MCAT Is The Bigger Key To Acceptance.

[bodonid]

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No, we won't. The point of MCAT and GPA is to produce a comparable scale. You can compare applicants and rank them via them because there is a uniformity of scale. You cannot do that with EC and interview.

Yes you can.

The reason we go through this process is not simply to show that we can. Trust me, things other than statistics are taken into account. In my opinion, these things do matter. Feel free to disagree, and I don't really want to argue about this.

 

[bodonid]

Holding one's own opinion in high regard - highly correlated with favouring subjective assesments of people's fitness for medicine over objective measures.

in your opinion.

 

[Vihsadas]

It is a well known fact that the MCAT weighs far more in admissions than the GPA. In fact, the Academic Index - which is the formula used to rank and look at the applicants- shows that the emphasis is almost 2/3 over the GPA.

I was actually wondering how good of a predictor are SATs or the ACT with performance at the MCAT.

Who told you that? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but what you are saying is inaccurate. I've called more than a few schools, hit up more than a few of my connections to ask how they rank applicants, and none of them have said anything about an academic index. What I have found is that most admissions committee officers have told me that a ~3.6GPA 35+ MCAT student would be more competitive than me on paper. You have to do well in both...
The selection process at different schools is just...well, different. There is no magic formula...

If that were the case, my 'stats' according to your weighting rubric (MCAT => 2/3, GPA => 1/3) would be equal to an application with something like:
40x(2/3) + 3.3x10x(1/3) = 37.66666
~ 3.83GPA w/37 MCAT.
Clearly a student with those stats is going to be more competitive than me with respect to stats.

I think that people should just realize that there never are any guarantees. Every application is different, and if you want to have a solid shot you should be average or better in all aspects... (GPA, MCAT, life experience, Volunteer work, shadowing, etc. etc.)

 

[Vihsadas]

UMich weighs Ugrad GPA less than MCAT. This isn't anything they're trying to hide either. Robert Ruiz, their admissions director told me personally that MCAT is the most important factor at their med school.

Ok. That's good, I'll remember that for next cycle...but it's really that meaningful to cite one school. I'm sure that there are some schools that weight MCAT higher, GPA higher, and I'm sure that there are some schools that have something else weird going on. 😛

 

[Handy388]

Yes you can.

The reason we go through this process is not simply to show that we can. Trust me, things other than statistics are taken into account. In my opinion, these things do matter. Feel free to disagree, and I don't really want to argue about this.

I agree that things do matter,but I disagree that ECs can be used to establish scale as precisely as MCAT and GPA.

 

[Lecter]

I agree that the higher MCAT can make up for a slightly lower GPA (which doesn't necessarily work the other way around). However, you have to consider that once your GPA is solidified, it will be harder to alter it. With the MCAT, if you get a crappy score, it's relatively easy/quick to correct (especially with it now being offered so many times per year). Bottom line, shoot for an excellent GPA; however, if you end up with at least a decent GPA (3.3-3.5), the MCAT is an awesome opportunity for you to catch (and possibly transcend) those with awesome GPAs (3.8+).

o rly? 😎

 

[jult24er]

in your opinion.

No, a truism.

 

[bodonid]

No, a truism.

An arrogant SOB who got a 3.9 and a 39 would most certainly favor the objective measures... I think more often those without pride wouldn't be inclined to preach about exclusionary measures and would be more comfortable judging someone's character or personality or motivation rather than their intellgience.

 

[BrainBuff]

jult24er and Vihsadas

I am surprised how little you know about some aspects of the medical schools admissions. For whatever is worth, there is nothing dubious about my statement.

Do you know what the Academic Index is? The AI is used by elite schools and the MCAT and GPA are part of the formula. Unfortunately, the MCAT carries a greater weight and this number is used to compare applicants. Most schools feel that the MCAT is what allows to compare people from different schools.

The AI is the sum of GPA, science GPA and the average of all 3 MCAT scores for a perfect score of 23. As you can see, just the MCAT alone is over 65% of the total number ( nothing dubious about "almost 2/3" is it?)

Most applicants that gain admissions have a score of at least 16. Then again, for the most competitive and top 10 schools in the country, a 21 hovers around the minimum.

