WedgeDawg's Applicant Rating System (Updated Jan 2017)

BU Medical Sciences
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Dox4lyfe said:
I would definitely apply to a few more C2 schools.

Also, out of curiosity, what kind of work did you do in the OR?
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Okay, will do. If you don't mind, could I PM you my current list, so maybe you could make some suggestions?

And I'm a Neurophysiology technologist, so I do things like SSEPs, EEG, EMG, etc. I mostly monitor neurosurgeries, but some ortho and cardio as well.
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Is there a reason why you included only a number of school and omitted others? Surely there are tons more schools you could have included right?
 
akb5633 said:
Okay, will do. If you don't mind, could I PM you my current list, so maybe you could make some suggestions?

And I'm a Neurophysiology technologist, so I do things like SSEPs, EEG, EMG, etc. I mostly monitor neurosurgeries, but some ortho and cardio as well.
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You can PM me if you'd like and I can try and give suggestions. But I'd recommend posting in the WAMC section. There's lots of pple who can give you great advice on your school list over there.
 
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I counted the total score you can get for this counting system, it was above 150, but it said the total is 121? No idea how to use it
 
J~ingle said:
I counted the total score you can get for this counting system, it was above 150, but it said the total is 121? No idea how to use it
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I would use the spreadsheet or the calculator.

EDIT: I looked at the WARS formula again:

ARS Score = (Stats*5)+(Research*3)+(Clinical Experience [9, 5, -10])+(Shadowing [6, -5])+(Volunteering*2)+(Leadership and Teaching*2)+(Miscellaneous*3)+[(Undergrad-1)*3]+[(URM-1)*7]+[(Upward Trend-1)*4]

The confusing variables are clinical experience and shadowing. What this means is highest level clinical experience gets the score 9, 2nd highest gets the score 5, and lowest gets the score -10. Highest level shadowing gets the score 6 and lowest gets the score -5.
 
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where do i download spreadsheet?
 
So out of the "categories 4-7," if one has MCAT around or above 90th percentile of most category 6 low yield schools but around a 3.6 GPA, would it be suggestible to apply more to category 4 low tier where the stats may be closer or category 6 low yield? Do category 6 schools have to do a lot of yield protection?


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I'm confused by the statement, "It's taken into account in the formula, because when I put zero versus one I get totally different results.
 
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Applying this cycle and decided to see where I landed on this to give me something to do while waiting to hear back. It so happens that I have applied almost exactly within the guidelines -- maybe a touch bottom heavy. Hopefully that bodes well for my odds :D
 
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Just want to say that this calculator kicks ass and is way better than the LizzyM. I applied using this as a guideline and so far I have been successful in obtaining multiple MD interviews! Let's hope one of these turns into an acceptance :)

WARS 70-73
Applied to 28 schools
No DO
 
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I applied following the guidance of someone at a C level, conservative WARS score of 72 (but with 36 schools instead of 27).

With 11 category 4 and 11 category 6 schools, I may be bottom heavy with a little too many low yields. Heard basically nothing so far but I applied throughout August.
 
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Biting my nails waiting to hear back, and this gave me something to do. Definitely fun!

I'm a solid "D" candidate, although I will have worked as a scribe for two years prior to matriculating (4000+ hours), so I averaged my lack of shadowing (doubt my 80 hours during undergrad is "adequate") to a zero instead of the harsh (+6, -5). Not sure why I'd shadow when I'm doing that the whole day, and more? I'm a very humbly pain full-time shadow.

I was conservative on ranking my other measures, but do feel the value placed on the name of one's UG institution and URM status might be slightly inflated in these metrics. I might just be salty I didn't benefit AT ALL from those, though :laugh: Also a concern is that if a GPA is someone's strength (they performed consistently well) why such a huge benefit from showing an upward trend? 4 points seems high--ESPECIALLY when compared to the 7 points of URM status. I think URM is definitely 2x more valuable than an upward trend--because such a trend implies you had poor performance at one point, which many applicants don't. If you got straight As you're effectively being punished because it's impossible to show an upward trend with straight As and the occasional A-. Again, I just bit the bullet on that one though.

