3.56cGPA/3.39 sGPA/32MCAT, 29MCAT

[bluepaperclip]

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to read my thread! Basics: I am a CA resident, non-URM, non-trad graduated in May 2013

I have 2 questions:
1. What are my MD chances for this cycle?

(I submitted primary the 2nd week of June) and finished most secondaries by the end of August. I haven't heard back from any schools yet (aside from a hold and some rejections and it's making me panic). I didn't submit DO this cycle, and I think it's probably too late to jump on that now

This leads to my next question about potential re-applying:

2. Should I take the 2015 MCAT (for a third time)? I know I probably should not have re-taken my first score, but what is done is done and I'm looking for methods to make my application more appealing

cGPA: 3.56 / sgpa: 3.39
first MCAT July 2013: 32 (10/10/12)
second MCAT April 2014: 29 (9/9/11)

Activities (in no particular order):
1. Physician Shadowing: OBGYN private practice (80hr)
2. Physician Shadowing: radiology UCLA affiliated hospital (50hr)
3. Clinical Community Service: External VP (now President) of an student organization coordinating yearly medical missions and providing medical screenings such as cholesterol/blood glucose/STIs to the local underserved area (200 hr)
4. Clinical Community Service: Clinical Care Extender caring for patients (feeding/bathing/re-positioning) in a hospital (280 hr)
5. Studied Abroad for a semester
6. Paid Employment: Work Study Receptionist in undergrad (450 hr)
7. Paid Employment: Waitressing from high school throughout university (3000 hr)
8. Non-Clinical Community Service: Alpha Phi Omega Community Service Fraternity active member (200 hrs)
9. Undergraduate Research Assistant: for 4 years, but it didn't really result in any publications due to a sensitive incident in regards to the PhD candidate I was working with (450 hr)
10. Tutoring/Teaching Assistant: Health Educator for 4 years in ungrad teaching health work shops (ranging from how to make healthy decisions/drugs/alcohol/STI/pregnancy) in local high schools that did not have a proper health curriculum

List:
1. Albany Medical College
2. Drexel University College of Medicine (added this kinda late around late July)
3. Eastern Virginia Medical School
4. Emory University School of Medicine
5. George Washington University Sch of Med & Hlth Sci
6. Indiana University School of Medicine
7. Medical College of Wisconsin (yes, I know this is a historically Black college)
8. Meharry Medical College
9. New York Medical College
10. Quinnipiac University SOM
11. Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
12. Rush Medical College
13. SUNY at Buffalo Medical School
14. Saint Louis University School of Medicine
15. Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
16. Temple University School of Medicine
17. The Commonwealth Medical College
18. The Ohio State Univ. Coll. of Med.
19. The University of Toledo College of Medicine
20. The University of Vermont College of Medicine
21. Tufts University School of Medicine
22. University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson (they put me on hold, but I think that it pretty much means a rejection?)
23. University of Rochester School of Medicine
24. University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville
25. University of Washington School of Medicine
26. Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine (I added this pretty late, around early Sept, and completed secondary around 9/9)
27. Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
28. Western Michigan University School of Medicine (I did get a phone interview from them, but I haven't heard back from them in about a month so, I'm going to guess that I wasn't stellar )

Additional activities I am looking into during this application process:
1. scribe work
2. hospice volunteer work
3. research position
4. taking anatomy at a CC (hopefully will get a good grade and boost up that hideous sGPA to the 3.4~ range) and potentially physiology next semester depending on MCAT re-take

I would like your brutal honest assessment and opinion on my situation (to re-take NEW 2015 MCAT for reapplying to MD or just don't and apply MD/DO next cycle), and thank you so much for taking the time to read through all this

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[chemguy79]

Regarding the MCAT retake, what makes you think that your score will increase upon the third attempt?

The retake demonstrates poor judgement and the fact that it went down noticeably hurts your MD chances. Since you would be taking the exam a third time, your score would be expected to increase and anything less than your first score would give credence that the initial attempt was a fluke.

I believe that there is time to apply DO for the current cycle, but it's getting rather late in the game.

 

[gyngyn]

You can still apply DO this cycle if you hurry.

 

[bluepaperclip]

Regarding the MCAT retake, what makes you think that your score will increase upon the third attempt?

The retake demonstrates poor judgement and the fact that it went down noticeably hurts your MD chances. Since you would be taking the exam a third time, your score would be expected to increase and anything less than your first score would give credence that the initial attempt was a fluke.

I believe that there is time to apply DO for the current cycle, but it's getting rather late in the game.

