Top 10 School Acceptance with lower than Median MCAT

[dfa1513]

Hi everyone,

I hope everything is going well throughout this application process! I was just wondering if there are people on this forum who received acceptances at Top 10 Schools despite having MCAT scores below the median, and GPA Scores within the median range.

What do you think made you get accepted despite having it a few points below the median (I'm thinking 514-517 range), and did you ever have to explain the lower than median scores in interviews?

Any advice would be appreciated!

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[aldol16]

You do realize that exactly half of all acceptees are below the median scores right? And if you assume that all of the SDN acceptees for a given school are a representative sample of that school's accepted pool, then half of all SDN acceptees for a given school also had scores below the median. Practically speaking, SDN tends to skew towards the upper end, so I would say less than half but still a very significant proportion.

 

[dfa1513]

You do realize that exactly half of all acceptees are below the median scores right? And if you assume that all of the SDN acceptees for a given school are a representative sample of that school's accepted pool, then half of all SDN acceptees for a given school also had scores below the median. Practically speaking, SDN tends to skew towards the upper end, so I would say less than half but still a very significant proportion.

Hi aldol,

Thanks for the reply! Yup, I realize that 50% of people get in with a score above and 50% of people get in with a score below the median. I think I should rephrase my question. There are definitely members on SDN who got in with a lower score than the median.

I'm wondering if they can explain what they think could have gotten them in when this score was not a "WOW" factor for the adcoms, and whether or not it was ever brought up in interviews.

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[LnSin]

You do realize that exactly half of all acceptees are below the median scores right? And if you assume that all of the SDN acceptees for a given school are a representative sample of that school's accepted pool, then half of all SDN acceptees for a given school also had scores below the median. Practically speaking, SDN tends to skew towards the upper end, so I would say less than half but still a very significant proportion.

You didn't really answer his question...he's asking WHY people with less than the median get in. What makes them stand out?


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[TSteezy]

deleted for privacy

 

[aldol16]

I'm wondering if they can explain what they think could have gotten them in when this score was not a "WOW" factor for the adcoms, and whether or not it was ever brought up in interviews.

You didn't really answer his question...he's asking WHY people with less than the median get in. What makes them stand out?

The very fact that half of the people who got into the school were below median means that there's nothing special you do to get in just because you have a below median MCAT score. It's not like everybody below the median had to have cured cancer whereas it was a cakewalk for everybody above the median. Unless your MCAT score is significantly below the range for that school (and even then), it most most likely will not be brought up in interviews. Once you're granted the interview, it's less about your stats than about who you are during interview day. Stats matter still, but if you've been granted an interview, they think that you can handle their curriculum.

 

[zerox117]

N=1, but for me personally my application was centered around an area that affected me greatly in the past and I essentially spent my time doing research/volunteering (clinically and non clinically)/leadership in said area to aid others that struggled with the same issue and I did ALOT of it. I like to think it helped. Stat wise my LM was less than 70 with an MCAT in the 504-510 range got in to a top school.

*EDIT* MCAT was never a discussion, although it was likely because most of my interviews were MMI.

 

[holdthemayo]

You didn't really answer his question...he's asking WHY people with less than the median get in. What makes them stand out?

Being above the median in other areas of their application.

 

[efle]

For people slightly below the median (say second quartile) I don't think those few points really mattered, like aldol says they were probably just especially great at the interview and had good extra-curriculars like most successful apps there.
For people far below the median (say bottom quartile) some common themes include URM, very strong GPA helping to balance, extraordinary extra-curriculars (like several years of productive research with pubs, or full time service/nonprofit organizations, etc).

And keep in mind how tight the percentiles get up at the high end of the score range. Places like Hopkins and Harvard have IQRs of 6-7 points but that is all still within the top 10% of scores. A couple points doesn't really mean much when it is the difference between 95 vs 97 percentile.

 

[AttemptingScholar]

Don't forget that people with lower GPAs who got in probably didn't also have lower MCATs. I'm sure some do, but it's more likely that only one stat was below the median and the other was near/above it.

