Geniuses not getting into med school?

[afujiwa3]

So I am reading this article and the author must be BSing this.

"In fact, one study conducted by the AAMC found that approximately eight percent of applicants with GPAs ranging from 3.80 to 4.00 and MCAT total scores ranging from 39 to 45 were rejected by all of the medical schools to which they applied. On the contrary, the same study revealed that about 18 percent of applicants with GPAs ranging from 3.20 to 3.39 and MCAT scores ranging from 24 to 26 were accepted by at least one school. In this super-competitive medical school admissions arena, you'll need to stand out from the crowd and your extracurricular activities could give you the competitive edge that means the difference between getting in or not."


A 3.8 gpa and 39 mcat should pretty much label you as a genius. I realize that is not the samething as a well rounded person but that means almost 1 out of 10 "geniuses" get rejected from medical school.

Source:
http://www.premedlife.com/1/post/20...l-admissions-committee-wants-to-see_7334.html

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[EmergencyMonkey]

I consider myself very lucky then or maybe I was part of the quota my school had to make for the less mentally fortunate.

______________
visit the monkey at EmergencyMonkey.com

 

[Doctor Strange]

It's about more than numbers, bub. You can be the smartest god damn person in the world, but if you don't have any communication or social skills, ain't nobody gonna care.

 

[sinombre]

So I am reading this article and the author must be BSing this.

"In fact, one study conducted by the AAMC found that approximately eight percent of applicants with GPAs ranging from 3.80 to 4.00 and MCAT total scores ranging from 39 to 45 were rejected by all of the medical schools to which they applied. On the contrary, the same study revealed that about 18 percent of applicants with GPAs ranging from 3.20 to 3.39 and MCAT scores ranging from 24 to 26 were accepted by at least one school. In this super-competitive medical school admissions arena, you'll need to stand out from the crowd and your extracurricular activities could give you the competitive edge that means the difference between getting in or not."


A 3.8 gpa and 39 mcat should pretty much label you as a genius. I realize that is not the samething as a well rounded person but that means almost 1 out of 10 "geniuses" get rejected from medical school.

Source:
http://www.premedlife.com/1/post/20...l-admissions-committee-wants-to-see_7334.html

I think you have a skewed understanding of what intelligence is. It doesn't take a genius to have a solid grasp of the basic sciences and a strong work ethic.

 

[Plue00]

So I am reading this article and the author must be BSing this.

"In fact, one study conducted by the AAMC found that approximately eight percent of applicants with GPAs ranging from 3.80 to 4.00 and MCAT total scores ranging from 39 to 45 were rejected by all of the medical schools to which they applied. On the contrary, the same study revealed that about 18 percent of applicants with GPAs ranging from 3.20 to 3.39 and MCAT scores ranging from 24 to 26 were accepted by at least one school. In this super-competitive medical school admissions arena, you'll need to stand out from the crowd and your extracurricular activities could give you the competitive edge that means the difference between getting in or not."


A 3.8 gpa and 39 mcat should pretty much label you as a genius. I realize that is not the samething as a well rounded person but that means almost 1 out of 10 "geniuses" get rejected from medical school.

Source:
http://www.premedlife.com/1/post/20...l-admissions-committee-wants-to-see_7334.html

Bad at interviews / didn't apply broadly

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

So I am reading this article and the author must be BSing this.

"In fact, one study conducted by the AAMC found that approximately eight percent of applicants with GPAs ranging from 3.80 to 4.00 and MCAT total scores ranging from 39 to 45 were rejected by all of the medical schools to which they applied. On the contrary, the same study revealed that about 18 percent of applicants with GPAs ranging from 3.20 to 3.39 and MCAT scores ranging from 24 to 26 were accepted by at least one school. In this super-competitive medical school admissions arena, you'll need to stand out from the crowd and your extracurricular activities could give you the competitive edge that means the difference between getting in or not."


A 3.8 gpa and 39 mcat should pretty much label you as a genius. I realize that is not the samething as a well rounded person but that means almost 1 out of 10 "geniuses" get rejected from medical school.

Source:
http://www.premedlife.com/1/post/20...l-admissions-committee-wants-to-see_7334.html

Huh? The acceptance rate was higher (92%) for those with higher GPA/MCAT combinations than those with lower combinations. 8% of those with the best numbers were rejected because they applied to few very competitive schools and didn't get accepted to any of those schools. This is not surprising.