Interestingly, my application choices matched up almost perfectly with my ranking. (Pure coincidence, I'm done applications and just came across this). I applied to less than recommended for my status (25 instead of 30), but on a scribe's salary, even those 25 were a rough financial hurdle. So I'll just hope for the best...


“D Applicant”
1-0
2-5% (Me 4%)
3-15%(Me 12%)
4-7: 80% (Me 84%)
*Me Level 4: 16%
*Level 5: 12% (my state schools)
*Level 5 and a 1/2: state schools as an OOS applicant 8% (I made this up, not sure where to put these?)
*Level 6: 20% low yield
*Level 7: DOs (branch campuses counted as separate applications) 28%

IIs (as of 9/30) ONE in Level 5 and THREE in level 7 (I actually really like the DO philosophy, and all the DOs I've worked with been very likeable and down-to-earth, so it might be right!)

One rejection from a 5 and a 1/2. It didn't sting as much as I expected. I really appreciated that I was at least notified!

Everything else is silence....:xf:

Thanks for the fun @WedgeDawg--nice work :clap::bow:
 
I just wanted to thank @WedgeDawg for this awesome resource. My WARS score was 79, making me a B+/A- applicant. Instead of applying to 27 schools, I only applied to 10, but the percentages have held pretty true for me. I adjusted a little more conservatively, since I was applying to fewer schools. I applied to 4 Level 2 schools (1 II so far, silence from the other 3, but it's still early), 2 Level 4 schools (II from one, hopefully getting one from the other soon), 2 Level 5 schools (II from both), and 2 Level 6 schools (II from both). So, I'd say a 60% success rate on the 1st of October is pretty good. Without using WARS, I really think my app would have been way more top-heavy, and I would have had fewer IIs.
 
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Is there a guideline with #of hours in research/shadowing/clinical experience to help with assigning scores?
 
cc2233 said:
Is there a guideline with #of hours in research/shadowing/clinical experience to help with assigning scores?
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If you look at the descriptions for each level it’ll help guide you. The descriptions are both on the first post and on the excel doc.
 
Are there any "adjustments" for atypical candidates who are outliers when it comes to GPA and MCAT that can be made? In my case I have a 522 MCAT, 2.8 undergrad (graduated 2014), a 3.67 post-bacc year, and a 3.97 SMP GPA. Would the GPA calculation still be the average based on credit weight, or would there be more weight on the SMP for being more recent and containing harder courses (med school courses). My undergrad was also extremely course heavy, ranging from 18 to 23c a semester (foolish, I know), and so on paper has way more weight than my post-bacc years.

Thanks @WedgeDawg!
 
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WhatAreMyChancesPals? said:
Are there any "adjustments" for atypical candidates who are outliers when it comes to GPA and MCAT that can be made? In my case I have a 522 MCAT, 2.8 undergrad (graduated 2014), a 3.67 post-bacc year, and a 3.97 SMP GPA. Would the GPA calculation still be the average based on credit weight, or would there be more weight on the SMP for being more recent and containing harder courses (med school courses). My undergrad was also extremely course heavy, ranging from 18 to 23c a semester (foolish, I know), and so on paper has way more weight than my post-bacc years.

Thanks @WedgeDawg!
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This is a situation where it may be better to consult with one of our excellent advisors here (or make a WAMC thread) and bypass the WARS entirely. There are more factors at play than can be adequately addressed in this model.

In your particular situation, given a high SMP GPA and stellar MCAT, you'll probably be in good shape overall (assuming the rest of your app is up to snuff), but I would talk to someone with non-trad experience (like @gonnif) to get a better and more individualized appraisal.
 
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One thing I will say is that if you are a "S, A, B" candidate you should still apply to low yield schools if you're truly interested in them. Especially the ones with higher median stats if you're uncomfortable about the purported "yield protection". I think recommending those top-tier candidates to not apply is wrong. If you're the cream of the crop go wherever you want and apply wherever you want.
 
