<p>Can med schools see MCAT scores the way colleges know which students have high ACT score? ( before you apply)
Do med schools recruit high scoring students at all? Sending out mail and opportunities for merit aid?</p>
<p>Hmmm…
I don’t think they see the actual score before you apply. I think they may get a list of students who have certain ranges. A med school might get a list of all students who scored a 30+. That sort of thing happens with undergrads…they might get a list of students who scored a SAT 2000+ (or some other range).</p>
<p>My son did get some recruitment letters offering congratulations on his MCAT score, which they probably didn’t know the exact number, but it must have been on the list.</p>
<p>I have never heard of merit being offered prior to applyingl.</p>
<p>"Do med schools recruit high scoring students at all? Sending out mail and opportunities for merit aid? "
-They cannot let you know about acceptance earlier than the certian date / time. All they can do is to contact you as early as possible. D. received a dean’s CALL (not email) at 1am - it was the first, pre-meds do not sleep this night anyway until they get at least one. This Med. School offerred her so little in Merit that these Merit award was not part of her decision making. Her second offer came in about 1 hour (right after 2am). I remember all of these since she was coming to my bedroom every time, being so excited. Eventually she decided to attend the school that was second to accept her. This school adcom called D’s pre-med advisor and expressed hopes that she will attend there, but apologized for not offerring any Merit Scholarships (as they expressed, Merits were fully deserved. ). They said that the incoming class is so strong (eventually we saw the list during White Coat ceremony that included several PhD’s, one from Harvard, lawyers, several MS’s from the top Grad. Schools in the country,…etc.), well. after we swa the list, we knew why they could not offer mere UG graduate anything at all. It was the most expensive Med. School on D’s list, but as a 4th year Med. student, she has been happy there.
In conclusion, I must say that maybe some of those PhD’s, lawyers, MS’s got some luring in communications from Med. Schools, my simpleton graduate from state public UG did not get anything, except the apology AFTER SHE HAS APPLIED AND WENT TO INTERVIEW and some little award at anther place that did make any dent in her decision making. All of it happened during/AFTER the acceptances. . </p>
<p>Thank you. I realize merit aid is rare. Getting a good MCAT score has started a whole different list of questions.
I know that tree is more to acceptance than GPA and MCAT…but son is off to a great start with those. .</p>
<p>Medical schools cannot see your exact score until you apply to that specific school; however schools can see if you registered and took the MCAT on a certain date, and as mom2 suggests, get alit of student scoring in particular range.</p>
<p>There are a few schools which are notorious for spamming the inboxes of students with appeals to apply there.</p>
<p>Merit aid will never be offered before an acceptance has been tendered,</p>
<p>"I know that tree is more to acceptance than GPA and MCAT…but son is off to a great start with those. . "
-Actually, these are the absolutely most important. the rest is some kind of icing on the cake. Now, when are exactly the same candidates are examined to choose one, then, that icing might be of importance, but I would say that then the most important factor would be a “fit” into specific Med. School. That “fit” is not exactly determined by any statistics at all, but rather as a personal fit. So, if you know that one with somewhat lower standing so to speak got in while you did not, that does not mean by any means whatsoever that your stanidng was lower with this school, it only means that a personal fit was closer for that other person. And this is not a theoretical rent, it has happened during D’s application cycle. It is done not only for the sake of school, but also for the sake of applicant. As an example, D. withdrew from couple very highly ranked places afer they put her on hold / wait list. She stated, that she did not feel that she belongs there, the feeling was obviously mutual, although, both places are known for putting a large percent on waiting list and many get in at the later date. D. did not care much for rankings, she just felt a bit out of place at both (after interviews). TRUST your own SELF much more than anything and anybody, you know yourself the best.</p>
<p>I understand. Is it common to visit med schools prior to applying? To get a sense of the right fit.
Would it be beneficial having a high MCAT and not planning to attend until Fall 2016, to talk to the med schools and get feedback on his " resume" ? </p>
<p>Students generally don’t visit ahead of time. Since typically students apply to 15-25 schools, that much visiting would be both exhausting and expensive.</p>
<p>Besides that’s what interview day and second look day are for. (Assessing fit.)</p>
<p>Adcomms generally will not give feedback to a student who has not yet applied. </p>
<p>It’s a waste of their time (the student hasn’t applied nor is there any guarantee he will apply) plus there is always the potential for lawsuits from disappointed applicants. (Smacks of favoritism.) In fact, even after someone applies, many adcomms are reluctant to give specific, personalized feedback. This is in part because one’s chances of admission varies according to the strength of the rest of the applicant pool during a specific year. (Also because of the potential for lawsuits from disappointed applicants and crazy parents.)</p>
<p>Your son should review his resume with the health profession advisor(s) at his college if he wants feedback. </p>
<p>He is doing that today. I just usually have more questions than he gives me answers to. Ha ha </p>
<p>@ParkTN, the summer of my application cycle, I went on vacation to my parents home town where there is a medical school. I contacted them, asking if there was anyone I could meet with during my visit. The response to my request was very favorable. They set me up to see several administrators, faculty and students. It was a very nice experience. I was only interested in MD/PhD programs, so I don’t know if the Medical school admins would have responded the same way. </p>
<p>“I understand. Is it common to visit med schools prior to applying?”
- I have never heard about it. The interview was the first visit for my D.</p>