 

[Mel Belle]

I was just reading a thread about people exhibiting mental illness in their interviews as a way to not get accepted... So that's one possibility.

Those people could also be condescending, arrogant jerks and couldn't conceal it in their interview.

As mentioned in what you quoted, crappy ECs could deter med schools.

All in all... We will never know why those specific "geniuses" didn't get in. So it's pointless to speculate on the topic too much. Just focus on all that you need to do to get into medical school.

 

[gettheleadout]

A 3.8 gpa and 39 mcat should pretty much label you as a genius.

Why do you say that?

 

[VictorAlpha]

I consider myself very lucky then or maybe I was part of the quota my school had to make for the less mentally fortunate.

______________
visit the monkey at EmergencyMonkey.com

lol..

i think that, to some degree, the application process is so competitive that it is almost a lottery to a point. I think that does account for some of it.

 

[red doctober]

It's not false information, but it's highly misleading. Phrased as, "92% of applicants with 3.8+/39+ got accepted to a medical school whereas only 18% of applicants with 3.2-3.4/24-26 were accepted," it doesn't sound as bad.

 

[afujiwa3]

Even if you're socially ******ed, I would think that there is some use for a doctor who is that book smart. Yeah they might be arrogant jerks but they clearly are very good at learning the material.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

Even if you're socially ******ed, I would think that there is some use for a doctor who is that book smart. Yeah they might be arrogant jerks but they clearly are very good at learning the material.

Watson is a computer. He is better than any human being at learning material from a textbook. Would he make a good doctor? Could he be a doctor at all?

 

[afujiwa3]

Okay everybody here is being condescending as hell. I just didn't realize how much emphasize med school admission put on being a well rounded student. Thanks everyone.

 

[IslandStyle808]

So I am reading this article and the author must be BSing this.

"In fact, one study conducted by the AAMC found that approximately eight percent of applicants with GPAs ranging from 3.80 to 4.00 and MCAT total scores ranging from 39 to 45 were rejected by all of the medical schools to which they applied. On the contrary, the same study revealed that about 18 percent of applicants with GPAs ranging from 3.20 to 3.39 and MCAT scores ranging from 24 to 26 were accepted by at least one school. In this super-competitive medical school admissions arena, you'll need to stand out from the crowd and your extracurricular activities could give you the competitive edge that means the difference between getting in or not."


A 3.8 gpa and 39 mcat should pretty much label you as a genius. I realize that is not the samething as a well rounded person but that means almost 1 out of 10 "geniuses" get rejected from medical school.

Source:
http://www.premedlife.com/1/post/20...l-admissions-committee-wants-to-see_7334.html

 

[red doctober]

The world needs pathologists, radiologists, and medical examiners who never interact with patients. Well, I suppose MEs do, but the "patients" wouldn't notice them being socially awkward

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

Even if you're socially ******ed, I would think that there is some use for a doctor who is that book smart. Yeah they might be arrogant jerks but they clearly are very good at learning the material.

Spread the word to end the word.

http://www.r-word.org/

 

[IslandStyle808]

Okay everybody here is being condescending as hell. I just didn't realize how much emphasize med school admission put on being a well rounded student. Thanks everyone.

Even people with 4.0 GPA and perfect SAT scores are denied by universities because those applicants only focus on academics and don't have extracurriculars.

 

[Gut Shot]

It's about more than numbers, bub. You can be the smartest god damn person in the world, but if you don't have any communication or social skills, ain't nobody gonna care.

This. Never underestimate how incredibly off-putting some ostensibly intelligent people are.

 

[IncognitoGuy]

Okay everybody here is being condescending as hell. I just didn't realize how much emphasize med school admission put on being a well rounded student. Thanks everyone.

It just makes sense. The numbers can be fudged to some degree - pick an easy major, cherry-pick the easiest classes/profs, etc. and you're on your way to a 4.0.

The MCAT, on the other hand requires much more work but a 4.0 will already help you get a foot in the door, provided you don't bomb the test.

So, let me ask you - when you go to the doctor, do you judge how good of a doctor they are by their GPA/MCAT/Step scores/ranking of their school? Or do you get an impression from how they handle themselves, how they interact with you, and such?

 

[deleted127837]

8% of like 50 people (out of 45,000+ applicants) is only 4 people. They may have only applied to Harvard and SuperHarvard. Percentages be misleadin' yo.

Also, GPA and MCAT should never be tied to the moniker "genius." Let's be serious.

