Are high MCAT low GPA applicants in trouble?

[missanthropocene909]

With Uchicago's statement that they're basically weighting the MCAT less heavily, and UCSF's very vague statement about not counting the MCAT for interviews (and maybe admissions?), does it seem like there's a trend where splitters should apply differently than in past years (i.e. consider GPA to be much more important when making school list than MCAT)?

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[zeddd78893]

Nah, the mcat will always be important. I took those statements from UCSF and Stanford to be money grabs. By claiming they care less/not at all about the MCAT, they get more applicants. Would love to hear what the adcoms think

 

[Hzreio]

Nah, the mcat will always be important. I took those statements from UCSF and Stanford to be money grabs. By claiming they care less/not at all about the MCAT, they get more applicants. Would love to hear what the adcoms think

Yep this is my take too. Also, schools want to incentivize otherwise stellar candidates who have not been able to take the MCAT, to no fault of their own, to apply as well.

 

[KnightDoc]

With Uchicago's statement that they're basically weighting the MCAT less heavily, and UCSF's very vague statement about not counting the MCAT for interviews (and maybe admissions?), does it seem like there's a trend where splitters should apply differently than in past years (i.e. consider GPA to be much more important when making school list than MCAT)?

Chicago's statement looks great on paper, but I wonder what it really means. They could have made the test optional like Stanford, but chose not to. Given that, what does "significantly reduce the impact" mean? They still require it.

Are they really saying applicants with a high score will not have an advantage over those with a less high score? If so, why not just eliminate it? Sounds to me like they are trying to appear responsive without having to really do anything.

In fact, I'd argue that the fact that they are also saying they won't make admission decisions until at least one month after the release of the last MCAT scores for this cycle means that they want plenty of time to receive and consider the scores, as opposed to being committed to reducing their impact!

For what it's worth, UCSF is not making a statement about not counting the MCAT. They are only making an accommodation by saying that they understand some scores are going to be delayed, and, while they haven't offered to delay their cycle (as Chicago has), they said we don't have to wait to apply until we have a score, and that we won't be prejudiced in secondary and interview decisions because of it. If you have a score, they are absolutely going to see it and going to use it. It's not vague, and they have explicitly said that admission decisions will not be made without a score.

 

[Goro]

With Uchicago's statement that they're basically weighting the MCAT less heavily, and UCSF's very vague statement about not counting the MCAT for interviews (and maybe admissions?), does it seem like there's a trend where splitters should apply differently than in past years (i.e. consider GPA to be much more important when making school list than MCAT)?

What do you define as "low".

You can get a strong idea of what is competitive for med schools by investing in MSAR Online.

that said, unless one has a strong rising GPA trend, or did a post-bac/SMP, a high MCAT low (like < 3.4) GPA implies smart but lazy.

 

[El-Rami]

I guess it depends on what you mean by "low GPA." A 3.5-3.6 GPA is low for allopathic programs but is much different than, say, 3.2-3.4. Schools will always consider MCAT and GPA before anything else. It's hard to say which of the two is more important, but my gut feeling is that schools probably care more about undergraduate GPA (in particular "science GPA") more than anything else. As long as you have at least an average MCAT score for that particular school you are applying to and have a higher GPA than their average, you are above-average for that school, with all else being equal.

According to AAMC data (2019) that I've seen posted on this site, someone with above a 3.7 GPA and a ~506-510 MCAT has about a 60% chance of admission into an allopathic program. When you go above 511, numbers start approaching 80%.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Data here: https://www.aamc.org/system/files/2020-04/2019_FACTS_Table_A-23_0.pdf

3.6-3.79 and 506-509 is just shy of 50%. Keep in mind that this is for all students. It excludes important factors such as SES, race/ethnicity, etc.

I would add that if you look at Chicago’s data in MSAR, it makes it pretty clear that the MCAT is also really important. Their GPA and MCAT bands are pretty tight with not a ton of spread.

 

[KnightDoc]

What do you define as "low".

You can get a strong idea of what is competitive for med schools by investing in MSAR Online.

that said, unless one has a strong rising GPA trend, or did a post-bac/SMP, a high MCAT low (like < 3.4) GPA implies smart but lazy.

Right -- the OP's question really is whether anyone with a relatively low MCAT can get excited about Chicago's statement, and think they have a shot this year, regardless of what MSAR says from two years ago? Do you think they mean what they say, or is it just PR to calm everyone down? If you read their statement literally, it very much implies MCAT scores will not be that important this year. I'm not sold, but would LOVE to hear what you think.

"Our Admissions team has always made the thoughtful and holistic review of applications in their entirety a top priority, and we will take into account the structural, emotional, and physical toll of recent events as we make decisions this cycle. To that end, we will significantly reduce the impact of the MCAT in our review process for the approaching cycle. We will place even greater emphasis on those applicant characteristics that will predict success within our curriculum and align with our mission, which is to inspire diverse students of exceptional promise to become leaders and innovators in science and medicine for the betterment of humanity."