Schools that screen secondaries

[starlight15]

Since a lot of people are pre-writing secondaries, I was thinking that it would be a good idea to make a list of schools that screen students before sending in secondaries (so that we don't have to waste time pre-writing something we might not even receive). I've tried searching for posts that have lists, but most are from a couple years ago.

List:

UCLA
UCSF

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Pandaeac]

Since a lot of people are pre-writing secondaries, I was thinking that it would be a good idea to make a list of schools that screen students before sending in secondaries (so that we don't have to waste time pre-writing something we might not even receive). I've tried searching for posts that have lists, but most are from a couple years ago.

List:

UCLA
UCSF

It's actually listed on each school's MSAR Page. But, I'll add the schools I'm applying to which screen. Also, keep in mind that many of these have very laxed screen, for example I think Oakland just screens for like an above 24 or MCAT or something (might be 26 or 27, don't remember) and other have pretty strict screens (Vandy screens out about 80 percent from what I've heard) :

Vanderbilt
UC Irvine
Loyola
UC Davis
Oakland Beaumont
Frank H. Netter School of medicine at Quinnipiac University
UCSD
UCSF
UCLA
Wake Forest

 

[ThunderBear]

add EVMS, VCU, and Oregon H&S to that list as well

 

[Pandaeac]

add EVMS, VCU, and Oregon H&S to that list as well

Do you now what the screens are like for VCU and EVMS?

 

[circulus vitios]

U Toledo, Cooper of Rowan

 

[TheShaker]

Do you now what the screens are like for VCU and EVMS?

EVMS screens pretty hard for OOS (check school specific thread for details), easy for instate.

 

[VictorAlpha]

this is all kind of out of context, no? I mean I applied to some of those schools but it's like - they might screen but the cutoff is so low that they really don't screen, know what I mean?

So it really depends on like what the cutoffs are for each school that screens, right?

 

[Omppu27]

When I think of a "school that screens," I think of something like UCLA. I think they screen out 50+ % of their primaries.

 

[ThunderBear]

When I think of a "school that screens," I think of something like UCLA. I think they screen out 50+ % of their primaries.

I think all UC's screen pretty hard. Sucks to be a CA resident 🙁

 

[psswrd]

.

 

[ThunderBear]

What's "pretty hard" though? Are we talking 3.5 gpa 30 mcat? Since I know a bunch of people get in with scores lower than that, I'm guessing they weed through applications based on ECs and Essays?? For UCs that is.

I think UC's screen your entire primary app (PS, grade, MCAT, LOR, EC's) before they send you a secondary, bc I know some people with 3.7+/34+ that got "screened out". Hopefully they don't just look at stats alone.

 

[starlight15]

I know these are listed in MSAR but I thought it would be good to have all the schools in one place. I didn't think about the "selectivity" of the screen but thinking now, I think it's better to stick with schools that have are more selective when screening than others...

 

[Jennyfishy]

I recall reading an old, but fairly large, discussion thread about whether a lot of the UCs actually screen based solely on stats. From my understanding of talking to current UC matriculated med students, UCSF seems to be the only one that truly screens students if your MCAT is not at least a 30 (unless URM or there is a compelling reason to). I know people who have/have not applied as disadvantaged or URM with "average" ish stats (think 3.5 GPA, 28-30 MCAT) who have received secondaries and/or interviews to the other UCs tough.

So ECs, Letters of rec, and personal statement seem to have a decent amount of weight that make or break many students who have high/low stats. Maybe that was stating the obvious, I apologize if it was.


Just to clarify with an example: I have a friend who received a 27 on her first MCAT, but had 3.95 cGPA. She called all the UCs she applied to about whether this would break her app, and only UCSF told her they strongly recommended her retaking because they wanted to see at least a 30. Other UCs said it would be a concern, but they would not reject her solely based on that MCAT score. She retook, got exactly 30, and received interviews/was accepted to all the california schools.

 

[Toss]

You guys all forgot Mayo, who screens twice.

I know these are listed in MSAR but I thought it would be good to have all the schools in one place. I didn't think about the "selectivity" of the screen but thinking now, I think it's better to stick with schools that have are more selective when screening than others...

Just google it up.

https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=med+school+screen+site:http://forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[psswrd]

.

