Do you think NYU will continue to be a stats hog?

[TheBiologist]

NYU's median MCAT/gpa is a 520/3.9. that's 98th/99th percentile.

Can anybody weigh in on if they have always been like this?

by this same token do you think UCLA will continue being as generous with their gpa/mcat as they were this past cycle or do u think they'll switch back to the ~516/3.8 they were the year before?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[drmantistobbogan]

NYU's median MCAT/gpa is a 520/3.9. that's 98th/99th percentile.

Can anybody weigh in on if they have always been like this?

by this same token do you think UCLA will continue being as generous with their gpa/mcat as they were this past cycle or do u think they'll switch back to the ~516/3.8 they were the year before?

IIRC (and I could totally be wrong so you should double check), the lower medians for UCLA is because the stats for Drew was included. I've heard that in reality, it is still just as competitive as it has been in the past.

 

[aldol16]

NYU has seen an astronomical rise in US News rankings in recent years, which has allowed them to become more and more selective. Higher ranking = more competitive applicants apply because it's a "good" school = higher selectivity. With the higher selectivity, they can afford to select for high stats people.

 

[Goro]

NYU's median MCAT/gpa is a 520/3.9. that's 98th/99th percentile.

Can anybody weigh in on if they have always been like this?

by this same token do you think UCLA will continue being as generous with their gpa/mcat as they were this past cycle or do u think they'll switch back to the ~516/3.8 they were the year before?

Impossible to answer.

Do you think that the Cubs will repeat their World Series victory?

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

Impossible to answer.

Do you think that the Cubs will repeat their World Series victory?

not a chance, go Jays go

 

[hellowalnut]

IIRC (and I could totally be wrong so you should double check), the lower medians for UCLA is because the stats for Drew was included. I've heard that in reality, it is still just as competitive as it has been in the past.

The number of matriculants for PRIME/DREW is not large enough to draw down the median that significantly. Even if one were to naively assume that the MCAT/GPA held by everyone in those programs are in the bottom %ile of matriculants (which I'm sure they aren't).

 

[OchemOficionado]

The number of matriculants for PRIME/DREW is not large enough to draw down the median that significantly. Even if one were to naively assume that the MCAT/GPA held by everyone in those programs are in the bottom %ile of matriculants (which I'm sure they aren't).

True!

You can see bios for the PRIME students online and last I looked they were from Yale, UCLA, Harvard, Berkeley, etc. Not saying they all had high MCATs due to their undergrad institution, but I totally agree it's naive to think every student in the PRIMEs and Drew program had low stats.

 

[efle]

UCLA always had Drew included, pretty sure. I think they really truly did have a significant drop in their MCAT.

As for the OP, if I could bet money on whether NYU continued to maintain high stats, I'd bet everything I had on "yes"

They went from ranking 34th to 11-12th in a decade. I think they'd like to stay!

 

[candbgirl]

Impossible to answer.

Do you think that the Cubs will repeat their World Series victory?

As a life long Cubs fan, sadly I don't think so.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[WingedOx]

Impossible to answer.

Do you think that the Cubs will repeat their World Series victory?

This year? ha!

 

[WingedOx]

NYU has seen an astronomical rise in US News rankings in recent years, which has allowed them to become more and more selective. Higher ranking = more competitive applicants apply because it's a "good" school = higher selectivity. With the higher selectivity, they can afford to select for high stats people.

The fact that they're located in one of the trendiest parts of NYC helps just a little...

 

[kb1900]

Hard yes.

They are giving out scholarships like crazy to attract those high stats. They easily have the resources to continue to do so (being attached to a growing global university definitely helps in that regard) and seemed to be very rank centric in their interview day presentation.

 

[DBC03]

Along those lines, is there any point in applying if GPA is not up to par? Do they ever take students with lower GPAs if the rest of the application seems to indicate that the student can succeed? Or are the looking to keep stats up so they can attract more higher stat students?

 

[aldol16]

The fact that they're located in one of the trendiest parts of NYC helps just a little...

But they've always been located there. It's only recently that their stats have seen such a drastic rise.

 

[headphonejackxs]

I think a better question is, are they good enough compared to the other top tiers to warrant their ridiculously high admissions standards? Wouldn't these gifted applicants be better off elsewhere?

 

[coralista]

Hard yes.

They are giving out scholarships like crazy to attract those high stats. They easily have the resources to continue to do so (being attached to a growing global university definitely helps in that regard) and seemed to be very rank centric in their interview day presentation.

