With all due respect, I don't really understand the time being wasted on the 8's per section, as the question was answered many times. PCOM Admissions will tell you and the website clearly states that 8's are very much encouraged, and since encouraged does not equal required, there is no definitive cut off like other programs may have. Period.
And perhaps leniency was not the correct term? But there is no denying how rolling admissions works. If you are less competitive, you have a greater chance of being accepted early on, because N is smaller. Students have been denied admission whether they have a 36 or a 24 MCAT later on in the cycle, at least here at PCOM. If you have a lower score, you most likely have a better chance applying early before the application pool starts rising.
And it is a little foolish to assume students at PCOM want to "lecture" applicants on the MCAT score they should receive. MCAT does not matter once you are in medical school (well...unless you count the fact that it goes on the Residency Application, which I am still not concerned about), but MCAT does matter when trying to gain an interview, otherwise you would not take it.
Are MCAT scores the make it or break it? No. Do they count? Yes. So my advice is, to apply early regardless of the score. PCOM does look at the application as a whole, and are honestly interested in you as a person, not as a number, however, they also receive over 6,500 applications per year.
And no one here, especially someone who had a lower MCAT score and was accepted, wants to discourage the applicants from applying. Our program is amazing. But for those of you who want realistic facts and advice, there it is. Plenty of us fall below the average, because that's how statistics work, so never count yourself out.
And for the individual asking about retaking the MCAT and which scores they take, PCOM takes the highest overall test score, and does not take the highest section from each score.
my boyfriend was just accepted today as well!! 
