Is it really this hard?

somemom
Thu, 03 May 2012 20:23:25 +0000

I think the thing about the URMs is that the MCAT & GPA are only predictors. As I have posted before, my DD with a 29 MCAT (scary low) in her fMS1 scored better on exams than her friend with a 25% higher MCAT as well as better than many other classmates. She was even invited to tutor some people on retaking certain exams.

Why? Because 29 did not predict what kind of doctor she will be or even what kind of med student she would be. I would bet many 29 MCATs would be successful at HYS/UCSF/MAYO/etc. The only reason med schools have to go by the numbers is to reduce the pile of applications to a reasonable mass for review. If there are 10,000 applications and the adcoms can cut out 5000 on scores, great, less reading. It does not mean those students would not have been successful.

If the URM pile is 500 instead of 5000 then the adcom can read a higher percentage of the URMs applications in a holistic fashion and choose people they think will succeed who may just happen to have a lower score.

In the same way that a college degree or level of fluency in Quick Books might be a reason to reduce the pile of job applications, the numbers reduce the pile of med school applicants.