I got the same impression; however, that being said, the dean who gave us the presentation about the school stressed that it still was as great a place to learn medicine as it was when she attended NYU (when it was still a firm mid-tier) and that the applicants themselves generally were the ones who cared about rankings and that their decisions were heavily influenced by them. Regardless of what is driving what seems to be a stats grab (whether it's the increasing desirability of the institution or self-selection of applicants), it all points to the same thing: NYU is likely to continue to build classes of students with certain metrics since it seems to be a surefire way to maintain what they've gained in terms of their status and image of exclusivity.

 

[efle]

I think a better question is, are they good enough compared to the other top tiers to warrant their ridiculously high admissions standards? Wouldn't these gifted applicants be better off elsewhere?

positive feedback loop will let it sustain itself I bet. Being high ranked and hard to get offered a seat is a big part of what makes the seat attractive for many high caliber people. If everyone attending is choosing NYU over other top 20s, then they are legitimately populated by a top 20 student body.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Yerp.

In a few decades, I wouldn't be shocked if NYU's median was a 524 and their average was a 526. The talent is out there, and NYU is just sky rocketing their medical school and hospitals' reputations. Those with the high numbers shall flock their almost instantly!

 

[moggat]

At my interview day, a couple students mentioned that they're shrinking the MD class size with the ultimate goal of making it tuition free for all students. I would expect that would only perpetuate the high stats trends since it's sort of like the ultimate scholarship.

 

[efle]

At my interview day, a couple students mentioned that they're shrinking the MD class size with the ultimate goal of making it tuition free for all students. I would expect that would only perpetuate the high stats trends since it's sort of like the ultimate scholarship.

Interesting. The other places with guaranteed partial or full tuition scholarship, Mayo and CCLCM, are both very well regarded but not known for stats-emphasis. This sounds like in ten years NYU might be a WashU on steroids.

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Absolutely, and they can afford to as well. I wouldn't be surprised if NYU in general gets more selective over the years.

 

[cactusman]

Absolutely, and they can afford to as well. I wouldn't be surprised if NYU in general gets more selective over the years.

I don't think their UG will get more selective until they start to offer meaningful need-based financial aid; as it is I think they'll stick to the "Greenwich Village is worth $100k in UG debt!!" strategy.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

The fact that they're located in one of the trendiest parts of NYC helps just a little...

Kips Bay is awesome.

 

[aldol16]

I think a better question is, are they good enough compared to the other top tiers to warrant their ridiculously high admissions standards? Wouldn't these gifted applicants be better off elsewhere?

Just because a **** ton of students apply there doesn't mean that the students actually matriculate. I wonder what their yield typically is. @efle also posted a PD ranking of various programs around here somewhere that shows that NYU's US News ranking overshoots its PD ranking. So their probably overvalued right now - whether the top students they're now attracting will change the PD rankings is a question that only the future will answer.

 

[aldol16]

Interesting. The other places with guaranteed partial or full tuition scholarship, Mayo and CCLCM, are both very well regarded but not known for stats-emphasis. This sounds like in ten years NYU might be a WashU on steroids.

I think it's already WashU on steroids given its killer location. Definitely would take mid-town Manhattan over St. Louis any day.

 

[efle]

Just because a **** ton of students apply there doesn't mean that the students actually matriculate. I wonder what their yield typically is. @efle also posted a PD ranking of various programs around here somewhere that shows that NYU's US News ranking overshoots its PD ranking. So their probably overvalued right now - whether the top students they're now attracting will change the PD rankings is a question that only the future will answer.

NYU is actually about the same as some other schools in the teens and in much better cities than St. Louis, like Northwestern/Cornell/Vandy:

Anecdotal but in the circle of friends I had that interviewed all over a bunch of great programs, nobody ever seemed less excited about or impressed by NYU. I think only a minority of people are aware how different some of the rankings looked a decade ago.

 

[efle]

I think it's already WashU on steroids given its killer location. Definitely would take mid-town Manhattan over St. Louis any day.

I'm sure if WashU didn't throw so much merit money around their yield would be down at like 25%

 

[snakeinmyboot]

Interesting. The other places with guaranteed partial or full tuition scholarship, Mayo and CCLCM, are both very well regarded but not known for stats-emphasis. This sounds like in ten years NYU might be a WashU on steroids.

IIRC, CCLCM had the 4th highest average MCAT out of any school in 2011. The class size is only 32, so there are likely very few students who scored <90th percentile. Sure, they view applications holistically, but you still need the stats to get to the door.

 

[aldol16]

NYU is actually about the same as some other schools in the teens and in much better cities than St. Louis, like Northwestern/Cornell/Vandy:

I think a yield of 50% is usually what "elite" schools tend to shoot for. But you also have to consider that St. Louis is just a ****ty location to be in so that's also gonna affect their yields. So if you compare Cornell to NYU, Cornell is six spots lower but has essentially the same yield as NYU. If I were to choose between those two, I'd also choose Cornell.