Students that fail to get accepted, usually have no clue about the admission process. I would recommend for you two to become more familiar with it. Knowing this stuff really helps.

 

[Vihsadas]

jult24er and Vihsadas

I am surprised how little you know about some aspects of the medical schools admissions. For whatever is worth, there is nothing dubious about my statement.

Do you know what the Academic Index is? The AI is used by elite schools and the MCAT and GPA are part of the formula. Unfortunately, the MCAT carries a greater weight and this number is used to compare applicants. Most schools feel that the MCAT is what allows to compare people from different schools.

The AI is the sum of GPA, science GPA and the average of all 3 MCAT scores for a perfect score of 23. As you can see, just the MCAT alone is over 65% of the total number ( nothing dubious about "almost 2/3" is it?)

Most applicants that gain admissions have a score of at least 16. Then again, for the most competitive and top 10 schools in the country, a 21 hovers around the minimum.

Students that fail to get accepted, usually have no clue about the admission process. I would recommend for you two to become more familiar with it. Knowing this stuff really helps.

Which 'elite' schools did you get this information from? And yes I know what the academic index is. Like I said, noone I talked to mentioned it. I've talked to (personally) more than one or two Adcoms at some top tier schools. The only index I've heard an Adcom mention, is from our very own SDN Adcom. 'LizzyM'. Her's is the 'LizzyM score': a straight weighted numeric sum of GPA and MCAT as a rough estimate of academic competitiveness. (MCAT + GPAx10)
I stand by what I said...

 

[jult24er]

in your opinion.

An arrogant SOB who got a 3.9 and a 39 would most certainly favor the objective measures... I think more often those without pride wouldn't be inclined to preach about exclusionary measures and would be more comfortable judging someone's character or personality or motivation rather than their intellgience.

Someone without pride would be more comfortable judging another person's character, personality and motivation? And using that judgement to determine med school acceptance?

The whole point of using GPA and MCAT is that no person needs to judge an applicant's intelligence. Everyone takes the same test. Apparently, it happens to be correlated with board scores too, which is not anyone's opinion.

 

[Dedikated2liftn]

o rly? 😎

I'm not sure exactly what you're getting at, but I am using my own personal experience as a basis for what I said. While I did decently on the MCAT (30), my GPA was much better (3.9); however, one of my buddies who had a 3.4 and a 35 MCAT was interviewed at two schools that I was not. Now granted you could make the argument that other factors were involved to some degree, but we do have similar experiences and ECs. In short, I'm not saying that a 35+ MCAT is the golden ticket into medical school (especially if you have a 2.5 GPA)...but face the facts, it is a standarized, objective measurement of how one thinks (unlike GPA which is much more variable depending on undergraduate institution).

 

[mfrizzo3]

jult24er and Vihsadas

I am surprised how little you know about some aspects of the medical schools admissions. For whatever is worth, there is nothing dubious about my statement.

Do you know what the Academic Index is? The AI is used by elite schools and the MCAT and GPA are part of the formula. Unfortunately, the MCAT carries a greater weight and this number is used to compare applicants. Most schools feel that the MCAT is what allows to compare people from different schools.

The AI is the sum of GPA, science GPA and the average of all 3 MCAT scores for a perfect score of 23. As you can see, just the MCAT alone is over 65% of the total number ( nothing dubious about "almost 2/3" is it?)

Most applicants that gain admissions have a score of at least 16. Then again, for the most competitive and top 10 schools in the country, a 21 hovers around the minimum.

Students that fail to get accepted, usually have no clue about the admission process. I would recommend for you two to become more familiar with it. Knowing this stuff really helps.

4.0+4.0=8.0 +13 =21

So you are saying the minimum to get into a top ten is 4.0 and 39. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

 

[BrainBuff]

Who told you that? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but what you are saying is inaccurate. I've called more than a few schools, hit up more than a few of my connections to ask how they rank applicants, and none of them have said anything about an academic index. What I have found is that most admissions committee officers have told me that a ~3.6GPA 35+ MCAT student would be more competitive than me on paper. You have to do well in both...
The selection process at different schools is just...well, different. There is no magic formula...

