How to know which med schools your stat is competitive at

[kittridge1141]

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[LuluLovesMe]

-4 to +4 is where you can apply to given your individual stats fit within the school's 10-90th percentiles. This changes if you are military or URM.

 

[kittridge1141]

I am more confused about which schools would fall within "reach", "competitive", or "safety" range.

 

[EaglesontheWarpath]

This isn't college-those terms don't apply. Go look through this thread-your question is a very common one here.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...e-who-applied-with-your-cgpa-and-mcat.888650/

 

[RuggerMD]

Look at WedgeDawg's applicant rating system. It's comprehensive and explains how to approach school selection well.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/wedgedawgs-applicant-rating-system.1131149/

 

[tantacles]

Very simply, do two things:

1. Take a look at your GPA and the median accepted GPA. If your GPA is at or above that level, you are definitely competitive in terms of GPA.

2. Take a look at your MCAT score and the median accepted MCAT score. If your MCAT score is at or above that level, you are definitely competitive in terms of MCAT score.

If your GPA or MCAT score are below those levels, you may still be competitive for the school. However, I can say with certainty that if your GPA or MCAT is below the school's 10th percentile mark for accepted students and the other is not at or near the 90th percentile mark, you are almost certainly not competitive for that school unless there is something absolutely stellar in your application otherwise.

 

[LuluLovesMe]

I am more confused about which schools would fall within "reach", "competitive", or "safety" range.

There are no safeties because based on my experiences interview "resource management" is rampant.

Competitive is within -2 to +2. Reach is +2-+4. Apply to a few that are more than 2 lower than you, but don't expect to hear back.

 

[kittridge1141]

Very simply, do two things:

1. Take a look at your GPA and the median accepted GPA. If your GPA is at or above that level, you are definitely competitive in terms of GPA.

2. Take a look at your MCAT score and the median accepted MCAT score. If your MCAT score is at or above that level, you are definitely competitive in terms of MCAT score.

If your GPA or MCAT score are below those levels, you may still be competitive for the school. However, I can say with certainty that if your GPA or MCAT is below the school's 10th percentile mark for accepted students and the other is not at or near the 90th percentile mark, you are almost certainly not competitive for that school unless there is something absolutely stellar in your application otherwise.

what if your MCAT is at/above the school's median but your GPA is below the median? Or vice versa. Sorry, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by all these numbers and how to prioritize.

 

[kittridge1141]

There are no safeties because based on my experiences interview "resource management" is rampant.

Competitive is within -2 to +2. Reach is +2-+4. Apply to a few that are more than 2 lower than you, but don't expect to hear back.

Thanks so much 🙂

 

[tantacles]

what if your MCAT is at/above the school's median but your GPA is below the median? Or vice versa. Sorry, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by all these numbers and how to prioritize.

It really just depends on HOW far below the median your GPA is and how far above the median your MCAT is. Ultimately, it's not to much a matter of determining which schools you ARE competitive at, but rather which schools you are MOST competitive at. And remember: It's very likely that many of the schools at which you are "competitive" will still reject you!

It might be easier for you to just post numbers. That way, we can give you concrete advice rather than general advice.

 

[kittridge1141]

.

 

[deleted482591]

below the school's 10th percentile mark for accepted students and the other is not at or near the 90th percentile mark,

So what if GPA is around or slightly below the 10th percentile mark and MCAT is higher than 90th percentile mark?
Or Vice Versa?

Then it's still worth it to apply?

 

[tantacles]

So what if GPA is around or slightly below the 10th percentile mark and MCAT is higher than 90th percentile mark?
Or Vice Versa?

Then it's still worth it to apply?

Possibly! Depends on the school's screening criteria. I can, however, say that that's a far better situation than if your MCAT is at the 50th and your GPA at the 10th. Right? It's all relative. Again, far easier if you have a specific schools. With some schools, they're so competitive that they don't need to bother looking at you. At others, they're interested in looking a little deeper at candidates with weird stat distributions.

 

[abluecrab]

Disclaimer: this is not the answer you're looking for.

Fit is more important than stats if you're in the meaty part of the bell curve. Don't just go through msar and apply to all schools with comparable median stats, you'll waste a ton of money. Figure out which schools you can convince that you're a good fit because of location/background/interests/connections and target those schools. E.g. don't apply to Rush if you don't give two sh*ts about about volunteering (even if you've been a go getter premed and have a ton of hours). Similarly don't apply to Virginia Tech if research bores you to tears. Similar enough stats between the two schools, but the type of applicants that get into each are probably fairly different people. Yeah people get into both, but my point is that applying to schools where you actually buy into what they're selling is better for everyone.

 

[Goro]

Only if you have a massive rising GPA trend.

So what if GPA is around or slightly below the 10th percentile mark and MCAT is higher than 90th percentile mark?
Or Vice Versa?

Then it's still worth it to apply?