MSAR statistics seem off?

[TX500]

I just bought the MSAR and am quite confused (I'm a Texas resident).

According to the medical school website at A&M, for the entering class of 2011, "the class is distinguished by a mean GPA of 3.63 and average total MCAT score of 29." The MSAR states that the median GPA is 3.77. That's quite a drastic difference.

Some school websites will list their mean MCAT on their sites as a 29, but the MSAR will list the median as a 33.

I know schools list matriculated averages while the MSAR lists the median for accepted students, but I'm still confused as to which source I should use when figuring out where to apply (my GPA is a 3.65 and I would feel a lot more comfortable applying to a place with an average of 3.63 vs. 3.77 - make sense?)

Edit:
The average GPA for San Antonio's med school is a 3.60 according to their website, and a 3.78 according to the MSAR. Two COMPLETELY different numbers.

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[Temperature101]

I just bought the MSAR and am quite confused (I'm a Texas resident).

According to the medical school website at A&M, for the entering class of 2011, "the class is distinguished by a mean GPA of 3.63 and average total MCAT score of 29." The MSAR states that the median GPA is 3.77. That's quite a drastic difference.

Some school websites will list their mean MCAT on their sites as a 29, but the MSAR will list the median as a 33.

I know schools list matriculated averages while the MSAR lists the median for accepted students, but I'm still confused as to which source I should use when figuring out where to apply (my GPA is a 3.65 and I would feel a lot more comfortable applying to a place with an average of 3.63 vs. 3.77 - make sense?)

Dont go by MSAR stats...I was told by someone who works at a med school in FL that the numbers reported to MSAR are somewhat inflated because these stats are for accepted applicants--not matriculated applicants. They dont report applicants who are waitlisted who tend to have lower stats, and they end up taking about half the incoming class from the waitlist...This is what she told me.

 

[BigBlueBear]

Also mean and median are two very different things...

 

[TX500]

Also mean and median are two very different things...

I am aware of that, but which of the stats should I look at? I don't want to apply to tons of schools with a 3.8 median if my GPA is a 3.65.

 

[Twinnering]

I would look at accepted, so the MSAR essentially. It shows you the caliber of students they accept overall. Some of the higher qualified applicants may matriculate else where, bringing down the average...but in the end all you really need to base it off are the numbers that get you an acceptance in the first place.

 

[Midifelder10]

Look at the matriculant if you can get your hands on it. I think they use median and Mean w/o knowing what they are doing but it is actually median if they give S.D. with it.

 

[Geebeejay]

I just bought the MSAR and am quite confused (I'm a Texas resident).

According to the medical school website at A&M, for the entering class of 2011, "the class is distinguished by a mean GPA of 3.63 and average total MCAT score of 29." The MSAR states that the median GPA is 3.77. That's quite a drastic difference.

Some school websites will list their mean MCAT on their sites as a 29, but the MSAR will list the median as a 33.

I know schools list matriculated averages while the MSAR lists the median for accepted students, but I'm still confused as to which source I should use when figuring out where to apply (my GPA is a 3.65 and I would feel a lot more comfortable applying to a place with an average of 3.63 vs. 3.77 - make sense?)

Edit:
The average GPA for San Antonio's med school is a 3.60 according to their website, and a 3.78 according to the MSAR. Two COMPLETELY different numbers.

As they should be....median and mean are two COMPLETELY different statistics.

I am aware of that, but which of the stats should I look at? I don't want to apply to tons of schools with a 3.8 median if my GPA is a 3.65.

Don't worry about it unless you're way below the median....statistics are only a part of the whole pictures. Apply broadly to both reaches and "safeties".

 

[235009]

I am aware of that, but which of the stats should I look at? I don't want to apply to tons of schools with a 3.8 median if my GPA is a 3.65.

