what i've realized from this and other thangs is that having an incredible mcat (ie ~40 or so) is a no no. it's too good. people are afraid..maybe they think it's a fluke--maybe they think something else, i don't know. but a 36 will put you right at the top of the best possible scenario, so dont' shoot for over a 37--whatever you do!
for gpa, the higher the better, unlike the mcat. BUT a 4.0 from a school that's not very well respected could lead to doubts about the quality of the institution. unless they've had much experience with your particular school in the past and know that a 4.0 is hard to come by, they may assume (wihtout comparing you to other applicants from your school cuz they're dumb like that i think) that your school wasn't very good. so i'd say try and stick to around 3.9-3.95 but whatever you do, don't get a 4.0!
see--getting like perfect scores (perfect gpa, near perfect mcats--scary numbers like 40) don't seem to sit well with people. while it's impressive to me and others, if i was admitting students, i'd probably choose a 3.9 with 37 over a 4.0 with 40. you probably feel the same way...i guess because i'd assume the guy with slightly lower numbers is more of a flexible, normal kind of guy, not just some nerd that studies all the time and will not make a good doc, but a great researcher instead. the guy with the more "real" numbers just seems better fit to me...call me crazy, but i'll bet one dollar you feel the same.
(yes, i'm talking about 10 10 220)
