3.56/508

[ATPsynthase123]

Okay, so i am applying this cycle, mostly to in state schools, and those in the surrounding areas:

University of Tennessee (MD) Second Choice

ETSU Quillen College of Medicine (MD) Goal school, Gives preference to In state ETSU applicants

VCOM (DO) Back up

LMU (DO) Back up

Vanderbilt (MD) Reach school, ill probably get immediately screened, but worth a shot.

My stats are:

ETSU senior, Trad, Biology Major, white, TN native

cGPA: 3.56

BCPM: 3.50

MCAT: I take it June 18th, but based on AAMC and Kaplan practice exams my projected range is 508-510, so unless i mess up bad it should be about that score.

Research: 3 years expereince and one pending poster presentation for next spring

Volunteering: 250 hours - clinical and non clinical hospital, community involved and campus involved volunteering

Shadowing: 270 hours- 225 surgery (OR and office) and Emergency Medicine 45 hours (entirely clinical, less hours but alot happened in that time).

LOR: 1 from research professor, 1 from composite premed committee evaluation (containing 4 academic eval letters from professors and 2 of which are attaching personal letters), **one from Surgeon i shadowed, Possibly one more if i can find a family practice doctor to shadow and get to know before i submit my application in July.

obvious weaknesses i see:

- Lack of Family practice shadowing, most family practices, urgent cares and all hospitals are owned by a huge health conglomerate in my area, and each of them basically tell me it will be 8 months to a year each time i visit (once per semester).

- GPA is a bit low, but within the typical range of the schools aside from Vandy.

So, what are my chances of getting in this cycle? I seem to stand pretty well with the DO schools. Im more interested in Quillen as they are more family medicine/ internal medicine based, which i am very interested in.

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[ATPsynthase123]

bump

 

[Faha]

Assuming your MCAT is at least 508 you could add any of these schools:
Wake Forest
GW
Georgetown
Creighton
St. Louis
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
Tulane
New York Medical
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Quinnipiac
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Your best chances are your 2 state schools. Add a few more DO schools such as ACOM, CUSOM, WCU-COM, WVSOM, UP-KYCOM

 

[ATPsynthase123]

Assuming your MCAT is at least 508 you could add any of these schools:
Wake Forest
GW
Georgetown
Creighton
St. Louis
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
Tulane
New York Medical
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Quinnipiac
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Your best chances are your 2 state schools. Add a few more DO schools such as ACOM, CUSOM, WCU-COM, WVSOM, UP-KYCOM

Any advice to improve my application before i submit my application, or would it appear "rushed" to an admissions committee?

 

[Faha]

Any advice to improve my application before i submit my application, or would it appear "rushed" to an admissions committee?

You application is fine as it is. It is important to apply early.

 

[ATPsynthase123]

You application is fine as it is. It is important to apply early.

Is there any data on what the new 2015-2016 MCAT score should be to be competitive at MD schools? ive heard 510, but ive also heard as low as 500. There is no real data on it other than the speculation by AAMC of what it should be. Its all percentiles, and no schools that i have looked at have posted what the averages are.

 

[7331poas]

Is there any data on what the new 2015-2016 MCAT score should be to be competitive at MD schools? ive heard 510, but ive also heard as low as 500. There is no real data on it other than the speculation by AAMC of what it should be. Its all percentiles, and no schools that i have looked at have posted what the averages are.

The median acceptance is still around a 510. Why would it change in your mind?

 

[ATPsynthase123]

The median acceptance is still around a 510. Why would it change in your mind?

The exams are different. They are longer, have different sections, and test differently than in the past. To me, comparing the new MCAT to the old expectations is like comparing a banana to to a Grapefuit. They are still "the same" as in they are both the MCAT, but they are quite different.

Also, 500 is what has been told to me by my premed advisors and on the AAMC website the PDF on the new MCAT states that they redid the exam with an emphasis for a normal distribution with the focus on the top of the curve rather than being pushed to the right. But again, i cant find any data on this so its just going on what the AAMC says and what im told by "experts".

Im actually trying to schedule an appointment with the Assistant Dean of Admissions at QCOM to see if he can shed some light on the issue.

 

[7331poas]

The exams are different. They are longer, have different sections, and test differently than in the past. To me, comparing the new MCAT to the old expectations is like comparing a banana to to a Grapefuit. They are still "the same" as in they are both the MCAT, but they are quite different.

Also, 500 is what has been told to me by my premed advisors and on the AAMC website the PDF on the new MCAT states that they redid the exam with an emphasis for a normal distribution with the focus on the top of the curve rather than being pushed to the right. But again, i cant find any data on this so its just going on what the AAMC says and what im told by "experts".