I would suggest to anyone applying with a 3.5 GPA or above to completely ignore mean/median GPA numbers and base their school selection entirely on median MCAT score as reported in the MSAR. MCAT score is far more important and it is less likely that different schools will have significantly different interpretations of your score whereas you don't know how different schools will interpret your GPA (for instance do they make allowances for major or undergrad institution?). Also if you look at med school reputation/competitiveness it lines up almost perfectly with MCAT medians while GPA numbers are somewhat random.

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[LizzyM]

Mean and median aren't going to be that different because the range is very narrow and the outliers are very rare. Median does better reflect a minimum better than mean when there is a minimum floor for admission (if 55% of the students have a MCAT of 29 and no one with a lower MCAT is accepted the median would be 29 but the mean would be higher than 29).

On the other hand, there is a huge difference between accepted and matriculated, particularly outside of the top 10 schools. Why? because everyone accepts many applicants with high stats and those individuals with their 4.0/40 are counted as accepted at many schools but matriculate to only one school A school can shoot for the stars by accepting many high stats applicants and then settle for what they consider their "second tier" applicants with somewhat lower stats.

If you are trying to see where you'll get an interview, use the MSAR with its median as that tells you who the school is shooting for. If you are trying to figure where you'll be "average" or "above average" in comparision to your med school classmates, look at the school's website describing the student body.

 

[tennischamp822]

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[TX500]

Awesome, thanks for the help guys!

 

[daviomaron]

I think they use median and Mean w/o knowing what they are doing but it is actually median if they give S.D.

 

[235009]

I think they use median and Mean w/o knowing what they are doing but it is actually median if they give S.D.

ummm wrong. 🙄

 

[MedPR]

Dont go by MSAR stats...I was told by someone who works at a med school in FL that the numbers reported to MSAR are somewhat inflated because these stats are for accepted applicants--not matriculated applicants. They dont report applicants who are waitlisted who tend to have lower stats, and they end up taking about half the incoming class from the waitlist...This is what she told me.

Accepted stats are all that matter dude.

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[LizzyM]

Accepted stats are all that matter dude.

Not when you are trying to get an interview and wondering why you are having no success with stats close to the school's average for the student body when, truth be told, only a fraction of those who are interviewed have stats that low and most of those interviewed have much higher stats.

 

[plumazul]

Accepted stats are all that matter dude.

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Not when you are trying to get an interview and wondering why you are having no success with stats close to the school's average for the student body when, truth be told, only a fraction of those who are interviewed have stats that low and most of those interviewed have much higher stats.

Accepted students stats are higher than matriculant data since they include the schools "wish list", so you guys are actually in agreement, right? 😕

 

[IslandStyle808]

Not when you are trying to get an interview and wondering why you are having no success with stats close to the school's average for the student body when, truth be told, only a fraction of those who are interviewed have stats that low and most of those interviewed have much higher stats.

MedPR is referring to the accepted stats (without the waitlist) not the matriculated stats (with the waitlist). I think you both are referring to the same thing.

 

[Midifelder10]

ummm wrong. 🙄

Why? If you have a sd it is meaningless w/o median.

On other note most of the schools MCAT drops by few points when classes start. They will accept high 30's anyway to inflate their nos knowing fully well that student will never matriculate.

 

[LizzyM]

MedPR is referring to the accepted stats (without the waitlist) not the matriculated stats (with the waitlist). I think you both are referring to the same thing.

I could be wrong but I do believe that when MSAR calculates median GPA and MCAT it uses every offer made which includes offers from the waitlist. (Every person who receives an offer and those who matriculate are reported back to AAMC.)

Stats for all those who are offered a spot includes dozens, even hundreds of applicants with high stats who go elsewhere, particularly when you look at the top schools that are all vying for the high stats applicants. They are inflating the mean and moving the median upward but you should also consider that those are folks who got those coveted interview slots.

The standard deviation is one way of describing the spread around a mean. With median, one can use percentiles to describe the distribution (10th percentile/90th percentile is used in the MSAR).