Overall this is why essays are important.
Compare three applicants:
X - An individual that grew up in deep poverty in rural Louisiana who had major gaps in STEM classes prior to college. X volunteered with high school students in the area during college because she realized how powerful education is as a tool for social mobility. She applied with a 3.7/512
Y - An individual that grew up in the suburbs of Boston who had a middle class upbringing. Y always wanted to be a doctor and learned lessons from those she serviced by volunteering with high school students less fortunate than herself. She applied with a 3.7/512
Z - An individual with a similar upbringing to ‘Y’ but with a 3.8/515
Who showed the greatest resilience? Who sticks out from the rest when reading thousands of applications? X—as long as she opens up and appeals to the reader in her experienced and her motivations. Their MCAT—as long as it is sufficient—will take her far further than applicant Y & Z because of distance travelled to meet that goal.