Yo, letz talk about med school pre-screening

[bigyihoroi]

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Guys,

This has always been a question for me regarding pre-screening of primary AMCAS application by certain schools like the UCs, Loyola, Virginia Commonwealth, etc... When they pre-screen, do they simply just look at numbers meaning GPA and MCAT score? or do they look at the whole primary application including your personal statement and activities? Also, if they decide to send you a secondary, do they primarily focus on your secondary application if they have already, say, review your entire primary application?

Just curious!!! Any comments is welcome 🙂

 

[bodonid]

I think screening necessarily means they only consider numbers.

 

[deleted106503]

I think screening necessarily means they only consider numbers.

My friend applied to VCU three years ago and got an interview with a 24 on the MCAT (he got the same exact score twice, 8 PS 8 VR 8 BS). I think they actually liked the other stuff on his app. His GPA was around a 3.75 I think.

 

[bodonid]

.

 

[RySerr21]

I think screening necessarily means they only consider numbers.

I dont think thats true at all. I have a 28 mcat and have a secondary from UC Irvine. If it was just numbers I think I would have been cut. I also know for a fact that Western U screens very thoroughly and evaluates the entire application. Its not an MD school, but I'm sure if they do it then others do as well.

Also from UCLA's emails letting me know they have my AMCAS application.

"Please be assured that all precautions have been taken to give your credentials a fair and complete evaluation"

A fair and complete evaluation is a little bit more than lookin at the numbers, IMO.

 

[bodonid]

I dont think thats true at all. I have a 28 mcat and have a secondary from UC Irvine. If it was just numbers I think I would have been cut. I also know for a fact that Western U screens very thoroughly and evaluates the entire application. Its not an MD school, but I'm sure if they do it then others do as well.

not all schools screen.

I don't think 28 is low enough to get screened out at any but the top 20.

all I said is that screening MEANS going by the numbers. If you get "screened out", then it means your scores weren't up to par. That is just how I define it.

 

[RySerr21]

not all schools screen.

I don't think 28 is low enough to get screened out at any but the top 20.

all I said is that screening MEANS going by the numbers. If you get "screened out", then it means your scores weren't up to par. That is just how I define it.

i never said all schools screen, im ont sure where you got that impresion. in some situatinos i think you are definitely right in that it is mostly about the numbers, but i dont think thats always the case. i gave you two examples why i think that (western and UCLA). you can define it however youd like.

 

[bodonid]

Well, I'm still not sure what you meant.

I said that the definition of screening is rejection based on numbers, and you said that you have a secondary. 😕

 

[RySerr21]

Well, I'm still not sure what you meant.

I said that the definition of screening is rejection based on numbers, and you said that you have a secondary. 😕

i gave you an example of a school that I know for a fact does MORE than just look at the numbers. And i gave you a statement from UCLA which leads me to believe that they look at more than numbers. 😕😕 how does that not make sense.

 

[bodonid]

Sorry to hijack the thread. Let me rephrase:

I think that the PS and extracurricular activities section is usually used only after the secondary, and the entire application, is complete.

I know for a fact that some schools don't screen at all, and when there are MCAT/GPA cutoffs, they tend to be very low.

I would be interested in other people's experiences... I got an almost immediate rejection from Vanderbilt, and I have a GPA in the 3.5s. But their pre-secondary rejections aren't all screens, because I think they agree to interview you when they give you a secondary. Anyone know?

 

[bodonid]

i gave you an example of a school that I know for a fact does MORE than just look at the numbers. And i gave you a statement from UCLA which leads me to believe that they look at more than numbers. 😕😕 how does that not make sense.

But nothing I said would contradict this. Lots of schools look at more than numbers before sending secondaries.

 

[redbull928]

Yeah, Vanderbilt gives secondaries to only those that it'll interview. I mean, who knows how the pre-secondary rejection is? As far as we know, it may be screening within the application pool and Vanderbilt only looks at those with great #'s. 😕

Sorry to hijack the thread. Let me rephrase:

I think that the PS and extracurricular activities section is usually used only after the secondary, and the entire application, is complete.

