Realistic chance with low undergraduate wgpa?

[sciencegirl314]

Hey guys, I'd appreciate any feedback you may be able to provide on my situation. As an applicant with a wGPA of around 3.82 (graduated from undergrad only, not grad status), what are my chances to interview if I submit an AEE detailing my circumstances + have very strong essays, ABS, LORs, etc.? I understand this is a lower end wgpa and am very worried.The new weighing formula really disadvantages me compared to the previous one and now I'm re-evaluating everything about my chances for UofT. Please help!

[sb88]

Hi,

I'm not a medical student (just another applicant) but from what I've seen it looks like the wGPA required for file review will definitely drop due to the new changes made (less FCE drops). This is expected as a lot of people's wGPA should drop quite a bit.  People have been saying the minimum would be something like a 3.85 wGPA for file review (undergrad applicants), but I honestly have no clue (I'm not even sure what the exact cutoff was before the changes, I want to say a 3.9 for undergrad applicants?). If anyone has any input on this, I'd love to know your thoughts! I'm in the same boat, and I think the new changes have put a lot of people at a disadvantage now. I don't think I've seen any undergrad below a 3.9 wGPA get an interview in the last two years based off posts on this forum alone as well. It's hard to tell for certain how much the new changes will impact individuals with a lower wGPA (3.8-3.9 range) until interviews are actually released, but given how high the wGPA of applicants was before these changes; I feel that our chances are small (but it's still worth applying). 

[sciencegirl314]

@sb88 Thanks for following up Tbh I have also noted the same trend from online posts from previous years of mostly 3.9+ wGPA students interviewing. I hope that both UofT and Ottawa have a lower file review GPA now though because significantly different weighing formulas being used. I guess theres no harm in applying because it all seems so unpredictable at this point and we won't know what these changes mean until the numbers start rolling in.

[AgentMichaelScarn]

For what it's worth, I received an interview at UofT this past cycle and my wGPA was 3.82 - undergraduate applicant, no academic explanations essay. So the myth that there is a cutoff at 3.85 or 3.9 for undergrads is definitely not true. I tried very very hard on my essays and I made sure all my references were really good. I felt that my interview went okay, but not stellar. Ultimately, I was put on the waitlist. Fix what you can control and the rest is up to chance! Good luck

[sciencegirl314]

@AgentMichaelScarn So happy to hear about your experience, definitely gives so much hope to the rest of us in similar situations!!! I was starting to feel defeated before even starting their essays truthfully so really appreciate your input. Thank you for sharing  I hope things worked out for you this cycle with other schools.

[AgentMichaelScarn]

35 minutes ago, sciencegirl314 said:

@AgentMichaelScarn So happy to hear about your experience, definitely gives so much hope to the rest of us in similar situations!!! I was starting to feel defeated before even starting their essays truthfully so really appreciate your input. Thank you for sharing  I hope things worked out for you this cycle with other schools.

Your mentality has a huge impact on how good your application is! To write a good essay (for me at least), you have to firmly believe in what you're writing. So try not to approach the questions feeling like you're already defeated, it will show. 

[sciencegirl314]

4 hours ago, AgentMichaelScarn said:

Your mentality has a huge impact on how good your application is! To write a good essay (for me at least), you have to firmly believe in what you're writing. So try not to approach the questions feeling like you're already defeated, it will show. 

Wholeheartedly agree with you on that!! Literally makes all the difference if you're in a good mindset while writing (unlike studying where you can just push through). So glad I was able to get your perspective and feel better before approaching all the writing  I actually also had a surprising drop from my AAMC FLs to actual MCAT that I wrote last month so really relying on only the few schools in Canada that will take borderline GPA and MCAT now so just tricky all around.