If that were the case, my 'stats' according to your weighting rubric (MCAT => 2/3, GPA => 1/3) would be equal to an application with something like:
40x(2/3) + 3.3x10x(1/3) = 37.66666
~ 3.83GPA w/37 MCAT.
Clearly a student with those stats is going to be more competitive than me with respect to stats.

I regret to tell you that you are dead wrong. I do not know which medical school adcoms you called, but they are certainly not in the business of spreading this information nor will they comment on what their individual schools "cut offs" are. How do you think that they compare the GPA and MCAt anyway? Do they take a 3.5 with 38 over a 4.0 with a 32? The Ai allows to put this info together giving the necessary weight to the MCAT which is what they think is fair.

You do not say what your SGPA is, but assuming is the same as your General, your AI would be something like : 3.83 (GPA)+ 3.83(SGPA)+ 37/3
( 12.33 ) = 19.99 That number is competitive to get admitted to "some" medical school in the country. However would be low for the top schools.

 

[BrainBuff]

4.0+4.0=8.0 +13 =21

So you are saying the minimum to get into a top ten is 4.0 and 39. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Well, some people are just idiots of course.

4.0 + 4.0 + (15+15+15)/3 = 23 MAXIMUM SCORE

An average MCAT of 13 ( which is in the ball park for the ivies) would give you a 21, yes.

Top schools: you need around 21 for the most part to have a competitive chance for admissions. If you are thinking of applying to medical school and getting accepted, I hope that you are better with arithmetic. I wont even bother to explain it to you with your nasty attitude and ridiculous laughter. Figure out where you went wrong with your calculations. Most people getting into those schools have those stats.

 

[mfrizzo3]

I regret to tell you that you are dead wrong. I do not know which medical school adcoms you called, but they are certainly not in the business of spreading this information nor will they comment on what their individual schools "cut offs" are. How do you think that they compare the GPA and MCAt anyway? Do they take a 3.5 with 38 over a 4.0 with a 32? The Ai allows to put this info together giving the necessary weight to the MCAT which is what they think is fair.

You do not say what your SGPA is, but assuming is the same as your General, your AI would be something like : 3.83 (GPA)+ 3.83(SGPA)+ 37/3
( 12.33 ) = 19.99 That number is competitive to get admitted to "some" medical school in the country. However would be low for the top schools.

3.83 and 37 and not competitive for top med school. You are super funny. April Fools DB.

 

[mfrizzo3]

Well, some people are just idiots of course.

4.0 + 4.0 + (15+15+15) = 23 MAXIMUM SCORE

Top schools: you need over 21 for the most part. If you are thinking of applying to medical school and getting accepted, I hope that you are better with arithmetic. I wont even bother to explain to you with your nasty attitude and ridiculous laughter. Figure out where you went wrong with your calculations.

39/3 is 13 you super wonderful person. I'm sorry I can do simple division in my head. And 13 + 4.0+4.0= 21
You are a ginourmous teddy bear. I didn't realize there was a remedial math crowd out there.

 

[BrainBuff]

I'm not sure exactly what you're getting at, but I am using my own personal experience as a basis for what I said. While I did decently on the MCAT (30), my GPA was much better (3.9); however, one of my buddies who had a 3.4 and a 35 MCAT was interviewed at two schools that I was not. Now granted you could make the argument that other factors were involved to some degree, but we do have similar experiences and ECs. In short, I'm not saying that a 35+ MCAT is the golden ticket into medical school (especially if you have a 2.5 GPA)...but face the facts, it is a standarized, objective measurement of how one thinks (unlike GPA which is much more variable depending on undergraduate institution).

Ok, lets use these number as an examples.

Friend: AI 18.47 ( should get him in some school for sure )
You: AI 17.8 the MCAT is where the money is!!!

Your friend is more competitive than you are, for sure. However you should also be able to get in somewhere. 🙂
(I am assuming your SGPA is the same, since you do not say...)

 

[Vihsadas]

I regret to tell you that you are dead wrong. I do not know which medical school adcoms you called, but they are certainly not in the business of spreading this information nor will they comment on what their individual schools "cut offs" are. How do you think that they compare the GPA and MCAt anyway? Do they take a 3.5 with 38 over a 4.0 with a 32? The Ai allows to put this info together giving the necessary weight to the MCAT which is what they think is fair.

