Accepted with MCATS under 30??

[spidermonkey11]

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i totally agree with ralhtar! i took the mcats in april and got a 29S (10B, 10P, 9V, S). But I applied relatively early in the process (amcas was verified by mid july) and got 11 interviews including one of the top five schools and a few of the top 50 schools. im still waiting to hear decisions from two more schools, but ive been blessed to this point with six acceptances. so definitely dont lose hope if you have under a 30 on your mcats. if everything else is strong in your app and you apply early, you should be good!

 

[Superlative28]

29O, 7 out of 7 interviews, 6 out of 7 acceptances. I know people with higher MCATs and similar GPAs (I have a 4.0) that got rejected to state schools. OTHER FACTORS DO MATTER!

 

[LoneCoyote]

It's awesome to read all your posts and see that so many of us had good luck in this process with the sub-30 score!! Congrats to everyone.



Brickhouse, I feel your pain on the California thing. I know I got REALLY lucky to have gotten into a UC. Reading people's posts like yours just confirms that. Congrats on your acceptance. Like you said, we'll both be docs and I am sure if we both work hard we can get residencies in California in 4 yrs 🙂

 

[abefromann]

28O, but a high GPA and Ivy u-grad (not meant to be a fire-starter 🙂 ). 5 interviews and one acceptance so far, with the rest holds and waitlists.

 

[mimi1]

Here's some more hope- After taking the MCAT 3 times, I got a 27Q (8v, 10p, 9b). I have a 3.35 science GPA, 3.45 overall GPA. I graduated from a top school and have been doing cancer research for the past 3 years. I have lots and lots of volunteer and clinical experiences as well as a couple of publications. I applied early (AMCAS was verified by early July) and applied to 20 schools. I got 7 interviews, attended 6, 2 acceptances, and I am on 4 waitlists. If you apply early and choose your schools carefully, there is definitely hope!!!

 

[LP1CW]

Chalklette, something doesn't ring true about your post. You got a 21 and you had okay grades? Hmmm, I don't want to seem like a skeptic. Either you're not be honest or there is a catch. So, what's the catch? Are you Native American, Black, Disadvantaged woman from an underserved community?

And what's the deal with the friend with an 18?

If this is true, I know that you're not a white guy from a middle to upper class family.

 

[gujuDoc]

I just wanted to add that I had a friend that was accepted to University of Miami with a 24 exact on her MCAT.

She also may have been accepted to USF.

Her case scenario, is slightly different however.


She was a nurse for 10 yrs, and is 35.


She also happens to have a 3.9 GPA and her degree was different in that it was in spanish and communications, from EMORY UNIVERSITY when she was an undergrad, years ago.

Oh to clarify, her 3.9 GPA is in her postbac classes.

 

[Lhickz22]

I have a 29Q on the April MCAT from a state school and I had 11 interview invites, went to 8 of them and was accepted to 4 schools!!!

 

[UCIgrad2002]

after taking the test three times, my highest score was also a 29. i graduated with a 3.5 cum and science gpa. i had four allopathic and two osteopathic interviews, got accepted to both DO schools, am waitlisted at two allopathic schools, and am waiting to hear back from the other two allopathic ones. so if you have under a 30, trust me, there is always hope. i can honestly say though that if my verbal score was higher, i know this whole process would have been much smoother, oh well. best of luck, peace.

 

[LP1CW]

Chalklette,

I'm glad you're doing well. I apologize for being skeptical, but you have to admit that it's a bit misleading when you say you got into medical school with a 21 and your friend had an 18. That's a deal breaker for most people. It's not going to happen for a white guy or an asian gal.

Also, you state that your friend has ten years working in a hospital setting. And, according to you, that's proof that she's ready for medical school. Well, you're wrong. that's proof that she's a hard worker, but the MCAT has a been established as a predictor of future academic success. There's tons of techs, janitors, receptionist, etc, that work in hospitals, but they aren't qualified for medical school. I'm glad that your friend is doing well. That's great. But, she's an exception, because an 18 is an indictment. And if it wasn't for race, she wouldn't be going to medical school.

Also, you say that your 3.8 is exceptional. Yes, it is potentially exceptional, but lets be real, not all 3.8's are the same. So, maybe, maybe not.

 

[pathdr2b]

Originally posted by LP1CW
Also, you say that your 3.8 is exceptional. Yes, it is potentially exceptional, but lets be real, not all 3.8's are the same. So, maybe, maybe not.

Please excuse me for stepping in here, as I'm sure Chalkette can speak for herself.

The fact of the matter is that what a 3.9 GPA says when carried over 19 hours with a family is that she WORKS VERY VERY VERY VERY HARD which is required to make it through medical school. The MCAT is really only a measure of:

1) Who could afford to take Princeton and Kaplan, and buy Examcrackers and Audioosmosis.

2) Who takes "trick" exams the best. I don't personally find the content of the MCAT particularly difficult but they try to trick you with "easy" questions. The USMLE doesn't appear to be set up the same way, at least that's what I observed having watched 2 lab mates take the exam recently.

