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<p>I have made that comment to MIT’s PreHealth Office before. Maybe they believe it is too fine grained an analysis. As far as the popularity of the MD/PhD route it is in part because of the joint Harvard-MIT HSTP program, where students get their MD at Harvard and their PhD at MIT. Those applicants will only apply to such joint programs which are much more selective than regular MD programs. </p>
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<p>But again as I said, there are no MIT premeds with GPAs below 3.2 so we don’t know if they would have been accepted or rejected if such students had applied. There is really no screening of premeds at MIT, so there is certainly no effort to discourage low GPA applicants from applying. It is assumed they can always get above a 32 on the MCAT with minimal studying and get admitted. Typically, the lower GPAs will be found in engineering at MIT, but it is extremely rare for engineering majors to show interest in medicine except for the biological engineering and some chemical engineering students. it does not make much sense for MIT engineers to go the MD route with the salaries and opportunities they get on graduation.</p>
<p>As far as the OP, if he keeps to the standard 4 course/semester workload, even with sports and research he should have no problem keeping a 3.5 GPA in most departments. Research is generally done for credit and helps boost the GPA. A common trick is also to cross-register for some of the premed requirements such as Organic Chem at Harvard and get a fairly easy A. With a 33 ACT he should also have a good shot at getting a 32 or better MCAT which will largely ensure his admission to med school even with a below 3.5 GPA.</p>