If you could choose for yourself one of these combinations of GPA + MCAT...

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Pick a GPA + MCAT combo

  • cGPA: 3.5; sGPA: 3.9; MCAT: 40

    Votes: 19 7.9%

  • cGPA: 3.9; sGPA: 3.5; MCAT: 40

    Votes: 15 6.3%

  • cGPA: 3.7; sGPA: 3.7; MCAT: 40

    Votes: 65 27.2%

  • cGPA: 3.8; sGPA: 3.8; MCAT: 38

    Votes: 140 58.6%
  • Total voters
    239
Penner

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Which would you pick?

Thanks. Sorry if they seem kind of random - I'm trying to compare BCMP GPA with regular GPA, and 2 points on the MCAT in the high range vs 0.1 GPA points.
 
Why trade 2 MCAT points for 0.1 in GPA?

40 is a godly score (not that 38 isn't) but I'm sure way fewer people get 40's than have 3.8's
 
There really isn't much of a difference between a 38 and a 40 since it's largely luck above 36-38, but consistently getting 3.8s as opposed to consistently getting 3.7s is a very clear difference. Not a huge one, but significant. Definitely the 3.8s if I could choose.

Edit: Now, if it were between 3.7s with a 35, or 3.8s with a 33, I'd go with the former. I think its just easier to get diminishing returns with MCAT scores - once you hit 36 any more is mostly just "nice."
 
asdf
 
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Why does this poll scream some sort of bias to me? But seriously choose better numbers, because honestly all of those number combination's are amazing.
 
serenade said:
Why does this poll scream some sort of bias to me? But seriously choose better numbers, because honestly all of those number combination's are amazing.
Click to expand...

Well that's the idea. If one of the combinations was amazing and the others weren't, there'd be no difference in preference.
 
Man, I'd be beyond happy to have any of those stats. There's really not a whole lot of difference, in my opinion.
 
then how about a 3.0-3.3 gpa with a 38+ MCAT or 3.8-4.0 gpa with a 28-32 MCAT
 
I'm actually really surprised that people chose 57 to 6 that they'd prefer a 3.8/38 (with a 3.8 BCMP GPA) over a 3.9/40 (with a 3.5 BCMP).

I guess science GPA is more important than I thought? That's great news for me because my BCMP GPA is quite a bit higher than my regular GPA.
 
If you are a science major, with most of your hours coming from BCPM classes i dont think it is even mathematically possible to have a 3.9 cgpa with a 3.5 sgpa. Either way Id choose the 3.9 with the 40.
 
Correct answer is option #4. Option #3 can be argued for, but #1 and #2 are flat out wrong.
 
3.8/3.8/38

All average-above average GPA's and a high MCAT score. Nice mix.
 
Narmerguy said:
Right I agree and I think option 4 is best. However, I find it odd that the poster felt qualified to label some of them as "correct" to a subjective question.
Click to expand...

Yeah, totally subjective. I'd rather have number 3 anyway, but I feel like there's not much of a difference between a 3.7 and a 3.8 as far as how you'll be seen by an adcom, while a 40 would catch my eye. Matter of opinion, I guess.
 
JokerMD said:
percentile wise, there is a very (almost nonexistent) difference between a 38 and a 40.
Click to expand...

In 2006 (last year I looked carefully at mcat stats) about 600 ppl who took the mcat got a 38 while 120 ppl got 40+, that seems like a significant difference...
 
drizzt3117 said:
In 2006 (last year I looked carefully at mcat stats) about 600 ppl who took the mcat got a 38 while 120 ppl got 40+, that seems like a significant difference...
Click to expand...

Right, but to choose one over the other is just absurd. 3 and 4 will not have any problems getting ANY interviews. They will pass all screens based on numbers and it will come down to their PS/ECs.
 
ButImLETired said:
Yeah, totally subjective. I'd rather have number 3 anyway, but I feel like there's not much of a difference between a 3.7 and a 3.8 as far as how you'll be seen by an adcom, while a 40 would catch my eye. Matter of opinion, I guess.
Click to expand...

