Advice for me who wants to reapply? Any would help!

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Hey guys, I'm really in a jam here. For the 2011-2012 cycle, I applied to 24 MD schools, and got rejected by all of them (I'm still waiting to hear back from 4 more schools, but its hopeless at this point).

Here are my stats:

Undergrad: SUNY Albany
Biology, BS with a minor in English
cGPA: 3.94
sGPA: 3.92

MCAT: VR 6....PS 7...BS 9...WS P (22) both times taken in july and august 2011

I've won some academic awards, and I'm even in a national honor society at my school.
I've also done community service, and volunteered at hospitals.
My research experiences are weak....I've a semesters worth of biochem research and another semester of clinical research.

What do you think I need to really improve my chances besides retaking the MCAT?
And should I reapply in the 2013-2014 or 2014-2015 application cycle?
Should I go to grad school or should I work in a research setting before I reapply?

My biggest worry with retaking the MCAT is verbal reasoning. I feel like I can improve sciences.
Thanks everyone!

You are not that different from me. I retook the mcat three times (25, 26, 26). I was in the same boat as you after taking it twice, but I decided I had to at least try a third time. My best advice would be to make sure you are seeing improvement on practice test scores prior to taking it (I was scoring 29-31 on my practice test, but, unfortunately, the real thing didn't go as well as I'd hoped). It's all about practice, practice, practice!

I changed some major things when I re-applied: I applied to mostly DO schools, built up a bunch more research, and got an MPH. While I didn't receive interviews from MD schools, I felt a lot of DO love. DO schools emphasize scores less than MD schools do, and also love non-traditional students.

Research can definitely improve your application. I'd only do a graduate program if you can get a scholarship and/or if it is a program you really want to do. You can also consider becoming an EMT or something along those lines.

Hope that helps- keep your chin up! You'll get there!

I think the only thing that is hurting you is your low MCAT. I don't think anyone (except people in special acceptance programs) gets accepted with a 22. Just continue with your volunteer/clinical ECs/shadowing and if you want you can try to get a research gig. Apply early and broadly with a 28+ and I think you will have a good shot at MD schools. I don't think you need a graduate program. Your GPA is great. You can improve your application without spending a ton of money on a Masters/SMP.

Op, I would take a good 6 months to a year to practice the mcat. this should be your #1 activity during that time. I had similar scores to yours. Verbal really sucked for me. I took Kaplan course and i do not recommend it. I think I've read somebody's post here once saying that they used 1001 passages or verbal questions book (whatever it is) and significantly pulled their verbal up. As for phys section, I think you should just do a TON of practice problems and make sure to go over every explanation for every question that you are not sure about. Judging by your gpa, I seriously doubt that content is the issue here. You just need to learn how to "play the game". Also, my adviser suggested reading a lot of stuff like "the economist" , "wall-street journal" , or anything else that is not very easy to read and not the most entertaining because there are a lot of boring passages on the mcat with vocab that people do not typically use on daily basis. Another thing that I've noticed is that when I did not over analyze the verbal passages or questions/answer choices, I usually scored better.

Definitely apply more broadly next time (MD and DO schools), and as early as possible. Whatever you're doing to study for the MCAT, change it up. It's not working. Take a class, if you need to. A third low MCAT score just makes your application look like you either had an easy courseload in college, or had grade inflation (high GPA + low MCAT = bad combo).

You're absolutely right.

My first MCAT was July, 2011 and I thought it was super easy, but my score (22) said otherwise.
I decided to retake it August, 2011, thinking that I must've had a brain cramp during the first one, but scored a 22 again.....the funny thing is that my practice exams were around 24-29.

I definitely want to make my 3rd mcat at least a 28+. I tried Kaplan the first time...SUCKS. I think I'm doing TBR with some PR practice passages. I did the EK 1001, and they were all useless as well (except for Verbal).

Thanks everyone for the advice!

Don't take the test until you're ready to blow it out of the water. Your practice scores should be pretty high (they generally underestimate the difficulty of the test, so your score will be inflated).

Yes, whoever told you to apply this cycle gave you terrible advice and don't listen to them. Like the above poster said, take as much time as you need to own this test. Medical school isn't going anywhere, but either are you if you don't get your score up at least 6-7 points.

Originally Posted by Buzz Me

Don't take the test until you're ready to blow it out of the water.