Does MCAT an GPA even matter that much?

[MEG@COOL]

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My mcat and GPA were above the averages of all the schools that I applied to but most rejected me pre secondary or pre interview.


mostly this has made me feel pretty worthless

 

[pennybridge]

mostly this has made me feel pretty worthless

well pills are clean, but jumping really makes a statement.

 

[QuakerPreMed]

mostly this has made me feel pretty worthless

Did you have no research? no extracurriculars? no volunteer? did you swear in your personal statement? did you lack some of the required courses? If it was pre-interview it can't be a body odor problem...

 

[sunset823]

My mcat and GPA were above the averages of all the schools that I applied to but most rejected me pre secondary or pre interview.


mostly this has made me feel pretty worthless

you said most, not all...so that means you did interview somewhere...which means that your numbers counted for something; if you didn't get in, practice your interviews more next time around

 

[psipsina]

Yes they matter, but lack of proper ECs, a poorly written PS or bad letters could do you in even with a 46U and a 4.5. Look to the other aspects of your application and try to figure out where you're weaknesses lie.

 

[Steve203]

you said most, not all...so that means you did interview somewhere...which means that your numbers counted for something; if you didn't get in, practice your interviews more next time around

I can't see why the OP would have a hard time with interviews. I mean look at his/her avatar and quote.

 

[pennybridge]

I can't see why the OP would have a hard time with interviews. I mean look at her avatar and quote.

join date and post count are also good for a laugh.

 

[MEG@COOL]

Did you have no research? no extracurriculars? no volunteer? did you swear in your personal statement? did you lack some of the required courses? If it was pre-interview it can't be a body odor problem...

i had research, ec, volunteer, got an R on writing and spent a good amount of tiem on my ps, had required courses.

/edit: u iowa said my LORs were all good

 

[Green Pirate]

I can't see why the OP would have a hard time with interviews. I mean look at her avatar and quote.

But in all seriousness OP, I think (this is just me using logic, I have no insider info) academic ability, maturity, and personality are the defining qualities med schools look for in applicants. The numbers matter, but you need to demonstrate maturity and an amiable personality somehow. Most do this through a mixture of ec's, a conversational ps, and sharp interviewing skills.

 

[lilnoelle]

i had research, ec, volunteer, got an R on writing and spent a good amount of tiem on my ps, had required courses.

/edit: u iowa said my LORs were all good

So how many interviews did you have, how many waitlists are you on, do you have any acceptances?

 

[HreComesTheSun]

i remember you from another thread and you do have good stats...did you check to see if your letters of rec were solid? at one of my interviews, some guy was telling us how he found out after being rejected everywhere last year that one of his writers really screwed him over

 

[HreComesTheSun]

oops, nevermind

 

[MEG@COOL]

So how many interviews did you have, how many waitlists are you on, do you have any acceptances?

nope. rejected post interview. had 2 interviews. Uiowa I got an auto invite for my numbers. Interview went well accourding to the person i talked to at iowa post rejection. They said that my primary essay demonstrated good writing skills but was "obtuse" . They meant to say abstruse, and yes if they used that malapropism then it was indeed over their heads. Iowa said all aspects of my application were good except for my primary essay

 

[psipsina]

nope. rejected post interview. had 2 interviews. Uiowa I got an auto invite for my numbers. Interview went well accourding to the person i talked to at iowa post rejection. They said that my primary essay demonstrated good writing skills but was "obtuse" . They meant to say abstruse, and yes if they used that malapropism then it was indeed over their heads. Iowa said all aspects of my application were good except for my primary essay

Well it looks like you found your culprit, write a better PS, and by better I mean one that will get you into medschool (not necissarily better writing because they aren't the same thing). Also I'd worry about your interview skills, maybe try to do some mock interviews if you got two rejections post interview.

 

[pennybridge]

They meant to say abstruse, and yes if they used that malapropism then it was indeed over their heads.

I hear pedanticism is a quality all med schools look for.

 

[psipsina]

I hear pedanticism is a quality all med schools look for.

😀

 

[JBob330]

I hear pedanticism is a quality all med schools look for.

Not to be pedantic, but technically pendanticism isn't a word. 🙂

 

[MEG@COOL]

I dont have a problem with people dumber than me except when their dumbness hurts me.