You do not say what your SGPA is, but assuming is the same as your General, your AI would be something like : 3.83 (GPA)+ 3.83(SGPA)+ 37/3
( 12.33 ) = 19.99 That number is competitive to get admitted to "some" medical school in the country. However would be low for the top schools.

I called a few, but mostly I have family friends who have been on Admissions committees in the past, and some that still are. A few that used to be on the committees at top ten schools.

Thumbing through my MSAR (08-09):
These are the 'Academic Indexes' according to your formula:
AI = sGPA + cGPA + (PS + BS + VR)/3,
for the Median Accepted Applicants at top schools, i.e. half of applicants post numbers above or below these.

Harvard
19.39
Johns Hopkins
19.401
Stanford
19.26
Yale
19.28
Emory
19.19
University of Michigan
19.26

And the biggest numbers ***** of them all!!...
Washington University in St. Louis
20.2

Clearly your statement:

...Then again, for the most competitive and top 10 schools in the country, a 21 hovers around the minimum...

is right on target.
I'm pretty sure that you are intelligent enough to have thought of this yourself, so I'm calling April Fools. Good one though, definitely had me going for a while. 🙂

 

[mfrizzo3]

math Is Super Fun

 

[BrainBuff]

39/3 is 13 you *****. I'm sorry I can do simple division in my head. And 13 + 4.0+4.0= 21
You are a ginourmous douche bag. I didn't realize there was a remedial math crowd out there.

I do not trade insults with idiots. Obviously you are too dense to get past your stupid analysis and once again you miserably failed to see what i was referring to.

 

[Vihsadas]

Okay guys, lively debate is one thing...

but please keep it civil.

Thanks.

 

[mfrizzo3]

I do not trade insults with idiots. Obviously you are too dense to get past your stupid analysis and once again you miserably failed to see what i was referring to.

Ok for all you super awesome people out there.

sGPA+uGPA+(subscores)/3 = some bull*hit number

For super duper people
4.0 + 4.0 (13+13+13)/3 =21

or


4.0+4.0+13 = 21

Math is Fundamental

Also, it doesn't matter what your sub scores are, you can divide MCAT score by 3.

 

[BrainBuff]

I called a few, but mostly I have family friends who have been on Admissions committees in the past, and some that still are. A few that used to be on the committees at top ten schools.....etc

Thank you for going thru the trouble of posting the data. It actually reinforces what I posted. They are all close to 21 !!! The 21 is exactly the minimum score at which you can feel very comfortable in terms of getting that admission.

I am referring to MINIMUMS (the 21 for ivies and the 16 for the rest ) as scores that tell the applicant where he is at in terms of having a sure shot. It tells you you are applying to the right places too.

 

[Dedikated2liftn]

Ok, lets use these number as an examples.

Friend: AI 18.47 ( should get him in some school for sure )
You: AI 17.8 the MCAT is where the money is!!!

Your friend is more competitive than you are, for sure. However you should also be able to get in somewhere. 🙂
(I am assuming your SGPA is the same, since you do not say...)

Proves my point...thanks for the quantitative analysis (BTW We've both been accepted; ironically though, I've got two accpetances to his one).

 

[Vihsadas]

Thank you for going thru the trouble of posting the data. It actually reinforces what I posted. They are all close to 21 !!! The 21 is exactly the minimum score at which you can feel very comfortable in terms of getting that admission.

I am referring to MINIMUMS (the 21 for ivies and the 16 for the rest ) as scores that tell the applicant where he is at in terms of having a sure shot. It tells you you are applying to the right places too.

Even so, I disagree. Noone has a sure shot at a top-tier school. Anyway, thanks for the index. I mean there's some truth to using formulas like that, and I'm sure that some schools do.

 

[BrainBuff]

Ok for all you special people out there.

sGPA+uGPA+(subscores)/3 = some bull*hit number

For super slow people
4.0 + 4.0 (13+13+13)/3 =21

or


4.0+4.0+13 = 21

Math is Fundamental

Also, it doesn't matter what you sub scores are, you can divide MCAT score by 3.

Dude, what are you talking about? You still do not get it, do you? I was pointing out the fact that you seemed to be negating with your sarcastic stupid comments the greater impact of the MCAT which is what the formula shows. 3.8+3.8+ 13= 20.6 Roughly the same but 4.0 + 4.0 + 11 = 19 THAT REPRESENTS A BIG DIFFERENCE.

