Importance of letters and extracurrics?

[CammyW45]

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So how much of a role do they play in admissions decisions? Just from reading other posts on SDN, it seems like everyone who's gotten accepted had a 3.85 and 35 MCAT and I'm worried about my low numbers (3.3 from JHU and 30 MCAT). All I've got to show are excellent letters and extracurrics (varsity team for 4 years, research experience, listed as coauthor of paper, EMS experience, some leadership experience mixed in those, and a part-time job during the school year). I know they can't completely overcome low stats like mine, but will they help? I know you guys are all sick of the "what are my chances" kind of threads like these, but I guess I'm just getting depressed with this whole application process and getting really worried. I guess all I can do is just go with the flow (submitted AMCAS a couple weeks ago, still waiting for transcripts). It seems like everyone on here not only have amazing stats but they've also brought medical relief to some remote village in Africa or something, and mine just pale in comparison.

Sorry about the ranting,,, 😳

- Cam

 

[ZOT! ZOT!]

So how much of a role do they play in admissions decisions? Just from reading other posts on SDN, it seems like everyone who's gotten accepted had a 3.85 and 35 MCAT and I'm worried about my low numbers (3.3 from JHU and 30 MCAT). All I've got to show are excellent letters and extracurrics (varsity team for 4 years, research experience, listed as coauthor of paper, EMS experience, some leadership experience mixed in those, and a part-time job during the school year). I know they can't completely overcome low stats like mine, but will they help? I know you guys are all sick of the "what are my chances" kind of threads like these, but I guess I'm just getting depressed with this whole application process and getting really worried. I guess all I can do is just go with the flow (submitted AMCAS a couple weeks ago, still waiting for transcripts). It seems like everyone on here not only have amazing stats but they've also brought medical relief to some remote village in Africa or something, and mine just pale in comparison.

Sorry about the ranting,,, 😳

- Cam

Your MCAT is excellent. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Now, your 3.3 GPA is just OK. If your letters are great and your ECs too (which they seem to be 👍 ), you're in good shape. As long as you're not trying to go to Harvard, you shouldn't be dissappointed.

You also have to consider the type of people who are on this site and those that give their stats away... They hardly represent the applicant pool. If I asked what my chances were with my scores, i'm sure I would have been told to retake the MCAT. But guess what, my signature tells a different story.

When you get interviews... and you will, provided you applied to the right schools, don't go in with the already beat attitude. It is too early for you to be this discouraged. You'll end up clinically depressed by the end of this cycle if you keep this up.

With that said, SMILE and hold on, because it's going to be a bumpy ride. Good Luck!

 

[IndyZX]

I think ECs are important than LORs by a longshot. LORs basically confirm that your professors don't hate you, that's all. Everyone has great LORs, they won't really distinguish you from the crowd.

ECs are more important. However, that's only once you get past the basic cookie-cutter premed ECs. In other words, they only become important if you have done something meaningful.

Good luck!

 

[rtmcad2319]

If you want to go to a top school most will require high stats! Now not every single person there has high stats but about 90 percent of the class does. ECs and LORs are overrated!

 

[g3pro]

With a 30 MCAT, you will get into med school (depends on the rest of the app, but it looks good. (coming from JHU doesn't really affect GPA that much...)). I hope that makes you feel a bit better.

 

[raspberry swirl]

With a 30 MCAT, you will get into med school (depends on the rest of the app, but it looks good.

thats a lie. sorry cam, i dont mean to be the pessimist, but i had an application that looked pretty much identical to yours, and a 30 MCAT is no longer the magic number. trust me. however, the one thing you have that i didn't was the research experience and being a co-author, and thats more important that i had known. (i have research experience now!) then again, getting into medical school can be a total crap shoot for those of us with good, but not amazing, stats. you never know. my advice to you is to really look at the schools you applied to, and make sure you have a diverse list of schools-- you never know which school is looking for what in any given year. make sure you have some state schools, private, some in state, some out of state, east coast, mid, and west coast. cover your butt. and really prepare for the interviews. know a lot about the school, etc., have things to ask, and practice practice practice answering all those cheesy questions. feel free to pm me- this is something i can ramble on about forever

 

[Howard Roark]

sounds like you will do ok
not Harvard or Yale but a good state school somewhere
good luck

 

[CammyW45]

Thanks for all the help guys! 🙂 I do feel a bit better now...especially since I'm not looking to get into Harvard or anything. I am applying to all my state schools (I'm from New York so I guess I have a bunch there...). Good luck to everyone else appying this cycle too!

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Yup, and some people on this site like to repeatedly mention their outstanding MCAT score, making sure everyone knows. This adds to the paranoia SDN causes.