<p>Let’s say a student goes to high school in Maine. He goes to UCLA as an OoS student, but his dad is a professor at UCLA and lives in LA, but his mom lives in Maine with is brothers and sisters. Can he qualify for in state tuition?</p>
<p>*I think schools not giving letters or encouragement to everyone is a good thing. If you have a 2.5 GPA, you are not going to get into medical school. If you failed organic chem twice before scraping by with a C, you are not going to get into medical school. Why should they give false hope to students and encourage them to waste their money on AMCAS? Medical school has 10% and down acceptance rates; even top students are getting rejected, so how much more hopeless is it for those people with a sub-3.0 science GPA and low MCAT scores? Better for them to refuse to encourage the delusion and gently guide those students into something else. More schools SHOULD use a system like Holy Cross, but the UCs probably don’t have the manpower to do it. *</p>
<p>I can see both sides. </p>
<p>On one hand, yes, a school shouldn’t be encouraging someone with “crappy stats” to apply to med school. There’s nothing wrong with “laying out the facts” and telling some kid with low stats that his chances are extremely low for acceptance. And, certainly, no one should be giving anyone false hope. If a students stats aren’t good, they need to be told that outright. There are charts that show the acceptance rates for certain MCAT scores & GPAs…certainly every pre-med advisor has copies to show students. </p>
<p>On the other hand, it can get touchy when deciding who gets a Committee Letter and who doesn’t. </p>
<p>I think that’s why some state schools just don’t want to get involved with that issue. they don’t want to be seen saying that URM student with a 3.4 GPA and a 27 MCAT does get the Committee Letter, but 3.5 GPA and a 27 MCAT Asian student (ORM) doesn’t. It can just get too messy when dealing with largely objective facts like GPA and MCAT scores. The school may “know” that the Asian student with those stats has a low chance of acceptance, and it may “know” that a URM student with those stats might have a decent chance. I just don’t think some state schools want to dive into that potential pool of lawsuits. Yes, a school could show data that URM status gives that student a MCAT boost of several points, so his 27 MCAT will be “seen” as maybe a 30 or higher, so that student’s chances are statistically much higher for acceptance.</p>
<p>But…there’s also the argument that if any student has completed the requirements, it’s almost unAmerican to say that they can’t apply. It’s their life, it’s their time, it’s their money…if they fail on their own merits, and then that’s that. At least they know that they got to try…which is the American way. Their LORs probably won’t be glowing, but these students won’t be prevented from applying. </p>
<p>My kids’ public flagship does do Committee Letters, and after looking at their pre-med website it looks like they do them for every student who wants one and fulfills the req’ts - including providing the advising office with 3 LORs from profs. From the pre-med website: “The Health Professions Office will write a Committee Letter” in support of your application…"</p>
<p>I do know that the pre-med advising team is always stressing the importance of a high GPA (and “science GPA”) and a strong MCAT score and good ECs. So, perhaps by doing that they pressure those who don’t have those stats to not bother applying. That may be the more diplomatic solution. Don’t deny, but strongly advise against applying without the needed stats. Also, the need to present 3 LORs from profs might also be a roadblock for the “inadequate stats” student. </p>
<p>I just don’t like the idea that a college could tell a student…you aren’t allowed to apply to med school. Imagine if your high school GC told you that you weren’t “allowed” to apply to X college? Just seems so unAmerican.</p>
<p>I too can see both sides. </p>
<p>I just think it kind of ironic that a Jesuit Colleges (Holy Cross) is so-unwelcoming to some, particularly based almost solely on an college application. The Jesuits like to portray that they are extremely welcoming, but it kinda negates their mission if they pre-select only those that they know will succeed.</p>
<p>I aslo believe that HC is bordering on false advertising. By claiming a 80+% acceptance rates, and ignoring full disclosure, they are at best misleading high schoolers.</p>
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<p>While that may be true at the individual school level, approx. 45% of applicants are accepted every year. Individual school acceptance rates are lower bcos applicants apply to an average of 14+ schools but can only attend one. There were 580k applications submitted last year from 42k applicants. 18.6k matriculated somewhere. </p>
<p>18.6/42.2 = 44% acceptance rate</p>