 

[efle]

I think a yield of 50% is usually what "elite" schools tend to shoot for. But you also have to consider that St. Louis is just a ****ty location to be in so that's also gonna affect their yields. So if you compare Cornell to NYU, Cornell is six spots lower but has essentially the same yield as NYU. If I were to choose between those two, I'd also choose Cornell.

It's pretty surprising to me that Stanford and Columbia are below 50% considering their locations!

Anyways what struck me was just that NYU isn't alone down there. I think they tend to aim high and admit mostly people who end up choosing top 5-10 schools over them, but that exact same thing is occurring over at Vandy and Northwestern as well. If we didn't know better from PD scores/historical rankings, I don't think there would be anything that gave away NYU as a newcomer to the club. If you were a high stats newbie to the medical application process and you set out to build a list, looking at rankings and research resources and scores/grades and admit rates/yields, NYU would blend right in.

 

[Goro]

Does this mean NYU might climb into the top 10? I heard that NYU's drastic rank increase was due to money from Sandy, and that once the money is gone it might start to go back down. Though maybe they can use selectivity to counteract that.

Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

You realize that there are at least 20 schools in the Top 10? And if you ask five people what they are, you'll get six answers!

 

[efle]

IIRC, CCLCM had the 4th highest average MCAT out of any school in 2011. The class size is only 32, so there are likely very few students who scored <90th percentile. Sure, they view applications holistically, but you still need the stats to get to the door.

Interesting, I wonder what the number was, a 36? Never really heard them mentioned alongside the WashU/Penn/Chicago places that were keeping 38 medians and 33-34 as their 10th

 

[aldol16]

It's pretty surprising to me that Stanford and Columbia are below 50% considering their locations!

Stanford is right at 50 and right next to UCSF, which makes sense. Columbia is a bit lower but if you look at the schools above it and exclude the state schools where the in-state preference leads to higher yields, the schools are in a totally different league. Places like Harvard, Penn, UCSF, and Stanford are the elite of the elite. Mayo has the name recognition and is consistently underranked by US News methodology compared to the strength of its clinical programs. So I think Columbia is right where it should be, even taking into account location (which, you must admit, Upper West Side isn't exactly the place to be).

 

[efle]

Stanford is right at 50 and right next to UCSF, which makes sense. Columbia is a bit lower but if you look at the schools above it and exclude the state schools where the in-state preference leads to higher yields, the schools are in a totally different league. Places like Harvard, Penn, UCSF, and Stanford are the elite of the elite. Mayo has the name recognition and is consistently underranked by US News methodology compared to the strength of its clinical programs. So I think Columbia is right where it should be, even taking into account location (which, you must admit, Upper West Side isn't exactly the place to be).

Poor Hopkins. Though compared to UCSF/Stanford, I would have expected Bay Area vs Baltimore to make for a bigger difference than 7-10%.

Penn I think is buoyed a lot by the large number of full ride scholarships they give each year, something like 20 are offered which would jump yield 10%+ and meanwhile Harvard/Stanford/Hopkins give zero merit aid. A place like Mayo I think lands that high because they have pretty low admitted population overlap with the others up there, give automatic 50%+ tuition scholarships to all admits, and are generally famous for selecting slightly different/quirky individuals that really vibe with their program.

They pretty much do all kind of make sense.

 

[aldol16]

Poor Hopkins. Though compared to UCSF/Stanford, I would have expected Bay Area vs Baltimore to make for a bigger difference than 7-10%.

Well, it probably does make a bigger difference. But Hopkins has the name recognition, the phenomenal hospitals and programs and it's on the East Coast where a lot of people prefer to be. So while you might expect more than a 10% difference based solely on location, these other factors mitigate that.

 

[moggat]

Poor Hopkins. Though compared to UCSF/Stanford, I would have expected Bay Area vs Baltimore to make for a bigger difference than 7-10%.

I met a couple people at interviews/revisits who had gotten into Stanford/UCSF and decided to go to a "lower" ranked East Coast school instead. I think people like to think they'd want to be in California, but when actually faced with the prospect of moving 3000 mi from everyone you know and to a place with no support system, it's a little more daunting.

 

[efle]

I met a couple people at interviews/revisits who had gotten into Stanford/UCSF and decided to go to a "lower" ranked East Coast school instead. I think people like to think they'd want to be in California, but when actually faced with the prospect of moving 3000 mi from everyone you know and to a place with no support system, it's a little more daunting.

Oh I was more thinking about Baltimore being crappy rather than California being that special

 

[moggat]

Oh I was more thinking about Baltimore being crappy rather than California being that special

Oh lol. Also very true. (I love Bmore but it's the worst)

 

[efle]

Oh lol. Also very true. (I love Bmore but it's the worst)

Same for St Louis