37 & 3.7 and GOT SHUT OUT !

[ScreamingTreesRule]

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Not me. 😀

But I read a post that prompted me to create this thread. I think it's a crime that med school acceptance is such a crap shoot (& that it has a built-in preference for some) that a 37/3.7 couldn't get an acceptance.

If you got at least a 37 MCAT and 3.7 GPA (a 3.65 would be rounded up to a 3.7) and didn't get in anywhere for a complete application cycle (it doesn't have to be this year...it could be from a previous year), then please list the following:

1) Every school to which you applied within that cycle

2) Your gender & race

3) Your undergrad/major (if you feel comfortable giving that info in here)

4) If you applied again in a later cycle & got in, then list those schools applied & accepted

5) Why you think you got rejected from all of the schools in the 1st place (I'd expect to see answers such as "Only applied to 2 schools and they were both Harvard.", as opposed to "I have a 3rd arm growing out of my back." )

 

[jalfredprufrock]

Hmmm. I agree with what you're saying, but you might be hard pressed to find people with those kind of numbers that got completely shut out.

Sweet Oblivion is a terrific album. I'm sure you know this, but just in case, Mark Lannegan is currently singing and playing guitar for QOTSA. He sounds as good as ever.

 

[surge]

I, on the other hand, feel that a 37 and 3.7 should NOT guarantee one to become a doctor.

Now, having said that, I still think it's almost unimaginable that someone with those stats didn't get in anywhere, but, theoretically speaking, if there was an applicant like that but with absolutely no social skills, compassion or some other intangible quality, he or she should not become a doctor.

Who were you referring to (what post did you read)?

 

[Mike59]

Originally posted by ScreamingTreesRule
If you got at least a 37 MCAT and 3.7 GPA (a 3.65 would be rounded up to a 3.7) and didn't get in anywhere for a complete application cycle (it doesn't have to be this year...it could be from a previous year), then please list the following:

1) Every school to which you applied within that cycle

2) Your gender & race

3) Your undergrad (if you feel comfortable giving that info in here)

4) If you applied again & got in, list of schools applied & accepted

5) Why you think you got rejected from all of the schools in the 1st place (I'd expect to see answers such as "Only applied to 2 schools and they were both Harvard.", as opposed to "I have a 3rd arm growing out of my back." )

The kicker for such applicants has gotta be in their background/personality, and I think you have trouble getting these people to admit that:

a) An antarctic pengiun can write a warmer personal statement
b) They come across as an arrogant prick in the interview (and there are many of this type are in the 3.7+ / 35+ category)
c) They have no significant extracurriculars that demonstrate commitment to their community or a desire to assist their fellow man (trying to get in solely off of numbers)

After going through this process and getting a feel for what schools are looking for, it doesn't surprise me that people with high stats get rejected if they are in this for the wrong reasons. It's no different than someone with a 3.3/27 getting rejected post-interview.

Of the types I described above, I doubt any would come forward and say "yea, I'm in this for the money and the interviewers saw right through me and my 3.9/39 MCAT."

 

[Explosivo]

I remember reading about one or two indivduals like this in the previous application cycle. Essentially what did them in was that they came off as cocky pricks (no pun intended). I remember one guy actually admitted that he really was. I'll bet they interviewed at a ton of places but of course the interview itself is what killed them.

 

[Sarah Kerr]

Well, some people deserve to be shut out. I'm sure there are plenty of people running around with a 37/3.7 and feel that they are entitled to a spot in med school just because they did so well in undergrad. I agree with the previous posters...the interview will kill you if you think you're Gods gift, and that any medical school you choose to attend should fall down to their knees in thankfullness.

Ive met a few people along those lines. Getting good grades and studying hard for the MCAT doesn't necessarily mean you deserve to be a doctor.

 

[meanderson]

I haven't applied yet but my amcas 5 and amcas 6 scores were 35 and 37. I expect to do at least that well on the mcat. I really can't see a scenario where I would score less than 10V, 12B, 13P. But score could easily be 11V, 13B, 14P. Gpa 3.83. And yeah, the fear of not getting in is certainly real. Reasons?

