MD 3.93 cGPA/3.7-3.8 sGPA | 30 MCAT | NY Resident | Asian F

[tbthunder]

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[Faha]

What is your preliminary list of schools that you are thinking of applying to ?

 

[PreSomething124]

Asian male here. I got a 30 mcat about the same spread as yours and I got into 1 MD and 1 DO school, both in NY. I went to a SUNY for undergrad. I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[tbthunder]

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[Goro]

I recommend:


Rush
NYMC
Creighton
Albany
Rosy Franklin
Drexel
Temple
Loma Linda (but read their list of don'ts)
MCW
St. Louis U
WVU
Jefferson
Creighton
Tulane
Loyola
U Miami
Wake Forest
EVMS
VCU
All new MD programs except Hofstra, Central MI, Va Tech, FIU, FAU and UCF
Any DO program
All SUNYs

 

[Faha]

I will be applying to all NYS schools all SUNYS, will probably leave out Cornell & Columbia given my stats)
Pittsburgh
Tulane
UMass
Boston U

Thank you for your response!



Thank you - very comforting to hear that.

Applying to all the NY schools except Columbia and Cornell is a good strategy. UMass does not accept OOS applicants except for MD-PhD. Add another 6 or more OOS schools from @Goro's list and you should receive several interviews.

 

[Goro]

To qualify, all four Manhattan Titans, plus Einstein should be ruled out. I'm not sanguine about Hofstra or Rochester either; median MCAT scores for the latter three are 34-35, and so OP is in a bit of a hole.

Applying to all the NY schools except Columbia and Cornell is a good strategy. UMass does not accept OOS applicants except for MD-PhD. Add another 6 or more OOS schools from @Goro's list and you should receive several interviews.

 

[Faha]

To qualify, all four Manhattan Titans, plus Einstein should be ruled out. I'm not sanguine about Hofstra or Rochester either; median MCAT scores for the latter three are 34-35, and so OP is in a bit of a hole.

I agree that NYU, Sinai, Einstein and Rochester are all reaches but it is OK to have a few reaches as long as OP understands that is what they are. Quinnipiac would be another school worth applying to as well as choosing liberally from OOS schools on your list.

 

[Goro]

I'm not a fan of reaches because OP's MCAT score is < the 10th %ile for many of these schools. OP's ECs are rather cookie cutter, and the higher on the pole you climb, the more your app needs to stand out. This is why I value MSAR Online so much, so eyeballing that 10-90th%ile range. You'd better have something really good to bring tot he table if you're below that 10th %ile, like being a veteran or having a good publication record, or > 500 hrs volunteering.

One more thing OP needs to consider is that discordant MCAT scores are a concern to Adcoms. A 3.93 GPA contrasts greatly with a 30 MCAT score.

I agree that NYU, Sinai, Einstein and Rochester are all reaches but it is OK to have a few reaches as long as OP understands that is what they are. Quinnipiac would be another school worth applying to as well as choosing liberally from OOS schools on your list.

 

[GrapesofRath]

The gap is even more glaring considering the 3.93 is from an Ivy League Institution(not that I'm trying to side track this into a thread about how much prestige matter).

I don't know if I would agree that the OP's EC's are cookie cutter: 2 publications is a solid turn out. If someone spends 3 years with a significant commitment to research that will be what takes up a large part of their time, not activities such as volunteering(which the OP has 25o of). And 2 publications in 3 years for a pre-med isn't a bad track record at all; definitely at least shows the OP was doing something while in lab and put solid use of their time. OP also has work experience in immigration health and health care administration which provide a somewhat diverse and broader perspective which I think is valuable. I would say this is actually a very solid resume.

That said, the general point is the same as what Goro is alluding to; a 30 MCAT isn't going to cut it for bigger name schools(even the Rochester/Hofstra types) even coming from an IVY and having nice EC's. I can understand someone taking a reach on a top school if their GPA is slightly below the 10th percentile if they have exceptional EC's and MCAT scores(particularly if they have an upward trend or come from a feeder school to top 20 med schools known for grade deflation). It's alot harder to justify it when the MCAT is what is below the 10th percentile.

 

[tbthunder]

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[GrapesofRath]

Thank you all for your input. I understand that my MCAT score is rather low given my GPA and school.

