d17 Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 So I have a really good MCAT (41R) but the rest of my stats and EC are painfully average, ~3.65 cGPA (3.75 sGPA) and no shadowing/research. Does my MCAT make up for the rest of my application? And if it matters, I did a double major in political science and medical science which helps explain my GPA somewhat.... Any advice on Canadian school would be appreciated too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazyboy Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 US is very MCAT heavy, your score, 41R, would be very, very attractive. I know someone got invited from a US medical school even though he never applies to USA, and he has a score of 39R. It wouldn't hurt to apply. You can apply to some Canadian schools as well, how is your VR? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d17 Posted June 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 I have 13 in VR. And ya, I was spammed with 'invitations' to apply last year from a bunch of schools which is why I'm considering it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omz222 Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 If you had research and/or clinical experience, then you would have a very good chance of getting in at an American MD with your MCAT, provided you interview well etc. But if you lack both research and clinical experience, it's a hard call. Typically the very high MCAT + mediocre GPA kind of people have those kind of experiences to back them up and get them in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazyboy Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 Apply to U of A and U of C. If you can become an IP, it may be even better. If I were u, I would apply boardly to USA mid to high tier school as well. You will definately get some interviews and you just have to ace it. btw, you should apply right away, June 16 is not too late, but US is on a rolling admission, the earlier the better. Good luck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d17 Posted June 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 I've volunteered quite a bit in retirement homes, does that count as "clinical" experience? Oh and, what's U of A, U of C, and IP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 I've volunteered quite a bit in retirement homes, does that count as "clinical" experience? Oh and, what's U of A, U of C, and IP? ahhh unversity of alberta, calgary and in province unless I am missing the flow of the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omz222 Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 If I were u, I would apply boardly to USA mid to high tier school as well. You will definately get some interviews and you just have to ace it. btw, you should apply right away, June 16 is not too late, but US is on a rolling admission, the earlier the better. Good luck... You are way overestimating the ability of a MCAT to overcome a lowish GPA here. You have to be really careful when saying that US schools are 'really MCAT heavy', because that depends. A 41 MCAT will be a huge boost for any application with a mid >3.7 GPA, but it's not going to make up for the OP's 3.65 GPA to the extent you describe. OP should apply to mid-high tier American MD schools as well as lower-tier MD ones but there's no guarantee of interviews from mid-high tier ones without research. (I'm speaking on the basis of past outcomes here - I wouldn't be surprised if the OP can land a late interview at Case or Dartmouth & the lower-tier American MDs, but I wouldn't say 'definitely' by any means until OP gets research experience). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bundleofgreen Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 I personally think extracurricular wasn't all that important compared to MCAT and GPA. It is for the interviews though. So simple answer to your question is no hard requirements. however, you want to be careful with your list of schools. Because of your low GPA plus the fact that you're international, you want to apply broadly (include top but also many mid-top schools). Schools that appear like safeties are starting to reject applicants with high scores because they know you're using them as a safety, so don't count too much on those either. (speaking from experience, I personally didn't get any invites from safeties) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazyboy Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 It seems to me each US medical school has certain criteria they use to access its applicants. They know from past experiences certain applicants will go with their schools. So in the end, you will find out that you get an interview with a school while your buddy, who seems to have better scores than you, don't even get an interview from the same school. As all of us suggest, you should apply to top and mid tier schools and see what happen, with your 13 VR, McMaster and U of C are also good choices. Some of the applicants only write VR for the MCAT for Mac, and if you do good at the Casper, you will get an interview from Mac. Nobody, I mean nobody, can tell you which is a sure bet. You don't really know until you start trying.... Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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