1) unknown regional state undergrad(don't think UGA, UF, UNC..well below those type schools in terms of rep)

2) lack of "outstanding" EC's. It's not that I havent stayed busy, but I also haven't done a lot of the things many in here claim. I started volunteering late. I have a variety of clinical experiences and about 300 volunteer hours total from 3 different hospitals, but each experience was pretty ordinary. I enjoyed each of them, but I won't get any outstanding letters of rec from dept heads or anything from them. At an earlier stage I really should have focused more on this part of my app. The problem was I was just doing things I enjoyed rather than things that would improve my app the most. We're always told to choose the volunteer activity that you enjoy the most or get the most personal satisfaction from, but I should have been more selective in my volunteering. Looking back on it, shadowing a physician for 30 hours total and getting a LOR would have been much more beneficial than the 250 hours I spent volunteering at the salvation army because that's what I liked to do.

3) going to take August MCAT. I'm ready to take it now, but I'm not going to be available to take it in April because I will be out of the country that whole week. And as much as it kills me in the app process, there is simply no way I can be in a testing center on April 26. This means that my app will be late late late in getting completed. What's worse....the schools I really need to be targeting(MCG, Emory, Mercer) go out of their way to stress the importance of the April MCAT.

4) unsure over interviewing skills. Sure, mock interviews are nice, but there is no way to recreate the pressure I'm going to be feeling if fortunate enough to get interviews.

So when looking at the big picture, I think I have reason to be *cautiously* optimistic. I'm not bitter about my situation and I would never argue that someone with a 3.4/28 doesn't deserve a spot because I realize it is about so much more than two simple numbers. If I don't get in with 3.8/35+, then I know what I need to do the following year(s) to make it happen.

 

[T-bruin]

If you're really scared about not getting into a school, you should apply to a few schools that are not your top choice or not top-tier schools. I applied to 30 schools. I understand that if you have very good scores, you wouldn't have to do that, but the application process is a bit of a crap shoot, so it's better to be safe than sorry. Apply to more schools!

 

[HouseHead]

Originally posted by ScreamingTreesRule
But I read a post that prompted me to create this thread. I think it's a crime that med school acceptance is such a crap shoot (& that it has a built-in preference for some) that a 37/3.7 couldn't get an acceptance.

If you got at least a 37 MCAT and 3.7 GPA (a 3.65 would be rounded up to a 3.7) and didn't get in anywhere for a complete application cycle (it doesn't have to be this year...it could be from a previous year), then please list the following:

My guess is that you saw my recent post (did I say 37? I meant 39 😛 ). For me at least, 3.65 does NOT equal 3.7, because it was actually like 3.64975 or something.

I'll list out the stuff you asked for after I'm done hearing from the top choices that haven't yet rejected me 🙄

Originally posted by Mike59
The kicker for such applicants has gotta be in their background/personality, and I think you have trouble getting these people to admit that:

a) An antarctic pengiun can write a warmer personal statement
b) They come across as an arrogant prick in the interview (and there are many of this type are in the 3.7+ / 35+ category)
c) They have no significant extracurriculars that demonstrate commitment to their community or a desire to assist their fellow man (trying to get in solely off of numbers)

a) I write exceptionally well, contrary to the evidence on these boards 😛 But my personal statement did have some glaring faults that I fixed this year (way too blunt last year).

b) I only come across as an arrogant prick on the net. 😀 I'm actually a puppy dog when I meet people IRL (see my avatar)

c) True, no good ECs. Too much of life got in my way.

Oh well, I'm in this year!

 

[HouseHead]

Also, it's hard to come across as an arogant prick if you don't even interview. I only got 3 interviews last year.

 

[Lady MD]

sacrament and HouseHead,

First, congrats on getting in. Second, I think things happen for a reason. I've had my runs of ups and then downs, and I swear that I learn more from the setbacks. Maybe since you've had so much success in your undergrad years that there will be something positive coming out of your minor setback...and it worked out well, in that you eventually got in.

sacrament - Did you make your decision? What school are you going to? It sounds like you have a lot to choose from! 🙂

Gave me some time to save up money

So true. Not only that, but 1 more year's worth of life experience in the work force can be very valuable when you begin your residency. 😉

 

[crazyA]

Two anecdotes to share...

One is my undergrad pre-med advisor's favorite:

This happened several years ago. Kid graduated with a 3.7 and had a 42, yes, you read that right. A 42, and got rejected EVERYWHERE. She added no other details, but I surmise that he was the classic case of no Ec's.

Second example is from this year. My coworker's brother graduated from a top-10 undergrad and had a 39. He had 3 years of research experience, and plenty of EC's, but NO volunteer work. He got rejected pre-interview from several places, only interviewed at 4 schools (I think), and was waitlisted at his state school. Thankfully however he was accepted to the University of Chicago a couple weeks ago.

 

[BobbyDylanFan]

Monsieur Anderson,

You forgot to add the other reason you may not get in.

