No worries. I think the MCAT is a good indicator of undergrad quality and applicant quality - but not necessarily anything to do with the medical school ('cept the fact that the med school's able to attract those highly qualified, and presumably highly-sought, candidates). If I was a high schooler interested in the health professions (and presuming I didn't want to apply to one of the more prestigious BA/MD programs), I'd be interested in seeing what the average MCAT score was at a college, and more interested in that than medical school placement, which again will vary with class interests. For example, my own undergrad probably doesn't place many people at Baylor - because most of them are either in love with New York or have East Coast bias and want to stay on the East Coast (and specifically the Northeast). But if, let's say, the average was a 34.5 (I have no idea what it is in actuality), and I saw that Baylor's average was a 34.5, then I would figure that if I was an average to slightly-above-average student there, I would have a good shot of getting into Baylor. Whereas if School X that I was also considering had an average of 28, I would guess that I'd have to be an exceptional student there to get into Baylor. Could I still get in? Of course - I'm a big believer in individual talent rising above school and all that. But I'd feel more confident that i'd have the atmosphere and resources I needed to achieve what I wanted to achieve.
Maybe the USMLE avoids the stigma because it is pretty much the be-all and end-all of residency placement? You can get around a low MCAT score (or at least an MCAT score that is on the low-end) if your application is strong in other areas. But your performance on the USMLE will pretty much determine your residency - if you score crappily, and you have your heart set on derm? No fancy essays or ECs are going to save you.
I think it's like law school, and if you talk to pre-laws (at least the ones I know), none of them stigmatize the LSAT quite like the MCAT is over here. They'll complain if they don't score highly, but with law school, it's really your LSAT and your GPA (more emphasis on LSAT). I think pre-meds tend to be a little more touchy-feely and don't want to say that a number corresponds to worth. Which it doesn't entirely, but I do think that someone with a higher MCAT score than mine probably brought a better combo of intelligence and diligence to the table and deserves to go to a "better" school than I do. Med students seem to be less sensitive on the issue - most of the ones I've spoken to (barring the MD/PhD's) have told me that USMLE score = residency.
But in all likelihood, the most likely explanation of my curiosity is that I've run out of data to analyze and I'm looking for more. You're a sports stats nut too, you of all people should understand
