Do schools actually use LizzyM scores?

[Happyswimmingawg]

I see for instance, Rush medical college has GPA/ MCAT combination cutoffs. So for instance, if you have around 3.0 GPA, they want your MCAT to be around 510, if above 3.8 GPA, they want your MCAT around 500. This leads me to wonder if other schools also have the same LizzyM style of criteria for admissions. I am aware of more holistic applications and the top schools being too picky with both high GPA and high MCAT scores, so I am referring to schools that are more holistic in their review process and would potentially consider low stat applicants.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Goro]

The LizzyM score is simply a rule of thumb for pre-meds trying to Target their schools of interest. It is not a Criterion that schools use, because every medical school has their own floor for stats.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Rush isn't the best example of the sliding scale since the elephant in the room revolves around hours of experience, especially with community impact that is non clinical.

Mission fit.

 

[Happyswimmingawg]

Rush isn't the best example of the sliding scale since the elephant in the room revolves around hours of experience, especially with community impact that is non clinical.

Mission fit.

Yes, but their website explicitly states the gpa/MCAT combo cutoffs. I see what you mean with the mission fit, but I am thinking of it in terms of the initial stat screening process

 

[chilly_md]

Yes, but their website explicitly states the gpa/MCAT combo cutoffs. I see what you mean with the mission fit, but I am thinking of it in terms of the initial stat screening process

They might say 500 cutoff on the website but that score is going to keep an applicant out at MD schools the vast majority of the time no matter what their GPA is.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Yes, but their website explicitly states the gpa/MCAT combo cutoffs. I see what you mean with the mission fit, but I am thinking of it in terms of the initial stat screening process

Until this past semester (I think), Rush also required 2 semesters of biochemistry. I have to look closer at what they consider GPA for screening and how they treat reinventors and career changers.

 

[candbgirl]

Yes, but their website explicitly states the gpa/MCAT combo cutoffs. I see what you mean with the mission fit, but I am thinking of it in terms of the initial stat screening process

I’m amazed that Rush would have any metrics that low. But I know that despite what is published someplace, their mission fit is very important. Are you aware of the expectations for applicants?

 

[LizzyM]

The LizzyM score was created eons ago as a way for applicants to target their applications rather than bemoaning the fact that they had no interviews despite 30 applications when, in fact, they'd applied to the top 30 schools with a 3.1/508.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Obviously, schools do not literally use the LizzyM score. It is a metric that somewhat clumsily combines the two numerical stats to help an applicant loosely target appropriate schools. It specifically fails when there is a wide discrepancy between the two numbers.

The median GPA and MCAT for a school are just that--the median. That means by definition that half of the accepted applicants have a score lower than that number. That said, even among schools that claim to do a "holistic review," these two stats are likely to be among the most important factors in the holistic review. It doesn't matter how many hours of volunteering you may have, if you don't have evidence that you can BOTH pass rigorous science courses (GPA) or that you can pass high stakes licensing exams (MCAT), they aren't going to accept you.

 

[Happyswimmingawg]

I’m amazed that Rush would have any metrics that low. But I know that despite what is published someplace, their mission fit is very important. Are you aware of the expectations for applicants?

I’m already admitted there, I’m well aware

The LizzyM score was created eons ago as a way for applicants to target their applications rather than bemoaning the fact that they had no interviews despite 30 applications when, in fact, they'd applied to the top 30 schools with a 3.1/508.

you’re missing my point. Please read my reply to Goro above.

 

[Happyswimmingawg]

Thanks for the replies, guys.