anybody feel intimidated by people from mdapplicants?

[Chankovsky]

if there files are true, those people are way to hardcore.

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[kwc1979]

if there files are true, those people are way to hardcore.

I totally agree. It slams my self-esteem every time I log on to this site. They can't all be telling the truth, can they???

 

[PineappleGirl]

Yeah, I was looking at it earlier today and getting super depressed. I try not to focus on the individual applicants but just look at the averages for each school. Even still you can't help seeing all those people with perfect stats.

I don't know how anyone applying to med school can have a 4.00 GPA. I really do not understand it at all. Four years of college and not one little A-? Orgo? Physics? Wtf?

 

[Kazema]

Some schools (like mine) don't give - or + grades. So like a 90% at those schools would be an A, ie a 4.0.

 

[scrappysurfer]

Some schools (like mine) don't give - or + grades. So like a 90% at those schools would be an A, ie a 4.0.

My GPA would have been MUCH higher without - or + grades. I got at least 3x as many (A-) grades as (B+) grades. Oh well. I think I'll live.

Don't worry. The meat of your application (the essays) will count for something. I spoke with a fellow applicant a couple of days ago. She has substantially better grades and MCAT than me, but got shut out of the UC's becuase all she could show was grades. Granted she had an easier major, but she still has a good personality and would be a good doc. Take home message: No real volunteering. No research. = No med school.

 

[PineappleGirl]

Some schools (like mine) don't give - or + grades. So like a 90% at those schools would be an A, ie a 4.0.

I wish I had known about these schools when applying to colleges.

 

[Larsitron]

I'd second the post about looking at the averages for schools. Remember that people on this site and mdapplicants are the self-starters. They are the people that are plugged into their application, plugged into things, on top of schedules, etc. So, I wouldn't necessarily describe mdapplicants or even this site as the typical cross section of the whole applicant pool.

 

[Law2Doc]

I'd second the post about looking at the averages for schools. Remember that people on this site and mdapplicants are the self-starters. They are the people that are plugged into their application, plugged into things, on top of schedules, etc. So, I wouldn't necessarily describe mdapplicants or even this site as the typical cross section of the whole applicant pool.

I agree. Clearly you would be far more likely to be willing to put your stats up for eveyone to see if they were phenomenal. So you can pretty much assume that the bulk of the applicant pool that isn't posting doesn't have those kind of stats.

 

[docjolly]

well, to answer the OP's question, my answer is No.
I personally don't find it necessary or helpful to sit and compare myself with other applicants. I'm going to medical school, and that is really all that matters to me

 

[chitown82]

My GPA would have been MUCH higher without - or + grades. I got at least 3x as many (A-) grades as (B+) grades. Oh well. I think I'll live.

Don't worry. The meat of your application (the essays) will count for something. I spoke with a fellow applicant a couple of days ago. She has substantially better grades and MCAT than me, but got shut out of the UC's becuase all she could show was grades. Granted she had an easier major, but she still has a good personality and would be a good doc. Take home message: No real volunteering. No research. = No med school.

For a school without +/-, for every A- you got, you'd get and A and for every B+ you got, you would get a B...so your GPA wouldn't have been much different at all.

 

[Sparky Man]

if there files are true, those people are way to hardcore.

Yeah, when I check that site out, I feel lame. I don't recommend it.

 

[Law2Doc]

For a school without +/-, for every A- you got, you'd get and A and for every B+ you got, you would get a B...so your GPA wouldn't have been much different at all.

That's not right - different people are favored under each system. If you got a ton of what would otherwise be A-'s (and/or B-'s) in a school without a +/-, your GPA would be much higher when they got converted to A's (and B's). Similarly, you would get hosed if instead you only got a lot of B+'s. The GPA is only approximately the same under each system if for each - you got a +...

 

[liverotcod]

For a school without +/-, for every A- you got, you'd get and A and for every B+ you got, you would get a B...so your GPA wouldn't have been much different at all.