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I wish I would have utilized this when selecting my school list! For future applicants, here's a quick summary of my Wedge results vs. what I actually did:

RjBpNXC.png
 
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tekkenman11 said:
One thing I will say is that if you are a "S, A, B" candidate you should still apply to low yield schools if you're truly interested in them. Especially the ones with higher median stats if you're uncomfortable about the purported "yield protection". I think recommending those top-tier candidates to not apply is wrong. If you're the cream of the crop go wherever you want and apply wherever you want.
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Can confirm. I think the low yield schools (especially BU, Tulane, Temple and Loyola) are VERY big into applicants' stories of why they want to be doctors. If you have a compelling story and are genuinely passionate about urban underserved (and being part of NOLA's rebirth, in Tulane's case) then by all means apply.
 
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I'm a little confused about how the multiplier system works? Could anyone expound on that? For example it appears that my stats rating (suuuuper low GPA, decent MCAT) is 1, am I supposed to multiply that by 10 or leave it as 1? Not my only question about the multiplier system but just for reference. I found that when I applied the multplier to everything my overall WARS score was waaay higher than it should have been (like 100+) which makes 0 sense considering my stats/ECs.
 
@WedgeDawg Skimmed through but didn't quite see it. Do you think there is any way MCAT retakes could be factored into this? Would you recommend just averaging the two scores? I ask because I know a lot of schools "say" they don't average or that they "take the highest/most recent score" but I understand they obviously have everything to benefit from saying that. Just curious to think if you thought this could still work in situations of MCAT retakes.
 
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Columbia should be tier-1..88+% MD acceptance rate + 95-99% MD-PhD acceptance rate
 
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Luftwaffle said:
I'm a little confused about how the multiplier system works? Could anyone expound on that? For example it appears that my stats rating (suuuuper low GPA, decent MCAT) is 1, am I supposed to multiply that by 10 or leave it as 1? Not my only question about the multiplier system but just for reference. I found that when I applied the multplier to everything my overall WARS score was waaay higher than it should have been (like 100+) which makes 0 sense considering my stats/ECs.
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ARS Score = (Stats*5)+(Research*3)+(Clinical Experience [9, 5, -10])+(Shadowing [6, -5])+(Volunteering*2)+(Leadership and Teaching*2)+(Miscellaneous*3)+[(Undergrad-1)*3]+[(URM-1)*7]+[(Upward Trend-1)*4]

So take your stats score (using your example, 1) and multiply it by 5. But the easier way is to just download the excel doc or use the online calculator.

Gilakend said:
@WedgeDawg Skimmed through but didn't quite see it. Do you think there is any way MCAT retakes could be factored into this? Would you recommend just averaging the two scores? I ask because I know a lot of schools "say" they don't average or that they "take the highest/most recent score" but I understand they obviously have everything to benefit from saying that. Just curious to think if you thought this could still work in situations of MCAT retakes.
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You get into trickier territory with MCAT retakes. If they're wildly different, I would check your score with the lower one, the higher one, and average, and then see how different they are. If you end up getting, say, B, A, A with that, then maybe make your list as a borderline A/B applicant. If you get A, B, C, then add any schools you think you might be competitive for and create a WAMC thread. It becomes less in line with the model and more on a case by case basis at that point.

pioneer22 said:
Columbia should be tier-1..88+% MD acceptance rate + 95-99% MD-PhD acceptance rate
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This tool is made to be inherently conservative, so I'm not going to bump that up. The overrepresentation of Columbia in medical schools isn't as pronounced as Harvard/Yale etc, and even if it were for some schools, it wouldn't be worth totally restructuring your school list because of that.
 
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Has anyone made a more comprehensive list of schools in each category? Ex: Jefferson, Tufts, NOVA, Arizona, etc.
I'm just unsure of how to categorize other schools not on this list.
 
jconnell82760 said:
Has anyone made a more comprehensive list of schools in each category? Ex: Jefferson, Tufts, NOVA, Arizona, etc.
I'm just unsure of how to categorize other schools not on this list.
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Jefferson and tufts are both in the low yield category. Nova is relatively new and I don’t have enough data to place it yet. All other schools are generally state schools that you shouldn’t be applying to unless you’re from that state.
 
