Calculating Chance of Getting into Med School from LizzyM Score

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LizzyM,

I am currently still waiting for an acceptance from any medical school at this point. I have a 3.93 GPA BCPM and 3.90 GPA AO. However, I know this is where you will ask most of your questions, my MCAT scores.

Here they are when I took them twice:
29R (PS:12 VR:09 BS:08)
28P (PS:09 VR:08 BS:11)

I believe that the reason why my MCAT BS score changed was because of the varying focus of the test. I would say the same for PS too but it was generally well-rounded with more emphasis on gen chem the 2nd go round. With the BS, I had genetics and cell bio primarily the first time and then like 3 passages of orgo and discretes. I just don't agree with this, but how does a NJ school like RWJMS treat multiple MCATs? Plus, I was recently given a letter staying that I am in the very competitive category, but a decision will not be made until sometime this month. What are my chances now since the ultimate decision will either be an acceptance or placement on the alternate list?
 
pride4jc727 said:
LizzyM,

I am currently still waiting for an acceptance from any medical school at this point. I have a 3.93 GPA BCPM and 3.90 GPA AO. However, I know this is where you will ask most of your questions, my MCAT scores.

Here they are when I took them twice:
29R (PS:12 VR:09 BS:08)
28P (PS:09 VR:08 BS:11)

I believe that the reason why my MCAT BS score changed was because of the varying focus of the test. I would say the same for PS too but it was generally well-rounded with more emphasis on gen chem the 2nd go round. With the BS, I had genetics and cell bio primarily the first time and then like 3 passages of orgo and discretes. I just don't agree with this, but how does a NJ school like RWJMS treat multiple MCATs? Plus, I was recently given a letter staying that I am in the very competitive category, but a decision will not be made until sometime this month. What are my chances now since the ultimate decision will either be an acceptance or placement on the alternate list?
Click to expand...

The LizzyM score is no help in figuring what to do with a multiple MCATs. I have no idea how NJ schools deal with multiple scores. Don't make an excuse about the varying focus of the test. You are supposed to know all the material on the test.

I have no idea what your chances are... you weren't rejected so obviously the school thinks that you are worthy of admission, if only there were enough seats for every worthy applicant. Now it will come down to how many excellent applicants with offers from that school decide that they prefer on of the other schools in which they hold an offer. Granted, most schools make more offers than they hold seats, but if of the xxx who are offered places only xx choose to matriculate, then the school goes to waitlist or the "no decision yet" list to fill the class. It is hard to predict if there will be any waitlist movement as it depends on so many factors and the decisions of literally hundreds of people and can depend on financial aid offers at that school and other schools as the most highly desirable candidates sort out their offers.
 
Just wondering, but where are y'all getting your school's mean/median GPA/MCAT scores from to do the LizzyM score?

All the references I seem to find (US News, Princeton Review, even a 08-09 MSAR) only list the stats from 2006. And given the rather consistent rise in stats in each of the last couple years, I'd assume those numbers have gone up quite a bit since 2006. Is there some other source I should like at or are y'all still going by the '06 stats? I mean, I understand that stats aren't everything, but I'd like to see where my 3.6/30 matches up and just how "under the curve" I'd be nowadays.

Also, just curious, but is the LizzyM score [GPA(10)+MCAT]-1 or simply GPA(10)+MCAT? From what I've seen on the boards, people are using either of them and I'm just wondering what it's supposed to be.
 
daaarn said:
Just wondering, but where are y'all getting your school's mean/median GPA/MCAT scores from to do the LizzyM score?

All the references I seem to find (US News, Princeton Review, even a 08-09 MSAR) only list the stats from 2006. And given the rather consistent rise in stats in each of the last couple years, I'd assume those numbers have gone up quite a bit since 2006. Is there some other source I should like at or are y'all still going by the '06 stats? I mean, I understand that stats aren't everything, but I'd like to see where my 3.6/30 matches up and just how "under the curve" I'd be nowadays.

Also, just curious, but is the LizzyM score [GPA(10)+MCAT]-1 or simply GPA(10)+MCAT? From what I've seen on the boards, people are using either of them and I'm just wondering what it's supposed to be.
Click to expand...

Use the most recent #. The minus -1 is the fudge factor when looking at a school. GPA(10)+MCAT is your score. the -1 takes into account that a school that has avg stats a bit above your LizzyM will see you as "avg" (e.g. if the school's avg gpa is 3.8 and avg MCAT is 33 then you are OK with a Lizzy score of 70.)
 
sorry guys but I'm very new to this site... what is a LizzyM score and how do you calculate it? any help/links??
 
Drogba said:
You guys are intense. I love it.
Click to expand...

hah, I thought that when I mailed my deposit to hold a seat in my class I would forever stop worrying about getting accepted, but here I am two months later reading SDN and figuring out my "LizzyM" score (70 btw) wondering whether or not I'm competitive for the school into which I'm matriculating. 😎
 
coldweatherblue said:
hah, I thought that when I mailed my deposit to hold a seat in my class I would forever stop worrying about getting accepted, but here I am two months later reading SDN and figuring out my "LizzyM" score (70 btw) wondering whether or not I'm competitive for the school into which I'm matriculating. 😎
Click to expand...

haha. yeah man, that is intense. Just remember, as soon as you walk onto campus in medicine, you have a clean slate. GPA, MCAT, extracurriculars, whatever...none of it matters. You are on equal footing with your classmates, and if you want to be the best then it's on you man!
 
Someone put all this into a spreadsheet with every med school in the US on it. Would buy for $5.
 
Vihsadas said:
Hey Lizzy,

How do you feel about a modified LizzyM score?

