GPA reality

[Tristan]

My friend and I are debating how realistic it is to get into Medical School with a GPA lower than 3.7...I say its probably next to impossible and he says it is less impossible than I think.
Any info to help settle the discussion would be much appreciated :)

[Jochi1543]

Depends. Are we talking 3.65 or 3.35? BIG difference. People with below 3.7 definitely get in. Does the individual in question have 2 strong years and a 10-10-10Q MCAT? They'll get into Queen's or UWO eventually as long as their interviewing skills are good. Does this person have a master's or PhD? Makes a difference. Is their below 3.7 a result of 5-6 years of coursework where they had a bad freshman year, but straight 4.0s afterwards? They'll probably get in.

There are SO many variables, it's impossible to make such a gross generalization. And there are definitely people on this forum who have been accepted with below 3.7 (check the accepted/rejected threads).

[Tristan]

Yes you are probably right. We probably can not make the assumption for a GPA under 3.7 that you will not get in.
I think what we really want to know is the percentage of people with a GPA in certain ranges. Like the percentage with 3.0-3.3 that are accepted and 3.31-3.5 etc...

[Jazzie]

Yes you are probably right. We probably can not make the assumption for a GPA under 3.7 that you will not get in.
I think what we really want to know is the percentage of people with a GPA in certain ranges. Like the percentage with 3.0-3.3 that are accepted and 3.31-3.5 etc...



we just can't predict whether we're going to get in or not juddging by our collective gpa. I've heard of people with amazing GPA's but never got in and those who are just average students who were able to squeeze in. All we can do is cover our bases to the best our ability and maybe surpass that limit if we can, and then maybe we'll receive those coveted letters.

[The Law]

There are weighting formulas out there - so just because you have < 3.7, does not mean you won't get in.

[vip_138]

in the US this is probably easier to say but this is very hard to say conclusively in canada becuase each of our schools' selective criteria is different. without knowing their full academic transcript and MCAT and which province they live in, its very hard to predict how competitive someone will be.

(note: even if you knew those 3 factors, there are a ton of others to keep in mind too: LOR's, EC's, interview skills, research etc.)

[osmosis]

Yes you are probably right. We probably can not make the assumption for a GPA under 3.7 that you will not get in.
I think what we really want to know is the percentage of people with a GPA in certain ranges. Like the percentage with 3.0-3.3 that are accepted and 3.31-3.5 etc...

if you have a 3.1-3.3 consistently throughout your undegrad, you are most probably shot. i think as soon as you start to get between a 3.5 and 3.7, you will start to raise eyebrows. that being said, you have to remember that even many academically strong applicants for some reason or another do not get in. it is a combination of everything. i think medical school's want to see a certain level of academic proficiency with regards to your undergrad, or master's, and you mcat must be somehwhat competitive (~29Q and up). you also need to see what other qualities the applicabt posesses? what do the referees say? what about ec's? volunteering? medically related activities to show that they are interested in the profession? what about research to show they are academically inclined? all these things factor into the equation.

marks are the foundation for everything. if you don't have 2 good years with at the very least a 3.5 or 3.6, you will have to go back and increase your gpa. once you've done that, and you have a solid mcat, the doors will open up, and the pieces will fall into place. i know many medical students who have gotten in with gpa's less than 3.7. if undegrad is not going well, don't panic. start a masters, switch faculties, or go back and get another degree. there are many options out there.

in the end, it all boils down to how bad you want it, and how much you are willing to sacrifice.