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How to get into medical school?

Are there any good strategies for how to get into medical school with a low GPA?

  • I am currently a Junior at a top 25 public University in California. I was planning to apply to medical school this Spring but I am concerned that my 3.1 GPA is too low and I won't be accepted. I've heard that getting into med school with a low GPA is very difficult but I've also heard that it does happen. Does anyone give advice on how to get into medical school with a low GPA? Please also include any low GPA success stories if you know of any. Just to give you some background about myself- I'm a caucasian male. I've done 7 months of research in an infectious diseases lab but have not been published. I expect to score a 33 on MCAT based on what I'm scoring now. I was President of my fraternity for 2 years (which definitely contributed to my low grades). I have just over a year of volunteer experience at a local clinic. Do I have a chance of getting into med school? Or should I wait another year before applying and get my grades up? Most importantly, tell how I can get into med school with a low GPA! Thanks!

  • Answer:

    invent a time machine, go back in time, and score better in your courses. 3.1 is ridiculously low. med schools get 10-15 applicants for each slot they have open. Average GPAs are often 3.6 or 3.7 or higher. and then they also have a 3.6 science GPA too. You need above a 40 on the MCAT to stand half a chance, but realistically you have next to 0 chance. Find a backup plan now. You can try to apply to caribbean schools where when you graduate you will be stuck in general practie residencies, but even then you have a small chance.

Crewcall... at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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You probably would not be admitted even if your MCAT score were 45. Medical schools have so many well qualified applicants that they do not admit students who barely earned a B (3.0) GPA. Students with such a low GPA could not do the work required in medical school. You might be admitted to osteopathic school if you have a perfect admission test score and are very lucky.

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You'd need to balance out your low GPA with an above-average MCAT score. So start looking at med schools, and see if you can find some where your MCAT is on the high side for them. If you did stay at school an extra year, how much, realistically, could you boost your GPA? Is that worth your time? Do some math, see if that makes sense. Right now, with your GPA and potential MCAT scores, based on admit tables to US med schools for the past couple of years, you have maybe a 30% chance of getting into a US med school. If you can bring your MCAT up to a 35, your chances go up to a 40% - a big boost. So IMO, your best efforts right now are spent on prepping for that MCAT. You also, of course, need to look at backups: Caribbean med schools, PA school, DO, etc.

RoaringMice

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