Just wanted to thank you @WedgeDawg - this was a really useful tool that helped guide me in the right direction.

For anyone curious, I was roughly an A applicant (borderline S/A, rounded down to be safe). Here's my recommended (A applicant) vs actual:
Screen Shot 2018-03-06 at 6.08.51 PM.png


If you plan on using this, be honest with yourself when completing the data input page - this will save you time and money. When in doubt, be more conservative with your ranking or, as stated in many posts above, consult WAMC.
 
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Just wanted to comment that based on the 2017-2018 cycle, you might want to consider adding UCLA to the 'low yield' list. Their # of applicants & matriculants are comparable to other low yield schools.
I know it's tricky b/c it's also a state school, but its applicant stats this past cycle caught my eye.
 
So in light of the new AMCAS, I think BU's "low yield" classification needs to be changed. 3.83 + 518 is extremely competitive. A ton of people who apply to BU probably had no business applying there. People seem to be realizing that too, judging by the fact that application volume fell.
 
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According to this, I have a WARS score of 79 so I should be applying to 35% Category 3 but there are so few mentioned in that category. Can anyone give me a more inclusive list on what schools would fall into the Cat3 schools?
 
To raise this thread from the dead: is Caltech not on this list because so few Caltech grads apply to medical school?
 
For stuff that says that its really 1 and 0, do we not multiply by 7 if we are 0? Or is is taken into consideration and we would do 1x7? Basically if youre non URM, are you adding 0 or 7 for the calculation?
 
Hey Everyone~ I'm an international student trying to put together a school list.... Does anyone have any advice as to how I should use this system? The number of schools that accepts internationals goes down from category 1-6 (there are about 6 from category 1 that accepts internationals, 7 from category 2, 3 from category 3 and 3-4 from category 4) In this case should I fill more schools from the low yield category? (Rating is probably A depending on how shadowing is perceived...)
 
Is starting an organization with friends + being on the board of directors of that same organization + being on the board of another organization considered a 2 or 3 in leadership?
 
reyncoats said:
Is starting an organization with friends + being on the board of directors of that same organization + being on the board of another organization considered a 2 or 3 in leadership?
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When in doubt, rate yourself conservatively
 
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Before I try weaning myself from SDN, here's my data point and endorsement for WARS from this past cycle for those of you now making your list. LM ~71, but work/activities pushed WARS up to ~81, so I decided to use sort of an A/B level. Red=Pre-II reject/Silence; Green=II:
Category 1: Chicago, Penn, UCSF, Duke, WashU, Yale
Category 2: Emory, Michigan, Pitt, UCLA, UCSD, Mayo / Mayo, Mt Sinai, Northwestern
Category 3: USC, Dartmouth, Ohio State, Rochester
Category 4: Wake Forest, Cincinnati
Category 5: UC Davis, UC Irvine
Category 6: Jefferson, Brown, BU, Tufts
Comments:
1) Thank you @WedgeDawg and @Goro ! Your advice from WARS and a (now deleted) WAMC convinced me to drop more than half my original GPA/MCAT-based list (mostly Cat 4 and 6 schools) and aim “higher” – which ended up really paying off.
2) It really sucks being a resident of California - even if you go to a college on the east coast.
3) Despite my WARS score, I did keep some Cat 6 schools for personal reasons.
4) Post-mortem advice: Run several scenarios to account for differences in how schools view activities, and like @WedgeDawg suggests, be conservative in your scoring. Use MSAR to narrow your schools within categories: For me, besides the California thing, things did NOT go well at schools where I scored above the 75th percentile on MCAT or below the 25th percentile on GPA - although a couple of acceptances were actually where I was down around the 10th percentile on both - so be crazy on a couple of your choices, because it’s a really crazy process!
 
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