How bad does a 518 hurt you post interview at T20s?

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calipremed5768

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Seems like a ton people on this site have 520+ and a bunch have 523+. at some schools (ex. Penn) it’s barely above the 10th percentile. I think what happened is that MCAT scores have slowly started creeping up since the introduction of the new format. Is 518 becoming the new 515?

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Seems like a ton people on this site have 520+ and a bunch have 523+. at some schools (ex. Penn) it’s barely above the 10th percentile. I think what happened is that MCAT scores have slowly started creeping up since the introduction of the new format. Is 518 becoming the new 515?

He’s back baby!!
 
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Seems like a ton people on this site have 520+ and a bunch have 523+. at some schools (ex. Penn) it’s barely above the 10th percentile. I think what happened is that MCAT scores have slowly started creeping up since the introduction of the new format. Is 518 becoming the new 515?
A 518 will not limit you at any school in the context of an otherwise extraordinary application. On here there is bias for stats, just keep in mind however that statistically there cannot be more than 1600 applicants with 520+, only 800 of those are 521+, only around 200 of those are 524+. SDN has sampling bias.

However, even with such small numbers, also keep in mind that the number of T20 seats is limited. There are 21,000 seats total, and the T20 schools make up around 2600 of those seats. This means that you could theoretically fill up every T20 with 520+ applicants and only have around 1000 seats left. Obviously this doesn't happen, but keep that in mind.

To further address your concern, 518 will only 'limit' you at:
Columbia
Harvard
Sinia
Hopkins
Mayo
NYU
Northwestern
Penn
Stanford
UChicago
UVA
Vanderbilt
WashU
Cornell
Yale

Each of these 15 schools have an accepted median at 519 or higher. Keep in mind, however, this list of 15 schools ALL have a 10th% of 518 or lower as well. Also keep in mind, 9 of these schools have matriculated medians lower than the accepted median. This indicates a lot of overlap in the multiple acceptances. So, realistically, your 518 falls below the matriculant median of only 10 schools. So only 10 schools have higher stats than you do. Even then, those 10 schools will still consider you as a strong applicant.

Tl;dr - Don't worry, you good. Apply to 5 T10s, another 10 T20s, and 5 other Einstein/hofstra level schools.
 
True..I just keep thinking about this staircase model thing and am thinking that a good interview performance will equal WL and an average to bad performance will equal R because I’m already kind of low on the “staircase”
 
True..I just keep thinking about this staircase model thing and am thinking that a good interview performance will equal WL and an average to bad performance will equal R because I’m already kind of low on the “staircase”

How are you accounting for (a) your very high cGPA that was acquired at a (b) top 5 undergrad?
 
Seems like a ton people on this site have 520+ and a bunch have 523+. at some schools (ex. Penn) it’s barely above the 10th percentile. I think what happened is that MCAT scores have slowly started creeping up since the introduction of the new format. Is 518 becoming the new 515?
Reported. Nobody can be this neurotic and function in daily life enough to do so well academically.

And the for the rest of you, :troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll:
 
Reported. Nobody can be this neurotic and function in daily life enough to do so well academically.

And the for the rest of you, :troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll:
I think Calipremed is genuine, if ill informed and over-the-top.

Remember my “Eyeballs poking out of skull,” “I don’t want anything higher than a 518,” and “I haven’t even taken a practice MCAT but anticipate a 240+ on Step1” days? We all have our blossoming. And it typically comes to light from ignorance to knowledge.
 
I think Calipremed is genuine, if ill informed and over-the-top.

Remember my “Eyeballs poking out of skull,” “I don’t want anything higher than a 518,” and “I haven’t even taken a practice MCAT but anticipate a 240+ on Step1” days? We all have our blossoming. And it typically comes to light from ignorance to knowledge.
You were never, ever like him.
 
