<p>cdz512,
Now I just realized you’ve been confused with one important thing: the average GPA of enrolled students at WashU is about 3.8 even if they are from top colleges. If you look at med school acceptance stats for, say, Duke students, you’ll see the average GPA of Duke students that got accepted to WashU med school is about 3.8, not 3.3-3.5. The MCAT score would be around 36. Those GPAs you cited are for students that get into <em>any</em> med school. The GPA/MCAT requirements of 3.8/36 simply mean they only want the students in this program to have equal footing as those that get in through regular admission, as far as GPA/MCAT go. The risk I mentioned clearly refers to academic caliber, nothing else. It doesn’t guarantee they would get the ones that would become the best practicing doctors. No admission scheme would guarantee that anyway. But at least as far as surviving the academic rigor of med schools goes, GPA and MCAT are the best indicators. Other programs don’t require medicine/clinical experience either. Also, people are supposed to get their medical/clinical experience through med schools, not before going to them. That’s what med schools are for. It’s therefore a moot point.</p>