3.95 postbac; 3.62 cumulative (undergrad + postbac); 30 MCAT

[Mike2188]

Hi all. Just trying to get a sense of schools I should apply to with my stats.

Undergrad: top liberal arts college, exorbitant amount of extracurriculars.
Postbac: 3.95
AMCAS GPA: 3.75 BCPM, 3.62 Overall
MCAT: First take was a huge drop from practice tests: 30 w/ 9VR, 10PS, 11BS. Retook recently and am awaiting my next scores. Not the best standardized test taker, unfortunately. At least, I don't feel that I test congruent with what my preparation and practice predict.
Research experience, teaching experience, great recs, lots of medical volunteering/experience, paper submission to a conference, and very personable/friendly so I interview well.

I believe that I am a well-rounded candidate, but I don't know how much the MCAT will hold me back. I don't really have a sense of how schools weigh the various aspects of an applicant's background, which is why I'm here to ask people who probably know a lot more about this than I do.

My list of schools is pretty small so far. UCLA, UCI, UCSD, BU to start. UCs because I am a California resident. I have been viewing MSAR to get a sense of various schools' stats, but any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks for input.

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[Goro]

The MCAT is rather low for the really competitive CA schools, even you you're a CA resident. I'd scratch UCSD and UCSF from the list, and keep in mind that UCI/R are very mission driven.

Definitely apply to low-medium tier schools, and consider TUCOM-CA and WesternCOMP if you really want to stay in CA.




I believe that I am a very well-rounded candidate, but I don't know how much the MCAT will hold me back. I don't really have a sense of how schools weigh the various aspects of an applicant's background, which is why I'm here to ask people who probably know a lot more about this than I do.

My list of schools is pretty small so far. UCLA, UCI, UCSD, BU to start. UCs because I am a California resident, and BU because a friend goes there and recommended. I figured I would spend this week figuring out where to submit my application and then start sending it off. I have been viewing MSAR to get a sense of various schools' stats, but any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks for input.[/QUOTE]

 

[Mike2188]

I'm not wedded to staying in California -- I'm pretty open minded about East vs. West coast. Though UCSD has an MSAR MCAT range of 29-39 -- some of the other UCs go down to 30. I realize it's the low end of the spectrum but isn't is still reasonable to apply with a low score?

 

[gyngyn]

I'm not wedded to staying in California -- I'm pretty open minded about East vs. West coast. Though UCSD has an MSAR MCAT range of 29-39 -- some of the other UCs go down to 30. I realize it's the low end of the spectrum but isn't is still reasonable to apply with a low score?

Sure. It's just not likely that you will get an interview so you can't reliably count them among the 15 or so schools you need to include to get accepted.

 

[Mike2188]

Do you have recommendations for other schools I should look into? I have a fair amount of research experience, volunteering hours in a variety of different hospital settings, and was head of a student group devoted to healthcare in underserved communities; I've also done a lot of psych work. How much weight do my undergraduate schools (bachelors + postbac) carry if they are two of the highest ranked US schools? Unless my most recent MCAT improved, I would assume I will be best off looking at schools that take a holistic view of their applicants.

 

[gyngyn]

Do you have recommendations for other schools I should look into? I have a fair amount of research experience, volunteering hours in a variety of different hospital settings, and was head of a student group devoted to healthcare in underserved communities; I've also done a lot of psych work. How much weight do my undergraduate schools (bachelors + postbac) carry if they are two of the highest ranked US schools? Unless my most recent MCAT improved, I would assume I will be best off looking at schools that take a holistic view of their applicants.

All schools use holistic review. It's a AAMC standard. It's just that the goals of the holistic review vary depending on the school's mission.

Depending on your new MCAT, your list would necessarily be quite different than what would be recommended for your current stats.

Undergrad institutions are a minor component of your holistic review!

 

[Mike2188]

All schools use holistic review. It's a AAMC standard. It's just that the goals of the holistic review vary depending on the school's mission.

Depending on your new MCAT, your list would necessarily be quite different than what would be recommended for your current stats.

Undergrad institutions are a minor component of your holistic review!

Fair enough; by "holistic" I just was just implying the obvious fact that I have to look for places that don't have a strict MCAT cutoff. We'll find out how the new one went in 3 weeks. I'm assuming bio was quite high, and the other two are variable. Here's hoping.