The difference in percentiles between a 38 and 40 is probably like .1 of a percent. The difference between a 3.8 and 3.7 in terms of your GPA percentile as an applicant, however, is a probably a couple whole percentage points, so I vote D. Regardless, as someone said, both have passed number screenings at any school and will get interviews pending other things.
 
ronaldo23 said:
The difference in percentiles between a 38 and 40 is probably like .1 of a percent. The difference between a 3.8 and 3.7 in terms of your GPA percentile as an applicant, however, is a probably a couple whole percentage points, so I vote D. Regardless, as someone said, both have passed number screenings at any school and will get interviews pending other things.
Click to expand...

It's actually as much as 1-2% difference.

38 was 97.9% to 98.5%, 40 is 99.5% to 99.9%. Again, in terms of raw number of people who have the score, there's significant differences.
 
ronaldo23 said:
The difference in percentiles between a 38 and 40 is probably like .1 of a percent. The difference between a 3.8 and 3.7 in terms of your GPA percentile as an applicant, however, is a probably a couple whole percentage points, so I vote D. Regardless, as someone said, both have passed number screenings at any school and will get interviews pending other things.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I mean I didn't think of it mathematically. Adcoms aren't computers, they're people. Assuming you make it past an arbitrary cutoff (which a 3.7 and 38 certainly should), what comes next is the adcom's opinion of you. I just know that if I was there reading application after application, especially at a top school, chances are I'd see a ton of 3.7s, 3.8s, 4.0s etc. A .1 difference probably wouldn't catch my eye. But 40s stick out. I wouldn't look at the two applicants and automatically pick the one with the 40 of course, but I feel like I'd be impressed enough to take a deeper look to see if the other info in the app is as impressive. I don't know, maybe I'm MCAT-biased. I just feel like with a 3.8 you have to think a little bit harder to determine what it "means" (what school did he go to? What major? What classes?) while a 40 on the "great equalizer" of the MCAT is a pretty clearly impressive thing.
 
ButImLETired said:
Oh yeah, I mean I didn't think of it mathematically. Adcoms aren't computers, they're people. Assuming you make it past an arbitrary cutoff (which a 3.7 and 38 certainly should), what comes next is the adcom's opinion of you. I just know that if I was there reading application after application, especially at a top school, chances are I'd see a ton of 3.7s, 3.8s, 4.0s etc. A .1 difference probably wouldn't catch my eye. But 40s stick out. I wouldn't look at the two applicants and automatically pick the one with the 40 of course, but I feel like I'd be impressed enough to take a deeper look to see if the other info in the app is as impressive. I don't know, maybe I'm MCAT-biased. I just feel like with a 3.8 you have to think a little bit harder to determine what it "means" (what school did he go to? What major? What classes?) while a 40 on the "great equalizer" of the MCAT is a pretty clearly impressive thing.
Click to expand...

That's a good point. Just out of curiosity, would you still choose 3.73.740 over 3.93.939? (is the eye popping 40 better to you than what is generally considered a better selection of stats). Silly devil's advocate question =)
 
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asdf
 
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FlowRate said:
That's a good point. Just out of curiosity, would you still choose 3.73.740 over 3.93.939? (is the eye popping 40 better to you than what is generally considered a better selection of stats). Silly devil's advocate question =)
Click to expand...

What do these numbers me? 3.73.740? What is that?
 
Hmm, that's odd, I couldn't seem to find "Any of the above" as a choice.....
 
Narmerguy said:
Right I agree and I think option 4 is best. However, I find it odd that the poster felt qualified to label some of them as "correct" to a subjective question.
Click to expand...
I divined the answers using a Ouija board, if you must know.
 
FlowRate said:
That's a good point. Just out of curiosity, would you still choose 3.73.740 over 3.93.939? (is the eye popping 40 better to you than what is generally considered a better selection of stats). Silly devil's advocate question =)
Click to expand...

Huh, that's a great question. I really don't have a good answer to that. I feel like the 3.9, 3.9, 39 would just look funny and it might catch my eye. I mean, this stuff is so arbitrary (that's why many say it's a crapshoot). One question on verbal can separate a 39 and a 40 but a 40 is...a 40. I mean, I do think I'd likely prefer the 3.9/39 to the 3.7/40 purely based on those numbers, but again, I'd probably take a look at the kid with the 40 anyway, more than I would maybe someone with a 3.7 and a 35. I don't know. As I said, there's no science to it, and it's "unfair", it's just human.
 
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