If pod school is just as hard as med school, why are the standards of acceptance so much lower?

It's an honest question. I don't mean to rile anyone up. Alot of people say that the first 2 years are really similar, but why such a big disparity then? Avg GPA for Barry is like 3.0 and MCAT is 24. Meanwhile to get into NOVA you need a 3.5 and a 28.
Source: Student Doctor Network - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Source Type: forums