Mediocre ECs at top 20

[BeastfromthEast]

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I've heard a lot that to get into a top 20 med school, you need a good GPA, MCAT, and ECs. I've heard that one needs outstanding ECs in order to get admitted into one, and that they have more than enough applicants just with good numbers. But lets say you have a good MCAT (lets say 35+) and a good GPA (3.8+), but have ok ECs. Nothing that makes you stand out, just your standard shadowing, clinical volunteering, etc. Just an applicant with good numbers. How good of a chance would that person have in actually getting a spot in a top 20 or top 10 med school? Are outstanding ECs required to get it? I know its kinda hard to answer this question, but what % of accepted students at top schools have good numbers but ECs that are solid but nothing special? Thanks!

 

[NickNaylor]

I would guess that with "just numbers" your chances aren't that great. These schools get plenty of applicants with "just numbers" and, thus, have the power to discriminate amongst otherwise desirable applicants. Strong ECs and LORs are going to be the determining factor.

 

[varsityblue]

Even mediocre activities can sound amazing if phrased correctly on paper. Your grades and MCATs count for much, much more than what you did in your spare time. I can promise that some medical school, somewhere, will admit you.

 

[NickNaylor]

Even mediocre activities can sound amazing if phrased correctly on paper. Your grades and MCATs count for much, much more than what you did in your spare time. I can promise that some medical school, somewhere, will admit you.

No.

You must be the new flatearth that spews out blatantly poor "advice" because you don't know better. Please do some more research before you start giving out suggestions on what people should do. You haven't even filled out an application yet (assuming your MDApps is correct), much less gone on an interview. How could you know what's important?

 

[bucks2010]

Keep in mind that you probably see your EC's different than adcom members do. Do your best and apply where you want -- there's no telling what might catch an adcom member's eye in your application. Definitely put a lot of reflection into your activities descriptions and secondaries. I think to some degree it's not what you do in your spare time that can really set you apart, but what you learn from it and what it demonstrates about your character. If you are able to really reflect on those 2 things and expound in your descriptions, I think that can help you significantly.

 

[chiapet874]

Even mediocre activities can sound amazing if phrased correctly on paper. Your grades and MCATs count for much, much more than what you did in your spare time. I can promise that some medical school, somewhere, will admit you.

You are just a fountain of poor advice and knowledge aren't you?

 

[Remedies]

I keep hearing that this current cycle is one of the most competitive cycles yet (and apparently they've been getting increasingly more competitive over the last few years). What I take from this: it means that at very least, most applicants are at an even playing field in terms of stats. If most everyone is the same in that regard, how else are adcoms supposed to differentiate between applicants? The answer: ECs.

Adding to what people have said above, I think the lack of substantial involvement in ECs can break an application. Substantial here meaning quality over quantity.

 

[BeastfromthEast]

I keep hearing that this current cycle is one of the most competitive cycles yet (and apparently they've been getting increasingly more competitive over the last few years). What I take from this: it means that at very least, most applicants are at an even playing field in terms of stats. If most everyone is the same in that regard, how else are adcoms supposed to differentiate between applicants? The answer: ECs.

Adding to what people have said above, I think the lack of substantial involvement in ECs can break an application. Substantial here meaning quality over quantity.

well what about solid ECs? nothing spectacular but good enough where its not gonna "break" your app?

 

[Stumpyman]

Top 20 schools aspire to make leaders in medicine. Just being a genius academically isn't going to cut it.

 

[varsityblue]

Stats are the first screen. Having solid stats puts you in a very different position from someone with great ECs but poor stats. Look, OP, if you did SOME activities and have SOMETHING to put down, you're probably going to get an interview SOMEWHERE. Maybe not at Harvard or Penn but definitely at New Mexico and Oklahoma. Call individual med schools on your list to gauge how competitive you'll be at a particular school.

Have some faith in yourself, OK? You're going to be fine.

 

[johnnytheman]

Completely agree with this. Having stellar ECs (e.g. publications, nationally recognized in activity X, etc.) will definitely help, but it's still possible to get into those schools with more average ECs provided that all other areas of your application are good.

First of all, congrats on your many acceptances. But I hontestly think that it'd be extremely difficult for one to get into top 20 programs with mediocre ECs. You mentioned having great LORs could in some cases supplement this, but I think that your uniqueness and your potential contribution to school diversity more likely made those acceptances happen.

 

[gettheleadout]

No.

You must be the new flatearth that spews out blatantly poor "advice" because you don't know better. Please do some more research before you start giving out suggestions on what people should do.

Oh my god you took the words right out of my mouth.

You haven't even filled out an application yet (assuming your MDApps is correct), much less gone on an interview. How could you know what's important?

Eh, I've never really seen how this matters if the information given is correct...

 

[johnnytheman]

I do think that my "life experiences" (I won't go so far as to call them unique though lol) did help me significantly. But I still do stand by what I said earlier: that acceptance at "top 20" programs are possible even with less than stellar, but still solid, ECs (I agree that a person with only mediocre ECs will have a very uphill battle).

Trust me when I say this, you are as unique as one can be when it comes to applicant diversity. You are an east Asian, was raised in a strict and traditional Asian family in an Asian country (at least during the early stage of your life) where homosexuals face discrimination and persecution on a daily basis, yet you are openly gay, so what you experienced is not something every premed can bring to the table. On the top of it, you took care of your mother who passed away from illness, and I'm pretty sure you incorporated it into your essay as well as talked about it during your interviews. You have great MCAT score, decent GPA, but I honestly believe that you wouldn't have been very successful this cycle if it weren't for your 'unique' life experiences.

 

[mipp0]

Trust me when I say this, you are as unique as one can be when it comes to applicant diversity. You are an east Asian, was raised in a strict and traditional Asian family in an Asian country (at least during the early stage of your life) where homosexuals face discrimination and persecution on a daily basis, yet you are openly gay, so what you experienced is not something every premed can bring to the table. On the top of it, you took care of your mother who passed away from illness, and I'm pretty sure you incorporated it into your essay as well as talked about it during your interviews. You have great MCAT score, decent GPA, but I honestly believe that you wouldn't have been very successful this cycle if it weren't for your 'unique' life experiences.

+1
I don't know where he got all that bio about you (profile I suppose or old posts), but assuming it's true, then yes, your unique lived experiences make you stand out.

The only applicants to become top 10 acceptees I've met had superstar stats and great ECs or average stats with superstar ECs. Solid doesn't get you into those schools unless you have some incredible lived experiences or life story.

The exception doesn't disprove the general rule.

 

[varsityblue]

Oh my god you took the words right out of my mouth.

Eh, I've never really seen how this matters if the information given is correct...

Look, if a person has strong stats and interviews well, they're going to be admitted somewhere. I know of at least fifteen people from my hometown that were admitted to places like Albany Med and Mount Sinai by virtue of earning good stats and being a typical, cookie-cutter premed. I realize that a lot of people do in fact make ECs the centre of their lives but I hope other people on this thread also recognize that not everyone has to be quite as multifaceted as NickNaylor to win acceptance to any ol' medical school. There's room for everyone who qualifies and I really think people should be a bit more honest about OP's chances.

 

[NickNaylor]

Eh, I've never really seen how this matters if the information given is correct...

For many things this is true. However, as you might find when you're applying yourself, many of the things that are repeated as absolute fact are, in actuality, a little more nuanced than what you might think. While there's some value in simply parroting the things that are definitely true, there's more value in advice/perspectives from people that have gone through the process and can add their own little twist on things in my opinion.

 

[forsparta]

GOLDWATER - that scholarship would make you stand out like a mofo