 

[red doctober]

People should do what they are passionate about.

 

[red doctober]

Data of the topic:

https://www.aamc.org/download/321508/data/2012factstable24.pdf

 

[LizzyM]

Even if there is room in the world for radiologists (some of whom are now doing interventions on patients who are awake), pathologists (some of the most collegial people I've ever had the privilege to observe at work), and medical examiners (who must be very good communicators as they are going to "out in front" answering questions in situations of an epidemic or mass murder (i.e. Dr. Carver in Connecticut after Newton), one still has to get through the clerkships and we are not keen on inflicting socially sub-optimal students on our patients.

 

[sinombre]

8% of like 50 people (out of 45,000+ applicants) is only 4 people. They may have only applied to Harvard and SuperHarvard. Percentages be misleadin' yo.

Also, GPA and MCAT should never be tied to the moniker "genius." Let's be serious.

Ahh... SuperHarvard. A school so prestigious you can't even see the school-specific thread without a verified LizzyM score > 80.

 

[red doctober]

Even if there is room in the world for radiologists (some of whom are now doing interventions on patients who are awake), pathologists (some of the most collegial people I've ever had the privilege to observe at work), and medical examiners (who must be very good communicators as they are going to "out in front" answering questions in situations of an epidemic or mass murder (i.e. Dr. Carver in Connecticut after Newton), one still has to get through the clerkships and we are not keen on inflicting socially sub-optimal students on our patients.

Perhaps I was being a little facetious there.

 

[gettheleadout]

geniuses should become phd's to make scientific breakthroughs, not md's to take care of people.

People should do what they are passionate about.

Seriously. Geniuses have no further obligation than anyone else to use their time a certain way.

 

[EarthtoneJon]

"In fact, one study conducted by the AAMC found that approximately eight percent of applicants with GPAs ranging from 3.80 to 4.00 and MCAT total scores ranging from 39 to 45 were rejected by all of the medical schools to which they applied.

But where did they apply? Hopkins and Harvard? They are competing against people who have worked as nurses and PAs for 5 years, who have published 13 research projects, who have founded organizations providing healthcare to Cambodian villages, and who speak all but 6 of the known languages.

A 3.8 gpa and 39 mcat should pretty much label you as a genius.

I had a 3.97 and 31. With 2 more years of studying and a little luck during my 5 hour exam, I'll bet I could've achieved a 39. But I am nowhere near genius status. There must be something wrong with your criteria.

 

[acslater99]

Those people who got that GPA/MCAT score probably didn't know they needed EC's.

Also they could just be socially awkward, and the interviewer just saw through it.

 

[WompyWomperton]

You know, they do have this thing called an interview. It's not unreasonable that 8% of these "geniuses" either were socially awkward enough for a rejection or had some serious red flags (no compassion, bad motivations, etc.).

 

[Sidereum]

First of all, it's much too hard to define the cutoff of what a genius is to argue over different people's definitions (imo). Secondly, I agree with everyone here in that one has to have the complete package (or at least most of it) to succeed in the admissions process.

 

[KnuxNole]

Even if you're socially ******ed, I would think that there is some use for a doctor who is that book smart. Yeah they might be arrogant jerks but they clearly are very good at learning the material.

There is use in research, but as a clinician, it's a whole different story.

 

[deleted357625]

Good numbers in return for a letter grade do not prove intelligence. Sorry pal.

Also, some "geniuses" are quite stupid considering they either applied late, not broadly enough, horrible social skills and a variety of issues.

I'm pretty sure it's the schools they applied too, but I've came across many applicants in which I have no idea how they didn't get outright rejected due to their social skills. It's quite disgusting if you ask me.

The best schools reject the best, so to solely rely on the few top tier is ******ed - always have a back up plan, I'm tired of hearing people talking about how competitive it is with great scores, apply broadly!

 

[Narmerguy]

Seriously. Geniuses have no further obligation than anyone else to use their time a certain way.

Certainly they're not obligated to. But it's kind of like being a superhero...with great power comes great responsibility. The world could use those brains!!!

 

[red doctober]

Certainly they're not obligated to. But it's kind of like being a superhero...with great power comes great responsibility. The world could use those brains!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski

 

[GopherMD]

Was once told by someone who had been on the admissions committee at a medical school that they rejected a guy with a 4.0/39 from an Ivy League simple because he had no interpersonal skills and showed no real interest in becoming a physician. He most likely applied because he was intelligent enough.

