Will a 3.7 GPA ruin my chances at med school? Please help, worried premed.

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

Hi,

So my sophomore spring final grades just came out and I’m pretty bummed. I tried really hard this semester but I guess 77 units was just too much for me. I had a 5.0/5.0 freshman year. Last semester I got a B+ in 5.12 (orgo) and this semester I got B+ in 7.03 (genetics) 7.05 (biochem) and 18.03 (diff eqns). I’m really unhappy because I worked so hard and if I’d done a little bit better, they could have been A- instead of B+. So, right now, I have a 4.7 (equivalent to 3.7 in a 4.0 scale). I’ve got all the typical EC’s: leadership positions, TA-ed for a class, and I’m writing a paper with my research mentor. I haven’t takne the MCAT yet (probably the end of the summer). Do you think the dip in my GPA might ruin my chances, and how well will I have to score on the MCAT to be a competitive applicant?

Btw I’m a rising junior at MIT studying Course 9 (Brain and Cognitive Sciences)

2

3.7 GPA from MIT is not bad at all…as long as you’re not aiming for top med schools and your state residency is not CA. You need clinical & volunteer ECs (not seeing you mentioned them) while research can actually be optional for your state MD schools.

If your MCAT is above 90 percentile (515+), you should be competitive for your state MD schools (not CA).

Stop using MIT course # (confusing all our non-MIT people) and no A+ grade (AMCAS counts A+ just as A, so it’s 4.0).

You should talk to your pre-health office to see if they can show you the past med school admission stats for MIT applicants, to get a sense on what’s your chance (similar to Naviance in high school).

With those B+ grades you got, top med schools are likely out of reach unless you’re URM.

3

@jm234567

Your GPA is fine for most MD programs and all DO programs. Adcomms semi-expect a s sophomore dip in GPA. (Most GPA trajectories look like a hockey stick or a checkmark.)

Last year the median GPA for MD matriculants was 3.72

As far as MCAT scores go–it depends on factors like your ethnicity and your home state.

Last year the median MCAT for all MD matriculants was 512. For DO matriculants, it was 504-506.

If you are aiming for competitive schools—

From MSAR, median MCAT scores for 2017-18 matriculated students

522 - NYU, Yale, WashU
521 - Chicago, Hopkins, Penn, Vandy
520 - Columbia, Harvard, Northwestern, Stanford, Mayo
519 - Sinai, UVA, Cornell
518 - Case, Michigan, Boston, UCSF, UCLA, Duke

From AAMC–
[MCAT Scores and GPAs for Matriculants to U.S. Medical Schools by State of Legal Residence, 2018-2019](https://www.aamc.org/download/321502/data/factstablea20.pdf)
[Matriculants to U.S. Medical Schools by Race/Ethnicity and State of Legal Residence, 2018-2019](https://www.aamc.org/download/321478/data/factstablea11.pdf)
[MCAT Scores and GPAs for Applicants and Matriculants to U.S. Medical Schools by Race/Ethnicity, 2018-2019](https://www.aamc.org/download/321498/data/factstablea18.pdf)

4

@Andorvw yikes. Do you think it’s salvageable at all in the next two years, or is having B’s in those particular classes off-putting to adcomms?

I am planning to do MD/PhD – does that make the GPA requirement more stringent?

5

Oh please. Two B+ grades are not the end of the world. They just aren’t.

Are you doing all the other things beside grades that will make you a competitive applicant?

6

@thumper1 I’m mostly worried because MIT doesn’t release +/- and the B’s are all in the pre-med required classes (major classes are fine). I’m trying to find a hospital volunteering opportunity this summer as well as study for the MCAT. I realize I might be blowing things out of proportion but I guess the med school thing is just making me nervous.

edit: I’m also <18 so I’m worried med schools might take it as a sign that I’m immature or can’t handle the stress.

7

This might be a bigger issue for some schools than your GPA.

8

@texaspg ugh. Would you recommend a gap year? Apparently, that lowers your chances and affects MCAT timing though.

Do you know which schools specifically?

9

Since you’re under 18, you are way too young compared to typical applicants, hence you should definitely take your time (ie, take gap years) to strengthen your stats (GPA, MCAT) and your ECs (particular your research since you’re aiming for MD/PhD). Check out studentdoctor.net, there are some posts asked by young applicants.