Originally posted by meanderson
I haven't applied yet but my amcas 5 and amcas 6 scores were 35 and 37. I expect to do at least that well on the mcat. I really can't see a scenario where I would score less than 10V, 12B, 13P. But score could easily be 11V, 13B, 14P. Gpa 3.83. And yeah, the fear of not getting in is certainly real. Reasons?

1) unknown regional state undergrad(don't think UGA, UF, UNC..well below those type schools in terms of rep)

2) lack of "outstanding" EC's. It's not that I havent stayed busy, but I also haven't done a lot of the things many in here claim. I started volunteering late. I have a variety of clinical experiences and about 300 volunteer hours total from 3 different hospitals, but each experience was pretty ordinary. I enjoyed each of them, but I won't get any outstanding letters of rec from dept heads or anything from them. At an earlier stage I really should have focused more on this part of my app. The problem was I was just doing things I enjoyed rather than things that would improve my app the most. We're always told to choose the volunteer activity that you enjoy the most or get the most personal satisfaction from, but I should have been more selective in my volunteering. Looking back on it, shadowing a physician for 30 hours total and getting a LOR would have been much more beneficial than the 250 hours I spent volunteering at the salvation army because that's what I liked to do.

3) going to take August MCAT. I'm ready to take it now, but I'm not going to be available to take it in April because I will be out of the country that whole week. And as much as it kills me in the app process, there is simply no way I can be in a testing center on April 26. This means that my app will be late late late in getting completed. What's worse....the schools I really need to be targeting(MCG, Emory, Mercer) go out of their way to stress the importance of the April MCAT.

4) unsure over interviewing skills. Sure, mock interviews are nice, but there is no way to recreate the pressure I'm going to be feeling if fortunate enough to get interviews.

So when looking at the big picture, I think I have reason to be *cautiously* optimistic. I'm not bitter about my situation and I would never argue that someone with a 3.4/28 doesn't deserve a spot because I realize it is about so much more than two simple numbers. If I don't get in with 3.8/35+, then I know what I need to do the following year(s) to make it happen.

 

[HouseHead]

Originally posted by Lady MD
sacrament and HouseHead,

First, congrats on getting in. Second, I think things happen for a reason. I've had my runs of ups and then downs, and I swear that I learn more from the setbacks. Maybe since you've had so much success in your undergrad years that there will be something positive coming out of your minor setback...and it worked out well, in that you eventually got in.

I learned a lot during my extra year. First and foremost, the experience humbled me like crazy. I think many (not all!) people who plan to go into medicine come from stellar academic backgrounds. It's hard to imagine how difficult just getting IN to med school can be when everything else (SAT, getting into my ONLY choice for undergrad, etc.) seemed so easy.

Everything else, not including undergrad- I had a very rough time in undergrad (because of outside factors, not coursework).

 

[meanderson]

BDF, and what other reason is that?

 

[BobbyDylanFan]

Figure it out for yourself, genius 🙄

Originally posted by meanderson
BDF, and what other reason is that?

 

[Bostonienses]

Originally posted by BobbyDylanFan
Figure it out for yourself, genius 🙄

Haha Love it!

 

[meanderson]

BDF, this is what I wrote earlier:

>>So when looking at the big picture, I think I have reason to be >>*cautiously* optimistic. I'm not bitter about my situation and I >>would never argue that someone with a 3.4/28 doesn't >>deserve a spot because I realize it is about so much more >>than two simple numbers.

So you can't possibly be implying that arrogance is what will hold me back. Especially since the whole point of my post was to make up reasons why I might *not* get in.

If you're implying that I'm arrogant because I believe I'll do extremely well on the mcat, I encourage you to read the title of this thread. It asks for anyone with really high stats who got rejected to share their thoughts. While I haven't applied or taken the mcat yet, I could easily see my self in this situation 12 months from now so I had to use my AMCAS practice scores and current progress to extrapolate. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to participate in a thread I wanted to.

Also, why does it lack taste to express confidence over one's mcat chances but it is perfectly allright to talk about strong EC's? I don't even know why I'm responding, because it's pretty clear from my post that I went out of my way to acknowledge that MCAT's are only one component of the process and so much more is(and should be) considered.

 

[alphabeta53]

meanderson,

just brush it off. your response is far too eloquent for the trivial complaint. I almost think med schools might be attracted to someone with a high MCAT/GPA from a smaller name school: maybe brings diversity. But thats another thread and another day...

