<p>Thanks for reading this. My son is currently in a respected Post Bac Program. For the purposes of this question, please assume a 4.0 in his Post Bac, and more than adequate Extra Curriculars (when he applies, he'll have 2 years of solid clinical experience plus many other volunteer (both medical and non-medical) items on his application)</p>
<p>MCAT = 38
GPA = 3.4 (but a 4.0 in his final 2 years, in all his upper level chemistry courses)</p>
<p>Please offer me your honest opinion about his chances of getting into JHMS. I know his GPA is well under the average for acceptance, but with his MCAT and the fact that he can show 2 solid years of "getting his act together" (especially considering that these were earned in the most challenging courses), we are hoping that this would mitigate his poor performance during his early undergraduate years.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I hear that Medical Schools emphasize GPA to a fault.</p>
<p>Perhaps that’s true, but it is different than what I’ve heard from others in that each school has its own approach regarding what it emphasizes. In any case, my biggest question is really how much his 4.0 in all his most difficult, upper-level courses would, if at all, mitigate his lesser marks in his early undergraduate years.</p>
<p>OP, does your son want to be a medical doctor? If so, the good news is that he will most likely be accepted somewhere. OTOH, his chance of being admitted to Hopkins is remote (as it is for almost any applicant).</p>
<p>Good luck to you and your son.</p>
<p>Agree with plumazul</p>
<p>So is he done with his Post Bac already? if not how many more semesters to go?</p>
<p>Will he have all the semesters completed when he applies? How much will be remaining when he does apply?</p>
<p>What will be his cum GPA and science GPA when he actually applies?</p>
<p>I am sure at some level an upward trending GPA will look better than a downtrending one BUT your overall GPA has to make the first initial first round. His MCAT is great, but aiming for one specific med school might be frustrating to say the least. At this point aiming for ANY med school would be advised.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>If you want an adequate assessment of your son we need details about his ECs. His 38 and 3.4 are probably adequate to prevent his application from being thrown out automatically (but perhaps not, given the low GPA it would depend on how they sort applications. If there is a rigid GPA cut off then it might not even make it past a computer program), but it is more than stats to assess competitiveness.</p>
<p>There will be plenty of applicants to Hopkins that will have everything your son has plus a great gpa. There will have to be something really special about his application to have a shot.</p>
<p>In general, post-bacs do not get accepted into top 5 med schools bcos, by definition, most post-bacs are doing them for gpa-enhancers. And of course, gpa-enhancers are waaay behind the curve already for the gpa needed for a top 5 med school. </p>
<p>So while an upward improvement is nice, it does not negate the fact that there will be plenty of apps to Hopkins with a 3.8 for all four years. (Clearly, they “got thier act together” starting from Day 1 Frosh year.) Thus, absent a BIG hook, The Hop (and other tippy top research Unis) do not need to waste their time reading apps from a 3.4 in the premed prereqs.</p>
<p>But to really understand his chances, ask him to ask his post-bac advisor which med schools accept their post-bac students.</p>
<p>Another thing to keep in mind is that there are many fantastic medical schools in the US. In fact, I’d confidently say that all US schools granting an MD are exceptional; the only reason I can’t say the same about schools granting a DO is that I just simply don’t know much about them. </p>
<p>So, while JHU is essentially out of the question (partly because of his GPA, but mostly because it’s out of the question to most applicants), that doesn’t mean med school in general is. With his stats, he should be accepted somewhere provided he applies intelligently to a variety of schools.</p>