<p>So for example, there are 2 candidates who got the exact same job experience, volunteer, courses, etc. Except one of them got a 3.1 GPA (Harvard) and a 41 on the MCAT and one of them got a 4.0 GPA (Harvard) and a 28 on the MCAT... Who would med school "prefer over", the smart but lazy or the diligent but stupid?</p>
<p>They would prefer neither.</p>
<p>Someone probably would not get into an allopathic medical school with a 3.1 GPA unless the rest of their resume was absolutely STELLAR. Usually the “cutoff” is 3.5, but there are always exceptions. Orthopedic medical schools have much lower standards and they will usually accept people with GPA’s averaging 3.2-3.3. </p>
<p>Generally speaking, the MCAT-GPA relationship is like a seesaw. A high MCAT will dispel a mediocre GPA and vice-versa, but neither one can be too low that med schools don’t even look at you. The very first thing admissions committees look at are your MCAT scores and GPA, and if they are deemed too low, your application is tossed aside without even looking at the rest of your credentials.</p>
<p>A high achievement in MCAT is impressive, but note you can attend preparation courses and live by review book and flashcards everyday. Just like SAT.
I look at MCAT as SAT + ACT. It is pretty difficult IMO. </p>
<p>Depending on the medical school, the admission bar may be lowered. There is always an exception, at the most prestigious school, like Harvard, taking 2.8GPA into its graduate program (I believe the case was referred to medical school too). I read it here on CC a while ago. </p>
<p>It happens. </p>
<p>3.1 GPA isn’t a good sign, however. If you are not engineering major, but a science major, you should target at least 3.4 or above. IMO engineers should also target at 3.4 but tonks of graduates disagree with me. It’s personal preference anyway. But for medical admission 3.1 is quite low. </p>
<p>If your GPA is 3.1 and 41 on MACT, they will assume that you just study your ass off for the MCAT. If you can get 3.3, 3.4, and 41 MCAT, I think that’s okay.</p>
<p>A score of 28 on the MCAT is certainly not outstanding but would be about average for accepted students at many medical schools. Few medical schools would consider it to be too low to consider the applicant any further if they had a 4.0 GPA. On the other hand, a 3.1 GPA would be just too low for most medical schools to consider the applicant to be even close to the range of competitive GPAs.</p>
<p>In 1995 I applied to twenty U.S. allopathic medical schools with a 3.65 GPA and an MCAT score of 31. I was accepted at exactly one of those medical schools. Fortunately, it only takes one acceptance to become a doctor.</p>
<p>which med schools did u apply to and were accepted by?
i’m planning on going to texas tech for the early acceptance, but the prestige on the other hand…meh
do u recommend going to a better school like rice and struggling for a good gpa?</p>
<p>I was accepted at Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia which is now the Drexel University School of Medicine. I know I was invited to and went to interviews at the Medical College of Wisconsin and George Washington University. I really do not remember every school I applied to but I think the list included Georgetown, Northwestern, Creighton, Boston University, Tufts and Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Do not worry about prestige, get into any U.S. medical school you can. As the saying goes “the best medical school in the country is the one that accepts you”. Getting accepted at any U.S. medical school is harder than getting into any of the Ivy Leauge schools as a freshman.</p>