Does being a minority really help THAT substantially?

[geneexpression]

If I ever have a moment of doubt and say something about developing plans in the event that I don't get into med school, my dad says, "You have really high grades, you're Hispanic, and you're a woman. You'll get in." as if it's a sure thing.

Just curious if the advantage truly is that high or if it's just a slight advantage.

In my case, I'm Hispanic as I said with a cum GPA of 3.95 at the moment. I'm a post-bacc taking pre-reqs right now. Obviously I can't guarantee that I'll be able to get As in all of my prereqs, so there's a chance my GPA will drop a little lower than that in the end. I did the calculations, and even if I made a C in every single remaining class, it would drop my cum GPA down to a 3.77. Of course, that would wreck my science GPA, and I don't intend on letting it happen lol. Right now my science GPA is at a 4.0, but I've still got several sciences left to knock out.

Anyway, say I receive a mediocre score on the MCAT...somewhere around a 29 or 30. Would my chances of still getting in be much higher than if I weren't Hispanic? Or just slightly?

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[BestDoctorEver]

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If I ever have a moment of doubt and say something about developing plans in the event that I don't get into med school, my dad says, "You have really high grades, you're Hispanic, and you're a woman. You'll get in." as if it's a sure thing.

Just curious if the advantage truly is that high or if it's just a slight advantage.

In my case, I'm Hispanic as I said with a cum GPA of 3.95 at the moment. I'm a post-bacc taking pre-reqs right now. Obviously I can't guarantee that I'll be able to get As in all of my prereqs, so there's a chance my GPA will drop a little lower than that in the end. I did the calculations, and even if I made a C in every single remaining class, it would drop my cum GPA down to a 3.77. Of course, that would wreck my science GPA, and I don't intend on letting it happen lol. Right now my science GPA is at a 4.0, but I've still got several sciences left to knock out.

Anyway, say I receive a mediocre score on the MCAT...somewhere around a 29 or 30. Would my chances of still getting in be much higher than if I weren't Hispanic? Or just slightly?

It does help a lot if you are Hispanics/AA/veterans/American Indians... By the way, 29 or 30 MCAT are not mediocre scores... It is true that the competition is getting stiffer. 13 years ago the average MCAT of admitted students into MD schools was 27. You will definitely have an excellent shot at MD with 29+ MCAT assuming your ECs are average.

 

[geneexpression]

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It does help a lot if you are Hispanics/AA/veterans/American Indians... By the way, 29 or 30 MCAT are not mediocre scores... It is true that the competition is getting stiffer. 13 years ago the average MCAT of admitted students into MD schools was 27. You will definitely have an excellent shot at MD with 29+ MCAT assuming your ECs are average.

I thought anything below a 33 was below average now. That's what I was reading elsewhere on the forum lol. I appreciate the response!

 

[Tijou]

If I ever have a moment of doubt and say something about developing plans in the event that I don't get into med school, my dad says, "You have really high grades, you're Hispanic, and you're a woman. You'll get in." as if it's a sure thing.

Just curious if the advantage truly is that high or if it's just a slight advantage.

In my case, I'm Hispanic as I said with a cum GPA of 3.95 at the moment. I'm a post-bacc taking pre-reqs right now. Obviously I can't guarantee that I'll be able to get As in all of my prereqs, so there's a chance my GPA will drop a little lower than that in the end. I did the calculations, and even if I made a C in every single remaining class, it would drop my cum GPA down to a 3.77. Of course, that would wreck my science GPA, and I don't intend on letting it happen lol. Right now my science GPA is at a 4.0, but I've still got several sciences left to knock out.

Anyway, say I receive a mediocre score on the MCAT...somewhere around a 29 or 30. Would my chances of still getting in be much higher than if I weren't Hispanic? Or just slightly?

If you maintain your GPA and have diverse, consistent EC's that you are actually passionate about and can convey in your apps - with a "mediocre" score of 29 - 30, you should be able to secure at least one acceptance provided you apply early and have no red flags. However, it may not necessarily be your top choice and I would advice you to definitely not bank on the URM status to "save" you. I believe if you get a 31+ MCAT you will definitely be a very competitive applicant, and will have a happy and successful cycle. Good luck!

 

[Snoopy2006]

I'd say yes, it often does make a substantial difference, but it's very hard to say for sure. I've heard anecdotal stories from several Hispanic friends who openly believe they wouldn't have gotten into med school without their URM status (mid 20s MCATs for a couple of them). Unfortunately this can create a nasty cycle of racism in medical schools, as some people assume that all black/Hispanic students were admitted partly because of their URM status - even those with flat out elite scores.

Your GPA is outstanding. While in general you want a MCAT of 30 or higher (preferably 32 or higher to be more sure of an acceptance), with URM status and a very high GPA, an MCAT of 28-29 may be enough if you apply to the right schools.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Just do your reading passages as often as possible because ppl usually score the lowest on that part of the MCAT. The ppl I know that got unfavorable MCAT grades all suffered the most in the verbal part. Example score distributions were 12 13 8, 11 12 8, 10 10 9 and the single digit grades were for the verbal section. Obviously, practice everything (but this has been my observation and it has been the case for ppl of all backgrounds).

I'm sure you'll do well! Have confidence in yourself!

 

[Osteoth]

https://www.aamc.org/download/321498/data/2012factstable19.pdf

Look at the differences in cGPA and sGPA between different races, especially between ORM (white, asian) vs. URM (AA, hispanic, NA)