Im actually trying to schedule an appointment with the Assistant Dean of Admissions at QCOM to see if he can shed some light on the issue.

Why in the world would the median acceptance rate for medical schools fall to the average score on the MCAT? That doesnt make any mathematical sense. Seriously, just think about how many people take the MCAT and how many seats there are in the US. It just doesnt line up

 

[ATPsynthase123]

Why in the world would the median acceptance rate for medical schools fall to the average score on the MCAT? That doesnt make any mathematical sense. Seriously, just think about how many people take the MCAT and how many seats there are in the US. It just doesnt line up

Im just going off of whats is stated here on the AAMC website: https://www.aamc.org/download/434596/data/usingmcatdata2016.pdf

Pg 18 specifically

 

[7331poas]

Im just going off of whats is stated here on the AAMC website: https://www.aamc.org/download/434596/data/usingmcatdata2016.pdf

Pg 18 specifically

Thats what they hope. It has no bearing on the reality. It would take an enormous culture shift for med schools to throw away looking at stats. A 500 is basically a 27 on the old exam. If they started accepting people on median there it would be quite quite odd.

 

[LuluLovesMe]

Im just going off of whats is stated here on the AAMC website: https://www.aamc.org/download/434596/data/usingmcatdata2016.pdf

Pg 18 specifically

A 500 is equivalent to an old 25

Only a few DO schools have averages that low: LUCOM, KYCOM, WVCOM, VCOM, BCOM

 

[Scrubs101]

I'm not sure if this has any value for this conversation, n=1, but I spoke to an adcom that told me the median new mcat scores at their school has been lower than expected and they had to lower the minimum screen. Not sure if this is school specific or an odd combination of applicants/new mcat testers.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[7331poas]

I'm not sure if this has any value for this conversation, n=1, but I spoke to an adcom that told me the median new mcat scores at their school has been lower than expected and they had to lower the minimum screen. Not sure if this is school specific or an odd combination of applicants/new mcat testers.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

It wasn't 11 points lower I would expect.

 

[Scrubs101]

It wasn't 11 points lower I would expect.

I would expect not as well, I believe the cutoff was 3 points lower which isn't much. And it's also the "cutoff" so it could just mean they're more considering of people not doing too well on the new test yet still being exceptional students. I was not informed of the median sadly though, just was told it was lower than expected.

This could be due to a multitude of reasons, no significant correlations being proven here.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[mats7]

I'd add VCU.

 

[gyngyn]

Im just going off of whats is stated here on the AAMC website: https://www.aamc.org/download/434596/data/usingmcatdata2016.pdf

Pg 18 specifically

That was just goofythink by AAMC.

 

[ATPsynthase123]

That was just goofythink by AAMC.

So here is a question for you that is a little off topic.

suppose i get incredibly unlucky and the entire MCAT is composed of my weaknesses and i end up in the 504 range, how much would it hamper my chances at interviews/acceptances at in state schools like Quillen College of Medicine that gives preference to in-state applicants from ETSU my current university? Im really interested in this particular school because they have a focus on Family Medicine and Internal Medicine, which both play into my long term goal of opening/ joining a practice in a smaller "rural" town.

 

[7331poas]

So here is a question for you that is a little off topic.

suppose i get incredibly unlucky and the entire MCAT is composed of my weaknesses and i end up in the 504 range, how much would it hamper my chances at interviews/acceptances at in state schools like Quillen College of Medicine that gives preference to in-state applicants from ETSU my current university? Im really interested in this particular school because they have a focus on Family Medicine and Internal Medicine, which both play into my long term goal of opening/ joining a practice in a smaller "rural" town.

their median I think was a 29.5ish. A 504 is a 28. So you are around their median still.

 

[coldcase331]

Any advice to improve my application before i submit my application, or would it appear "rushed" to an admissions committee?

Your EC's look good, the only thing lacking that I see is a lack of leadership. Did you hold any leadership in clubs? Captain of an intramural team? Anything that shows that you would be able to lead a team? This was my list this year that resulted in 5II (3.8 cgpa, 3.65 spa, 31/510 MCAT).

NYMC (II)
Quinnipiac (II)
EVMS (II)
UIC (ridiculously high OOS tuition)
Thomas Jefferson (II)
State Schools
Emory (GA resident, so why not)
FAU/FIU (wouldn't recommend)
Wayne State
Temple
Drexel
UNC (dream school for primary care)
Wake Forest
VCU
Georgetown
George Washington
Tulane
UAB (went to UA for undergrad, very bad chances for OOS otherwise) (II)
Rush (heavy on community service, wouldn't recommend with your service stats)
Rosalind Franklin

 

[ATPsynthase123]

Your EC's look good, the only thing lacking that I see is a lack of leadership. Did you hold any leadership in clubs? Captain of an intramural team? Anything that shows that you would be able to lead a team? This was my list this year that resulted in 5II (3.8 cgpa, 3.65 spa, 31/510 MCAT).

