Medical School Point System

[kimijohni]

What is up with the amcas asking about parents? I have heard rumors its part of the med school point sytsem? Does anyone know about any revisions to point system?

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[gujuDoc]

What is up with the amcas asking about parents? I have heard rumors its part of the med school point sytsem? Does anyone know about any revisions to point system?

I think the point system of ranking you depends on the school, for instance, everytime Miami's Dr. Finkley speaks at a premed forum this is what he tells us:

45 pts mcat + gpa
10 pts hardships in life
20 pts direct patient care
15 pts extracurriculars
15 pts letters of recommendation

So I don't know about other schools, but this is an example of one of the point systems used.

For a few other med schools, the only thing I know about the point system is how they calculate gpa in terms of 3.x gpa multiplied by 10 plus your MCAT to get a total number of points.

Don't know how parents fit into this, unless they are looking to see if you had financial difficulty and that would be factored in the hardships category.

 

[schooldaze]

It's Dr. Hinkley at Miami, not Finkley

 

[gujuDoc]

It's Dr. Hinkley at Miami, not Finkley

Oops yah that was a typo. I meant Hinkley. my bad!!!!! sorry about that and thanks for the correction of my typo.

 

[LizzyM]

I'm sure some schools have formal "points", some use a less quantitative method. Parents' education and profession does help categorize applicants by socio-economic status even if they don't self-identify as "hardship". The expectations with regard to extra-curricular activities, clinical exposure, etc are different if an applicant has two parents who are health care professionals (particularly if they are physicians) when compared to an applicant who has only one living parent and that parent has a high school diploma and works in a trade or in the service sector (e.g. cashier, hairdresser).

 

[gujuDoc]

I'm sure some schools have formal "points", some use a less quantitative method. Parents' education and profession does help categorize applicants by socio-economic status even if they don't self-identify as "hardship". The expectations with regard to extra-curricular activities, clinical exposure, etc are different if an applicant has two parents who are health care professionals (particularly if they are physicians) when compared to an applicant who has only one living parent and that parent has a high school diploma and works in a trade or in the service sector (e.g. cashier, hairdresser).

Good points made.

 

[LadyBulldog]

wow, i didn't realize "hardships" was so imp--10 pts for hardships and 15 for EC????? what if u just have been lucky in life?


And what about research? doesn't that count for much?

 

[gujuDoc]

wow, i didn't realize "hardships" was so imp--10 pts for hardships and 15 for EC????? what if u just have been lucky in life?


And what about research? doesn't that count for much?

Research and volunteering goes in the extracurriculars pile.

In other words, it does not get its own category but goes in the same 15 pt category as other significant activities participated in.

 

[NautiBoy]

so how does the interview factor into the point system then? is it its own category?

 

[45408]

I'm not quite sure why hardships in life would give you points. I would definitely keep that in mind if I was interviewing someone who overcame a lot, but lots of people have rather ordinary lives. I could cause myself some hardships if I wanted to.....

 

[LizzyM]

Points (or just a qualitative consideration) for hardship to some extent offsets a lower gpa, attendance at a lower tier college, lack of research & volunteer experience.

Consider: Applicant went to an "no name" state college while living at home. Worked 30-40 hrs wk in the service industry, year-round starting at age 16 to help support herself & her younger sister. Mother is a housekeeper in a motel. Dad not in the picture (dead or in prison).

Imagine you have one interview slot left. Do you give it to this applicant who has a 3.5 and a 32 or to the daughter of a stockbroker and a psychologist who has a 3.6 from a small, private college and a 33 who has not held a job other than working as a mother's helper (part-time nanny for a faculty member), was the secretary of her sorority and did volunteer work for 3 weeks one summer in Costa Rica?

In whose shoes would you rather walk? Don't wish hardship on yourself, nor illness.

 

[LadyBulldog]

Points (or just a qualitative consideration) for hardship to some extent offsets a lower gpa, attendance at a lower tier college, lack of research & volunteer experience.

Consider: Applicant went to an "no name" state college while living at home. Worked 30-40 hrs wk in the service industry, year-round starting at age 16 to help support herself & her younger sister. Mother is a housekeeper in a motel. Dad not in the picture (dead or in prison).

Imagine you have one interview slot left. Do you give it to this applicant who has a 3.5 and a 32 or to the daughter of a stockbroker and a psychologist who has a 3.6 from a small, private college and a 33 who has not held a job other than working as a mother's helper (part-time nanny for a faculty member), was the secretary of her sorority and did volunteer work for 3 weeks one summer in Costa Rica?

In whose shoes would you rather walk? Don't wish hardship on yourself, nor illness.

that makes more sense now, if its included to offset gpa/ec considerations--i guess when i first read it i thought that they'd take away points if u didn't have hardships....

 

[gujuDoc]

so how does the interview factor into the point system then? is it its own category?

With Miami, per say, the thing is.........

They rank you based on the above, and then depending on how you score they decide whom gets interviews. I believe the interview is just another thing, but they look at you again after the interview and weigh you against the other applications.

At miami, if you get an interview you have a 75% chance of getting in.