<p>Base upon our experience [sample size N=1] last year , I can tell you he will get interest/interviews outside of Texas if he applies thoughtfully.</p>
<p>D2 was 3.8/33 and had a very successful cycle last year. </p>
<p>^^^
Totally agree.</p>
<p>If the student has a thoughtful list, he should have a successful app cycle. I would avoid OOS publics unless the student has some link/hook to the state. </p>
<p>Totally agree as well.</p>
<p>Before DS was taking the test, he said that he would not re-take the test if the score is a balanced 33. (even though his practice test scores before the test were higher.)</p>
<p>Applying to an OOS school from Texas is a disadvantage. The score, as long as it is high enough, may not be the most important factor in this case. By and large, the OOS school may or may not take a chance on you.</p>
<p>After DS had got into one of his in-state schools that he was happy to go,I think he believed “the mission had been completed.” He really thinks it was a done deal at that time. (This was because someone he knew at that time, who had applied with similar stats/ECs in the previous application cycle, went to his in-state school in the end. So he thought it would be the same for him. Stats is more or less just used for the screening purpose so that the adcoms do not need to read so many applications.)</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Yes, OOS SOMs know that it’s hard to compete with instate Texas SOMs…for admissions and for tuition. </p>
<p>I’m back again. D graduated June 2014 from a western public flagship (she only took three years due to AP in HS) and she decided to take a gap year before applying for the 2015-2016 cycle. So, technically she’ll have two years in between to work and earn money and get experience, which is good because she wasn’t even 21 when she graduated. (She has a goal of saving $40K+.) GPA ended up higher than the last time I posted at 3.5 and her MCAT was 41. She’s now working as a medical scribe and has been volunteering at a local hospital as a radiology admit/transport volunteer which she’ll continue for at least a year. She’s also completed 80 hours of shadowing, which is less useful now that she’s a scribe. She’s planning on applying to ~20 mid-level schools (in the old LizzyM 68-69 range) with one or two schools in the old 75 range. Not sure i’m ready for this but i think she is. </p>
<p>41 is a score only about 300-400 people have each year. Why is the GPA only at 3.5?</p>
<p>Well, some of it is the format of the school that she attended, which was a mis-match between personality and fit. A smaller school might have been better for her. Picture large public U lecture halls of 200-400 students in chem and o-chem, most of whom want to go to med school, dentistry or pharm, average grade is 2.3/4.0. Half are going to be above 2.3, half below. Given her MCAT score, her understanding and retention are higher than the grade she earned. She’s ready to address the question if asked. The second reason is that with only three years in college instead of four, she was faced with an entire year that consisted entirely of bio/o-chem/physics. There may have been another way to do it but that was how it shook out. Her bio, biochem and physics grades are all at or near 4.0/4.0.</p>
<p>What is the home state? </p>
<p>So essentially the GPA is lower because of chemistry/org chemistry grades?</p>
<p>@texaspg - yes. Just averages at work. 4.0 on some classes, 3.5 on others, 3.0 on others. Lowest was 2.8 in o-chem. Overall worked out to be 3.5/4. Four times on deans list for 4.0/4.0 in three years. If she’d stayed for the full four years, she could have taken an extra year of classes to raise her GPA but decided against that. </p>
<p>Your home state will make a lot of difference since most med students end up in their home state publics due to their overwhelming in state preference. So working for two years in a different state can change the home state.</p>
<p>@texaspg - if that was in response to me, then no. Working and living in same state as undergrad. </p>
Score of 41 made my jaw drop. Congrats! I have never heard of score of 41. D. was very happy with 35 (her college GPA was 3.98)
We know.
@miamiDAP - I’m just here trying to get a better idea of what medical school application entails and how to help D get a better chance of getting accepted. The 41 MCAT (balanced with balanced scores of 13-PS, 14VR and 14BS) was not unexpected. D is a voracious reader of many subjects (econ, history, classics, science, politics) and has a near photographic memory, a strong writer and quick thinker. It’s not bragging to say that she has an IQ of 150+ and is a good test taker (2370 SAT). BUT -
That doesn’t translate to a perfect med school applicant and I’m very realistic that she doesn’t have a 100% chance to get in on her first try or even a second try. She is somewhat reserved, which worked against her at the big U and is something that she has worked to ameliorate. She gets great reviews from employers and professors but is hesitant to “push” for primacy or superiority. Some of these personality quirks may be why her GPA isn’t as high as her MCAT but her MCAT is probably a better indicator of her ability to learn material. My rationale for that is that different schools, tests methods, GPAs etc are variable but the MCAT is standard: She just has a high comprehension level of college material.