True..I just keep thinking about this staircase model thing and am thinking that a good interview performance will equal WL and an average to bad performance will equal R because I’m already kind of low on the “staircase”
Again, with the caveat that you are serious (which is very difficult to believe, given how out there and extremely amusing many of your posts have been), you are worried about the wrong thing. Forget the staircase in August. Your stats, ECs and essays are the first screen at this stage. At this point in the process, few receive IIs and Rs, many are put aside to see what else comes in. As @EmbryonalCarcinoma has pointed out, if you are receiving IIs at this stage, you are not low on the staircase. But, if your interview skills suck as much as you think, your initial position on the staircase is not going to help you, so focus on that rather than on how your MCAT is below the median at top schools that have already decided to interview you. Disclaimer: all of this is contingent on your stats being what you say and your IIs being what you say, which I seriously doubt, even though I am choosing to feed you anyway. 🙂

Tl; dr - nobody is wasting an interview slot on someone to decide whether to WL or R them, even though I'm sure it's true that some folks go to an interview with higher "scores" than others. A good interview, however that is defined, will almost certainly lead to an A anywhere. Even at Harvard and Penn, every single year, a full 25% of the matriculating class has stats in the bottom 25%! 🙂
 
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Seems like a ton people on this site have 520+ and a bunch have 523+. at some schools (ex. Penn) it’s barely above the 10th percentile. I think what happened is that MCAT scores have slowly started creeping up since the introduction of the new format. Is 518 becoming the new 515?
TBH I think 518 is the new 505, good luck even getting into a carib school with that score
 
True..I just keep thinking about this staircase model thing and am thinking that a good interview performance will equal WL and an average to bad performance will equal R because I’m already kind of low on the “staircase”

@calipremed5768
Can you please elaborate on this and explain the staircase model more fully?
 
@calipremed5768
Can you please elaborate on this and explain the staircase model more fully?
It’s pretty much staying that applicants who receive an interview invite are not on even level. Best applicants on paper are at the top of the staircase while the poorer applicants on paper are at the bottom of the staircase. A bad interview will cause an applicant to fall several steps on the staircase, which is why top applicants can be denied acceptance. A mediocre interview will remain ones position on the staircase (good for the best applicants, not good for the poorer applicants). A great interview will raise someone’s position, thus that a poorer applicant could gain an acceptance over someone with a better app on paper. Pretty much, an interview is just one metric. It’s an important metric, but it’s not the end all be all.

It’s not like this at all schools but I would say a good number of schools use this model. Some schools probably do have all applicants on even level after the interview invite, however. This means the interview will be the deciding factor.
 
Reported. Nobody can be this neurotic and function in daily life enough to do so well academically.

And the for the rest of you, :troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll::troll:

Walter Raleigh was neurotic as hell and got a 519; one can be quite neurotic and have good academic skills.
 
If Walter was a troll, he was certainly in it for the long haul. Looking at his avatar, he joined four years ago! Walter aside, I certainly think it possible for deeply neurotic individuals to have solid academic skills - and to be overly concerned with prestige and top schools! Saw it every day back in high school.
 
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If Walter was a troll, he was certainly in it for the long haul. Looking at his avatar, he joined four years ago! Walter aside, I certainly think it possible for deeply neurotic individuals to have solid academic skills - and to be overly concerned with prestige and top schools! Saw it every day back in high school.

Perhaps you’re a Bronx High, Stuyvesant, etc. grad?
 
No, I attended a suburban public high school in the Northeast. It was the best in the county; out of a graduating class of 300, maybe five or so went on to Ivy League universities each year. Nothing like Stuyvesant or Bronx High!
 
518 MCAT is 96th percentile. SDN is a skewed population. Do y'all really think only top 4% of MCAT takers get accepted to medical school at top schools? 518 is a totally great score. And the difference in knowledge and ability of a student who gets 518 and one who gets 520 is pretty meaningless. Everyone here will do great!
 
Vandy
Number of 2018 applicants: 5,636
Acceptance rate: 5.5%
Average MCAT: 519
Average GPA (4.0 scale): 3.9

Washu
2018 Applications: 4,663
Average MCAT: 518
Average GPA (4.0 scale): 3.84
 
Vandy
Number of 2018 applicants: 5,636
Acceptance rate: 5.5%
Average MCAT: 519
Average GPA (4.0 scale): 3.9

Washu
2018 Applications: 4,663
Average MCAT: 518
Average GPA (4.0 scale): 3.84
Where is this data from? I'm pretty sure from MSAR the numbers are higher, like 522 average MCAT for accepted students.
 
