Bad MCAT re-take

[itsnotnate]

I broke the cardinal rule of the MCAT. I took my first one and got a 21... not too terrible for Podiatry school. I retook cause I wanted a little higher. Unfortunately my friend passed away a week before the exam, and I lost my focus. I got a 19 the second time around. I wanted to avoid taking the new test, but I may have to. I wanted other opinions on if I should retake.

My other credentials are great. I have a cGPA 3.75 and sGPA 3.5. I have 200+ hours volunteering in a hospital. I have shadowing experience with podiatrists and MD's. I work as a lab technician and do research in my college neuroscience department. I am a the president of a club, secretary of another, and am involved with other clubs too. I play club athletics, and I am confident I can get good letters of recommendation.

The only thing I see bad about my application is my MCAT. Should I suck it up and take the new MCAT, or can I just apply how I am? I do not want to apply this year, I will be hopefully applying next year. All opinions are welcome. Thank you

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[cthaye309]

First off, I'm sorry that you lost a friend. For peace of mind though, I would suggest taking it again. The rest of your application looks like it would be strong for podiatry school, and I'm sure the admissions committee would understand your situation but a better score would help. I wish you luck if you end up taking it again.

 

[lucky34]

if you apply early to the big schools you should be fine, but if you have the money and want to have a better chance at the small schools retaking it would help

 

[Biomechanix]

I would also suggest retaking your MCAT. You already have a solid GPA and ECs. With a higher MCAT, you would have your pick of the 9 schools (assuming interviews go well) and more scholarship money. The downsides would be having to study for the new MCAT and if you scored the same or lower than your previous scores, then that might raise some flags with admissions. Even so, you would still have a decent shot at obtaining a seat given that your scores are close to POD school averages. Good luck!

 

[Pod Zilla]

Apply early next cycle. It's true if you retake it'll give you a much better chance of getting scholarships. But you can most likely get into a school with your current stats as is. Taking it a third time is risky if you don't shoot it out of the water. If you don't do well the third time, it doesn't matter how good your GPA is or how good the rest of your app looks.

Sorry you lost your friend. I hope he/she will look after you from above.

By the way, some of the schools will tell you to retake too if they feel your score is too low. And you can always call the schools and ask. They will tell you if you should retake or just go ahead and apply. Best of luck to you.