Still waiting for an acceptance....

[NukeQuazar]

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If you do this, they'll just laugh and be glad they didn't accept you. In fact, there is a possibility that you might only get into one of these "addled" schools. I had better GPA and similar MCAT and had to apply 3 times. Thankfully I was smart enough to understand that the only common factor was me.

A High MCAT does not mean you'll be a good doctor. It simply means you can take a standardized test.

It's an interesting opinion, since you went from a 32Q to a 37S and got in. I do believe that the MCAT score is the most important single factor. Clearly, obviously not the only factor, but if you have to pick one as the most critical, it seems to be MCAT.

 

[Myuu]

It's an interesting opinion, since you went from a 32Q to a 37S and got in. I do believe that the MCAT score is the most important single factor. Clearly, obviously not the only factor, but if you have to pick one as the most critical, it seems to be MCAT.

I would tend to agree with Chuck's Right Foot on this one. Learn how to play the game and you'll get the score. There are a ton of other factors in play that can trump the MCAT in an admissions cycle (bad timing, poor school choice, terrible interview skills, etc). An MCAT is but a single step toward getting an interview.🙁

 

[Chuck's Right Foot]

I applied 3 times. Once with a 32, twice with a 37. It wasn't the MCAT that kept me in/out. It was the soft skills.

I would say the MCAT is a watershed. Over a certain point (30?) more points are just gravy.

 

[NukeQuazar]

I applied 3 times. Once with a 32, twice with a 37. It wasn't the MCAT that kept me in/out. It was the soft skills.

I would say the MCAT is a watershed. Over a certain point (30?) more points are just gravy.

The 37 may not have gotten you in, but the 32 may have kept you out. Clearly, as you did not get in the first time you had the 37, you might not have ever gotten in with the 32.

If you look at the stats on aamc.org, there is an extremely clear trend correlating mcat scores to school admissions, with better schools having unarguably higher median mcat scores. I agree that there seems to be a threshold number, but I would say that number over which extra points don't matter is more like 35.

 

[aznb0y129]

The 37 may not have gotten you in, but the 32 may have kept you out. Clearly, as you did not get in the first time you had the 37, you might not have ever gotten in with the 32.

If you look at the stats on aamc.org, there is an extremely clear trend correlating mcat scores to school admissions, with better schools having unarguably higher median mcat scores. I agree that there seems to be a threshold number, but I would say that number over which extra points don't matter is more like 35.

Of course having a higher MCAT score is favorable for your application, but what Chuck is saying is that it's not the only determining factor nor necessarily the most IMPORTANT determining factor. Since he applied previously with a 37 and didn't get in, a different aspect of his application was probably lacking, which he bolstered for this cycle using the same stats and then got in.

Maybe you won't get into a top-tier (whatever that means) medical school with a 32 MCAT, but I'd hardly say that would keep you out of a "regular" allopathic program. The threshold number for allopathic admission is probably closer to 30-31 at the moment.

 

[NukeQuazar]

Of course having a higher MCAT score is favorable for your application, but what Chuck is saying is that it's not the only determining factor nor necessarily the most IMPORTANT determining factor. Since he applied previously with a 37 and didn't get in, a different aspect of his application was probably lacking, which he bolstered for this cycle using the same stats and then got in.

I get it. But I think that if you look at the stats and the anecdotal evidence, the strongest single correlating factor is the MCAT score. Which makes sense, because it's the only standardized universal constant in common between all applicants. And it's the only exam grade, if you will, that is controlled and standardized across all applicants. You will see forum posts about the 39 MCAT with no acceptances, but that is an extreme minority. That applicant is posting out of disappointment, frustration, and outrage at the system that they worked so hard to succeed at.

Maybe you won't get into a top-tier (whatever that means) medical school with a 32 MCAT, but I'd hardly say that would keep you out of a "regular" allopathic program. The threshold number for allopathic admission is probably closer to 30-31 at the moment.

Of course I know that many applicants are admitted with MCAT scores of 30. I didn't say 35 is an admission threshold, rather that it's a score at which more points don't help you too much--the point of diminishing returns.

I have felt since I first started researching this process and continue to believe, as I get farther into it myself, that a low MCAT requires everything else in your app to be stellar, while a stellar MCAT can prop up an otherwise middling app. This belief continues to be reinforced by anecdotal evidence of people I know.

 

[spellie11]

So NukeQuazar, what is the solution? How would you reform the application process? I too have been waitlisted at 3 of the 4 schools I was waitlisted at, and I agree the application process in not perfect. But I do not see a practical way to change it. I think in the end, the majority of the people who do get in are qualified and will eventually become good doctors.

 

[Myuu]

So NukeQuazar, what is the solution? How would you reform the application process? I too have been waitlisted at 3 of the 4 schools I was waitlisted at, and I agree the application process in not perfect. But I do not see a practical way to change it. I think in the end, the majority of the people who do get in are qualified and will eventually become good doctors.

So what happened to the fourth school you were waitlisted at?🙁

 

[aznb0y129]

I get it. But I think that if you look at the stats and the anecdotal evidence, the strongest single correlating factor is the MCAT score. Which makes sense, because it's the only standardized universal constant in common between all applicants. And it's the only exam grade, if you will, that is controlled and standardized across all applicants. You will see forum posts about the 39 MCAT with no acceptances, but that is an extreme minority. That applicant is posting out of disappointment, frustration, and outrage at the system that they worked so hard to succeed at.



Of course I know that many applicants are admitted with MCAT scores of 30. I didn't say 35 is an admission threshold, rather that it's a score at which more points don't help you too much--the point of diminishing returns.

I have felt since I first started researching this process and continue to believe, as I get farther into it myself, that a low MCAT requires everything else in your app to be stellar, while a stellar MCAT can prop up an otherwise middling app. This belief continues to be reinforced by anecdotal evidence of people I know.

I personally think GPA is the most important, with MCAT second, but they're definitely both important.

 

[NukeQuazar]

So NukeQuazar, what is the solution? How would you reform the application process? I too have been waitlisted at 3 of the 4 schools I was waitlisted at, and I agree the application process in not perfect. But I do not see a practical way to change it. I think in the end, the majority of the people who do get in are qualified and will eventually become good doctors.

Of course I don't have a solution--I'm partially just getting out my own frustration at the system--but I do have some thoughts...

1. I wish the process could be more transparent about stats and priorities of the adcoms at different schools, so that we could be more realistic and efficient as applicants, wasting less of everyone's time and money.

2. I know this would be a burden, but I think they should interview more candidates to shift the weight a little bit away from the application factors that can be manipulated, and towards the actual applicant.

3. Stop asking stupid questions on secondaries like, "What hardship have you overcome?", "What is your greatest leadership experience?", and "Where do you see yourself in ten years?" These questions are easily manipulated and favor applicants who have better advisors, family members in medicine, and/or can afford professional assistance.

 

[NukeQuazar]

I personally think GPA is the most important, with MCAT second, but they're definitely both important.

It's my sense from looking through the AMSAR and from the experiences of friends and classmates that MCAT correlates better than GPA, but they're both important.