What's going on here?

CaliGirl14 said:

Alright I've been looking through the "what are my chances?" thread and you people...SCARE ME.

People have volunteer hours 400+, shadowing, clinical experience, EMT experience, volunteering overbroad,, like 4 researches done, 2 interships, 34-38 MCAT, 3.8-4.0 GPA...All at once.

Is this the majority of people applying to med school? I'm hoping this is the majority of people accepted into med school!

How do you manage all of those ECs and maintain a high GPA and an MCAT?

This is a bit overwhelming..some of these candidates are worried they won't get into med school...are they applying to Harvard?

Or are there just a bunch of rare people who are just amazing and trying to freak us all out?

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On SDN you have to take everything with a grain of salt and try to sort through what is sh^t and what's bullsh^t. SDN is hardly a representative sample, but yes many people are doing all these things at the same time.

red10 said:

On SDN you have to take everything with a grain of salt and try to sort through what is sh^t and what's bullsh^t.

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Agreed. Not everyone tells the truth here.

everyone on sdn has a 46-50 mcat and a 6.4 gpa.. and cured cancer.

If those types of people are worried b****ing about it here, I would tell them to SHUT UP.

Some of us have bigger issues. I know I have some doubts but I'm trying to keep positive. I know it can be hard, especially amidst some of these ridiculous people on the forum, but there is good information here that can help YOU keep track of how you're doing. Like how there are some things an applicant should be doing to be a competitive applicant. There are these people that have taken it to the extreme. Some of us don't have that time though. I'm in the process of going to school full-time, working, and volunteering. Believe me, it's not easy. Some people don't need a job to pay for school and therefore have more time to dedicate to research and volunteering. Everyone is in a different situation. You just gotta do what you can. In general, I think 100-200 hours of volunteering/clinical experience (each) is good along with a good GPA and good MCATs.

Just try not let others intimidate you. There hundreds of med schools throughout the country. I'm sure if you do the best that you can, someone will want you

take anything you hear from a 3.9/39S from Columbia undergrad with 8 years research experience/50000 volunteer hours, passionate LORs applicant from south jersey who didn't get the interviews at Harvard and Yale he was obviously entitled to, with an entire bag of salt.

most of the people with the credentials you listed will get into med school somewhere...I think they are mostly nervous about their chances in the "top tier," where nothing is really a sure shot.

serenade said:

everyone on sdn has a 46-50 mcat and a 6.4 gpa.. and cured cancer.

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yep. lol

i thought your username was callgirl14

most of those people just want others to tell them how great they are and how easily they will get into medschool. like every other gunner out there... they are just insecure.

just dont let it get to you, do yourself a favor and do not feed the trolls...

serenade said:

everyone on sdn has a 46-50 mcat and a 6.4 gpa.. and cured cancer.

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I got a 4.6 GPA!

It's really not quite as uncommon as you (and I) would like to think. Do your best and see what happens. Reading other people's profiles isn't good unless you're looking at people with similar stats (to see how they fare).

osumc2014 said:

I got a 4.6 GPA!

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Gunner!

I have been on SDN since the junior year of high school. I can almost guarantee you that you can learn something or find something interested everyday on SDN.

I used to have a nervous breakdown every time I came on here, but then I got that thick skin!

..jk of course

SDN is a pretty small subset of pre-meds. Most represented here are over-achievers already. Don't let it get you down.

i wouldn't say people are necessarily bragging but just that they really don't know where they stand. when I was applied this cycle, I didn't know anyone to talk about the process with. I THANK GOD that I found a support group on campus or else I would've completely screwed up. When you're buried down with EC's and grades, you just don't do research on medical schools in your free time. a lot of things I learned over time and usually just casually like "Oh you haven't signed up for the MCAT yet and you're planning to take in a month or so? You know the spots at testing sites fill up really quickly. X is already full!" Similarly, I learned very late that the school doesn't have a committee letter but it does send it as a packet, so you only list it as one entry in your primary app.

let's face it. it's hard to find the right information out there. i went to a conference on how to get into med school and will tell you the information handed out is incredibly general and you can rarely get specific questions answered. I mean I already knew you had to get good grades and a high MCAT score. Who tells you though that research can really help your app or that you need certain types of letters for your LOR's. PRE-MED's DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK. The question that keeps popping up after I tell other pre-med's I got accepted was just what study materials to study for the MCAT. That's one of the most pointless one's honestly.

Going through the application process, most people take it as they go. Don't you think it's amazing how there were people out in the forums who'd gotten tons of interviews and a few acceptances but had to ask if accepting at one medical school means they can't take accept anymore acceptances? You would think after sitting in at so many orientations and getting accepted they would know by now...

serenade said:

everyone on sdn has a 46-50 mcat and a 6.4 gpa.. and cured cancer.

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osumc2014 said:

I got a 4.6 GPA!

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That's it? Rookies... I got a 3.7, that's almost a full stroke better than you, osumc, and almost THREE strokes better than the average. Looks like I'll be taking home the green jacket this year.

(But really, in all honesty, I am competitive with my stats, and I actually only applied to six schools... So not everyone applies to 15-20 schools and has soaringly high numbers )

FallenHero said:

take anything you hear from a 3.9/39S from Columbia undergrad with 8 years research experience/50000 volunteer hours, passionate LORs applicant from south jersey who didn't get the interviews at Harvard and Yale he was obviously entitled to, with an entire bag of salt.

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I think I read that thread the other day (seriously), I remember seeing you comment on it- your avatar caught my eye haha). The south jersey thing brought it all back- was that the "rant about med school admissions" person?

KG216 said:

I think I read that thread the other day (seriously), I remember seeing you comment on it- your avatar caught my eye haha). The south jersey thing brought it all back- was that the "rant about med school admissions" person?

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That was comical, to say the least... I suppose I understand where he's coming from, but man...

People with great stats (myself included so don't think I'm being condescending) love to ask about their chances when they really already know the answer because it is nice to hear. People with low stats don't like to ask for the same reason. So no, don't worry. The average SDN app is not representative of the average app overall. Of course don't take it to the other extreme either. Med school admissions is still very competitive.

For every person with a 33+ MCAT on here, there are at least 9 people who took the MCAT and got a lower score, because 33 is the cutoff for the 90th percentile.