 

[BombsAway]

Having what adcoms crave.

 

[AttemptingScholar]

Having what adcoms crave.

 

[LnSin]

For people slightly below the median (say second quartile) I don't think those few points really mattered, like aldol says they were probably just especially great at the interview and had good extra-curriculars like most successful apps there.
For people far below the median (say bottom quartile) some common themes include URM, very strong GPA helping to balance, extraordinary extra-curriculars (like several years of productive research with pubs, or full time service/nonprofit organizations, etc).

And keep in mind how tight the percentiles get up at the high end of the score range. Places like Hopkins and Harvard have IQRs of 6-7 points but that is all still within the top 10% of scores. A couple points doesn't really mean much when it is the difference between 95 vs 97 percentile.

So I have a 515 MCAT and UVA (my state school) has a median of 517 (515 is 25 %ile). Their median GPA is like 3.87 and mine is 3.96. You're suggesting my MCAT isn't that bad because my GPA offsets it?


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[SuaveCardigans]

So I have a 515 MCAT and UVA (my state school) has a median of 517 (515 is 25 %ile). Their median GPA is like 3.87 and mine is 3.96. You're suggesting my MCAT isn't that bad because my GPA offsets it?


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No. Your MCAT isnt "that bad" because there is no meaningful difference between a 515 and a 517.

 

[efle]

So I have a 515 MCAT and UVA (my state school) has a median of 517 (515 is 25 %ile). Their median GPA is like 3.87 and mine is 3.96. You're suggesting my MCAT isn't that bad because my GPA offsets it?


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Correct, your LizzyM is almost exactly the same as theirs, and even if your GPA was a little lower it would still be a non-issue. If you don't get love from UVA as an instate 515/3.96 it is not because of your numbers.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

You do realize that exactly half of all acceptees are below the median scores right? And if you assume that all of the SDN acceptees for a given school are a representative sample of that school's accepted pool, then half of all SDN acceptees for a given school also had scores below the median. Practically speaking, SDN tends to skew towards the upper end, so I would say less than half but still a very significant proportion.

lol all of our WAMC are like "522 MCAT, finished college in 3 years, 4.0 double major BME + Physics, 1k research hours, published numerous times on cover of Nature and once on science, saved an endangered species and revived an extinct species, Chance me for DO + Carib???"

 

[deleted600623]

lol all of our WAMC are like "522 MCAT, finished college in 3 years, 4.0 double major BME + Physics, 1k research hours, published numerous times on cover of Nature and once on science, saved an endangered species and revived an extinct species, Chance me for DO + Carib???"

This is spot on I feel like. Probably leads to a significant amount of neuroticism within a pre med's mind.


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[mwsapphire]

This is spot on I feel like. Probably leads to a significant amount of neuroticism within a pre med's mind.


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Although, I like to think that that nueorticism is a good thing.
I think it's better to think you need to do super well in school ( never have a overall or BCPM below a 3.6), and do lots of volunteering and MCAT prep so that you can be , you know, the best you can be? Like, I think it's better to feel the pressure and do you absolute best, to be as competitive as possible.
Idk I'm weird ._.

 

[cactusman]

This is spot on I feel like. Probably leads to a significant amount of neuroticism within a pre med's mind.

Probably, but I also don't see why people are constantly complaining about it. So some people on SDN are exceptional, why do people see that as a flaw of the site? Obviously AAMC tables and MSAR data are more useful and representative than this population, it's our own fault if we compare ourselves to the tippy-top of the applicant pool.

 

[Mcat2016student]

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[Goro]

Great extracurriculars, compelling life story, fit to Mission, outstanding research productivity, Legacy, URM, veteran, attended a feeder School.

You didn't really answer his question...he's asking WHY people with less than the median get in. What makes them stand out?


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[efle]

Or their family has an auditorium named after them...in some situations having an MCAT is probs just a formality, you could guess "C" for every answer and still have a seat waiting for you.