Moral of the story: just because you can get into medical school, that doesn't mean you should. Stats aren't everything.

 

[Doctor Strange]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski

The world needs less Doctor Dooms!

 

[Narmerguy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski

Well you'll always have the Dr. Dooms.

 

[red doctober]

Was once told by someone who had been on the admissions committee at a medical school that they rejected a guy with a 4.0/39 from an Ivy League simple because he had no interpersonal skills and showed no real interest in becoming a physician. He most likely applied because he was intelligent enough.

Moral of the story: just because you can get into medical school, that doesn't mean you should. Stats aren't everything.

I would be willing to bet there are at least a few super-high-stat applicants that are just applying because of pressure from parents and come across as such in the essays and interviews.

 

[KnuxNole]

The world needs less Doctor Dooms!

I'm sure Dr. Strange can take out Dr. Doom in a fight 😛

 

[Doctor Strange]

I'm sure Dr. Strange can take out Dr. Doom in a fight 😛

Duh.

In summary, when you're getting into the high numbers, there's a smaller and smaller pool of people. In reality, 8% is a handful of people who don't want to be doctors or have never left the library and seen the light of day.

 

[Cambino]

A 3.8 gpa and 39 mcat should pretty much label you as a genius.

🤣🤣🤣🤣















no

 

[jd989898]

a 3.8 gpa and 39 mcat should pretty much label you as a genius.

|_0|_

 

[Law2Doc]

But where did they apply? Hopkins and Harvard? ....

yeah this is what we see on SDN a lot. People with close to a 4.0/40 who have convinced themselves they belong in one of the top 5 programs, don't apply outside of the top ten, come off as arrogant and entitled, and come up short on all.

FWIW the MCAT doesn't measure genius. plenty of high scorers aren't that impressive off paper.

 

[NickNaylor]

Spread the word to end the word.

http://www.r-word.org/

Wow.

(sent from my phone)

 

[Arbor Vitae]

A 3.8 gpa and 39 mcat should pretty much label you as a genius.

I feel like it's more about hard work than raw intelligence. Maybe the 39 on the MCAT requires some combination of hard work, test taking skills, luck, and raw intelligence. But for the most part, hard work > intelligence in medicine. It doesn't take a genius to memorize or follow algorithms.

 

[mcloaf]

I feel like it's more about hard work than raw intelligence. Maybe the 39 on the MCAT requires some combination of hard work, test taking skills, luck, and raw intelligence. But for the most part, hard work > intelligence in medicine. It doesn't take a genius to memorize or follow algorithms.

Fair enough, but I think in medicine as in most fields to really be successful takes a combination of both ability and work ethic rather than one or the other.

 

[lobo.solo]

Ahhhh poor geniuses 🙁

 

[Mel Belle]

Ahhhh poor geniuses 🙁

I think you mean, poor geniuses who literally don't do anything except study. Haha. So long as we're talking about medical school and not terrorists...

 

[Geebeejay]

The world needs pathologists, radiologists, and medical examiners who never interact with patients. Well, I suppose MEs do, but the "patients" wouldn't notice them being socially awkward

Hell man, just because you got a 4.0/45 doesn't mean you're doctor material, even in these fields. There's more to it than just stats, and there's more reasons for people being rejected than social awkwardness.

 

[A Nony Mouse]

I think you mean, poor geniuses who literally don't do anything except study. Haha. So long as we're talking about medical school and not terrorists...

I know one of these "geniuses." This is his second year applying without even receiving an ii. It's because he had ZERO volunteering and extracurriculars both years. In his gap year he did nothing but stay at his parents house without evening getting a job to fill his time.

Admissions committees have ways of knowing when applicants don't really care about medicine, and having nothing except stats is a good indicator. Plus it didn't help that his LOR form was on an advisor's desk in September....

Coming from another point of view, candidates with introvert personalities are unfortunately slighted in the interview process. Communication is essential in medicine, but being kind and to the point doesn't make you a bad doctor. If you can't function under pressure in an interview or you say something offensive that's different, but shy individuals should not be biased against. A pediatric orthopedic surgeon I saw when I was younger was shy, yet a brilliant doctor. Before each question he answered, he would think for a long minute simply because he wanted to go through the answer first before saying it out loud. It was a very awkward pause so he most certainly must have been a terrible interviewee, but overall he was a great surgeon.