A 518 will not limit you at any school in the context of an otherwise extraordinary application. On here there is bias for stats, just keep in mind however that statistically there cannot be more than 1600 applicants with 520+, only 800 of those are 521+, only around 200 of those are 524+. SDN has sampling bias.

However, even with such small numbers, also keep in mind that the number of T20 seats is limited. There are 21,000 seats total, and the T20 schools make up around 2600 of those seats. This means that you could theoretically fill up every T20 with 520+ applicants and only have around 1000 seats left. Obviously this doesn't happen, but keep that in mind.

To further address your concern, 518 will only 'limit' you at:
Columbia
Harvard
Sinia
Hopkins
Mayo
NYU
Northwestern
Penn
Stanford
UChicago
UVA
Vanderbilt
WashU
Cornell
Yale

Each of these 15 schools have an accepted median at 519 or higher. Keep in mind, however, this list of 15 schools ALL have a 10th% of 518 or lower as well. Also keep in mind, 9 of these schools have matriculated medians lower than the accepted median. This indicates a lot of overlap in the multiple acceptances. So, realistically, your 518 falls below the matriculant median of only 10 schools. So only 10 schools have higher stats than you do. Even then, those 10 schools will still consider you as a strong applicant.

Tl;dr - Don't worry, you good. Apply to 5 T10s, another 10 T20s, and 5 other Einstein/hofstra level schools.

How did you get this stats? Can you explain?
"however that statistically there cannot be more than 1600 applicants with 520+, only 800 of those are 521+, only around 200 of those are 524+ "
 
How did you get this stats? Can you explain?
"however that statistically there cannot be more than 1600 applicants with 520+, only 800 of those are 521+, only around 200 of those are 524+ "
There are 80,000 test takers every year. 520 is the 98%, so 80,000*0.02 is 1600. 521 is 99% so 80,000*0.01 is 800. Then it is just a matter of statistical guesswork based on the distribution of the bell curve to get 523 - 528.
 
There are 80,000 test takers every year. 520 is the 98%, so 80,000*0.02 is 1600. 521 is 99% so 80,000*0.01 is 800. Then it is just a matter of statistical guesswork based on the distribution of the bell curve to get 523 - 528.
Thanks.. This make sense.
 
Calipremed makes my heart smile.
My heart at Calipremed

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SDN always brings me back to earth. I felt SO great after getting a 514 on my retake...then I come here to find people worrying about getting in with a 518. Premeds are obviously the life of any party!
You should be proud. 514 is above the matriculant average and above like 92% of people who take the test. Calipremed is just......A little extra concerned. That is all.
 
You should be proud. 514 is above the matriculant average and above like 92% of people who take the test. Calipremed is just......A little extra concerned. That is all.
Thank you! I am definitely proud (still in shock, too!). I got a 503 the first time I took it, so I'm still pinching myself hah. Seeing posts like this always adds some perspective about who I'm up against for admission, though. 🙁
 
Thank you! I am definitely proud (still in shock, too!). I got a 503 the first time I took it, so I'm still pinching myself hah. Seeing posts like this always adds some perspective about who I'm up against for admission, though. 🙁
OP is almost certainly a troll. If they're like this IRL they're not getting through any interviews so you don't need to worry about them anyway 😛
 
OP is almost certainly a troll. If they're like this IRL they're not getting through any interviews so you don't need to worry about them anyway 😛
Phew! Thanks for clarifying. I've been a longtime lurker, so I'm still trying to sort out who's serious and who's not haha
 
Thank you! I am definitely proud (still in shock, too!). I got a 503 the first time I took it, so I'm still pinching myself hah. Seeing posts like this always adds some perspective about who I'm up against for admission, though. 🙁

Yeah the sdn pool is a highly self selected pool of people and does not in any way reflect the overall applicant pool.
By definition, as the MCAT is standardized, the 518+ crowd is a minority. I dont think OP is a troll, but reflects how on sdn 518 can be a travesty and a cause for some deep concern. Maybe bc everyone here wants to gun for a T20. Totally reasonable to aim high but I dont think it should discourage you as there are lots of seats to go around. As long as you have a well rounded app, your MCAT improvement will speak for itself and I think you will get at least several interviews!🙂
 
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