 

[gotmeds?]

I dont have a problem with people dumber than me except when their dumbness hurts me.

I've heard arrogance kills otherwise great applications.

 

[MEG@COOL]

I've heard arrogance kills otherwise great applications.

not to be pedantic, but I believe you mean lack of humbleness. I am pretty
much aware of my capabilities

 

[pennybridge]

Not to be pedantic, but technically pendanticism isn't a word. 🙂

dictionary.com says its ok, and I believe everything I read on the internet. 😎

 

[146233]

"Lack of humbleness" to the point of calling others "dumb" is "arrogance". I question whether this attitude of yours lends itself to the compassionate caring life as a physician demands. Didn't anyone tell you during your interviews that you're going to have to treat "people dumber than" you too?

-z

 

[pennybridge]

I dont have a problem with people dumber than me except when their dumbness hurts me.

so it's those dumb admissions committee members standing between you and your rightful spot at their medical school.


your logic is airtight.

 

[psipsina]

not to be pedantic, but I believe you mean lack of humbleness. I am pretty
much aware of my capabilities

Ok, the point is that currently getting into medschool is not one of your capabilities. If you want to get in you will change your PS since you were directly told that your PS resulted in your rejection. And it would probably be a good idea to lose the chip on your shoulder about how great you are if you do get in because if it shines as clearly as it does in this thread, then you will alienate yourself from the people you need to be networking with.

 

[Green Pirate]

dictionary.com says its ok, and I believe everything I read on the internet. 😎

so you must believe that there's an unusual amount of people in this world having sex with amputees

 

[JBob330]

dictionary.com says its ok, and I believe everything I read on the internet. 😎

haha! yeah, I checked out Merriam's. Wanted to make an annoying joke. 🙂

 

[MEG@COOL]

Ok, the point is that currently getting into medschool is not one of your capabilities. If you want to get in you will change your PS since you were directly told that your PS resulted in your rejection. And it would probably be a good idea to lose the chip on your shoulder about how great you are if you do get in because if it shines as clearly as it does in this thread, then you will alienate yourself from the people you need to be networking with.

I dont think Im smarter than everyone. That would in fact be arrogant. I am also aware though that I will be smarter than a majority of my future classmates. Additionally, I dont believe that my life holds any more inherent value than someone dumber than me. Whether I happen to be smarter than a particular classmate or not will not its self cause me to treat them poorly or well.

What Im bitter about here is that I got rejected due to the adcoms being dumb. Their dumbness hurt me. I was not rejected due to lack of merit, but instead due to the mental feebleness of those that reviewed my application.

 

[Tired Pigeon]

I dont think Im smarter than everyone that would in fact be arrogant, but I am also aware that I will be smarter than a majority of my future classmates. Additionally, I dont believe that my life holds any more inherent value than someone dumber than me. Whether I happen to be smarter than a particular classmate or not will not its self cause me to treat them poorly or well.

What Im bitter about here is that I got rejected due to the adcoms being dumb. Their dumbness hurt me. I was not rejected due to lack of merit, but instead due to the mental feebleness of those that reviewed my application.

WTF?

Based on what you're showing us here, I'd have to say they made a pretty smart decision. Seriously, lose the attitude.

 

[146233]

I dont think Im smarter than everyone that would in fact be arrogant, but I am also aware that I will be smarter than a majority of my future classmates. Additionally, I dont believe that my life holds any more inherent value than someone dumber than me. Whether I happen to be smarter than a particular classmate or not will not its self cause me to treat them poorly or well.

Wow, how magnanimous of you. Your arrogance is evident in, well, just about every post you've made. What makes you think you'll be smarter than "a majority" of your future classmates? Do not forget that allopathic admissions are no walk in the park, and "a majority" of those who succeed are typically very intelligent. Get over yourself already.

What Im bitter about here is that I got rejected due to the adcoms being dumb. Their dumbness hurt me. I was not rejected due to lack of merit, but instead due to the mental feebleness of those that reviewed my application.

Again with the superiority. They told you your PS was obtuse. Maybe they understood it perfectly well and "obtuse" was the nicest word they could find to keep from calling you a whack job. Perhaps your evident genius should stop blaming others for your failure to gain admission to medical school and focus more on what you can do to improve for the next cycle. (...or better yet, what alternative careers may be available to you in, say, Cubist painting.) Your sense of entitlement is gross.


