Any 30-32 MCAT with interviews????

[Nahnia]

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I know literally dozens of people with GPAs >3.75 who are not remarkably bright. I have yet to meet someone with an MCAT 34+ whom I did not think was very smart.

Of course a high MCAT signifies that you're obviously an intelligent person who would think otherwise. A high GPA doesn't mean you're a genius but you are a hard worker who toiled for years to earn your GPA. Grade inflation/deflation, easy prof, easy school whatever excuse people give more often than not those people have worked for that GPA. I haven't met a person with above avg GPA who wasn't a fastidious worker. Just because you are not remarkably bright doesn't mean you are not an intelligent person. I really don't know what your comment has to do with the price of bread anyways. Who was saying that those with high MCATs are not as bright as those with high GPAs?

 

[MiracleforMD]

Of course a high MCAT signifies that you're obviously an intelligent person who would think otherwise. A high GPA doesn't mean you're a genius but you are a hard worker who toiled for years to earn your GPA. Grade inflation/deflation, easy prof, easy school whatever excuse people give more often than not those people have worked for that GPA. I haven't met a person with above avg GPA who wasn't a fastidious worker. Just because you are not remarkably bright doesn't mean you are not an intelligent person. I really don't know what your comment has to do with the price of bread anyways. Who was saying that those with high MCATs are not as bright as those with high GPAs?

No. Just that I think there are many false positives for intelligence based off high GPAs and very few false positives for high MCAT.

And, wut, to the bolded....

 

[Nahnia]

Lol it's a saying from where I come from. Hardly anyone will get it but I like to use it to throw people off from time to time. It entertains me.

 

[MiracleforMD]

Success.

 

[PreMedOrDead]

I haven't met a person with above avg GPA who wasn't a fastidious worker.

You haven't met many people, have you? I know many a comm/humanities/ language major whom do little yet post up 4.0s. My favorite is a high school friend who got a 36 ACT, declined offers at several Ivies for a local school, and currently has a 4.0 by only showing up on test days and not doing any of the classwork. He is an EE/MechE double major who spends most of his time playing MMOs, drinking, or smoking the j. Why? Because he can. Easily the smartest guy I know.

I also know philo majors who are barely passing yet have written entire theses.

The thing is GPA is so variable it's hard to generalize. Hence the reason for the MCAT.

 

[Nahnia]

You haven't met many people, have you? I know many a comm/humanities/ language major whom do little yet post up 4.0s. My favorite is a high school friend who got a 36 ACT, declined offers at several Ivies for a local school, and currently has a 4.0 by only showing up on test days and not doing any of the classwork. He is an EE/MechE double major who spends most of his time playing MMOs, drinking, or smoking the j. Why? Because he can. Easily the smartest guy I know.

I also know philo majors who are barely passing yet have written entire theses.

The thing is GPA is so variable it's hard to generalize. Hence the reason for the MCAT.

I'm not talking about the other majors I was speaking in a strictly science major (biology/chemistry) sense. All my comments are coming from my experiences with people in that major. I don't know what goes on with those other majors. I never discounted the importance of the MCAT ever nor did I day it wasn't important. People were acting as if lower GPA/high MCAT makes you more worthy of acceptance to med school than high GPA/lower MCAT or as if it makes you a superior person. I disagree with those sentiments. That is all.

 

[SOMBound13]

When it comes down to it, I believe that the MCAT is kind of like an IQ test, whereas GPA is more an indicator of work ethic.

Agreed. Which is why both are strongly considered. One without the other can mean a smart-but-lazy applicant, or a dedicated-but-lacking-natural-smarts applicant.

If one component was worth a lot more than the other, the LizzyM calculation would be different.

 

[GallStones]

Don't you need all different types to get a rounded out class of future physicians?

We need physicians that are hard working but not naturally talented and physicians who are naturally talented and lackadaisical. GPA and the MCAT both have features that make them imperfect as a predictor of success. That's why there are essays and personal statements and interviews and everything else so medical schools can make a well rounded class that fits their mission/style/ideals. (Which is an imperfect process and should ever be used to denote people's worth.)

Also Step 1 score is a dubious indicator of success. What if someone gets a 235 on Step 1 and really wants to go into Pediatrics so they get into the their top choice for residency. Are they less successful than the medical student who wants to go into plastics and scores a 270 and goes to their top residency choice? Isn't Step 1 score and residency applications about getting into YOUR top choice and not SDN pre-med idea of a top program/specialty?

I have to say drawing lines in the sand about intelligence using artificial indicators is usually a bad idea in general. Remember that IQ tests and their ilk were used as tools of racial and socio-economic oppression.

Edit: Ppierce baller, that totally sucks and I'm really sorry. Your ego is probably taking quite the beating but please remember it's not a personal indictment on you. I feels really personal and it's hard not to get depressed. I encourage you to talk to someone and vent some off SDN so you can make a better plan for next time while working through your disappointment.

 

[SOMBound13]

Edit: Ppierce baller, that totally sucks and I'm really sorry. Your ego is probably taking quite the beating but please remember it's not a personal indictment on you. I feels really personal and it's hard not to get depressed. I encourage you to talk to someone and vent some off SDN so you can make a better plan for next time while working through your disappointment.

Ppierce's poor results were largely self-inflicted. His list was top-heavy. His most interview invite, which he considers to be an "insult" is being dissed as "barely being in the Top 50". He's having a pity-party because the Hopkins and Stanfords of the world aren't throwing out the welcome mat.

Someone with his stats (very good, but not top), should have applied to a carefully constructed list of top, mid, and unranked SOMs.

His stats are similar to mine. My LIzzieM is a 71. Never in my wildest dreams would I have only applied to Top 50 SOMs.

I finally just got an interview invite!*

Except, I'm taking it more of as an insult than anything. The school barely breaks into the top fifty and was literally my last choice. I spent some time there (the undergrad and partly the medical school) and let me just say I hate (and I do not like using the word hate) it there so very much. I applied there because my parents pushed me to apply there and they are making me go to the interview.....

....Why wasn't I competitive enough for the UVAs, Hopkins, Harvards, Stanfords of the world? How did my life get to where it is right now?

If he ends up reapplying, hopefully he'll have a more sensible list.

 

[911 Turbo]

Ppierce's poor results were largely self-inflicted. His list was top-heavy. His most interview invite, which he considers to be an "insult" is being dissed as "barely being in the Top 50". He's having a pity-party because the Hopkins and Stanfords of the world aren't throwing out the welcome mat.

Someone with his stats (very good, but not top), should have applied to a carefully constructed list of top, mid, and unranked SOMs.

His stats are similar to mine. My LIzzieM is a 71. Never in my wildest dreams would I have only applied to Top 50 SOMs.




If he ends up reapplying, hopefully he'll have a more sensible list.

Tbh I kinda understand his pain.. It sucks to work really hard in college and still fall short of your goals

 

[SOMBound13]

Tbh I kinda understand his pain.. It sucks to work really hard in college and still fall short of your goals

I think we all understand his pain. The app process is gruelling and to go thru it without positive results is a kick in the gut.

The crazy part is that most of us know that the process will be stressful, and none of us want a "do-over", (I'm guessing that Ppierce also shared that opinion.). Therefore applicants will include a few lower ranked schools as possible backups. The idea of only including one "barely top 50" (especially a SOM that he hates) seems like a bad game plan.

 

[Geebeejay]

Tbh I kinda understand his pain.. It sucks to work really hard in college and still fall short of your goals

He failed because he had the wrong goals.