Should I bother applying to schools where my sGPA is <10th percentile?

[deleted1118591]

I've heard the general wisdom that you shouldn't apply to schools where your GPA or MCAT are below 10th percentile, but my sGPA is lower than my cGPA (by a little over 0.1), so there are a bunch of schools where my cGPA is above the school's 10th percentile and my sGPA is below it. Should I throw these schools out just to be safe or is it still worth applying? I'm still waiting on my MCAT score, so this is assuming everything goes well on that front. (ORM, I think my ECs are good but nothing superstar-level)

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[KnightDoc]

Yes, if you are an ORM with a "merely" decent but non-spectacular application, with stats in the bottom 10% for any given school, your odds of success are very low. There is nothing wrong with applying to them if you have FAP or can otherwise afford it, but just go in with your expectations set accordingly, and make sure those applications don't detract from the attention you need to give to applications where you have a better chance for success.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Yes

cGPA >>> sGPA

 

[gyngyn]

Yes

cGPA >>> sGPA

In my experience, they are about equal. That's also what the survey of admissions officers revealed.
At my school, there seems to be more weight given to sGPA.
See page 14: https://www.aamc.org/system/files/2...22-medical-student-selection-guide-070921.pdf

 

[TheKingfish]

If your MCAT justifies it, you have good ECs, and/or you have an especially strong upward trend, then it can be a good idea to throw in a couple reaches that you feel strongly about. Just make sure you don’t include too many reaches on your school list and keep your expectations realistic.

I am just a touch below the sGPA 10th percentile at my school.

 

[Catalystik]

At my school, there seems to be more weight given to sGPA.

Ditto at mine.

 

[LizzyM]

Unless you are URM or multi-generation legacy, I'd say you might want to save your $$ and apply to schools where you are a better match with their "average" matriculant.

 

[Goro]

I've heard the general wisdom that you shouldn't apply to schools where your GPA or MCAT are below 10th percentile, but my sGPA is lower than my cGPA (by a little over 0.1), so there are a bunch of schools where my cGPA is above the school's 10th percentile and my sGPA is below it. Should I throw these schools out just to be safe or is it still worth applying? I'm still waiting on my MCAT score, so this is assuming everything goes well on that front. (ORM, I think my ECs are good but nothing superstar-level)

It really depends upon your entire app, and your targets.

At my school, we look at both numbers

 

[deleted1118591]

If this affects anyone's opinion, the schools in question are reaches for everybody, so I don't think I necessarily have a better chance at, say, Stanford than UPenn just because my sGPA is well within the 10th percentile at the former but not the latter. I'll still probably focus on the schools where my stats aren't so far below the average, but just wanted to point that out.

 

[Neuroscifan]

That also depends on which reach school it is. Different t10 schools have different missions and different applicants that they look for. Some look for high stats and value them more than others. Look at the schools individually and check the mission. If you’re a good fit, then throw an application at them. If not, I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

[dabears505]

You do not have a shot at all if your GPA is hovering around the 10th percentile. Science or otherwise. It's usually minority or legacy candidates or candidates with some crazy thing that sets them apart that get in with those kinds of stats. A regular joe shmo competing with others should be close to the 50th percentile.

 

[desert_of_ice]

May I know where you found the percentile of GPA? I searched everywhere, but most give a chart with both GPA and MCAT

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

msar

 

[Goro]

If this affects anyone's opinion, the schools in question are reaches for everybody, so I don't think I necessarily have a better chance at, say, Stanford than UPenn just because my sGPA is well within the 10th percentile at the former but not the latter. I'll still probably focus on the schools where my stats aren't so far below the average, but just wanted to point that out.

This provides a lot of context! The higher up the pole you want to climb, the more slippery it gets.

 

[account4premed]

You do not have a shot at all if your GPA is hovering around the 10th percentile. Science or otherwise. It's usually minority or legacy candidates or candidates with some crazy thing that sets them apart that get in with those kinds of stats. A regular joe shmo competing with others should be close to the 50th percentile.

How about if you have split stats with GPA at the 10th percentile but MCAT at or above the 90th percentile? I think I'm just a regular joe schmo without any crazy things besides the MCAT so idk if I would still have a shot

 

[LizzyM]

How about if you have split stats with GPA at the 10th percentile but MCAT at or above the 90th percentile? I think I'm just a regular joe schmo without any crazy things besides the MCAT so idk if I would still have a shot

That's where the LizzyM comes in to split the difference. The original formula was GPA(10) + MCAT where MCATs were between 26 and 43 (roughly speaking). There is a new formula for the new MCAT but I've forgotten it!

Anyway, the ARS is better and will take into account the fact that GPA is low and MCAT high (or the other way around). WedgeDawg's Applicant Rating System (Updated Jan 2017)

 

[Goro]

How about if you have split stats with GPA at the 10th percentile but MCAT at or above the 90th percentile? I think I'm just a regular joe schmo without any crazy things besides the MCAT so idk if I would still have a shot

A high MCAT score doesn't remediate a low GPA. In fact, it emphasizes the discrepancy.

The lone caveat is that a significant rising GPA trend will help along with the high MCAT score.

 

[LindaAccepted]

I've heard the general wisdom that you shouldn't apply to schools where your GPA or MCAT are below 10th percentile, but my sGPA is lower than my cGPA (by a little over 0.1), so there are a bunch of schools where my cGPA is above the school's 10th percentile and my sGPA is below it. Should I throw these schools out just to be safe or is it still worth applying? I'm still waiting on my MCAT score, so this is assuming everything goes well on that front. (ORM, I think my ECs are good but nothing superstar-level)

Unless your MCAT is stellar, and your grades show some upward trend, I recommend against applying to programs where your science GPA is less than the 10% and your cumulative GPA is only a little above it.

 

[danielthemaniel]

A high MCAT score doesn't remediate a low GPA. In fact, it emphasizes the discrepancy.

The lone caveat is that a significant rising GPA trend will help along with the high MCAT score.

Is it necessary that the upward trend be demonstrated in a postbacc, or are 2 years of UG enough?

 

[Goro]

Is it necessary that the upward trend be demonstrated in a postbacc, or are 2 years of UG enough?

The latter

 

[deleted1118591]

@Goro Does that mean a “Nike swoosh” shaped GPA trend counts as “rising”? I’ve read elsewhere that it doesn’t, but since you told the previous commenter that 2 years of UG suffices…
I’ve technically had 3 years of a rising GPA since I did an extra year of school: awesome freshman year, bad sophomore year, then good grades from junior year onward.

 

[Goro]

@Goro Does that mean a “Nike swoosh” shaped GPA trend counts as “rising”? I’ve read elsewhere that it doesn’t, but since you told the previous commenter that 2 years of UG suffices…
I’ve technically had 3 years of a rising GPA since I did an extra year of school: awesome freshman year, bad sophomore year, then good grades from junior year onward.

If one has two solid years of 3.6+ or above that should be enough to count as a rising GPA. Obviously the higher the GPA numbers, the better.

 

[danielthemaniel]

If one has two solid years of 3.6+ or above that should be enough to count as a rising GPA. Obviously the higher the GPA numbers, the better.

Would the cumulative GPA matter if one has 2 years of a rising GPA as long as it’s above 3.0?

 

[Goro]

Would the cumulative GPA matter if one has 2 years of a rising GPA as long as it’s above 3.0?

There are some schools that don't care about rising trends, so it's a nuanced no or yes

 

[Goro]

Sweet, thanks! My sGPA pattern is something like 4.0 -> 3.3 -> 3.8 -> 3.8 so I’m relieved to hear that.

You're good to go!