 

[BrainBuff]

Vihsadas,

It may not have been clear to you, but that's what i was trying to emphasize. Of course there are people with lower scores that get admitted. The whole application is taken into consideration as you well know, and special situations that cause one to have lower scores are obviously looked at. But knowing those numbers, and knowing where one is at is helpful in terms of focusing into the right schools.

Clearly, if I have an AI of 17, i may apply to my dream school but i know that I am not competitive there and I better focus on my states or private safeties

 

[mfrizzo3]

Thank you for going thru the trouble of posting the data. It actually reinforces what I posted. They are all close to 21 !!! The 21 is exactly the minimum score at which you can feel very comfortable in terms of getting that admission.

I am referring to MINIMUMS (the 21 for ivies and the 16 for the rest ) as scores that tell the applicant where he is at in terms of having a sure shot. It tells you you are applying to the right places too.

According to your math you only need a 16 at these schools

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

Michigan - Not an Ivy
WashU - Not an Ivy
Emory - Not an Ivy
Johns Hopkins - Not an Ivy
UCSF - Not an Ivy
Duke - Not an Ivy
Stanford - Not an Ivy
UCLA - Not an Ivy
Baylor - Not an Ivy
Pitt - Not an Ivy
UChicago- Not an Ivy
Vanderbilt -Not an Ivy

 

[BrainBuff]

Proves my point...thanks for the quantitative analysis (BTW We've both been accepted; ironically though, I've got two accpetances to his one).

Probably no irony there. Likely, you applied to the "right" schools for you in terms of everything else. Congrats to both of you!!

By the way, which were they?

 

[Dedikated2liftn]

Probably no irony there. Likely, you applied to the "right" schools for you in terms of everything else. Congrats to both of you!!

By the way, which were they?

Me: Creighton & SLU
Him: SLU

Additionally, he holds a waitlist spot at Creighton, and I hold one at MCW.

 

[BrainBuff]

According to your math you only need a 16 at these schools

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

Michigan - Not an Ivy
WashU - Not an Ivy
Emory - Not an Ivy
Johns Hopkins - Not an Ivy
UCSF - Not an Ivy
Duke - Not an Ivy
Stanford - Not an Ivy
UCLA - Not an Ivy
Baylor - Not an Ivy
Pitt - Not an Ivy
UChicago- Not an Ivy
Vanderbilt -Not an Ivy

No. Go back and read the posts again. With OVER a 16 you should feel comfortable that you will get in "somewhere". Every school is different and some of the schools that you list there are among the most competitive ones as well. Not like Harvard or Yale, but up there.

 

[mfrizzo3]

Thank you for going thru the trouble of posting the data. It actually reinforces what I posted. They are all close to 21 !!! The 21 is exactly the minimum score at which you can feel very comfortable in terms of getting that admission.

I am referring to MINIMUMS (the 21 for ivies and the 16 for the rest ) as scores that tell the applicant where he is at in terms of having a sure shot. It tells you you are applying to the right places too.

Dude, what are you talking about? You still do not get it, do you? I was pointing out the fact that you seemed to be negating with your sarcastic stupid comments the greater impact of the MCAT which is what the formula shows. 3.8+3.8+ 13= 20.6 Roughly the same but 4.0 + 4.0 + 11 = 19 THAT REPRESENTS A BIG DIFFERENCE.

Harvard
19.39
Johns Hopkins
19.401
Stanford
19.26
Yale
19.28
Emory
19.19
University of Michigan
19.26

And the biggest numbers ***** of them all!!...
Washington University in St. Louis
20.2

Maybe you are the one who does not understand.

 

[bozz]

I regret to tell you that you are dead wrong. I do not know which medical school adcoms you called, but they are certainly not in the business of spreading this information nor will they comment on what their individual schools "cut offs" are. How do you think that they compare the GPA and MCAt anyway? Do they take a 3.5 with 38 over a 4.0 with a 32? The Ai allows to put this info together giving the necessary weight to the MCAT which is what they think is fair.

