What does an actual HMS/JH/hyper elite profile actually look like?

[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

We all hear about students who cure cancer and get an Olympic medal and a 4.0/528 and still don't get into these kind of schools.

I have no horse in the race with a mid 3s GPA, but I'm curious what the "average" student at this caliber of school looks like coming in in terms of stats, ECs, etc.

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[deleted1119806]

there really is no answer to this question, because everyone is so unique and accomplished in various facets of life at these schools (I really mean this, just take a look at some admitted students profiles at T20s)

high stats, glowing LORs, and reputable undergrads (almost a given) are overrepresented across the board, but the ECs really make someone stand out because they show passion and/or a different narrative that the school hasn't seen before

 

[Goro]

Something that I have noted for students who get into the Really Top Schools is that they have hundreds, if not 1000s of hrs of clinical exposure and/or volunteering.
Stats? 3.9+/MCATs in the 90th%iles+

 

[LizzyM]

Something that I have noted for students who get into the Really Top Schools is that they have hundreds, if not 1000s of hrs of clinical exposure and/or volunteering and/or research.
Stats? 3.9+/MCATs in the 90th%iles+

Fixed that for you.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

We all hear about students who cure cancer and get an Olympic medal and a 4.0/528 and still don't get into these kind of schools.

I have no horse in the race with a mid 3s GPA, but I'm curious what the "average" student at this caliber of school looks like coming in in terms of stats, ECs, etc.

Just be lucky. T5 students are just pretty average overall.

 

[a_distant_dream]

I know someone with 4.0/527, multiple olympic medals, multiple C/N/S pubs, all clinical hours projected. Interviewed and accepted at some T5s but pre-II rejected everywhere else. Not to say all elite applicants have those accolades but that's the example that comes to mind in terms of getting T5 love but zero interest anywhere else.

 

[wysdoc]

Moderator note: I deleted an offensive meme

 

[LizzyM]

I know someone with 4.0/527, multiple olympic medals, multiple C/N/S pubs, all clinical hours projected. Interviewed and accepted at some T5s but pre-II rejected everywhere else. Not to say all elite applicants have those accolades but that's the example that comes to mind in terms of getting T5 love but zero interest anywhere else.

That's called yield protection. With a limited number of interview slots, schools that see themselves as less than top tier will size up some applicants, guess that they will have multiple T5 offers, and decide that they don't even want to compete for such an applicant. Thus they save their interview invites for the applicants who are unlikely to get any offers from the top 5 schools and who will be thrilled with an offer of admission from some of the lower ranked schools.

 

[KatsuCurry]

All anecdotal evidence below:

For friends that I know at T5 schools, they either had an "X-factor" (research, life experience, a unique EC) with stats good enough to get them in the door or just crazy stats and checked all the other boxes. Another theme I've noticed that they were all relatively extraverted and I can imagine they were good at selling their story with "humble confidence" in an interview.

Friends who I know are at T5 (one of Harvard, JHU, UCSF, Stanford, Penn) schools:

- 3.6x, 515: Was from the Caribbean and was a leader in a club that got tens of thousands of dollars for relief for the 2021 Haiti Earthquake.
- 3.9x, 520: Goldwater Scholar
- 3.8x, 516: Syrian Refugee
- 4.0, 524: No remarkable ECs but was a pretty charismatic person.
- 3.9x, 520: Was a high-level consultant at one of the big 3.

In general, I think that the people who have LMs of 80+ or LMs of 75+ and an X-factor who don't get into T5 schools probably didn't get a good interview review at those places.

Given human nature, some people might just not click with their interviewer even if they have a great personality. Of course, some people are just not the best at interviewing and portraying that "humble confidence" that I think is looked for. I also think that if you are in one of those two groups of people, you'll almost certainly get accepted to at least one T25 school assuming you applied to all of those schools

 

[MDMechEngr]

Just be lucky. T5 students are just pretty average overall.

You create your own luck.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

You create your own luck.

That’s a myth.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Fixed that for you.

Good fix. My kid didn’t have 1000s of volunteer hours as advocated by some here but had strong first author research experience (no pub at interview time) and had 100 good clinical hrs and few hundred non-clinical hours. No gap years taken (he was one of the youngest in the class) and got into top 3 schools (not by USNWR ranking but PD). Each school has different criteria and some schools are easier to figure out than others.

 

[Dogruffle01]

I know people at several T5s and go to one myself.

It is a given most people have a 3.8+/520+ 100+ clinical/shadowing and 100+ volunteering. people are below 515 usually have something crazy on their CV.