I know for a fact that some schools don't screen at all, and when there are MCAT/GPA cutoffs, they tend to be very low.

I would be interested in other people's experiences... I got an almost immediate rejection from Vanderbilt, and I have a GPA in the 3.5s. But their pre-secondary rejections aren't all screens, because I think they agree to interview you when they give you a secondary. Anyone know?

 

[ballerstatus666]

i never said all schools screen, im ont sure where you got that impresion. in some situatinos i think you are definitely right in that it is mostly about the numbers, but i dont think thats always the case. i gave you two examples why i think that (western and UCLA). you can define it however youd like.

i'm sorry if it seems like i'm crossing the line, but the only reason you havent been screened with your 28 is because you are a URM.

 

[bcat85]

It depends on the school. Some schools probably screen out applicants and remove those who don't have a proverbial "chance in hell." (i.e. MCAT/GPA are normally used). Others probably are more considerate of other factors, as those people getting a secondary often get an interview. Southern Illinois and Mayo come to mind.

 

[bigyihoroi]

I think it's pretty impressive if you receive a secondary from UCI with MCAT 28. With this in mind, I probably think that certain schools do review the entire application before making a decision whether or not they will send out a secondary. Cuz I always thought that if it's just about numbers, then why would the screening for primary application sometimes take so long.

 

[RySerr21]

But nothing I said would contradict this. Lots of schools look at more than numbers before sending secondaries.

okay i dont even know what we are arguing about anymore....seems silly. some schools screen, a lot of schools dont, some schools screen for numbers, some look at more than that.....it really doesnt matter in teh end b/c if you get an acceptance theyve had to have looked at everything pretty thoroughly. sorry for continuing this argument! i declare a truce...or at the very least a surrender.

i'm sorry if it seems like i'm crossing the line, but the only reason you havent been screened with your 28 is because you are a URM.

nevermind.....let the hatin' begin.

 

[Maxwell Edison]

i'm sorry if it seems like i'm crossing the line, but the only reason you havent been screened with your 28 is because you are a URM.

The plaintive cry!

 

[ballerstatus666]

nevermind.....let the hatin' begin.

nah man, i dont care about hating. but it is a fact that URM's have a slight advantage due to affirmative action, and that is totally cool with me, but that just makes your argument/example a moot point. hope you understand. for everyone applying through regular status (not urm/disadv), a 28 mcat is not at all competitive and will get screened out of most schools.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

FYI...plenty of ppl get in with 28s...probably about 40% of ppl that apply with a 28 end up matriculating.

Plus a 9, 9, 10; 28is better than a 13, 7, 10; 30 anyday. Plus look at ol boys ECs, the guys a superstar!

 

[Diksha]

nah man, i dont care about hating. but it is a fact that URM's have a slight advantage due to affirmative action, and that is totally cool with me, but that just makes your argument/example a moot point. hope you understand. for everyone applying through regular status (not urm/disadv), a 28 mcat is not at all competitive and will get screened out of most schools.

I thought the UCs have a policy not to use affirmative action? I read that somewhere.

 

[ballerstatus666]

FYI...plenty of ppl get in with 28s...probably about 40% of ppl that apply with a 28 end up matriculating.

Plus a 9, 9, 10; 28is better than a 13, 7, 10; 30 anyday. Plus look at ol boys ECs, the guys a superstar!

yeah but screening = just looking at numbers, no? how else do they look at the huge number of applicants

 

[RySerr21]

nah man, i dont care about hating. but it is a fact that URM's have a slight advantage due to affirmative action, and that is totally cool with me, but that just makes your argument/example a moot point. hope you understand. for everyone applying through regular status (not urm/disadv), a 28 mcat is not at all competitive and will get screened out of most schools.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=351659

break out of your SDN world and say hello to reality. A 28 is not a death sentence. If you have a 3.1 GPA and no ECs, then yes, it is a death sentence, but thats not my case at all. Will i get rejected at some of the schools I applied to because of my 28?? I'm sure I will, and that is unfortunate. But by no means should you be giving other people no hope if they have a 28. Did being puerto rican help? I honestly dont know, but neither do you. I read something on a thread about URMs and UC schools a few weeks ago...i dont remember the details so this is where someone else can chime in, but it was something along the lines of UCs school can not give any applicants an advantage due to ethnicity/affirmative action....something like that.