 

[meanderson]

I know I should brush it off and I apologize to BDF if I made too much of his comments, but it is slightly annoying when students with high mcat's(or students confident of high mcat's) almost have to be ashamed of their scores. MCAT scores, like gpa and EC's, make up one component of an student's application. I was very honest about both the potential strengths and weaknesses of my application, and I don't feel such honesty should be mocked.

As for the high gpa/high mcat from a smaller school, I would assume a lot of it depends on each particular med school. Schools like Mercer and MCG see a lot of apps from schools like mine. It won't add any diversity there. Schools I'm semi-targeting like Emory and UVA obviously don't admit many students from small unknown state unis. Of course that's usually because many students from such schools can't perform well enough on the mcat to validate their gpa, but still, I'd be feeling a lot better now if I was coming from even UF, FSU, UGA than a smaller state university.

 

[BobbyDylanFan]

Mike,

The impetus for my post was not only because you decided that you have already captured the MCAT grail, but also because you came into the MCAT forum and told everybody in a pretty condescending way that the EK end of lecture exams were pretty simple. I say condescending because you basically went to a great effort to dissect each exam, pointing out that everybody should not have been suprised by a good number of the questions. I think its obvious that you read other SDNers' statements regarding the difficulty of the exams...it is beyond me what you accomplished by telling everybody that certain portions were generic/easy as you know darn well that some people may find it discouraging.

Peace,
BDF

Originally posted by meanderson
I know I should brush it off and I apologize to BDF if I made too much of his comments, but it is slightly annoying when students with high mcat's(or students confident of high mcat's) almost have to be ashamed of their scores. MCAT scores, like gpa and EC's, make up one component of an student's application. I was very honest about both the potential strengths and weaknesses of my application, and I don't feel such honesty should be mocked.

As for the high gpa/high mcat from a smaller school, I would assume a lot of it depends on each particular med school. Schools like Mercer and MCG see a lot of apps from schools like mine. It won't add any diversity there. Schools I'm semi-targeting like Emory and UVA obviously don't admit many students from small unknown state unis. Of course that's usually because many students from such schools can't perform well enough on the mcat to validate their gpa, but still, I'd be feeling a lot better now if I was coming from even UF, FSU, UGA than a smaller state university.

 

[geromine]

Wow, this has been a very interesting thread.

I pretty much fit the stat profile presented in the 1st post. These are the conclusions that I reached from my personal experience:

1. # of schools: I should have applied to more schools. I applied to 7, filled out 6 out of 7 secondaries, went to 4 interviews and got one acceptance so far from a safety school. This is despite the fact that I didn't apply to any IV schools and had two supposed safety school among the six. I think that I was a bit over-confident, tried to bit too smart and save myself the money while getting into all the schools I wanted to get into. I think that a more reasonable number would have been around 15 schools to apply to and I should have filled out every secondary and gone to every interview until I get acceptance from top choice schools.

2. Personal statement: It was a good frank story and something to remember me by. But I think I was trying to "show" too much and didn't "tell" as much as I wanted to.

3. ECs: I think I worked too much and did too much research instead of joining the americorps or something(which apparently guarantees a Stanford admission) I did have about a year worth of boring hospital volunteering.

4. MD rather than MD/PHD. I believe, no, I'm certain that I would have had better luck with MD/PHD application but it just wasn't something I wanted to do. I'd like to have a real job BEFORE I'm forty.

5. Interviews: Only one out of the four interviews could be described as a failure. The other three ranged from good to really good. I'm not at all arrogant. If anything I'm on the shy side so no problem from that aspect. That's the other thing about applying to more schools: you get more interview practice so you get better and better as you go on. Also I should have memorized my answers and not worried so much about sounding like I was reciting.

Hope this helps. No worries for me though, I am lucky enough to have an acceptance despite what clearly was a subpar effort. AND, I am wealthier than I would have been otherwise.😉

 

[cg1]

geromine,

At least you got an acceptance. Congratulations. 😉

You didn't mention your MCAT or qpa.

What are they?

Originally posted by geromine
Wow, this has been a very interesting thread.

I pretty much fit the stat profile presented in the 1st post. These are the conclusions that I reached from my personal experience:

1. # of schools: I should have applied to more schools. I applied to 7, filled out 6 out of 7 secondaries, went to 4 interviews and got one acceptance so far from a safety school. This is despite the fact that I didn't apply to any IV schools and had two supposed safety school among the six. I think that I was a bit over-confident, tried to bit too smart and save myself the money while getting into all the schools I wanted to get into. I think that a more reasonable number would have been around 15 schools to apply to and I should have filled out every secondary and gone to every interview until I get acceptance from top choice schools.