What is your state of residence?

@iwannabe_Brown can give you better advice since he’s in MD/PhD program.

Depends on what you’re aiming for. For average MD schools (your state ones, assuming not CA) 3.7 is fine. For MD/PhD, GPA/MCAT are expected higher. You can do the math to see how many new A’s you’ll need to raise your sGPA to 3.8 or 3.9 (make sure to use an excel for AMCAS GPA calculation, which you can find online, not your MIT transcript).

10

@Andorvw State of residence is NY (so that’s not going to help me). So do you think I should hold off on the MCAT and take a gap year or two. There are some Masters of Engineering programs or postbacs I could look into…

11

https://www.aamc.org/download/321468/data/factstablea6.pdf

Depending on whether you are male or female, 1% of female matriculants might be 20 and it does not reach 1% for males. I am really not sure if medical schools per se can say no to you if you are over 18 when matriculating.

12

@jml234567

  1. You are < 18 today. But you are planning to apply during 2020-21 cycle. May be you will be close to 20+ when you start in Aug 2021.
  2. If you have done your relevant courses and well prepared, take the MCAT when it is fresh than postponing.
  3. Nothing can be done on the spilled milk. Those 4 courses are B+. See if can do well and improved the sGPA little bit higher in the coming year, before you apply.
  4. This summer get both clinical and non-clinical volunteer hours and also continue during school year even if few hours here and there (including shadowing).
  5. Decide about gap year or not in Jan 2020 time frame (by the time you will know your MCAT score and also can check if your cGPA and sGPA is improved or not)
13

Thanks so much for your help everyone. Gave me a lot to think about.

14

Who told you a gap year was not good?

15

@thumper1 A few people in prehealth advising. But they were 15 min conversations and I didn’t mention my age.

16

I have never been told that a gap year…or years…will lower your chances.

17

I think it is the reverse in terms of impact. Your chances improve since you are expected to be productive and do more to add to your credentials.

18

I thought MIT first year is pass or fail? D17 was admitted also and decided to go to Vandy with cheaper costs and more beauty sleep. I heard of people of 5.0 GPA, but 4.7 is definitely solid, unless you believe what they release will be lower than 4.7?

19

@SincererLove Starting Class of 2022 is first-year pass or fail. My freshman year second semester was graded. 4.7 is about average for MIT med school matriculants according to the data that I found but I’m trying not to have too many weak spots.

20

A 3.7 GPA is low for MD/PhD programs, which typically have GPAs in the 3.8+ range. (Many are 3.9+)

For a MD/PhD, you’ll need a higher MCAT too. A 515 or above. .

See [MCAT Scores and GPAs for MD-PhD Applicants and Matriculants to U.S. Medical Schools, 2017-2018 through 2018-2019
2018](https://www.aamc.org/download/321548/data/factstableb10.pdf)

Being under 18 is a severe handicap for med school admission. Probably a bigger barrier than your GPA.

Being under 18 will also make it difficult to impossible to find clinical experiences due to HIPAA and insurance issues. You’ll have much better luck once you turn 18.

If you have a strong research profile and the support of your PI, consider applying for some NIH summer scholar programs next year. AMGEN is specifically designed for future PhDs and MD/PhDs and is typically done during the summer between their junior & senior years.

AMGEN-- https://amgenscholars.com
https://www.training.nih.gov/amgenscholars

Don’t earn graduate degree. It won’t enhance your chances for medical school. (Grad GPAs are pretty much ignored by adcomms, unless they’re bad–then it will harm your chances.)

RE: Gap year

It’s now the norm to take a gap year or two between undergrad and med schools (60%+ of matriculants have gap years) but…

for a MD/PhD hopeful, a gap year could be harmful if you are away from the research environment. (Your knowledge & skills get stale.) But unless you have everything else in order–your pre-med ECs, LORs–as well as your research resumé, applying to med school directly from undergrad will be a waste of time & money.

For your gap year consider applying for positions as full time research assistant or research lab manager. You will be hands-on and may have the opportunity to enhance your research CV with a publication.

G-SOAR is a 1 year full time research internship at NIH for new BA/BS graduates.
G-SOAR—https://www.training.nih.gov/gsoar_home_page

Similar positions are also available at all major academic hospitals, state and federal research institutions, and private biomedical research institutions.