However, is the score so low that it would merit a re-take (in which I would need to study for the new version of the exam)? I understand that nearly half of people who retake the MCAT do not score better, and, based on the graphs provided by the AAMC, I'm not sure if a 1-2 point increase (conservatively speaking) would make a drastic difference in my chances given that I remain in the 30-32 range.

If you already have a 30 on your record, getting the equivalent of a 31-32 won't do much for you. Only way a re-take helps you is if you get equivalent of a 33+.

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/271680/data/retestertotalscorechange.pdf

Here are the official stats: About 35% who re-took a 30-32 did 3 or more points better. 35% also did the same or worse the second time around which will hurt your score even more. You don't want to do worse on a re-take if you already have a score that is below average for MD standards. Bottom line the odds aren't in favor of re-taking a 30 and doing well enough to justify it. And keep in mind, this is a new test now and that re-taking it unless you are completely ready is a major error.

 

[Faha]

Thank you all for your input. I understand that my MCAT score is rather low given my GPA and school.

However, is the score so low that it would merit a re-take (in which I would need to study for the new version of the exam)? I understand that nearly half of people who retake the MCAT do not score better, and, based on the graphs provided by the AAMC, I'm not sure if a 1-2 point increase (conservatively speaking) would make a drastic difference in my chances given that I remain in the 30-32 range.

You do not need to retake the MCAT and it is true that increasing your score by 1 or 2 points matters little since it is expected that an applicant could do better on a retake since they are familiar with the test. There are schools where the median MCAT is around 30 such as Quinnipiac, Oakland Beaumont, Western Michigan, NYMC, Creighton and a few others and with your high GPA those are the schools where you are most likely to receive an interview.

 

[PreSomething124]

Thank you all for your input. I understand that my MCAT score is rather low given my GPA and school.

However, is the score so low that it would merit a re-take (in which I would need to study for the new version of the exam)? I understand that nearly half of people who retake the MCAT do not score better, and, based on the graphs provided by the AAMC, I'm not sure if a 1-2 point increase (conservatively speaking) would make a drastic difference in my chances given that I remain in the 30-32 range.

No need to retake the MCAT. Studying for the new format will be an unnecessary obstacle. My GPA was ~3.6-3.7 and I got interviews to all of the SUNYs as well as NYMC, Albany, and NYIT (DO). Don't worry too much OP, just focus on filling out the AMCAS and the personal statement.

 

[PugsAndHugs]

No need to retake the MCAT. Studying for the new format will be an unnecessary obstacle. My GPA was ~3.6-3.7 and I got interviews to all of the SUNYs as well as NYMC, Albany, and NYIT (DO). Don't worry too much OP, just focus on filling out the AMCAS and the personal statement.

That's encouraging! What was your MCAT score if you don't mind me asking?

 

[PreSomething124]

That's encouraging! What was your MCAT score if you don't mind me asking?

30 (PS 10 VR 9 BS 11) - Same spread as OP but different scores on each section.

 

[pillowsnice]

How do you explain a discordant MCAT with a high GPA to adcoms? Is that asked during interviews?

 

[GrapesofRath]

How do you explain a discordant MCAT with a high GPA to adcoms? Is that asked during interviews?

There's not much to necessarily explain it, an ADCOM will simply take it at face value and make of it what they will. That said, I don't really think a 3.93 and a 30 contrast that significantly and is that big a reason for concern. 35K applicants with GPAs above 3.8 applied to medical school the past 3 years. Only around 12K had 33+. Another 9K were in the 30-32 range which the OP is. 13K had MCATs below 30. So it's not that huge of an issue. OP will still be fine for lower tiers, the bigger point here is that top schools are usually a waste of money to be applying to with a 30, regardless of where you went to undergrad or what your GPA is unless you have a URM type of hook.

 

[tealmirror]

deleted

 

[meridethgrey]

I recommend:


Rush
NYMC
Creighton
Albany
Rosy Franklin
Drexel
Temple
Loma Linda (but read their list of don'ts)
MCW
St. Louis U
WVU
Jefferson
Creighton
Tulane
Loyola
U Miami
Wake Forest
EVMS
VCU
All new MD programs except Hofstra, Central MI, Va Tech, FIU, FAU and UCF
Any DO program
All SUNYs

Why not FIU?

 

[Goro]

Not friendly to OOSers

Why not FIU?