You do not say what your SGPA is, but assuming is the same as your General, your AI would be something like : 3.83 (GPA)+ 3.83(SGPA)+ 37/3
( 12.33 ) = 19.99 That number is competitive to get admitted to "some" medical school in the country. However would be low for the top schools.

lol.. you're telling me a 3.83 and a 37 is low for some schools? maybe WashU? You're joking right.
Many of the top schools seem to not care that much after you reach a certain score (around 36). Other stuff seems to matter more.
The average for the top 10 schools is around a 35 with WashU as the exception (37).

But even according to your scale, there is a pretty big difference between a 19 and a 21. It's really not a small difference.

Also I don't know if you missed this but:

40x(2/3) + 3.3x10x(1/3) = 37.66666
~ 3.83GPA w/37 MCAT.
Clearly a student with those stats is going to be more competitive than me with respect to stats.

Brainbuff:

What do you think?
40 with a 3.3 = 37 w/ 3.83?

IMO regardless of whether they use a formula or not, I'd think they would use intuition more. I mean someone from Princeton with a 3.6 does not = someone from LSU with a 3.6.

 

[BrainBuff]

BTW people, I do not know why the hostility. If anything, I think that the information is very helpful especially when you have some of you failing to see and even arguing, that in fact the MCAT is more heavily weighted in the admissions process.

Also, I did not pull this out of a hat. The source is an ivy League admission officer that does this for living. And mfrizzo3.......i would suggest that you get better "contacts" ....or more informed family......

 

[mfrizzo3]

BTW people, I do not know why the hostility. If anything, I think that the information is very helpful especially when you have some of you failing to see and even arguing, that in fact the MCAT is more heavily weighted in the admissions process.

Also, I did not pull this out of a hat. The source is an ivy League admission officer that does this for living. And mfrizzo3.......i would suggest that you get better "contacts" ....or more informed family......

Helpful, hardly. Telling people they have remote chance at an Ivy, b/c everyone know they are the bestest schools in the widest world, with a 4.0 and 39 is ludicrous you arrogant goat. (I would use harsher language but vihsadas already gave me a SDN spanking)

BTW I have 20/10 vision a-hole.

 

[Handy388]

Good to hear, maybe my dream of going to University of Nebraska and buying a farm will come true with my super high MCAT score..

 

[gplex86]

Yeah, but the poster above was talking about a 3.01...not a little lower, but a LOT lower than the median...the more MDApps profiles I look at, and the more I read about admissions, the more I believe that a median GPA (3.67 and increasiing) along with a median MCAT (31 - 32) is sufficient, but GPAs south of 3.4, no matter how strong the MCAT, are killing people's chances...GPA is critical in the admissions process, more so than the MCAT...

Total crap! AMCAS breaks down your GPA year by year. If you're doing well by the end then your freshman GPA matters less. People who take more academic risks get noticed.

Unless you're applying to an Ivy-caliber school, a GPA of around 3.5 and an MCAT around a 30 is fine. Beyond that, you aren't proving anything. It's much more important to convince admissions via a strong personal statement your commitment to medicine. Lots of solid, hands-on clinical experience will go much further than a GPA over 3.5 or MCAT sub-scores over 10.

There are enough people in this country with amazing GPA's to fill every med school spot, probably a few times over. That's why you keep hearing of those poor schmucks with a 40 MCAT and a 3.8 GPA who still didn't get it. They get lost in the crowd.

I submitted my AMCAS on Dec 1. Secondaries in mid-December. Kiss of death, right?

I got interviews at Yale (with an extension), GW, New York Medical College, SLU, TOURO-CA and TOURO-NV.

My GPA's a 3.45 and my MCAT is a 30.

I got into at least one of them so far, waiting to hear from the rest. How did I do it? No, I didn't go down to Zaire to heal the sick. You can't count me as one of those nontrad students - I'm 21 and in college. I admit, I stuck out like a sore thumb - I have enough academic breadth, clinical experience, and research to satisfy three premeds. My grades aren't the best, but they're very reasonable and were always improving.

So it drives me nuts to hear this GPA stuff. Yes, it needs to be decent. No, it doesn't have to be anywhere near perfect. Good luck.

 

[BrainBuff]

lol.. you're telling me a 3.83 and a 37 is low for some schools? maybe WashU? You're joking right.
Many of the top schools seem to not care that much after you reach a certain score (around 36). Other stuff seems to matter more.