I’m a college professor (obviously not in the hard sciences) so I understand a lot about students and colleges. There are three MDs in the close family plus two RNs, so we do have some realization of what medical school entails but are still learning about the process. So, again, any additional positive feedback is welcome.
Contrary to common belief, majority of successful med student applicants have flaws in their app.They’re not all perfect superstars.
Summarizing your posts: on the one hand, your D has an absurdly (in a good way) high MCAT score. Although adcoms will very much perk up at her 41, there is a chink in her GPA armor (e.g., chem). On the other hand, D was on dean’s list four times for 4.0/4.0 in three years which assuming a semester school is two thirds of the time. In addition D does exceptionally well in other sciences (all at or near 4.0/4.0.) which will be easily visible to an adcom reviewing her app. So overall minus some chem grades, a very good student with a monster MCAT. Overall an important plus.
She gets great reviews from …. professors. I assume that will translate or has translated into great LORs. (Note many med schools expect a committee letter or just 3 LORs from profs with often requiring 2 LORs from sci profs, I from non science). So hopefully a plus.
In addition, she’s now working as a medical scribe and has been volunteering at a local hospital as a radiology admit/transport volunteer which she’ll continue for at least a year. She’s also completed 80 hours of shadowing, which is less useful now that she’s a scribe…Apparently no research which may or may not be an issue depending on where D applies. IMO nothing extraordinary about ECs. Hopefully, doesn’t hurt/help her, (a box checked off) not an app killer.
She gets great reviews from employers and professors. I assume that this means she has some people/verbal skills which will be very, very important if interviewed as poor interview performance can sink even the best applicants.
Hopefully an important plus.
All in all I think D can get several interviews. D should learn to love MSAR. Assuming D has a solid strategy about where to apply (comparable stats, mission statement of school, etc) and applies broadly as mentioned above, she should get some interview offers and even acceptances. Good luck to D and to you as well.
Two questions I have: as to AP credit, if science APs and other than premed reqs, did D take more advance science courses (other than biochem)?
What state is D from? If CA, approx. two thirds of CA students who start med school attend out of state. Applying broadly is IMO almost mandatory for any CA applicant even with an MCAT of 41.
ponypal: I’m sorry as to not addressing above post to you. Also skip answering my question about what state D is from. With an MCAT of 41, it would probably be easy for your D to be actually identified and that’s really nobody’s business.
http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/threads/2015-scores%E2%80%A6how-would-you-evaluate-them.1114452/
If anyone’s interested there’s a current thread on SDN about how adcoms will compare old v new MCATs. Posts from gyngyn, Goro and Ismet speak to issue. Posts 32 and 44 (gyngyn) go a little further.
From the SDN thread above post #15.
This is what concerns me about the new test and I suspect they wont be able to pin down good percentiles until they have some historical data, especially for the changing and new sections. If people don’t know the subject when they are taking trial questions how well are they going to do?
I know people who did extremely well on the test who made a good attempt on the trial section and scored only 50%ile. Some of it may be just to get the gift card and making a reasonable attempt but not knowing the answers can’t be discounted.
Jugulator20 - thanks for the comments, very helpful. She is working on strategy now and deciding where to apply.
She did take advanced science classes beyond the med school requirements. Biochem, Human Anatomy, Physiology, neurobiology, genetics, plant structure, cell biology, all with an average of 3.9 or so. She also has an upward GPA trend over the last two years of university, so that’s good too.
texaspg: In the scheme of things I’m not sure the importance. In 2011 S’s Step 1 score was delayed for two months. The gossip among his classmates and on internet about reason for delay (change in types of question and need to gather/analyze more data, weighting of questions, etc, etc) and effects on scoring was rampant. Sound familiar? Nobody actually knew other than NBME. In the end, whatever the reason(s), students and residency program directors trusted and relied on the results. The overseer of Step tests (NBME) is not some fly by night organization.
IMO, the same thing is happening with old/new MCAT switchover period. AAMC, like NBME, are not amateurs. They will provide results that can be trusted and relied upon by students and adcoms. Will some students be harmed by taking new v old or vice versa? According to adcoms at above link, absolutely not. Actually I think bigger problems are people don’t like change (as in when SAT went from 1600 to 2400), and it isn’t totally clear how the new scoring model fits into LizzyM formula which many erroneously take as gospel truth as to their chances for an acceptance. Again, just my opinion.