The mental game of medical school admissions (bio major = dull; humanities = fresh)

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
21

<p>Acceptances. The MIT stats truly are sad, but c’est la vie.</p>

22

<p>Bluebayou in #19 is referring to individual applicant statistics, such that higher numbers are bad. E.g. the national average GPA for premeds is about a 3.55. At MIT, it’s about a 3.75. Why do medical schools seem to be demanding higher GPAs from MIT students? It’s a bit of a puzzle.</p>

23

<p>Oy, that’s what I meant.</p>

<p>In thinking about this, a significant reason could be that those at MIT do not have the time to pursue activities outside of their academics and still maintain a pretty GPA - and as we all know, medical schools love to see you getting involved outside of your undergraduate academics, hence average age being 23.</p>

<p>Lack of EC’s & other experiences like research would then have to be compensated by a higher GPA (logically) - this would further support that medical schools truly don’t give a hoot about what your major is (or where you came from).</p>

24

<p>EngH,</p>

<p>I think that you are right. It seems to me that engineering students have their hands full in sophomore and junior years. It is pretty difficult to take all the pre-med required courses and MCAT before senior year. Would any of your classmates be able to do it?</p>

25

<p>I can’t say personally, but I know of students who have provided (complaining) anecdotes of how on certain weeks they will be so loaded with work and projects from each of their engineering classes to the point that they will have to work from wake up to sleep with minor eating & other necessary breaks in between and still not be able to finish. During those weeks where they’re completely stacked, they end up having to prioritize which assignments & projects they can complete and which ones they will have to pass up on. These are students who did not go pre-med & aren’t taking on the pre-med courses.</p>

26

<p>

Just my guess:

  1. That school admitted their undergraduate class overly based on pure academics, even though it is not as extremed as possibly cal tech.
  2. As such, the characteristics of their student population is too homogenious (in their “make-up.”) A little bit of “top UC (undergraduated) school” effect here, by which I meant that UC school’s admission criteria are overly dependent on stats so that their admission criteria are not easily successfully challenged in court. This makes their population too homogenious.</p>
27

<p>I agree with EH, I think that makes the most sense and a lot of sense at that. Beyond studying engineering, which already consumes a lot of time as a major alone, pursuing it from MIT while still maintaining a decent GPA and getting involved in research & other EC’s would be like taking on a full-time job while going to law school (or med school since this is the pre-med section).</p>