Happy day,
-z

 

[senseiturtle]

I'll be blunt, but I'm trying to help.

1) It comes across as if you might think you're smarter, more gifted, and more deserving than anyone else that applies to medical school. You might be right, but this does not present the "humility" factor that they look for.

Perhaps a rejection letter will teach you that. It sure as hell taught me. I had to rethink everything about my application, and it paid off. Do not consider it as me wishing you ill, yet think of it as a potential growing experience.


2) Just because you have an extensive vocabulary, doesn't mean you need to use it. The usage of such a vocabulary does not imply intelligence... in fact, it looks like you may be trying too hard to APPEAR smart. If I can see through it, then I promise you that committee members who wade through thousands of applications will 86 your file without a second glance.

In addition, your patient base will not be so gifted in the finer points of the english language. I'm not advocating the use of sloppy english, just simple english.

3) I agree with psipsina. You should not develop a resentment for those who are accepted, as they will become your colleagues in the not-so-distant future.

Develop humility. Have hope. Question yourself, your motives, your attitudes, your goals, your accomplishments, everything! Do you truly want this? Is it because your parents are telling you that you have to be a doctor? What is it ?

Then think... Why didn't I get in? The answer that's hardest to hear is likely the truth. Identify it, fix it, and hopefully you'll get what you want.

 

[psipsina]

I dont think Im smarter than everyone. That would in fact be arrogant. I am also aware though that I will be smarter than a majority of my future classmates. Additionally, I dont believe that my life holds any more inherent value than someone dumber than me. Whether I happen to be smarter than a particular classmate or not will not its self cause me to treat them poorly or well.

What Im bitter about here is that I got rejected due to the adcoms being dumb. Their dumbness hurt me. I was not rejected due to lack of merit, but instead due to the mental feebleness of those that reviewed my application.

So it doesn't in any way seem strange to you that you assume that someone who has a MD or PhD is obviously less intelligent than you because they didn't appreciate your "brilliant" essay? It is entirely arrogant to assume that you are smarter than every MD/PhD that read your essay, and its arrogant to assume that you will be smarter than most of your future classmates. There are so many different types of intelligence out there that its truely ridiculous to make this type of assumption. One type of intelligence is knowing how to play the game, which you clearly lacked this round. Was my PS a brilliant piece of writing, noooo, but it got me into 3 medschools so I'd say its the winner in a head to head competition with yours, it served its purpose. The medical education system is a series of hoops that you have to learn to jump through, if you rail at the unfairness of the hoop not being where you think it should be you'll never make it to the other side, in which case you screwed yourself, not the person who put the hoop somewhere you didn't want to go.

 

[senseiturtle]

And the adcoms did not reject you because "they're dumb."


They rejected you because you do not fit the description of "an ideal applicant," in one way or another.

I suggest you make an appeal to these people to help you get in. With luck, they'll set you on the right path, which might be starkly different from the one you've been following.

 

[MEG@COOL]

So it doesn't in any way seem strange to you that you assume that someone who has a MD or PhD is obviously less intelligent than you because they didn't appreciate your "brilliant" essay? .

I could understand them not liking my essay, but thats different than not understanding it.

 

[146233]

I could understand them not liking my essay, but thats different than not understanding it.

Ah, the truth comes out. Did they say they didn't like it? Last I checked, "obtuse" meant:

"not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect; not sensitive or observant; dull."


Definitely sounds like you were too smart for those "dumb" MD's...
-z

 

[MEG@COOL]

Ah, the truth comes out. Did they say they didn't like it? Last I checked, "obtuse" meant:

"not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect; not sensitive or observant; dull."


Definitely sounds like you were too smart for those "dumb" MD's...
-z

They said that they were impressed with my writing skills but it was hard to understand ie abstruse. "it was just physicians reviewing the applications" their own words.

 

[senseiturtle]

They said that they were impressed with my writing skills but it was hard to understand ie abstruse. "it was just physicians reviewing the applications" their own words.

Then perhaps you have a career in the english field.

I hear webster is hiring.

 

[Green Pirate]

Then perhaps you have a career in the english field.

I hear webster is hiring.

ouch.

