Question about Baylor

[Mawell11]

I have a friend who is worried about getting into Baylor next year b/c she thinks that admissions is heavily dependent on numbers (more so than at other schools). There are rumors that there is a formula for getting in.

Anyhow, do any of you have thoughts about this? Also, did any of you get in with numbers similar to hers:

MCAT: 29
GPA: 3.6

Thanks ;-)

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[A. Caveman]

she stands a chance..but only if that 3.6 is from Harvard/Princeton/Hopkins and if she mentions in her Personal Statement that her parents died in a fiery car crash the night before the MCAT. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

 

[time quaker]

If she's not from Texas, then I would refer to the post above this one. If not, then I guess there's still a chance.

 

[chouette]

if she's from tx, she has a very small chance. according to baylor's website, ~30 people with MCAT averages less than 10/section were accepted. however, that was out of ~1800 applications. the link to this info is: <a href="http://public.bcm.tmc.edu/admissions/brochure/admission_first.html" target="_blank">http://public.bcm.tmc.edu/admissions/brochure/admission_first.html</a>

 

[Scooby Doo]

I highly doubt she would get in with those numbers. Caveman beat me to the punch...but I mean...

Why does Baylor mean so much to her? Why not another texas school?

Is she a URM?
I know people with MUCH MUCH higher stats who did NOT get in.

If she has some amazing experiences, then I would say she has a chance...but if she does not have extrodanairy EC's...then forget about it!

 

[Trek]

While cavey said it a bit more colorfully, it will be difficult. I'm pretty sure the average at baylor is pushing a 34 for last years entering class with a average GPA around 3.8ish. Obviously, those are still only averages, though. Tell your friend to apply- the secondary is free anyway! G'luck! --Trek

 

[Trek]

Also, there is a "formula" to get in- they have an algorithm to rank all the interviewees to see who gets the nod. But it includes more than numbers. --Trek

 

[mma]

I don't know if your friend is from out-of-state, but it is even harder for out-of-staters to get into Baylor--Baylor is obligated to matriculate a large percentage (70%? 80%?)of Texans in each class and so they look at an even more select pool of out-of-staters. (Meanwhile, Texas has a plethora of brilliant, highly motivated, high stats students so the bar is set pretty high for anyone from any place just to get an interview.)

But I would not at all discourage her from applying. Baylor was my top choice school for long before I even began applying (Texas Medical Center is unparalleled in the US in terms of patient base and diversity of hospital administration models, clerkships begin after a year and a half, there is a nice balance, in my opinion, of structured lectures and PBL, blocks are based on systems, the school has a tremendous reputation, it's cheap, etc.). As a resident of MA who did not have a 4.0 and a 35+ on the MCAT, I thought I would have NO CHANCE of getting in. But I did, because they take many factors into consideration (ECs, work/research experience, personality, letters of recommendation, motivation to go to Baylor, etc.) when they are ranking you. Your friend should know they consider the "whole picture." (Yes, there is some sort of formula that calculates an overall "score" based on GPA, MCATs, quality of ECs and recommendation letters, interviews, and Ad Comm member's individual scores.)

If your friend is an out-of-stater and has any questions about applying to Baylor, I would be more than happy to give her my own out-of-stater's take on the whole process.

Take care!

mma

 

[Papa Smurf]

Like the others above have stated, if she's out of state, forget it. Just look at the numbers of some of the out of state applicants on SDN that are waitlisted there. It's sick!!!! If she's in-state, she'd have a little bit better shot, but like Trek said, the 29 is kinda weak for Baylor. 30/1800 students isn't great odds. I know Trek got in, but he had an angle. Only after many nights pleasuring the goats on Dean Bradshaw's farm did he finally get the congratulatory phone call. Talk about dedication!!! :wink: G'luck!

 

[Peter Parker]

I've heard Baylor uses a formula for giving immediate admission to the top 10-15 interviewees from each session (spaced 2 weeks apart). In this way, they admit ~100 students. They admit the remaining 150-200 (for a total of 250-300 admissions) sometime in March once all interviews are complete. The 100 initial acceptances (and probably the remaining 150-200 later acceptances as well) are decided, as Trek has said, by some numerical score being past a threshold. mma is likely to know more specifics about this.

If your friend is from Texas, I wouldn't discount an interview with those scores. Any more than that, it's anybody's guess.

 

[idiot]

I know a girl accepted to Baylor this year with a 28. She has a strong research background with 3 published articles....there's more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[Dr. Frankenstein]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by mma:
•Baylor was my top choice school for long before I even began applying (Texas Medical Center is unparalleled in the US in terms of patient base and diversity of hospital administration models, clerkships begin after a year and a half, there is a nice balance, in my opinion, of structured lectures and PBL, blocks are based on systems, the school has a tremendous reputation, it's cheap, etc•••••The TMC is great, but I wouldnt say its "unparalleled" for clinical training. There are places that do compete with it (i.e. the Boston hospitals, San Francisco hospitals, Johns Hopkins hospital).

 

[mma]

Dr. Frank, I said unparalleled in terms of diversity of hospital administration models--not once did I say clinical training! I would never make such a claim because I know there are many, many excellent medical centers in the US and that people look for different things in their clinical training. TMC is, however, the largest medical center in the US (and soon in the world, I believe) and you can experience clinical training in a public hospital, a private hospital, a ritzy private hospital, a children's hospital, and a VA hospital. In this way you can see how all the different models work and really determine where you feel most comfortable and where you can give the best care. In addition, if you are so inclined and University of Texas-Houston allows you, you can take electives at MD Anderson Cancer Center, which is one of the top CA institutions in the world.

Thanks for letting me clear up my previous statement!


mma

 

[MacGyver]

I thought the NIH and the clinical center (building #10) was the largest medical center in the US. The campus in Bethesda has over 60 buildings.

 

[mma]

Nope, TMC is definitely the biggest in the US. The TMC website says that there are 4.5 million patient visits at TMC every year. By contrast, NIH Clinical Center (which is solely for clinical trials) has 7000 inpatients and 72600 outpatient visits per year.

I think the only med center as large as TMC in is Russia.

And TMC keeps growing up and out. It looks like its own city with skyscrapers and all. Pretty overwhelming. I foresee a lot of being lost in my future!

mma

 

[time quaker]

I believe it is University of Texas-Houston that would allow you to work at MD Anderson not University of Houston...

 

[mma]

Oops, that's right--it's UTH. I fixed it in my previous post.

Thanks!
mma

 

[idiot]

I just met a girl who made a 27 and was accepted this year. I don't know that much about her, worked as an EMT in college, didn't go to a big name school, no research - can't figure out what her selling point was. Bottom line, your friend probably does have a realistic chance.