3) Over 95 % of ALL medical students graduate meaning that the less than 10% or so with MCAT scores < 25 WILL pass the USMLE's and graduate also.

So having said all that, I think it is FAR better to have a high GPA and low MCAT than the other way around. Low GPA indicates to me that some brushing up on study skills need to be done. I think it's MUCH easier to learn how to take a test than it is to learn to be focused enough to pull off a high GPA CONSISTENTLY.

 

[Blade28]

Originally posted by Robz
I second the shotgun approach to medical schools. I have my favorites but I have a 26P MCAT and I applied to 25 schools.

I agree. My GPA wasn't spectacular, and I'm slightly neurotic ( 🙂 ), so I applied to 35 schools. 🙂

 

[Blade28]

Originally posted by chalklette
My gpa was not earned while taking 2 classes at a time. I took 19 hrs a couple of semesters and received a couple of C'S but I had enough A's to balance it out. I worked my ass off AND I deserve this chance!!!!

👍 👍

I love this attitude! I know how you feel...I took 13-16 semester hours (20-24 quarter hours) throughout all 4 years of college while working 40 hours/week total in 2 different jobs. My GPA wasn't great, but my decent MCAT, letters and extra-curriculars helped, I think.

A big 👍 to those people who bust their hump in college, grades be damned! 🙂

 

[LP1CW]

Chalklette, I don't know your circumstances; from what I'm reading, it must have been hard.

To say that someone has had success as a nurse correlates with success in medical school, might be a huge leap. Nursing programs are not the same, not as rigorous and they don't attract the same level of students. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying nurses aren't as smart, but we've all met some that aren't too bright. So, just because someone's a nurse, it doesn't mean that they'll do well in medical school. My guess is that you'll do well because you are so determined. You've done well in your premed course work. However, I still think that the MCAT has utility. And, you must confess, that a 21 or an 18 would keep most people out of medical school. You were a special case. You've overcome great adversity. In spite of that you've still found success. I'm also glad that medical schools can look beyond numbers and find people like you that will serve the profession well because you have seen things, Know things, that I will never relate to.


I wish you success in school. Because of your determination, I'm confident that you'll be successful in medical school. Best of luck.

 

[nottooshabby]

Hopkins Undergrad
3.4 overall, 3.2 science
27S
Accepted: Albany
Waitlisted: Georgetown, Penn State, Drexel
Asian Male
Yes it is possible

 

[Wardens]

Haverford Undergrad
3.8 cum/sci gpa
(29R) 9-10-10

Accepted: Temple, Penn State, Jefferson, UPitt, Einstein
Waitlisted: UPenn
White Male

 

[ionltd]

25 MCAT
3.8 GPA
good and varied ec's
mentoring, shadowing, some medical job experience
applied to around 12 schools
4 interviews
2 acceptances, still waiting to hear from other 2

Looking back I wonder why anyone with a 27+ MCAT that has covered all the other bases successfully shouldn't get accepted somewhere.

I read this forum regularly between taking the April MCAT and getting the results, so I freaked when I saw my score. From what I'd read here, I figured anything less than a 30 dropped my chances enormously and then to get a 25!!!! Forget it.

Not true. 27-29 is very do-able.

 

[Eraserhead]

I agree, 27-29 is fine. Don't listen to the egos on here.

 

[peach4me]

My MCAT score was overall 22. I'm currently a first year med student.

 

[pratik7]

bump for people this year

 

[45408]

A friend of mine was waitlisted at MCW with a 28 (but a GPA around 3.99), but got in this past May.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

I just wanted to know how everyone with slightly below average MCAT scores is faring. Has anyone been accepted with a score under 30 yet? I know ad coms don't only look at numbers, but I feel like my 27 may be holding me down. Anyone with good news so I can have some hope?

Are you kidding me? Assuming that the average med school matriculants mcat score is on par with the median, HALF of all students that go to med school get in with a 30 or less. The average is not the base cutoff point.

 

[MoosePilot]

Are you kidding me? Assuming that the average med school matriculants mcat score is on par with the median, HALF of all students that go to med school get in with a 30 or less. The average is not the base cutoff point.

You realize you're responding to such an old thread that the OP, whom you quoted, is about 3 years into school?

 

[angstrom55]

my boyfriend got in with a 29. And this was to an out of state public school (and you know those kinds of schools....the ones that interview like what...15 out of staters?)

 

[drlexygoat]

Everyone, take a deep breath and RELAX!!!!

There are TONS of people with under 30 MCATs that get into great schools every single year. I know more people than I can count who are on their way to med school this August who didn't break the 30 mark.

Adcoms understand that MCAT is not the only predictor of success in med school. That's why they look at EVERYTHING - the GPA, course load, family circumstances, ECs, research. MCAT is only one part of the puzzle.