In regards to the MCAT re-take, I'm not sure my score will increase considering if I do take it, it will be during the first batch of test takers for the new version. I guess I'm just trying to see how I can salvage my chances at MD schools or did I already mess it up with my second re-take and to just stop trying to push the MCAT farther?

 

[bluepaperclip]

You can still apply DO this cycle if you hurry.

Could I? I feel like requesting/submitting transcripts from schools would take 2 weeks or so and then getting verified maybe bring the total time to a month before I would be sent secondaries :\

 

[gyngyn]

Could I? I feel like requesting/submitting transcripts from schools would take 2 weeks or so and then getting verified maybe bring the total time to a month before I would be sent secondaries :\

Let's ask @Goro.

 

[Goro]

A lot of poor choices here, paper. Why are you applying to highly mission based schools like Meherry? And to U WA, which ignores anyone outside of the WAMMI states? And retaking that perfectly fine MCAT??? As my Jewish friends say "OY!"

It is not too late for the DO cycle. It's longer for one, and and at my school, there's about a six week turn around time between receipt of apps and sending out IIs, so you still have time to get stuff in and not have to interview solely for a spot on a wait list.

So find a DO to shadow, and if you live withing driving distance of Pomona or Vallejo, go visit Western or TUCOM. Heck, if you live in Death Valley, go visit TUNCOM.

I think your chances at any DO program will be very good, even with the unwise MCAT retaking. Do NOT retake a third time!

If you're still boning for MD, then I believe your best chances will be with:


1. Albany Medical College
2. Drexel University College of Medicine
5. George Washington University Sch of Med & Hlth Sci
MCW
9. New York Medical College
10. Quinnipiac University SOM
11. Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
12. Rush Medical College
14. Saint Louis University School of Medicine
15. Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
16. Temple University School of Medicine
17. The Commonwealth Medical College
26. Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine (I added this pretty late, around early Sept, and completed secondary around 9/9)
27. Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

 

[bluepaperclip]

A lot of poor choices here, paper. Why are you applying to highly mission based schools like Meherry? And to U WA, which ignores anyone outside of the WAMMI states? And retaking that perfectly fine MCAT??? As my Jewish friends say "OY!"

It is not too late for the DO cycle. It's longer for one, and and at my school, there's about a six week turn around time between receipt of apps and sending out IIs, so you still have time to get stuff in and not have to interview solely for a spot on a wait list.

So find a DO to shadow, and if you live withing driving distance of Pomona or Vallejo, go visit Western or TUCOM. Heck, if you live in Death Valley, go visit TUNCOM.

I think your chances at any DO program will be very good, even with the unwise MCAT retaking. Do NOT retake a third time!

If you're still boning for MD, then I believe your best chances will be with:


1. Albany Medical College
2. Drexel University College of Medicine
5. George Washington University Sch of Med & Hlth Sci
MCW
9. New York Medical College
10. Quinnipiac University SOM
11. Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
12. Rush Medical College
14. Saint Louis University School of Medicine
15. Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
16. Temple University School of Medicine
17. The Commonwealth Medical College
26. Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine (I added this pretty late, around early Sept, and completed secondary around 9/9)
27. Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Thank you for your reply and yes, I agree, I am beating myself over the re-take in hindsight..

Sorry, I haven't looked much into DO school acceptance ranges for my stats, do you have any other DO school suggestions for if I do apply this cycle (or for if I decide to apply next cycle, because I'm not sure I want to go through heartbreak over DO schools filling their seats this cycle already from applying a bit late. I've seen people getting acceptances and II from DO schools already and waiting a year for a better chance is not a huge difference for me)?

Is the general consensus to stop pursuing the MCAT? What other aspects should I focus on to make my application more appealing?

 

[Goro]

If you're boning for the MD degree, then sit out this cycle and apply 6/1/15. Do NOT retake the MCAT!!!

But if you want to be a doctor in 2019 instead of 2020, go the DO route. You're competitive for any DO program, including mine.

Start with both campuses of Western, TUNCOM, AZCOM, SOMA, TUCOM-CA, PacNW and work your way eastwards. i can't recommend LUCOM. UNECOM and a few others are regionally biased, so do your homework.



Sorry, I haven't looked much into DO school acceptance ranges for my stats, do you have any other DO school suggestions for if I do apply this cycle (or for if I decide to apply next cycle, because I'm not sure I want to go through heartbreak over DO schools filling their seats this cycle already from applying a bit late. I've seen people getting acceptances and II from DO schools already and waiting a year for a better chance is not a huge difference for me)?

Is the general consensus to stop pursuing the MCAT?