NYMC (II)
Quinnipiac (II)
EVMS (II)
UIC (ridiculously high OOS tuition)
Thomas Jefferson (II)
State Schools
Emory (GA resident, so why not)
FAU/FIU (wouldn't recommend)
Wayne State
Temple
Drexel
UNC (dream school for primary care)
Wake Forest
VCU
Georgetown
George Washington
Tulane
UAB (went to UA for undergrad, very bad chances for OOS otherwise) (II)
Rush (heavy on community service, wouldn't recommend with your service stats)
Rosalind Franklin

I was VP and cofounder of a student volunteer organization for about 2 years Where alot of the community service came from. Ive done some with the homeless in my city, with a focus on disadvantaged/homeless veterans. I forgot to list that.

 

[ATPsynthase123]

Your EC's look good, the only thing lacking that I see is a lack of leadership. Did you hold any leadership in clubs? Captain of an intramural team? Anything that shows that you would be able to lead a team? This was my list this year that resulted in 5II (3.8 cgpa, 3.65 spa, 31/510 MCAT).

NYMC (II)
Quinnipiac (II)
EVMS (II)
UIC (ridiculously high OOS tuition)
Thomas Jefferson (II)
State Schools
Emory (GA resident, so why not)
FAU/FIU (wouldn't recommend)
Wayne State
Temple
Drexel
UNC (dream school for primary care)
Wake Forest
VCU
Georgetown
George Washington
Tulane
UAB (went to UA for undergrad, very bad chances for OOS otherwise) (II)
Rush (heavy on community service, wouldn't recommend with your service stats)
Rosalind Franklin

I posted this speculation earlier, but id like your opinion as well. Suppose that i take the MCAT and literally all of my weak points are heavily focused on during the exam. I get the score back and land in the 504 range. Would i still stand a competitive chance at in-state schools? Specifically my #1 Quillen College of Medicine, it gives preference to in-state applicants from my university ETSU. Im pretty interested in there because i would like to do either Family or Internal Medicine, both of with are heavily focused on at that school.

 

[coldcase331]

I posted this speculation earlier, but id like your opinion as well. Suppose that i take the MCAT and literally all of my weak points are heavily focused on during the exam. I get the score back and land in the 504 range. Would i still stand a competitive chance at in-state schools? Specifically my #1 Quillen College of Medicine, it gives preference to in-state applicants from my university ETSU. Im pretty interested in there because i would like to do either Family or Internal Medicine, both of with are heavily focused on at that school.

The MCAT is designed so that it has a broad range of topics, making your hypothetical scenario highly unlikely. One reason the MCAT is a crucial part of your application is the test's validity in scores. A person who scores a 510 on one test will likely score a 508-512 on different test. I wouldn't worry about bombing, just do the best you can. You want to build up your confidence and feel like you're going to kick it's ass on test day. No one actually feels ready to take it, so your feelings are normal.

 

[gyngyn]

So here is a question for you that is a little off topic.

suppose i get incredibly unlucky and the entire MCAT is composed of my weaknesses and i end up in the 504 range, how much would it hamper my chances at interviews/acceptances at in state schools like Quillen College of Medicine that gives preference to in-state applicants from ETSU my current university? Im really interested in this particular school because they have a focus on Family Medicine and Internal Medicine, which both play into my long term goal of opening/ joining a practice in a smaller "rural" town.

28 (504) is the matriculant median at Quillen. You would be good to go.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

28 (504) is the matriculant median at Quillen. You would be good to go.

If a 504 is now a 28 with the new percentiles does that mean that a 506 ish is now the new 30?

 

[gyngyn]

If a 504 is now a 28 with the new percentiles does that mean that a 506 ish is now the new 30?

508=30.

 

[ATPsynthase123]

28 (504) is the matriculant median at Quillen. You would be good to go.

Nice, do you think my stats would stand a good chance there? The MCAT isnt everything, and i know their class sizes are small ~80 students, so i really have to stand out if i want a spot there.

 

[gyngyn]

Nice, do you think my stats would stand a good chance there? The MCAT isnt everything, and i know their class sizes are small ~80 students, so i really have to stand out if i want a spot there.

I've learned not to speculate on speculations! Let's get your MCAT back and I'll let you know.