28 mcat, 3.7 gpa, ORM- Any input is greatly appreciated

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

MrTaco92

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2013
Messages
338
Reaction score
349
So I just scored a 28 (8 VR, 9 PS, 11 BS) on my mcat, which was on the lower end of my usual practice test scores (28-32, with an average of 30). Seeing that I've gotten a 28 before on a practice exam, it's not a complete fluke, but still upsetting for sure.

As an ORM with a cgpa just above a 3.7 and sgpa just above a 3.6, would I immediately be screened out of MD schools? I'm wondering if I would be better off retaking or just applying strategically to many MD schools + some DO schools. Here's a general overview of my EC's:

~90 hours community service to the homeless
-60 hours volunteering abroad (environmental conservation stuff)
-450 total hours clinical volunteering (hospital + outpatient PT clinic)
-Random part time jobs each summer in between every year of undergrad
-First chair clarinet of university's symphonic band during senior year
-Making videos for different clients for the past 6-7 years, with some positive results from a couple video contests here and there
-Just started scribing part time at a nearby hospital
-Also started getting some really great experience at a research lab that I'm enjoying. After sitting down with my PI and seeing what the other undergrads in my lab have done, I have a good feeling I'll have something to show for within the next year

All of my letters should be pretty solid and I have an upward trend in my grades. Do you guys think it's worth retaking the mcat or should I just hope for the best while applying strategically to MD and DO schools? Ideally, I'd like to be at any mid/lower tier MD school.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
You have plenty of opportunities for both MD and especially DO with your current stats.
Thanks gyngyn. Do you think if I retook for a score in the 30-32 range my chances would be optimized much more? Or am I better off sticking with my current mcat score? My only concern is that I may not actually perform that much better than my recent 28 on a retake.
 
I concur with my learned colleague and yes, if you had a higher MCAT score, you'd be more competitive, but as you say yourself, there's no guarantee that your score would go up, and it would, in reality, more likely go down, stay the same, or only going up so marginally as to be worthless.

Thanks gyngyn. Do you think if I retook for a score in the 30-32 range my chances would be optimized much more? Or am I better off sticking with my current mcat score? My only concern is that I may not actually perform that much better than my recent 28 on a retake.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
You should be fine.

Apply broadly and early to both MD and DO. You best chances will be at NJ state schools.
 
Hey everyone. I'm thinking of a list of schools to apply to and decided to add to this thread instead of making a new thread. I'd prefer to stay within the northeast region, but would definitely be willing to make a move out west. In addition to a select few osteopathic schools, I'm considering these allopathic schools. Any input on this list would be greatly appreciated.

Albany
Cooper
Creighton
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Rutgers NJMS
Rutgers RWJ
Quinnipiac
GWU
NYMC
Penn State
Rush
Rosalind Franklin
Vermont
Virginia Commonwealth
St. Louis

Any more I should consider? I'm on the fence about a couple suny schools but they seem out of reach given my out of state status
 
An excellent and realistic list. You could add Commonwealth (PA), Oakland Beaumont and Western Michigan.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Agree with the above.

You could add Toledo and Tulane as well.
 
Thanks for all the extra input everyone. Any suggestions as to what DO schools to add to the list? As of now I'm considering PCOM, Rowan, NYIT, and New England. Would Western and Touro (california) be out of reach for me since I'm from the east coast?
 
You're fine for any DO school except AZCOM.

The two CA schools do not have regional biases (neither does mine, somewhere west of St Louis). Offhand, MSUCOM, OH-COM, UNECOM, OK-COM and PacNW are the ones that I can think of that prefer regional applicants.

Thanks for all the extra input everyone. Any suggestions as to what DO schools to add to the list? As of now I'm considering PCOM, Rowan, NYIT, and New England. Would Western and Touro (california) be out of reach for me since I'm from the east coast?
 
You're fine for any DO school except AZCOM.

The two CA schools do not have regional biases (neither does mine, somewhere west of St Louis). Offhand, MSUCOM, OH-COM, UNECOM, OK-COM and PacNW are the ones that I can think of that prefer regional applicants.

Awesome! Thank you Goro!
 
Top