Most people have a publication. I had 3 mid authors going in and I was told “ my research didn’t set me apart at all”. The “average” student at my school probably has one of the following in addition to their grades and scores.

- URM ( There’s only like 20 in the whole class, I saw the same people throughout all my interviews)
- 1 high impact pub ( Nature, JAMA, Science, etc) or 3+ smaller pubs ( In my class I personally know 4 people with an h-index of 6+, and I didn't even know what that was when I started med school)
- There are soooo many Marshall, Rhodes, Fullbrights
- I would say 70-80% of people went to a T20 undergrad
- We don’t have many athletes. I think being D1 or even D2 is a strong X factor.
- A couple veterans
- Clinic or nonprofit in a developing country
- Only about 25-30% went straight through

 

[Round786]

I know people at several T5s and go to one myself.

It is a given most people have a 3.8+/520+ 100+ clinical/shadowing and 100+ volunteering. people are below 515 usually have something crazy on their CV.

Most people have a publication. I had 3 mid authors going in and I was told “ my research didn’t set me apart at all”. The “average” student at my school probably has one of the following in addition to their grades and scores.

- URM ( There’s only like 20 in the whole class, I saw the same people throughout all my interviews)
- 1 high impact pub ( Nature, JAMA, Science, etc) or 3+ smaller pubs ( In my class I personally know 4 people with an h-index of 6+, and I didn't even know what that was when I started med school)
- There are soooo many Marshall, Rhodes, Fullbrights
- I would say 70-80% of people went to a T20 undergrad
- We don’t have many athletes. I think being D1 or even D2 is a strong X factor.
- A couple veterans
- Clinic or nonprofit in a developing country
- Only about 25-30% went straight through

“Clinic or nonprofit in developing country”

Wouldn’t this be viewed as voluntourism?

 

[Dogruffle01]

“Clinic or nonprofit in developing country”

Wouldn’t this be viewed as voluntourism?

Well one guy literally helped build a hospital. Another guy engineered some plumbing system in Zimbabwe I think.

These guys are the real deal.


…. I may have undersold this initially

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

I know people at several T5s and go to one myself.

It is a given most people have a 3.8+/520+ 100+ clinical/shadowing and 100+ volunteering. people are below 515 usually have something crazy on their CV.

Most people have a publication. I had 3 mid authors going in and I was told “ my research didn’t set me apart at all”. The “average” student at my school probably has one of the following in addition to their grades and scores.

- URM ( There’s only like 20 in the whole class, I saw the same people throughout all my interviews)
- 1 high impact pub ( Nature, JAMA, Science, etc) or 3+ smaller pubs ( In my class I personally know 4 people with an h-index of 6+, and I didn't even know what that was when I started med school)
- There are soooo many Marshall, Rhodes, Fullbrights
- I would say 70-80% of people went to a T20 undergrad
- We don’t have many athletes. I think being D1 or even D2 is a strong X factor.
- A couple veterans
- Clinic or nonprofit in a developing country
- Only about 25-30% went straight through

You guys even talked about your med school applications?! At my school, no one ever said a thing about their past or medical school apps.

 

[deleted1119806]

You guys even talked about your med school applications?! At my school, no one ever said a thing about their past or medical school apps.

Seems to speak volumes about your institution and/or the people you surround yourself with in med school

 

[Unconditionalloves]

They want people with indicators of financial success, translated to future donations, to perpetuate the stability of their endowments.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

Seems to speak volumes about your institution and/or the people you surround yourself with in med school

Yet, it’s one of those schools which almost everyone in medicine worships..

 

[Dogruffle01]

You guys even talked about your med school applications?! At my school, no one ever said a thing about their past or medical school apps.

100% we had a party where we exchanged personal statements and people had to guess who wrote each one.

Sharing each other’s histories is super useful. You can leverage each others skills for certain projects and opportunities. The name is cool and all, but heed my words, the social capital is the true value of a T5.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

100% we had a party where we exchanged personal statements and people had to guess who wrote each one.

Sharing each other’s histories is super useful. You can leverage each others skills for certain projects and opportunities. The name is cool and all, but heed my words, the social capital is the true value of a T5.

I guess you are at HMS? Heard that from some friends about that. Tbh, it’s so weird to even talk about personal statements when you are already in med school. Most of those statements are so cringy in retrospect. I can’t bear going back in time to read mine for sure lol.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

“Clinic or nonprofit in developing country”

Wouldn’t this be viewed as voluntourism?

If it’s done for week or two like spring break.