I disagree. Let's take a simple example, and say that I took 4 equally-credited courses, receiving an A, A-, A-, and B+. That's 4.0 + 3.7 + 3.7 + 3.3 = 14.7 / 4 = 3.675. The same grades at a school with no +/- make: 4.0 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 3.0 = 15 / 4 = 3.75. The difference is clearly non-trivial, and the more you weight the numbers to A- versus B+, the more lopsided it gets.

 

[Sigma]

if there files are true, those people are way to hardcore.

Until I see scanned transcripts and scanned MCAT reports, I wouldn't believe anything I see up there if I were you.

People lie.
People going to med school lie.
People who want to go to med school and feel the need to post grades / MCATs (without validation) lie.

 

[kikkoman]

I disagree. Let's take a simple example, and say that I took 4 equally-credited courses, receiving an A, A-, A-, and B+. That's 4.0 + 3.7 + 3.7 + 3.3 = 14.7 / 4 = 3.675. The same grades at a school with no +/- make: 4.0 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 3.0 = 15 / 4 = 3.75. The difference is clearly non-trivial, and the more you weight the numbers to A- versus B+, the more lopsided it gets.

Dude, you put two A-'s in there and one B+. If you evened out the A-'s and B+'s, it works out to be the same. I think that is what he was trying to get across. The whole +/- does work against solid A students, who are hurt by the fact that a A+ is not a 4.3 (at most schools at least). But if you are a A-/B+ averaging student, it doesn't hurt you at all.

 

[2tall]

Don't let the odds (or their numbers) intimidate you.

There will always be people who are better at things than you are.

Everybody has God-given gifts. Use your gifts as best you can.

There'll be someone in my medical school class with a 4.0, 38S, published research, started a nonprofit, a classic pianist, and an olympic gold medalist, BUT little ole me will be there, too.

 

[liverotcod]

Dude, you put two A-'s in there and one B+. If you evened out the A-'s and B+'s, it works out to be the same. I think that is what he was trying to get across. The whole +/- does work against solid A students, who are hurt by the fact that a A+ is not a 4.3 (at most schools at least). But if you are a A-/B+ averaging student, it doesn't hurt you at all.

Scrappysurfer said: "I got at least 3x as many (A-) grades as (B+) grades."
Just to clarify what I was responding to.

 

[Blue Scrub]

I wouldn't really sweat the stats people put up on MDApplicants, they dont represent the average med school acceptee, or the average med school applicant

 

[chitown82]

Dude, you put two A-'s in there and one B+. If you evened out the A-'s and B+'s, it works out to be the same. I think that is what he was trying to get across.

Thanks for clarifying what I meant.

 

[dr.z]

I'm afraid of looking at MDapplicants.com.

 

[virilep]

I wouldn't really sweat the stats people put up on MDApplicants, they dont represent the average med school acceptee, or the average med school applicant

ditto. they're there just FYI. it's kinda like lookin at the MSAR on an individual basis.

 

[45408]

if there files are true, those people are way to hardcore.

Or that some of us are truly dedicated and bust our asses for what we want to achieve?


However, some of them really make me wonder how in the world they did all this stuff. Check this one out:

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?id=2700

Academic
-4A's in GCE Advanced Level Maths & Biology (University of Cambridge) and Physics & Chemistry (University of London).
-Graduated with BS in Medical Microbiology & Immunology (Distinctive Scholastic Achievement) in 12/04.
-several academic awards/scholarships
-international educational experience (Sudan, UK)
Research
-TB research (basic science and clinical) in Ethiopia
-Summer Undergraduate Research Internship at Harvard Medical School.
-2-year research experience at UW-Madison
-attended international infectious disease conference
Clinical Experience
-shadowed neurosurgeon at Harvard Medical School
-clinical rotation/externship in internal medicine & pediatrics (TB, Malaria, leprosy), in Ethiopia.
-extensive clinical volunteering/shadowing (Sudan).
Extracurricular
-Division 1 soccer player
-University of Wisconsin-Madison men's volleyball team
-undergraduate physics tutor
-Multi-lingual (French and Arabic).

 

[secretasianman]

you people on sdn scare me .

 

[dandelion]

OMG!!!! This guy was at my panel interview at Northwestern. Didn't know at the time that he'd done all this stuff . . .

