Anxiety for cut-off gpa

[dreamer98]

Hi everyone I will be applying in September, with one year over the cut-off (conditional).  My GPA is a mid-low 3.7.  I was hoping that I could get advice if I should be optimistic. I have read on this site how people have received an acceptance on a conditional basis with a low 3.7. I'm working on the abs right now, with some long-term commitments. From this, I am getting a lot of anxiety lately, to the point where I get shortness of breath when I randomly think about this, as I feel not good enough.  Also, any success stories would be lovely, as well as advice.

Thank you

[anonymouspls]

Just take the emotion away and look at the situation logically.

 

Not gonna lie, we don't know how they calculate scores for conditional applicants, but most likely they assign you a 3.7 on your conditional year when calculating your total GPA. So if you have one year at a 3.7, and they're giving you a low GPA on your conditional year, you're already at an instant disadvantage even if you had a 4.0 on your 1 year. But you're going in with a 3.7. All this to say, it'll be tough.

 

But the main barrier to Western is the MCAT. Are you SWOMEN? Also we don't know what the MCAT cutoffs will be like this year with the introduction of the ABS.

 

There are a few conditional acceptances every year, though admittingly most I've personally heard of had a higher GPA entering their conditional year. All this means is that you have to perform higher than the average accepted applicant in your ABS, MCAT, and interview scores. Totally do-able, but  not easy obviously. 

[Average Joe]

Hello, I am in the same boat as you OP.  I've applied for this current bout of applications.  I have one year which meets the GPA cutoff (3.85) -- although one of the semesters from this year was on exchange.  I had a WES course-by-course evaluation done and western assured this semester could be used in my GPA calculation.

I think I wrote a solid ABS -- talked mainly about activities in southwestern Ontario and London in particular. ECs are also good I think; lots of community involvement and research.

I am also SWOMEN and have met the MCAT cutoff.  My score was 384 in the first three sections.

Do you think I have a fighting chance? 

[anonymouspls]

SWOMEN always have a fighting chance. Not sure what your activities being in southwestern Ontario have to do with the ABS though, they mainly asked us to talk about the quality clusters they had in each section, not linking our experiences to a geographic area. 

 

You should be good 

[rmorelan]

So the best year you have to use right now for your GPA is around a mid 3.7? I was hoping to just be clear on the score. 

True we don't know the full method this is used, and in this case we don't know what your MCAT score is which would be a big help. I will say that people with that GPA range have gotten in as you have noted on conditional acceptance - Western doesn't have programs to grant interviews where those people do not have a meaningful chance of getting in. There is just no point in wasting either your time, and for that matter their time either - it is just a matter of being practical. Their interview slots are very precious to them, as a lot of work has to be done setting them up, staffing them etc.