Dude, do not laugh so hard. Yes, those numbers are low for some schools. And no, I am not joking.

The typical medical school applicant has an AI of 17-18. That's strong, but not for the top schools. Then again there is some variability. What's Harvard 's admission rate? Around 4 % - 5%!!

In fact, a few of years ago the entering scores for that specific Harvard class were PS 15 ( 94% ) Bio 15 (95%) V 15 (91%). They did not take anyone with a single 10. Why is it difficult to see that a MCAT of 37 could be "low" for them ??

 

[bozz]

Dude, do not laugh so hard. Yes, those numbers are low for some schools. And no, I am not joking.

The typical medical school applicant has an AI of 17-18. That's strong, but not for the top schools. Then again there is some variability. What's Harvard 's admission rate? Around 4 % - 5%!!

In fact, a few of years ago the entering scores for that specific Harvard class were PS 15 ( 94% ) Bio 15 (95%) V 15 (91%). They did not take anyone with a single 10. Why is it difficult to see that a MCAT of 37 could be "low" for them ??

Huh? You're saying 91% of people who got accepted to Harvard a certain year had 15s in Verbal? Look at MDApps.. how many people do you see with 15s who have been accepted to Harvard? In all my browsing of SDN, I've come across 1 person with a 15 V.

 

[mfrizzo3]

Dude, do not laugh so hard. Yes, those numbers are low for some schools. And no, I am not joking.

The typical medical school applicant has an AI of 17-18. That's strong, but not for the top schools. Then again there is some variability. What's Harvard 's admission rate? Around 4 % - 5%!!

In fact, a few of years ago the entering scores for that specific Harvard class were PS 15 ( 94% ) Bio 15 (95%) V 15 (91%). They did not take anyone with a single 10. Why is it difficult to see that a MCAT of 37 could be "low" for them ??

HMMM. Probably because their average MCAT is a 36. So you are saying at least 80% of people admitted that year got a 45, hahahahahahahahahahahah

 

[Handy388]

hmm, I have a question to you'all

So my GPA in UC Berkeley is around 3.4, never had a C, just Bs in upper division science classes, but the trend looks terrible, and my last semester I am taking most of the classes pass no pass (they are classes taken for fun, however).

If I applied like every other med student who are straight out of college to get into med school, my GPA would actually be around 3.7, my grade plummeted last year due to family situation, not a very good trend. It did pick up somewhat, and I have a recent MCAT score 35+

The thing is, my early years were strong, I had 4.0 in a lot of science classes taken in community college (transfer student), so my overall GPA adds up to 3.6, but I am guessing my effective GPA is between 3.4-3.6.

Basically, I have decent AI but HORRIBLE trend.

 

[BrainBuff]

gplex86 "There are enough people in this country with amazing GPA's to fill every med school spot, probably a few times over. That's why you keep hearing of those poor schmucks with a 40 MCAT and a 3.8 GPA who still didn't get it. They get lost in the crowd."

Exactly. The high scores probably got them to an interview if the rest of their application was decent but there is never a guarantee. I think that there is some of a crap shoot effect anyway. However, beginning to prepare and strategize early during the undergrad years (with everything else needed to buff one's application) can only help one's chances of admission.

 

[BrainBuff]

Huh? You're saying 91% of people who got accepted to Harvard a certain year had 15s in Verbal? Look at MDApps.. how many people do you see with 15s who have been accepted to Harvard? In all my browsing of SDN, I've come across 1 person with a 15 V.

Well, I do not think that SDN is representative of the applicant premed pool. Is it ?

Those stats are all published. It takes a little to dig them though. I do not remember if the specific year i quoted was 2004 or 2005, but I will try to dig that up.

 

[BrainBuff]

Here you go with the rest for that particular year:

First column is MCAT score, then PS, Bio, Verbal and Writing
11 9 % 5% 3 % 7 % (P)
12 33 % 27 % 21 % 19 % (R)
13 67 % 67 % 65 % 62 % (Q)
14 89 % 88 % 81 % 79 % (S)

No one with a 10

 

[Handy388]

Total crap! AMCAS breaks down your GPA year by year. If you're doing well by the end then your freshman GPA matters less. People who take more academic risks get noticed.