So, if you're fretting about getting into an MD school with a sub-30, don't sweat it. You're going to get interviews, you're going to get in somewhere. If you're in the 28 or 29 range, you can expect to probably get secondaries from everywhere you apply and you'll have those interviews rolling in no time. For those in the 26 and 27 range, it may take a little longer but there's still PLENTY of hope out there!!!

All in all, dont worry too much. You're in some good company.

My MCAT : under 30
GPA: 3.9 cum, 4.0 science
State school in Florida
Got secondaries from all of the 26 schools I applied to
8 interview offers, 3 acceptances

 

[Scandal]

I know it's old, but: bump 😀

 

[velo]

who revived this dinosaur thread?

 

[MoosePilot]

who revived this dinosaur thread?

I don't know. Looking at the MSAR, it doesn't seem like a cosmic question. Roughly half the applicants who get accepted do it with a sub 30 MCAT. Does that end the thread?

 

[54578]

A friend of mine got into med school with a 25. She went to a top 5 school and had avg. science grades. She had excellent research and clinical exp. Had secondaries completed by mid-Oct. It's all about the whole....

Accepted with a 25 MCAT? What she an URM? More info please! 🙂

 

[Code Brown]

I don't know. Looking at the MSAR, it doesn't seem like a cosmic question. Roughly half the applicants who get accepted do it with a sub 30 MCAT. Does that end the thread?

The average MCAT score for people actually matriculating into a US MD program is 29.1. Assuming that people get in with MCAT scores as low as 22 or 23, that means that the range below the 29.1 is 22-29 and the range above is 30-43 (I think this was the highest score). Looking at that, to get a 29.1 average, you actually need more people to get in with scores that are lower than 29 as you need to balance out the greater pull from the really high scores that are farther from the average score. Mathematically, for every 42, you'd need two 23's, or three 25's, or four 26's and for every 33, you'd need two 27's or three 28's.

Of course, all of this is assuming a fairly competitive GPA (~3.65) or so, and a fair number of EC's.

 

[evajaclynn]

The average MCAT score for people actually matriculating into a US MD program is 29.1. Assuming that people get in with MCAT scores as low as 22 or 23, that means that the range below the 29.1 is 22-29 and the range above is 30-43 (I think this was the highest score). Looking at that, to get a 29.1 average, you actually need more people to get in with scores that are lower than 29 as you need to balance out the greater pull from the really high scores that are farther from the average score. Mathematically, for every 42, you'd need two 23's, or three 25's, or four 26's and for every 33, you'd need two 27's or three 28's.

Of course, all of this is assuming a fairly competitive GPA (~3.65) or so, and a fair number of EC's.

Thank you Code Brown. I'm tired of many people in this forum acting as though anything below a 30 is terrible. The fact is that many people with scores under 30 get into medical school. I'm hoping that I'm one of them. 🙂 👍

 

[gujuDoc]

I actually know a lady who got into 3 MD schools last year out of 4 that she applied to with a 24 MCAT.

However, here is the catch, this lady was 35 with an R.N. for 10 yrs, and a 3.9 GPA.

She also had a very unique background in that her first degree was not your typical bio or psych major, but was Spanish for a degree from Emory.

So anyhow....yah its possible but very rare unless you have a case like hers.

I know FSU COM has an avg around only 27-29 somewhere, which means they probably let people with 25's their first few years enter.

A lot of DO's have avg MCAT's near the 24-29 range too. But that's DO schools.

I think you need at least a 27 to get in most MD schools unless you have something like that nurse did which puts you apart from all else.

 

[evajaclynn]

I think you need at least a 27 to get in most MD schools unless you have something like that nurse did which puts you apart from all else.

Well then its a good thing that I got at least a 27. 🙂

 

[Code Brown]

Well then its a good thing that I got at least a 27. 🙂

You should be all set then. 👍 You only need to worry about getting a 30+ if:

1. You are dead-set on getting into a top 10 school (it is possible but very difficult with a less than 30 MCAT)
2. You have a less than competitive GPA (<~3.4)
3. You have poor EC's
4. You are applying to less than 10 schools
5. You interview poorly
6. You are applying very late in the application cycle

Look at the MSAR. About 50% of those with a 27 get accepted somewhere, about 30% with a 25, and about 20% with a 23. As long as your application outside of your lower MCAT score is great, you should get in somewhere.

 

[kdogg- 00]

For osteopathic schools, I received interviews at all the schools I applied to and was accepted at all the schools I interviewed at.

For allopathic schools, I got 4 interviews, 2 acceptances (UVM and Drexel), 1 waitlist (Penn State), and I am waiting to hear from Temple.

My stats: GPA: 3.77, MCAT: 28R (10B, 10V, 8P)

Med schools are great in that they really look at each applicant individually. If you have exceptional qualities, but low MCATs, there's a good chance you'll still get in somewhere. For those of you who don't get into an MD school, osteopathic schools make very nice alternatives, and if you're applying to MDs, you'll likely be a very competitive applicant at DO schools - the good thing about these schools is that many of them are much cheaper, and you'll probably have several options to choose from