Anyways, you definitely WERE hating. You completely discredited my entire application based on my ethnicity, and i quote "the only reason you havent been screened with your 28 is because you are a URM." If that isn't hating, i dont know what it is. You jumped to a conclusion based on absolutely zero evidence....unless you are an Irvine adcom and have actually gone through my file and evaluated my qualificiations. somehow, i seriously doubt that.

 

[RoadRunner17]

I thought the UCs have a policy not to use affirmative action? I read that somewhere.

Doesn't mean they don't take diversity into consideration. Although, I think URM enrollment at the UC's dropped by half after they passed that proposition. So, who really knows what they're doing there? It still has to be a factor though, otherwise the UC's would be overrun with whites and East Asians.

 

[RoadRunner17]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=351659

break out of your SDN world and say hello to reality. A 28 is not a death sentence. If you have a 3.1 GPA and no ECs, then yes, it is a death sentence, but thats not my case at all. Did being puerto rican help? I honestly dont know, but neither do you. I read something on a thread about URMs and UC schools a few weeks ago...i dont remember the details so this is where someone else can chime in, but it was something along the lines of UCs school can not give any applicants an advantage due to ethnicity/affirmative action....something like that.

Anyways, you definitely WERE hating. You completely discredited my entire application based on my ethnicity, and i quote "the only reason you havent been screened with your 28 is because you are a URM." If that isn't hating, i dont know what it is. You jumped to a conclusion based on absolutely zero evidence....unless you are an Irvine adcom and have actually gone through my file and evaluated my qualificiations. somehow, i seriously doubt that.

Note: As much as I am a non-supporter of affirmative action (being an east asian), I'm not against it either.

As for this post, I have to agree. Being a URM is just one aspect of the application, and nobody knows how big or small its impact is with each admissions committee at each school. Plenty of people get in with 28's, white, black, yellow, pink, purple. It's because the rest of their application brings something to the table, and part of that might be the diverse experiences that come from being a URM that might be in the PS. It could also be the EC's, a commitment to the underserved. Whatever it is, I am sure that very few, if any, admissions committees select candidates mostly based on URM status. It's what comes from the URM status reflected in the activities and personal statement sections of the primary application, that might entice a committee to admit a URM. I think people who are actively opposed to AA should take heed of that.

 

[What up doc]

i'm sorry if it seems like i'm crossing the line, but the only reason you havent been screened with your 28 is because you are a URM.

you see me? HI HATER! HI HATER! you see me? HI HATER!

 

[ballerstatus666]

you see me? HI HATER! HI HATER! you see me? HI HATER!

why am i going to hate you with a 34. lol 🙄

 

[ChubbyChaser]

yeah but screening = just looking at numbers, no? how else do they look at the huge number of applicants

very few schools screen out a person presec witha balanced 28 and 3.7....in fact I dont know if any do....maybe Mayo.

 

[Lacheln]

very few schools screen out a person presec witha balanced 28 and 3.7....in fact I dont know if any do....maybe Mayo.

Who will apparently also screen out a balanced 35 and 3.7. 😛

 

[usermike8500]

nah man, i dont care about hating. but it is a fact that URM's have a slight advantage due to affirmative action, and that is totally cool with me, but that just makes your argument/example a moot point. hope you understand. for everyone applying through regular status (not urm/disadv), a 28 mcat is not at all competitive and will get screened out of most schools.

This is absurd. I am Asian/White and am therefore an ORM, (over-represented majority). I have a 29 MCAT and received secondaries from almost all the schools I applied to including UCI and NYU. I think that most medical schools take your entire application into consideration during the screening process.