is 3.96. I only have 60 credits so far, and will finish a degree before applying, but I was just wondering.
I did a search on this, assuming it's been discussed before and couldn't find anything, any input would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Laura

 

[fightingsaint]

Although it does seem like a pretty common question, I'm sure it would be hard to search for. GPA requirements/standards vary among medical schools, as well as the weight that each school places on GPA. In general, 3.5 and above is considered "competitive." Some schools have a minimum GPA/MCAT and then place alot of weight on the interview. Your Science/Math GPA is very good, so if you keep it up you should be fine. To some degree it matters where you attend undergrad, so keep that in mind, but you seem to be doing well. Good luck.

 

[sdnstud]

4.0


haha...keep up your gpa and you will be a competitive applicant (with regards to your gpa)

I was just curious what is a competitive gpa to get into med school? Laura

 

[k-monger]

www.mdapplicants.com

 

[dr.z]

Higher the better, but you should aslo be well rounded. Everything else should look good as well.

 

[sweetcalie08]

You're thinking against pharmacy now?

 

[Dr. Chiquita]

I think what you have now is pretty darn competitive. You could use a higher overall GPA, but ~3.6 is more than enough. I guess if you are shooting for top 10 med schools, your overall GPA should be around 3.7 or higher and keep your science GPA the way it is. But keep in mind that GPA isn't everything.

 

[g3pro]

Having a science GPA higher than overall GPA to the degree that you described is suspicious. How many science classes did you actually take? Did you focus too much of your time on the science classes?

 

[laura_mideon]

Having a science GPA higher than overall GPA to the degree that you described is suspicious. How many science classes did you actually take? Did you focus too much of your time on the science classes?

Out of my 60 credits 37 of them are science/math. I have taken general chem 1, biology 1 and 2, algebra, geology, calculus 1, physics 1 and 2, and an environmental science course.
Why do you say it's suspicious? The reason my overall is so low is that I got a c- and a c+ in my second semester (geography and literature), but since then I took my english requirements and did fine, i also got a B in history, so my overall has really suffered.

And yes, I do focus too much of my time on my science/math classes because they're the only ones I really care about. Should I take more classes outside of the sciences and try harder? From now on I'm only planning on taking sciences and calculus so I thought I would be ok.

 

[UCLAstudent]

Your GPA looks solid to me! Keep up the good work. 🙂

 

[laura_mideon]

You're thinking against pharmacy now?

Yes, I am. I've been volunteering at a pharmacy since august now, and I've been talking to a few of my professors, and now I'm just thinking maybe I should try for medicine, it's starting to appeal to me more than pharmacy, though I am interested in both. I may still apply to both and see what happens. I am still taking the PCAT tomorrow.

 

[maxflash04]

Good luck with everything. I'm constructing the foundation (GPA) and after that's nice and strong, I'll start with the additions.

As my lab TA stated, what's the point of decorating a run down house? It doesn't change the fact that it's still run down and messy! Decorate it after the house's foundation is as solid as a rock, beautiful, etc. That made me realize a lot.

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck!