Sliding Scale a Myth??

[dopaminesurge]

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I don't buy the theory that if you have super academic acheivement, which assumes a good gpa & good MCAT, good EC and good LOR but a lousy interview you'll still get in. There are interviews that set off such alarm bells that no adcom worth the title would admit the applicant.

Ooh...

Such as? Like, discrepencies between application and interview stories? Personality flaws?

Give us examples.

 

[fred213]

Take a given school's average MCAT. Add 10 times the school's average gpa. Subtract 1. Call this the school's NUMBER.

If your (gpa)(10) + MCAT = NUMBER then you are an adequate candidate academically (your ECs can raise or lower your strength as an applicant). (if you did a post-bach to make up for a poor undergrad gpa use the post-bach gpa times 8 rather than your undergrad gpa times 10).

If your NUMBER is 1-2 points higher, then you are an average candidate. More than 2 points higher, you have a better than 50-50 chance of getting an interview (most schools only interview a small fraction of the applicant pool).

If your NUMBER is 1-5 points lower but you bring some special skills or experience to the table, then you may be suitable for admission and have a shot at getting an interview if the circumstances are right.

If your number is >=79 you've got nothing to worry about. If your number is <50, you do not have a prayer.

Sorry for dragging up this ancient thread. I hope it is at least useful in reminding us where the LizzyM score came from, and how simple and approachable the math behind it is supposed to be.

LizzyM, I couldn't find anywhere in the archives where you talked about this, so in case you get a chance to think about this:

Do you see any situations where an individual's LizzyM score is too high to justify applying to a particular school?

There's mythology here on SDN that mid-range schools will reject high-stats applicants to protect their yields. I know you invented this method to prevent people from aiming too high, but is it also possible to aim too low? Do schools with LizzyM scores in the mid-60s tend to reject applicants with scores in the mid-70s, or is that wishful thinking?

Anyone else have any opinions/experiences?

 

[LizzyM]

I do think that some schools will take a dim view of an application from an applicant who seems to be using that school as a "safety" or as one of dozens of schools for the sake of "broadly" but with little interest in the school. You need to be specific on the secondary (if there is one) regarding why that particular school is a good fit for you and/or what you like about it.

Some schools will not waste interviews on people who are unlikely to matriculate. They may believe that someone who has good prospects at a top 10 school is unlikely to matriculate at a lower tier school. Why should that school waste an interview slot on you? But if you say that you grew up rounding at the affilated hospital with your grandfather or that you are very interested in a special program or clinical specialty at that school, then they might be thrilled at your interest and more likely to matriculate if offered an interview.