 

[talinnlove]

Just thought I would complete the thread 🙂 These are all the schools that indicate some form of screening process in the MSAR, and a few noted with 0.0% OOS matriculants (eg, residency is the screen):
[*edit: added the screens I could find on school web sites]

Public
Central Michigan: GPA 3.25 / MCAT 24
Cooper Rowan: "We have accepted candidates with MCAT scores below 24 or GPAs below 3.0 whose experiences and history were exceptional."
East Carolina U (0.0% OOS matriculants in 2012)
East Tennessee State
Eastern Virginia
Florida Atlantic (only screens for felony convictions – sorry, all you hopeful premed felons)
Florida State: "We have no minimum requirements for [GPA and MCAT] scores."
Indiana U
Louisiana State, New Orleans
Louisiana State, Shreveport
Marshall: 3.0 GPA / 22 MCAT
Oakland Beaumont: sGPA 3.00 / cGPA 3.2 / MCAT 24
Southern Illinois (0.0% OOS matriculants in 2012)
U of Toledo
U of Arizona Phoenix
UC Davis (0.0% OOS matriculants in 2012)
UC Irvine
UCLA
UC Riverside
UCSD
UCSF
U of Central Florida
U of Hawai'i
U of Illinois
U of Iowa Carver: 2.5 GPA
U of Kentucky
U of Louisville
U of Minnesota
U of Mississippi (0.0% OOS matriculants in 2012): GPA 2.8 / MCAT 21
U of Missouri-Columbia
U of Nevada
U of New Mexico
UNC Chapel Hill
U of South Dakota
U of Tennessee
U of Utah: sGPA 3.2 / cGPA 3.2
U of Washington
U of Wisconsin
Virginia Commonwealth
Wayne State
West Virginia U: "The committee reserves the privilege to consider an applicant with a GPA lower than a 3.2 if there are other circumstances."

Private
Quinnipiac
Hofstra: 3.0 GPA / 25 MCAT
Loyola
Mayo
Meharry
Mercer (does not accept non-Georgia applicants)
Morehouse: 2.0 GPA
Vanderbilt: "The School does not require a minimum GPA or minimum MCAT score, but intense competition tends to eliminate applicants with low GPA's and/or MCAT scores."
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest
Western Michigan: 3.25 GPA / 24 MCAT

Also: Texas schools use the TMDSAS and I have no idea how that works as far as screening

 

[Toss]

How does Mayo screen twice?

Well, you could be rejected before the request for LORs and rejected after the request has gone through but before the interview.

I think it made more sense in my head.

Nice list talinnlove 🙂

 

[dkpremed]

I didn't see Miami here but they screen. Very lax though I think for in state it's like a 26/3.2 and out of state a little but higher like 27/3.4....probably not exact because it's just off the too of my head from reading a while back MSAR

 

[talinnlove]

I didn't see Miami here but they screen. Very lax though I think for in state it's like a 26/3.2 and out of state a little but higher like 27/3.4....probably not exact because it's just off the too of my head from reading a while back MSAR

Yeah, I thought U Miami had a screen as well, but in the MSAR they're listed as sending a secondary to "all US citizens and permanent residents" so I left em off my list.

On their Website they say

"The University of Miami values diversity and accomplishments applicants have had prior to medical school. For this reason, we do not eliminate applicants solely on failing to have a specific academic metric. If an applicant has low academic metrics, the entire AMCAS application will be reviewed to determine if a Secondary Application will be sent."

So in the MSAR they say no screen, and on their website they say there's a sorta-kinda screen. So I feel like anyone with a pulse will likely get a secondary from UMMSM 🙂

 

[dkpremed]

Yeah, I thought U Miami had a screen as well, but in the MSAR they're listed as sending a secondary to "all US citizens and permanent residents" so I left em off my list.

On their Website they say

So in the MSAR they say no screen, and on their website they say there's a sorta-kinda screen. So I feel like anyone with a pulse will likely get a secondary from UMMSM 🙂

I Didn't think so either but I received an email about a week ago saying " A decision to send you a secondary application will be made shortly" and then I read those numbers in MSAR I thought, I could be mistaken

 

[Anicetus]

Some of these schools also screen based on the subsection scores of the MCAT. Probably like <7 is a screen out too.

