lucy98 Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Hi all, I hate to post one of those "what are my chances" questions, so I apologize in advance, but I'm really torn over whether I should bother applying at U of T or not and I was hoping to get some input. My MCAT is good (36S) and I have good ECs, employment experience, etc. However, my GPA is only 3.66, and the weighting formula does not apply to me. Also, I have not done any graduate work. Realistically, I know U of T is tough - is it worth applying? Thanks. Lucy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachy Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 I really have no idea what your chances are. But even if someone could give you a true and concrete answer (eg "you have a 2.3% chance of admission"), what difference would it make? If you don't apply, you have no chance of getting in! Take your best shot, write a great essay, and see how you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucy98 Posted August 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Thanks for your response, Peachy. I agree with you and your advice is definitely something I've already considered - I am aware that my only real chance of acceptance begins with applying. However, I am applying to many different schools and I want to focus my efforts (and dollars) on ones at which I have a realistic shot. While I'm not looking for the exact statistical probability of my chances of acceptance, I was hoping for something more along the lines of "With a GPA of 3.66, you don't have a decent shot unless you've done graduate work" or " I wrote a really good essay and got in with a 3.6 GPA", etc. Just any ideas or opinions besides the obvious "apply regardless" (which is much easier said than done) would be helpful. Thanks. Lucy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrubbed Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 Hi, Looking at the profiles thread, the 2009 class featured two undergraduate students with 3.6 GPAs. Your GPA does reduce your chances, but it doesn't exclude you. As an undergrad, your chance of getting an acceptance is probably worse than average applicant's 10% (270 offers for 2700 applicants), but, again, it isn't zero. A fee of $75 dollars for an additional OMSAS school, if the fees are still the same, isn't exceptional compared to the cost of a round of applying and, eventually, medical school. I don't have much to add to peachy's comments. With the exception of writing the essay, you don't need to do that much more additional work; your other submissions may have already gotten your creative juices flowing. At the end of the day, you have to make your own cost-benefit analysis, applying your values to the data. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachy Posted August 30, 2006 Report Share Posted August 30, 2006 I guess I just don't think that other applicants or current med students can really tell you whether you personally have a shot just based on your GPA. There have certainly been people accepted with a GPA in that range, as you can see from a number of previous threads asking the same question as you: http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11891 http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11916 http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11984 http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12133 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarface Posted September 2, 2006 Report Share Posted September 2, 2006 This school has a reputation for being a high GPA school. It also has a reputation for being a research school. And finally, it also has a reputation for being a prestigious school (i.e. many would pick this school over another given the choice, let's face it, it's an ego thing). If you have good research credentials you have some hope. With a couple of publications under your belt, you might have a good chance with a 3.6 GPA. So like the other posters mentioned, apply anyways, keep your expectations low, and you never know, you might hit the jackpot. But even if you do get rejected pre-interview, keep in mind this school is also known to reject applicants with 4.0 GPAs (that's OMSAS GPA, in other words 90 or above in EVERY course) pre-interview. BTW, nice MCAT. You should look into Queens. It has a reputation for being a low GPA school, although that contradicts everything I said in the post I just put on their forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuantum Posted September 2, 2006 Report Share Posted September 2, 2006 I'd actually be careful with Queen's, unlike UofT, they have CUT-OFFS. Meaning, regardless of whether you have won a Nobel Prize or you have saved an entire family from a burning house while curing cancer, it won't matter if your GPA does not meet the requirements using all possible weighting formulas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chowchilla Posted September 2, 2006 Report Share Posted September 2, 2006 you also have to be careful with past applicants who've been accepted with a 3.6ish gpa--they might have done a graduate degree, and that makes a world of difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucy98 Posted September 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 Thanks for your replies, guys. That's more along the lines of what I wanted to hear regarding U of T. I don't have any publications or research, etc., so I'm thinking I should focus my efforts on other schools right now. My ego isn't really a factor here - prestigious or not, in the end, we'll all be doctors, right? As far as my GPA goes, it was really only a concern for U of T, since my GPA for my best/most recent 2 years is >3.9, so I think Queens, Western and some other OOP schools are where I've really got some hope. Thanks again for the advice/info - it's always nice to get a second (and third, fourth, fifth...) opinion. Lucy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrubbed Posted September 6, 2006 Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 That's good that you reached a decision. Best wishes with your applications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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