2. Personal statement: It was a good frank story and something to remember me by. But I think I was trying to "show" too much and didn't "tell" as much as I wanted to.

3. ECs: I think I worked too much and did too much research instead of joining the americorps or something(which apparently guarantees a Stanford admission) I did have about a year worth of boring hospital volunteering.

4. MD rather than MD/PHD. I believe, no, I'm certain that I would have had better luck with MD/PHD application but it just wasn't something I wanted to do. I'd like to have a real job BEFORE I'm forty.

5. Interviews: Only one out of the four interviews could be described as a failure. The other three ranged from good to really good. I'm not at all arrogant. If anything I'm on the shy side so no problem from that aspect. That's the other thing about applying to more schools: you get more interview practice so you get better and better as you go on. Also I should have memorized my answers and not worried so much about sounding like I was reciting.

Hope this helps. No worries for me though, I am lucky enough to have an acceptance despite what clearly was a subpar effort. AND, I am wealthier than I would have been otherwise.😉

 

[meanderson]

BDF, we just happen to disagree on the EK end of lecture exams. I think the biology lectures I've done are very similar to AAMC #5-6. You don't think so....that's fine. Another point to consider is that when you are taking an EK lecture exam you often just finished reviewing that particular topic so it is fresh in your mind. That's one factor that should help your EK score.

 

[BobbyDylanFan]

Whatever...I just don't think you get it 🙄
And besides I never said they weren't similar to AAMC nor that the Bio lectures were even that bad. (most people were talking about the phy/chem anyway) You shoudn't just come in and basically tell everyone they should be scoring well on these.

Originally posted by meanderson
BDF, we just happen to disagree on the EK end of lecture exams. I think the biology lectures I've done are very similar to AAMC #5-6. You don't think so....that's fine. Another point to consider is that when you are taking an EK lecture exam you often just finished reviewing that particular topic so it is fresh in your mind. That's one factor that should help your EK score.

 

[jtheater]

Originally posted by meanderson
I haven't applied yet but my amcas 5 and amcas 6 scores were 35 and 37. I expect to do at least that well on the mcat. I really can't see a scenario where I would score less than 10V, 12B, 13P. But score could easily be 11V, 13B, 14P. Gpa 3.83. And yeah, the fear of not getting in is certainly real. Reasons?

For everyone out there, especially meanderson, you really can't predict MCAT scores from practice tests. It is a different situation, a different test. Some people break under pressure, others will thrive because they take it seriously for the first time. So I think counting on a score or expecting one is just ridiculous. Most of my friends and I found our scores to be very different than those that Kaplan predicted. So, have confidence, but don't put your faith in their tests, especially considering some content and scoring changes have occurred. Personally, if I remember, I found amcas 5 and 6 easier than the actual test, but each person will have different experiences based on strengths and weaknesses.

 

[dergler]

well the situation presented in the beginning of the post is exactly a description of me so far. i have a 3.7 from a top 20 school and a 37 mcat but as of yet i have no acceptances. i have interviewed at four places out of about 11 sent in secondaries and i have already been rejected by my "safety" state school that is not all that highly regarded. don't really know why i was rejected but i have a phone interview later today to hopefully find out. anyways, i am pretty sure the reason that i have had such bad luck so far is the fact that i started my application process extremely late, as in sending in my amcas in october and filling out secondaries in november and december. i have no one to blame but myself for this fact. however, i also have had some interesting problems with my letters of recommendation. i asked my professors to write them back in october but before one of my professors could write the letter, this is in january by the way, she passed away. i had to scrambe to convince another professor that i didn't really know all that well to write a letter for me and by the time he did, it was past most of the schools deadlines. so i have had some problems in the application process but i also realize that my main failure was not starting the process early enough. if i am unfortunate enough to get completely shut out this go around i will be one of the first people to send in my amcas next year i guarantee you that!!

dergler

 

[meanderson]

I didn't exactly say people should be running through every Ek test flawlessly. But several people asked questions like "I can't get above 5 on any physics or chem EK tests. I'm still in good position for a 10-11 though right?". I was simply saying that this is naive. There are a good # of people who are able to consistently crack double digits on the EK end of lecture tests.

And to the poster about predicting scores, I tend to agree with this. The uncertainty involved in the mcat is scary. You mentioned Kaplan in particular and I certainly agree that there tests are too easy. TPR I can't say either way because I haven't worked their tests yet.