Unless you're applying to an Ivy-caliber school, a GPA of around 3.5 and an MCAT around a 30 is fine. Beyond that, you aren't proving anything. It's much more important to convince admissions via a strong personal statement your commitment to medicine. Lots of solid, hands-on clinical experience will go much further than a GPA over 3.5 or MCAT sub-scores over 10.

There are enough people in this country with amazing GPA's to fill every med school spot, probably a few times over. That's why you keep hearing of those poor schmucks with a 40 MCAT and a 3.8 GPA who still didn't get it. They get lost in the crowd.

I submitted my AMCAS on Dec 1. Secondaries in mid-December. Kiss of death, right?

I got interviews at Yale (with an extension), GW, New York Medical College, SLU, TOURO-CA and TOURO-NV.

My GPA's a 3.45 and my MCAT is a 30.

I got into at least one of them so far, waiting to hear from the rest. How did I do it? No, I didn't go down to Zaire to heal the sick. You can't count me as one of those nontrad students - I'm 21 and in college. I admit, I stuck out like a sore thumb - I have enough academic breadth, clinical experience, and research to satisfy three premeds. My grades aren't the best, but they're very reasonable and were always improving.

So it drives me nuts to hear this GPA stuff. Yes, it needs to be decent. No, it doesn't have to be anywhere near perfect. Good luck.

I have a 37 on my MCAT, and appearently that's the 99% percentile. So 1 out of every 100 test takers got that score, according to AAMC. Now, I don't know how many people are taking MCAT, so let me say 100000 people per year, and that leaves 1000 people with an MCAT of 37, every year, a number that doesn't remotely fill the entire seats of medical school.

 

[mfrizzo3]

Well, I do not think that SDN is representative of the applicant premed pool. Is it ?

Those stats are all published. It takes a little to dig them though. I do not remember if the specific year i quoted was 2004 or 2005, but I will try to dig that up.

From Harvard's Website
What are the average GPA and MCAT scores of entering students? Is there a minimum that I need to be above?
For the 2005 entering class, the average scores are given below. Please keep in mind that the scores of the students selected for admission included a broad range of scores that includes scores reflective of national averages.
average GPA: 3.76
average MCAT scores were:

Verbal-11.01
Physical Science-12.09
Biological Science-12.03

AI = 19.23

STeeerike 2

 

[BoSoxMack]

I have a 37 on my MCAT, and appearently that's the 99% percentile. So 1 out of every 100 test takers got that score, according to AAMC. Now, I don't know how many people are taking MCAT, so let me say 100000 people per year, and that leaves 1000 people with an MCAT of 37, every year, a number that doesn't remotely fill the entire seats of medical school.

37 is the 97.3-98.3 percentile....at least for 2007. (http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/combined07.pdf)


and 67,828 people took the MCAT in 2007

but your point is made....just for accuracy's sake

 

[mfrizzo3]

Here you go with the rest for that particular year:

First column is MCAT score, then PS, Bio, Verbal and Writing
11 9 % 5% 3 % 7 % (P)
12 33 % 27 % 21 % 19 % (R)
13 67 % 67 % 65 % 62 % (Q)
14 89 % 88 % 81 % 79 % (S)

No one with a 10

You do realize those percentages are representative of people who scored below the corresponding score. It does not mean 89% people got a 14 in PS. HAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHAHAHAHA

 

[gplex86]

I have a 37 on my MCAT, and appearently that's the 99% percentile. So 1 out of every 100 test takers got that score, according to AAMC. Now, I don't know how many people are taking MCAT, so let me say 100000 people per year, and that leaves 1000 people with an MCAT of 37, every year, a number that doesn't remotely fill the entire seats of medical school.

Notice, I said "amazing GPA's" not amazing MCAT scores! And honestly, you picked a ridiculously high number. Do you really think a 37 gives you so much of a better chance than a 33 (all 11's) would have? At places like Harvard, perhaps, but your score is a dime a dozen at places like that anyway.

EDIT,

And, it seems, the average MCAT section at Harvard is an 11-12. So half of the scores they took were lower. At some point with these scores, you just have to say "enough already!" On the computerized MCAT, we're only talking about a few questions once you get above a ten.