 

[vcunanan]

Just to clarify with an example: I have a friend who received a 27 on her first MCAT, but had 3.95 cGPA. She called all the UCs she applied to about whether this would break her app, and only UCSF told her they strongly recommended her retaking because they wanted to see at least a 30. Other UCs said it would be a concern, but they would not reject her solely based on that MCAT score. She retook, got exactly 30, and received interviews/was accepted to all the california schools.

this gives me hope since i have a 31/3.95 🙂

additionally, i got an email saying UC San Diego screens by total MCAT, not by subscore. 28 appears to be their bottom 10%, so if you have 28, you have a shot at getting a secondary

 

[Jennyfishy]

this gives me hope since i have a 31/3.95 🙂

additionally, i got an email saying UC San Diego screens by total MCAT, not by subscore. 28 appears to be their bottom 10%, so if you have 28, you have a shot at getting a secondary

Yeah, anything can happen, but you'll never know if you don't try! Just have a backup plan and make sure there's a lot of other stuff to set you apart 😛.

 

[kyamh]

Well, you could be rejected before the request for LORs and rejected after the request has gone through but before the interview.

I think it made more sense in my head.

Nice list talinnlove 🙂

Based on some of the Mayo posts, I actually think they screen 3 times: once before requesting the fee (basic GPA and MCAT screen), once before LOR request (activities screen), and once before interview invite (PS, and LOR).

 

[TheLadyVanishes]

From my experience, I strongly suspect that UCI and UCD screen by numbers alone, because I received a secondary moments after they received my app.

I suspect that VCU and UCSD may look at other criteria, since there was a receipt of app to secondary invite lag time of 4 days for both schools.

 

[vcunanan]

From my experience, I strongly suspect that UCI and UCD screen by numbers alone, because I received a secondary moments after they received my app.

I suspect that VCU and UCSD may look at other criteria, since there was a receipt of app to secondary invite lag time of 4 days for both schools.

If you don't mind me asking, what are your stats?

 

[TheLadyVanishes]

If you don't mind me asking, what are your stats?

3.75/37 CA resident

 

[deleted404486]

3.75/37 CA resident

interesting. your stats are much better than mine. i applied to UCs last year and got 0 secondaries.

this year i saved my money and only applied to UCD. i somehow got a secondary. you think i should add all the other UCs?

main difference between the two years is i applied 1.5 months early

 

[TheLadyVanishes]

interesting. your stats are much better than mine. i applied to UCs last year and got 0 secondaries.

this year i saved my money and only applied to UCD. i somehow got a secondary. you think i should add all the other UCs?

main difference between the two years is i applied 1.5 months early

This is from last year's Copy of Matriculants data spreadsheet I downloaded from this website:

UCLA 3.71/34
UCSD 3.76/33
UCI 3.67/32
UCD 3.55/31
UCSF 3.73/35

If you were going to apply to any UC it should probably be UCI (that being said, I haven't heard back from them after being complete more than 1 month).
I did not apply to all of the UCs seeing as they are so competitive.

Also, I guess it's possible that schools may do a mix of automatic screens for stats and looking closely at applications, depending on the applicant.

My GPA and MCAT may have been sufficiently high to get me automatically screened into UCI and UCD.

Being OOS at VCU and having a low GPA for UCSD may have triggered a closer look at my application, although I ultimately received secondaries from both. At VCU I have MAY status and at UCSD I still haven't heard anything.

 

[deleted404486]

This is from last year's Copy of Matriculants data spreadsheet I downloaded from this website:

UCLA 3.71/34
UCSD 3.76/33
UCI 3.67/32
UCD 3.55/31
UCSF 3.73/35

If you were going to apply to any UC it should probably be UCI (that being said, I haven't heard back from them after being complete more than 1 month).
I did not apply to all of the UCs seeing as they are so competitive.

Also, I guess it's possible that schools may do a mix of automatic screens for stats and looking closely at applications, depending on the applicant.

My GPA and MCAT may have been sufficiently high to get me automatically screened into UCI and UCD.

Being OOS at VCU and having a low GPA for UCSD may have triggered a closer look at my application, although I ultimately received secondaries from both. At VCU I have MAY status and at UCSD I still haven't heard anything.

i think i am gonna add UCI to the mix. see how things turn out.