Chances on getting into Harvard?

[UnifiedField]

Got a friend who got a 38 on the MCAT and has a 3.5 GPA from a University in New York (Stony Brook Uni). Not 100% sure what other extra things he has done (research, volunteer, shadowing, ect.)

He applied to a whole bunch of schools...one of them being Harvard. Just by a quick glance at his GPA and MCAT score, does he have a chance, good chance, or not a chance of getting accepted there?

Also, he has an interview here at UT Southwestern (Dallas, TX) this month. Does he stand a chance here?

I'm really rooting for him! Thanks all.

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[GoSpursGo]

Got a friend who got a 38 on the MCAT and has a 3.5 GPA from a University in New York (Stony Brook Uni). Not sure what other extra things he has done (research, volunteer, shadowing, ect.)

He applied to a whole bunch of schools...one of them being Harvard. Just by a quick glance at his GPA and MCAT score, does he have a chance, good chance, or not a chance of getting accepted there?

Also, he has an interview here at UT Southwestern (Dallas, TX) this month. Does he stand a chance here?

I'm really rooting for him! Thanks all.

Honestly, you can't say anything based on "just by a quick glance at his GPA and MCAT." 38 is above the average for both schools; 3.5 is below average for both schools. Therefore his numbers will get him past the initial screening process, at which it becomes necessary to know what else is in his application.

Has he done research? How much clinical experience? Leadership? Strong/weak letters of rec? Strong/average personal statement? Is he an under-represented minority? The answers to these questions are what really will take him from the "average applicant" status (which he is at both schools strictly looking at his numbers) to either being a strong or weak applicant.

So the short answer is yes, based on his GPA and MCAT he "stands a chance" at both of those schools, based simply on the fact that he will at least get to the stage at which someone will actually take the time to read the rest of his application. From there, the rest of the application will determine if he gets in at those schools.

For what it's worth, assuming he applied to a reasonable number of schools, say ~15, and that some of those were more middle-tier than those two schools, I'd say he's a near lock to get in SOMEWHERE with numbers like those. But when you start talking about highly selective schools, you have to start to question what else is in the application.

 

[UnifiedField]

Thanks for your reply.

What would be considered an under-represented minorty? He is an Iranian-American.

He applied to 32 medical schools, I believe, across the country. Oh, I also know he applied to Johns Hopkins. What are his chances there?
When I spoke with him last time, he told me he had done summer research at Duke University for the past two summers. He presented his research as well.

He did tell me he competed in various HOSA competions (Pharmacology, pathophysiology, medical math, and medical debate, all throughout his undergraduate years). He got first place in medical debate this spring. He also did a Putnam competition in math. He graduated this May in History with a minor in Neuroscience.

I am not too sure about his letters of recommendations but he told me he became good friends with his research professors at Duke. They wrote him letters of recommendations. He also had a Physics prof. write one for him. Not sure about the rest.

That's all that I know of so far.

Oh, & he was the President of HOSA and officer of this other pre-health club (forgot the name).

 

[GoSpursGo]

Thanks for your reply.

What would be considered an under-represented minorty? He is an Iranian-American.

Under-represented means, in general, black, Mexican-Americans, Native Americans, and Puerto Ricans, according to the AAMC site: http://www.aamc.org/meded/urm/start.htm . Unfortunately, while Iranian-Americans are certainly a minority, they are not under-represented in medicine.

He applied to 32 medical schools, I believe, across the country. When I spoke with him last time, he told me he had done summer research at Duke University for the past two summers. He presented his research as well.

He did tell me he competed in various HOSA competions (Pharmacology, pathophysiology, medical math, and medical debate, all throughout his undergraduate years). He got first place in medical debate this spring. He also did a Putnam competition in math. He graduated this May in History with a minor in Neuroscience.

I am not too sure about his letters of recommendations but he told me he became good friends with his research professors at Duke. They wrote him letters of recommendations. He also had a Physics prof. write one for him. Not sure about the rest.

That's all that I know of so far.

Oh, & he was the President of HOSA and officer of this other pre-health club.

Sounds like his leadership was strong; his research is adequate if he only did research there doing the summer, it would be much more impressive if he did more during the school year at his undergrad institution. Also, he would need to have some actual hands-on clinical experience to be a really strong candidate.

So, again, he stands a reasonable shot at both of those schools you name. Whether he actually gets an interview or an invite... who can say? It's a random process, and adcoms have to make so many subjective calls that no one can ever really say that they will "safely" get in at any med school that ranks in the top 10 or 20 schools. But if he applied to 32 schools (which is an obscene number, far higher than anyone really needs to apply to in my opinion), I'm positive that he will be accepted SOMEWHERE, and very likely several somewheres in the middle tier or so of med schools.

 

[UnifiedField]

Does this imply that there is a small ratio between the number of Iranian-Americans living in America and the number of Iranian-Americans in American medical schools?

 

[GoSpursGo]

Does this imply that there is a small ratio between the number of Iranian-Americans living in America and the number of Iranian-Americans in American medical schools?

I'm not sure I understand your question... let me try to explain what I mean with a hypothetical:

Say that Iranian-Americans make up about 5% of the general population-a completely made-up statistic, and in actuality, Iranian-American would likely be grouped simply into "Middle-Eastern American" or "Asian-American." Not saying it's necessarily fair, but that's probably the case. So regardless, assume that whatever group he is considered a part of constitutes 5% of the general population in the US. Certainly they are considered a minority. If that same group also constitutes 5% of the population at US medical schools, then while they are still a minority, they are not underrepresented; rather, they are proportionately-represented.

On the other hand (again, making up numbers): assume Mexican-Americans account for roughly 15% of the general population. However, if they only constitute, say, 7% of the population at US medical schools, then they would be considered an underrepresented minority. Even though there are higher raw numbers of Mexican-Americans in this made up scenario than Iranian-Americans, there aren't as many as one might expect to be in medical school based on just the general population.

 

[GoSpursGo]

That's a really clear explanation.
So i guess Asians are "over-represented" in med schools eh? 22% of the matriculants last year of asians, and I don't think asians make up 22% of the American population (correct me if I'm wrong).

Exactly; Asians are kind of a "reverse-minority," so it's actually considered by some cynical people to be disadvantage to be Asian.

 

[demh23]

Exactly; Asians are kind of a "reverse-minority," so it's actually considered by some cynical people to be disadvantage to be Asian.

Brilliant idea... Provide disincentive for hard work and success.