 

[MEG@COOL]

Then perhaps you have a career in the english field.

I hear webster is hiring.

great i could use a job while i reapply.

 

[ScootDoc]

Wait. Don't you need to get into medical school before you start tootin' your own horn on how much smarter than your classmates you will be? Do you really think adcoms are that dumb? They must not be. They obviously read dumb @ss all over your application. Good luck! While you continue pondering "gee why didn't I get in" we medical students (M1, Class of 2011) will begin our journy toward becoming physicians.

Why is it that SDN produces more and more self proclamed geniuses every day?👎

 

[Pewl]

I, for one, support the OP. I think he/she is actually honest about what he/she is thinking. Unfortunately, we live in a society where it is sometimes more prudent to keep our thoughts to ourselves. There will be many times in our lives that we feel shafted and did not get something that we feel should rightfully be ours. Reorganize yourself and try again . Just don't give up.

 

[moomix906]

obtuse

One entry found for obtuse

2 a : lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect : [SIZE=-1]INSENSITIVE[/SIZE], [SIZE=-1]STUPID[/SIZE] b : difficult to comprehend : not clear or precise in thought or expression

abstruse

One entry found for abstruse
: difficult to comprehend


....ummm, how can i say this....YOU ARE WRONG...and no way!!! YOU WERE REJECTED

but you won't listen to this or anyone else, because you know your capabilities, right

 

[Green Pirate]

*observes the chaos in this thread*

so this is what happens when a bunch of type A's get together behind the protection of their computer screens.

 

[MEG@COOL]

obtuse

One entry found for obtuse

2 a : lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect : [SIZE=-1]INSENSITIVE[/SIZE], [SIZE=-1]STUPID[/SIZE] b : difficult to comprehend : not clear or precise in thought or expression

abstruse

One entry found for abstruse
: difficult to comprehend


....ummm, how can i say this....YOU ARE WRONG...and no way!!! YOU WERE REJECTED

but you won't listen to this or anyone else, because you know your capabilities, right

both can mean difficult to understand, but there are different reasons for why. Abstruse was the correct useage within the context of what they said. you are actually wrong. nice try though.

 

[pennybridge]

I am also aware though that I will be smarter than a majority of my future classmates.

I believe in order to have future classmates, you might want to work on having some class in the first place.


GOOD LUCK NEXT YEAR MR. SMARTYPANTS!


😎

 

[moomix906]

yeah, in your warped mind

abstruse refers to things that are difficult to understand because they are inherently complicated: "recondite"

obtuse refers to things that are just dense, and stupid, lacking good logic and thought

I believe the adcom was right in using the 2nd one

but theres no point to arguing to incredibly smart people like you anyway, is there? just remember this - you're the one pissed off about not gettng in

 

[MEG@COOL]

yeah, in your warped mind

abstruse refers to things that are difficult to understand because they are inherently complicated: "recondite"

obtuse refers to things that are just dense, and stupid, lacking good logic and thought

I believe the adcom was right in using the 2nd one

but theres no point to arguing to incredibly smart people like you anyway, is there? just remember this - you're the one pissed off about not going in

now you are backpedaling on what you said - the retreat of the defeated. anyway if you refer to my previous post giving context to the usage of the word you will see that you are indeed still wrong.

 

[MEG@COOL]

well im done posting in her efor the night. ill reply more tomorrow probably.

 

[estairella]

What Im bitter about here is that I got rejected due to the adcoms being dumb. Their dumbness hurt me. I was not rejected due to lack of merit, but instead due to the mental feebleness of those that reviewed my application.

Anyone with an IQ above 110 will know to always give application committees what they want to hear... assuming you want to get in.

Now, it's pretty clear you want to get into medical school. It's also clear that you should've foreseen your writing was NOT what an application committee wants to read.

We can only conclude that your IQ is below 110. Currently, the average IQ in America is 112. Therefore, you're more dumb than the majority of the general population, let's not even get started about medical students.

/Logic always pwns!

 

[pennybridge]

Oh come on now, don't give up just yet. Some of us are up for a good argument. Although some of us have to quit in August....when medical school starts..


sucka.

 

[estairella]

Oh come on now, don't give up just yet. Some of us are up for a good argument. Although some of us have to quit in August....when medical school starts..

*golfclap*