Or that some of us are truly dedicated and bust our asses for what we want to achieve?


However, some of them really make me wonder how in the world they did all this stuff. Check this one out:

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?id=2700

Academic
-4A's in GCE Advanced Level Maths & Biology (University of Cambridge) and Physics & Chemistry (University of London).
-Graduated with BS in Medical Microbiology & Immunology (Distinctive Scholastic Achievement) in 12/04.
-several academic awards/scholarships
-international educational experience (Sudan, UK)
Research
-TB research (basic science and clinical) in Ethiopia
-Summer Undergraduate Research Internship at Harvard Medical School.
-2-year research experience at UW-Madison
-attended international infectious disease conference
Clinical Experience
-shadowed neurosurgeon at Harvard Medical School
-clinical rotation/externship in internal medicine & pediatrics (TB, Malaria, leprosy), in Ethiopia.
-extensive clinical volunteering/shadowing (Sudan).
Extracurricular
-Division 1 soccer player
-University of Wisconsin-Madison men's volleyball team
-undergraduate physics tutor
-Multi-lingual (French and Arabic).

 

[antissa]

How do you know it was him?

 

[dandelion]

How do you know it was him?

Well, this mdapp guy interviewed at NU on the same day as me, and there was only one Sudanese/French guy fluent in Arabic that day.

 

[visualwealth]

MD applicants rules... It shows me that there are amazing applicants all over the country of all different races and cultures who are pursing medicine... That is not always the case when we look out the window of the small little world we all live in....

 

[eralza]

I posted my mediocre stats into MDApplicants simply to lower the curve. I got so tired of being depressed by the superhuman stats that I wanted to be a calm in the storm for the average applicants looking for who can really be accepted if they put their shoulder into it. 3.3, 27Q, 36 years old

 

[trinitrotoluene]

Well, here are some stats from MDapplicants about UT Memphis's accepted students:

12 results in set, 31.3 average MCAT, 3.75 average GPA. Search took 0.15 seconds.

According to UT Memphis, 150 students are in each class, the average GPA is 3.55, and the average MCAT score is 29-O. As you can see, the MDApps students are a bit above UTM's curve.

 

[ellia08]

I wouldnt really worry about it. It's probably a self selecting group.

People with high stats are more likely to post them and, even when names are removed, people are likely to lie. Plus, there are lots of hypotheses that kids on sdn are more intimidating than the average applicant.

So nope, I dont really worry. Actually, it kinda makes me feel good because even with perfect stats, no one gets accepted everywhere. Everyone deals with rejection, its just the way things are. (ok, one or two on MDapplicants say they havent been rejected anywhere but I dont really buy it).

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Of course I feel intimidated; I feel below everyone else, etc etc. That's why I never look at it, and will only check out a specific person's stats in reference to a post that they either got into a particular school or they didn't...just to ascertain my own chances. if i did I study on it i would have already gone over the deep end.

 

[alec689]

I wouldnt really worry about it. It's probably a self selecting group.

People with high stats are more likely to post them and, even when names are removed, people are likely to lie. Plus, there are lots of hypotheses that kids on sdn are more intimidating than the average applicant.

So nope, I dont really worry. Actually, it kinda makes me feel good because even with perfect stats, no one gets accepted everywhere. Everyone deals with rejection, its just the way things are. (ok, one or two on MDapplicants say they havent been rejected anywhere but I dont really buy it).

I agree. I think the other important thing to remember is that you (generally speaking) can get a fantastic education at ANY medical school in the US, not just the ones that many of the high-profile mdapplicants apply to. Plus, being a good doctor isn't about acing the MCAT and having 3.99; it's about dealing well with sick people - being empithetic and kind.

I have a friend a UPenn who isn't going to be a very good doctor and another friend who had to apply three times to her state school who is going to be a GREAT doctor. I don't think success in med school applications has much to do with how good a doctor you will be.

That being said, we shouldn't take anything away from the MDApplicants who truthfully have high grades and numbers. They probably worked really hard to get them and are incredibly talented. So good for them is what I say!

Just my two cents.