= ((cGPA + sGPA)*5 + MCAT)
Click to expand...

makes a lot more sense to me... averaging the overall and science GPAs. But in the end, it just seems like minutia for an idea (the lizzym score) that already doesn't really mean a whole lot in the end. I mean, I doubt people would change their school list because they discovered the lizzym score. IMO, people generally have good intuition based on their numbers alone and the schools' averages.
 
I was assuming the LizzyM Score was originally based on the idea that the applicant majored in a science. It seems like splitting it up would yield too many factors to discern a real probability of acceptance. Eh.
 
The LizzyM score is based on the assumption that the first thing an adcom member looks at is the gpa and MCAT. If either are really, really low, the application is likely to be tossed, or the rest of the application is going to have to have a remarkable story attached.

I'm not sure what cGPA and sGPA are, but it doesn't make sense to give them equal weight unless each accounts for exactly half of the credits taken, in which case the cGPA+sGPA will equal the gpa. Otherwise, you are giving more credit to the side of the equation that contains the fewer credits. So, if you took 32 credits in the sciences and 90 credits in the humanities and social sciences, why weigh the two equally?
 
LizzyM said:
The LizzyM score is based on the assumption that the first thing an adcom member looks at is the gpa and MCAT. If either are really, really low, the application is likely to be tossed, or the rest of the application is going to have to have a remarkable story attached.

I'm not sure what cGPA and sGPA are, but it doesn't make sense to give them equal weight unless each accounts for exactly half of the credits taken, in which case the cGPA+sGPA will equal the gpa. Otherwise, you are giving more credit to the side of the equation that contains the fewer credits. So, if you took 32 credits in the sciences and 90 credits in the humanities and social sciences, why weigh the two equally?
Click to expand...
That's a good point.
 
Lecter said:
Someone put all this into a spreadsheet with every med school in the US on it. Would buy for $5.
Click to expand...

Done 😉

The attachment is every school ranked by LizzyM score and Academic Index, info pulled from the MSAR 2008-2009.

Enjoy!
 

Attachments

Hats off to you, sir!
 
Vihsadas said:
Done 😉

The attachment is every school ranked by LizzyM score and Academic Index, info pulled from the MSAR 2008-2009.Enjoy!
Click to expand...

Wow, nice job... it really helps to look at how schools are ranked numbers-wise rather than going by U.S News rankings or by simply just flipping pages through the MSAR. Thanks
 
bozz said:
Wow, nice job... it really helps to look at how schools are ranked numbers-wise rather than going by U.S News rankings or by simply just flipping pages through the MSAR. Thanks
Click to expand...

Yeah I thought it was interesting how even though the LizzyM score and the Academic Index are pretty different, the rankings generated with each are very well correlated.
 
Vihsadas said:
Done 😉

The attachment is every school ranked by LizzyM score and Academic Index, info pulled from the MSAR 2008-2009.

Enjoy!
Click to expand...

if this forum had a rep point system, i'd send you a green skittle.
 
Vihsadas said:
Done 😉

The attachment is every school ranked by LizzyM score and Academic Index, info pulled from the MSAR 2008-2009.

Enjoy!
Click to expand...

Does your LizzyM score spreadsheet subtract 1, or should we just add one to our score, for comparison?

I realize it is a very minor point, but for the purposes of the score, it makes sense.
 
flip26 said:
Does your LizzyM score spreadsheet subtract 1, or should we just add one to our score, for comparison?

I realize it is a very minor point, but for the purposes of the score, it makes sense.
Click to expand...

It does not. It's the 'raw' LizzyM score. Feel free to make whatever modifications that your heart desires. 😛

...Remember that there is a new MSAR out!
 
LizzyM said:
Does a 4.0/26 actually exist or is it like a Dr. Seuss character? Frankly, something that odd would have to be 1) an inflated gpa or 2) someone who had a very bad day and should not have been taking the MCAT. Obviously, regardless of the LizzyM score, someone with a 26 should retake the MCAT. Even then a 26 in light of the 4.0 looks like a severe case of hubris and the adcom may steer clear.
Click to expand...

I have a 37 MCAT and 3.4 at my undergrad institution that is known for grade deflation.
 
the mdapps calculator of chances told me I had a 15% chance of getting into UMDNJ and Robert Wood Johnson! I feel that this is low. Am I right? My GPA / MCAT is :

GPA: 3.82
BCPM: 3.81
MCAT:29P

(Also, if Lizzy M wants to comment on my chances, I would be delighted.)
Thanks.
 
dtepper said:
the mdapps calculator of chances told me I had a 15% chance of getting into UMDNJ and Robert Wood Johnson! I feel that this is low. Am I right? My GPA / MCAT is :

GPA: 3.82
BCPM: 3.81
MCAT:29P

(Also, if Lizzy M wants to comment on my chances, I would be delighted.)
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Sounds about right, actually...your MCAT is pretty low...15 percent is not too shabby...of course nobody really knows the odds...with your stats, you should apply broadly, probably at least 20 schools...
 
just wondering... what/where is this md apps calculator? i tried to look on the md apps website but couldnt find it
 
s1lver said:
This one, I think - http://www.mdpotential.com/ (it uses stats from mdapps)...
Click to expand...

Just beware that if you fall out of the first two standard deviations in terms of either MCAT or GPA (or both like me lol), then mdpotential may not help you that much. I also realized that they are not necessarily accurate since my profile from last year is not factored in...
 
I wonder how adcoms take into account upwards trends. None of the formulas listed take this into account, but I've repeatedly heard people talk about how upwards trends are worthwhile.
 
Vihsadas said:
Done 😉

The attachment is every school ranked by LizzyM score and Academic Index, info pulled from the MSAR 2008-2009.

Enjoy!
Click to expand...

This was the only working spreadsheet I could find but it's from 2008... Anybody have a newer one or suggestions on how to adjust this one for current applicants? Gracias!
 
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