<p>norcalguy,</p>
<p>This is really NOT that hard to understand yet you are making it difficult. 15% is just a DUMMY number and it doesn’t have to be more than 1 std dev below the mean. LOL! The point was a 15% (3% if that makes it easier) below the mean in orgo would be a C whereas in most other classes, it would be something better, like B-. What grade does a person get if he gets the mean in the orgo class at Cornell? According to <a href=“http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/10436[/url]”>http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/10436</a>, the avearge GPA for all classes at Cornell is around 3.34 (B+). Is the mean for the orgo class B+? I’d be very surprised if it is not significantly lower than that.</p>
<p>As for my friend not being strong in orgo, that’s a nondefensible statement and you are entitled to your opinion. However, I very much doubt a person not strong in Orgo could have gotten 36 on MCAT (higher than average for Harvard med school admit) without even studying all that hard for it.</p>