Before you begin exploring the school data, it’s important for you to know the schools only provide an average of the scores that they accept—they do not provide the full range of scores. If you had access to see the full range of scores for accepted applicants, rather than the averages, you would be pleasantly surprised. With a decade of experience in medical school admissions, I have seen how quickly and easily students are discouraged by these numbers. I want to emphasize the importance of the other sections of the application. If you have a lower GPA, but at higher MCAT score and years of exceptional service and activities, you may be just the student a school is looking for but you’ll never know if you don’t apply to the right schools.
The purpose of this blog is not to discourage you, but to help you more accurately assess where you should apply because you will have a higher chance of getting in.
I recommend using the following approach in preparing to research which schools you will have the best chances of acceptance at:
1. Without judgment or berating yourself, calculate your cumulative and science GPA’s.
2. Look at the trends in your GPA, term by term. If you graduated with a significant decreasing trend, do not apply this cycle. If you have a strong decreasing trend and your GPA is below a 3.0, consider completing postbac coursework or a postbac program. In this case, read a copy of my book, The Definitive Guide to Premedical Postbaccalaureate Programs, for guidance in this direction.
3. If you have maintained a competitive GPA or have a strong increasing trend, review your MCAT scores. If you have earned a 7 or higher in each section of the exam, with a total score above a 25, you can consider applying. If you have scores below a 7 on any section, your application may go through an additional hurdle, known as the “academic committee” on some campuses, where a few applications with low GPA’s or lower MCAT scores make it out. In these committees, they duke it out based on whether the student has any other significant redeeming qualities in other areas that could possibly justify keeping your application under consideration.
4. If you have made it this far, congratulate yourself! If you have a lower GPA, you should have a higher MCAT score to compensate and vice versa. If your numbers are too low in any of these areas, consider retaking the MCAT or completing additional coursework.
5. Once you have objectively collected and reviewed your numbers in detail, you are ready to begin researching medical schools.
In my next post, we will review how to select medical schools by directly comparing your data to theirs. In preparation for this next step, you will need to purchase access to the MSAR website. We have reviewed the process designed to prepare you for the next stage of the process of school selection. Again, it is important that you not be discouraged by the numbers. We are reviewing them objectively. The more honest and accurately you can review your numbers in relation to theirs, the more realistic and successful your decisions will be. Our focus in this process is on outcomes. By using a strategic approach, we can bring about a positive outcome for your application. I’d rather be guilty of not trying hard enough than not trying at all.
Alicia McNease Nimonkar
Related Resources:
• 5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Medical School Profile
• Improve Your MCAT Score for Medical School Acceptance
• Advice From A Med School Admissions Director