I found out my MCAT score today and got a 28O: 10-bio 9-physical 9-verbal. I’m not very happy with it but its kind of on the bubble. My GPA is about a 3.35.
Now for the good news-
I currently am an undergrad at cornell
I have 2 summers of cancer research experience, including one at mass general hospital this past summer.
My GPA has been on the increase (I started off with a 2.1 my first semester because i had family troubles)
i got an A- and A+ in my two orgo semesters, with an A in orgo lab
Its my 4th year on the varsity swim team at Cornell.
Should I bother applying anywhere? I am considering doing peace corps in between, but am not sure if it is worth it. Also I just dont know if I should retake the test, especially since 28 ties my second highest practice score. Will my resume outside of the GPA and MCAT score help at all or not really? Also i think i will come across as a very normal and outgoing person in my interview. How are my chances for med school and what should i do from here if they are bad??
According to this chart, the University of Washington accepted about 12% of its applicants with roughly your GPA and MCAT scores last year. The year before, it was more like 19%. So yes, you do have a chance; remember that UW Med School is ranked #1 in patient care and tied for #6 for research, so it’s not Bo Diddley Tech Body Shop and Med School. I suspect your LORs, personal statement, and (especially) interview will have much to do with whether, and where, you are accepted.
- shep53 Said:
Now for the good news-
I currently am an undergrad at cornell
I have 2 summers of cancer research experience, including one at mass general hospital this past summer.
My GPA has been on the increase (I started off with a 2.1 my first semester because i had family troubles)
i got an A- and A+ in my two orgo semesters, with an A in orgo lab
Its my 4th year on the varsity swim team at Cornell.
Should I bother applying anywhere? I am considering doing peace corps in between, but am not sure if it is worth it. Also I just dont know if I should retake the test, especially since 28 ties my second highest practice score. Will my resume outside of the GPA and MCAT score help at all or not really? Also i think i will come across as a very normal and outgoing person in my interview. How are my chances for med school and what should i do from here if they are bad??
I assume that as an undergrad at Cornell, you are still "a kid" (ie 26 y/o or less). Is you goal to get into medical school or to get into medical school quickly? You have the luxury of time to improve your chances
You have an average or below average MCAT, you have a below average GPA. More Importantly, it is VERY late in the rolling application cycle. While someone did point at that say 10%-20& of applicants with similar stats, were accepted, applying now in the cycle would be a long shot. Despite the concept of "apply anyway, what have you got to lose," being a reapplicant with rejections from previous cycles will hurt your even more next year. I say take a breath, have some patience, get some assistance as to WHY you seem to max out at 28 on the MCAT and see if you can't improve it for next cycle.
- gonnif Said:
You have an average or below average MCAT, you have a below average GPA. More Importantly, it is VERY late in the rolling application cycle. While someone did point at that say 10%-20& of applicants with similar stats, were accepted, applying now in the cycle would be a long shot. Despite the concept of "apply anyway, what have you got to lose," being a reapplicant with rejections from previous cycles will hurt your even more next year. I say take a breath, have some patience, get some assistance as to WHY you seem to max out at 28 on the MCAT and see if you can't improve it for next cycle.
I would consider contacting the schools in which you're interested and asking what they think. Everyone's circumstances are different, and your numbers are not terrible. Yes, your MCAT and GPA are below average, but so are 49% of other people. :-) I agree with Rich regarding the timing of the application. I wonder whether the studies showing that reapplication hurts have been able to tease out the findings when considering "qualified" applicants with "less qualified" applicants in order to really understand what the impact would be--Rich may be able to address that more as he is more familiar with the data on this. Regardless, I think it's worth a call to some medical schools to find out.
You don't say whether your GPA is strictly related only to the struggles you had at the beginning of school or if there have been other missteps along the way, and this may impact how your app is viewed. If it was just problems first year and then you've gotten a 3.9 since then, you're apt to be looked at in favorable eyes. If the o-chem grades were anomalies and you've gotten B's in all your other prereqs and advanced bio courses, then likely you will be looked at with less favorable eyes. Also, the amount and quality of your volunteer experiences will matter.
With all that, I'd say look things over in your CV and if you feel you are a strong candidate now, go ahead and contact schools and see what they say (your stats are more likely to get you into a D.O. program vs. M.D., however that is a generalization). While waiting a year may seem like wasted time, I agree with Rich that you've got time and that you shouldn't feel rushed to get in right away.
Best wishes and congrats on all your success!
- MD2B2010 Said:
I'll add this to my ever growing list of data research requests.
I know this is a late post, but I think that your “numbers” look good, despite the posts on here basically slamming your GPA and MCAT score. From your info you appear to be someone that has a clear direction of what you want to do, and I think that will play a large part in medical school decisions. Med schools do put emphasis on scores because it is important in gauging how you will do on your boards. Seems like everyone on here is under the impression that a 4.0 and a 34+ MCAT is a guarantee to admission to medical school. Scores like this help but they don’t stand alone.
Schools want real people that care to dedicate their lives to taking care of strangers. Highlight your strong points, and admit your weak points. Be honest, be yourself, and just take your time to put together the best app you can! I got into medical school with a 3.77 GPA and a 25R MCAT. Not phemomenal by any measure on this site. I had to explain some pretty poor grades from years ago when I was a deadbeat in college too. However, apparently I fit the bill at at least 1 school, and I have other interviews to come. Stay strong, study hard, and don’t get discouraged. Good luck!
I’ve been on this site for many, many years, and I don’t think the message is that you must have X MCAT/GPA to get admitted to med school. In fact, I’d say the message is quite the opposite. It’s simply a statistical fact that most people admitted to med school have both high GPA’s and MCAT’s so there’s nothing wrong with stating this fact.
Finally, while a 25 MCAT obviously isn’t prohibitive where med school admissions is concerned, I’ve personally only observed admissions with a score’s in that range with applicants who have a legacy connection to a school, have a parent who’s also a Physician, the applicant is a URM, was accepted to an Osteopathic school, or all of the above. Personally, I don’t think there’s much wrong with that and there are exceptions everywhere, let’s just keep it real where low MCAT’s are concerned. Your med school choices will likely be limited but improved by any of the above mentioned application “boosts”.