If I get rejected, how likely would it be because of my GPA/MCAT score

[Suffer]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hoping to apply to some t20s. Stanford would be my top choice because of some of the stuff I'm interested in

GPA at a t20 undergrad is c3.87; s3.91 (not sure how AAMC will adjust it), last two semesters were 4.0 (3 back was 3.97)

MCAT is 518 (131, 129, 128, 130)

Very stereotypical extracurriculars. First author paper, national conference poster authorship, summer research stipend may be more standout activities but those still aren't that great

If I get rejected from those schools it will be because of the interviews/ecs+perspectives, not because of my academic stats right? I'm also assuming a higher MCAT probably wouldn't have helped my app?

 

[gyngyn]

Your stats will not keep you out of any MD school.

 

[Suffer]

Your stats will not keep you out of any MD school.

Ok thanks! So I should expect the deciding factors for admission or rejection to be those subjective factors like my interview, takeaways from ECs (in PS, secondaries, etc), perspectives, and so on?

 

[Danny L]

Your stats will not keep you out of any MD school.

Would OP significantly benefit from a higher MCAT (ie in the mid 520s) or would the benefit be marginal or nonexistent?

 

[gyngyn]

Would OP significantly benefit from a higher MCAT (ie in the mid 520s) or would the benefit be marginal?

Not on a re-take.

 

[Lawpy]

Would OP significantly benefit from a higher MCAT (ie in the mid 520s) or would the benefit be marginal or nonexistent?

A 518 is above the 10th percentile for every US medical school. There is no reason to retake, especially considering OP's subsection scores are great.

 

[Danny L]

Not on a re-take.

A 518 is above the 10th percentile for every US medical school. There is no reason to retake, especially considering OP's subsection scores are great.

I guess I meant that in a hypothetical sense where OP got the higher score on their first try. I was wondering if the benefit of a higher score increases linearly or if there is a limit to the benefit/there are diminishing returns as you get a higher score (esp since there are 5+ score values for the 100th percentile)

 

[Lawpy]

I guess I meant that in a hypothetical sense where OP got the higher score on their first try. I was wondering if the benefit of a higher score increases linearly or if there is a limit to the benefit or there are diminishing returns as you get a higher score (esp since there are 5+ score values for the 100th percentile)

It will help for schools addicted to high stats, like WashU, Penn, NYU and Pritzker.

 

[Danny L]

It will help for schools addicted to high stats, like WashU, Penn, NYU and Pritzker.

Interesting, are all of the peers of those schools like that as well (ie Vanderbilt, Feinberg, Stanford) or are those kind of like the exception?

 

[gyngyn]

Anyone who ever took a statistics course knows that there is no difference between a 519 and any higher score.
The difference between 518 and above is so small as to be inconsequential. The test was not designed to distinguish at the extremes.

 

[Lawpy]

Interesting, are all of the peers of those schools like that as well (ie Vanderbilt, Feinberg, Stanford) or are those kind of like the exception?

You can check their accepted MCAT medians on the MSAR. Of the schools you mentioned, all like high stats (Vandy probably likes the most since it gives automatic secondaries to people with very high LizzyM scores despite pre-screening).

Anyone who ever took a statistics course knows that there is no difference between a 519 and any higher score.
The difference between 518 and above is so small as to be inconsequential. The test was not designed to distinguish at the extremes.

Yeah this is true but pretty sure there are some adcom members that look at numbers in absolutes than percentiles. So they may intrinsically favor a 525 over 521 despite the two being statistically identical. It's just irrational cognitive biases.

 

[gyngyn]

Yeah this is true but pretty sure there are some adcom members that look at numbers in absolutes than percentiles. So they may intrinsically favor a 525 over 521 despite the two being statistically identical. It's just irrational cognitive biases.

We tell committee members to recognize this bias (if they have it) and not to be fools.

 

[Suffer]

You can check their accepted MCAT medians on the MSAR. Of the schools you mentioned, all like high stats (Vandy probably likes the most since it gives automatic secondaries to people with very high LizzyM scores despite pre-screening).

Wait so were you agreeing with him that those schools are like the other ones you mentioned (where it's actually significantly more beneficial to have a first try mid-520+), or that those schools screen screen for higher stats (like above the median for those schools like a 516 or 517) but don't care that much if you're above or well above that threshold

 

[Lawpy]

Wait so were you agreeing with him that those schools are like the other ones you mentioned (where it's actually significantly more beneficial to have a first try mid-520+), or that those schools screen screen for higher stats (like above the median for those schools like a 516 or 517) but don't care that much if you're above or well above that threshold

The latter. I think the schools I mentioned (WashU, Penn, NYU, Pritzker and perhaps Vandy) may get excited to see applicants beating their already insanely high matriculant medians, but statistically, scores past 520 are the same. Schools with high medians likely do screen for higher stats but there isn't a significant benefit to scoring mid-520+ first try as opposed to low 520s/upper 510s.