I am a post baccalaureate student finishing up the program at one of he local universities. However, I was curious to know if I could get in anywhere? My cumulative GPA is 3.4, science is about 3.0 but I really bombed the MCAT (I got a 17) and I don't know what to do. Thank you
Can I get into a US school or Carribean school or anywhere?
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I am a post baccalaureate student finishing up the program at one of he local universities. However, I was curious to know if I could get in anywhere? My cumulative GPA is 3.4, science is about 3.0 but I really bombed the MCAT (I got a 17) and I don't know what to do. Thank you
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That MCAT score is not consistent with success.
Would my only option be to take the new one then?
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To become a physician? Yes. Preferably after mastering the content and developing a strategy for the test. The more low scores racked up, the lower your chances.
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There will be no way to get into a medical school with a 17 MCAT, you would have to retake it and score much better to get into medical school. There is still a possibility to get into some schools that take your 2nd MCAT score, but many schools wont consider a 2nd MCAT score. There are different policies at different schools and it would be your job to figure out which schools would be accepting of your retake.
Good luck.
"There will be no way to get into a medical school with a 17 MCAT, you would have to retake it and score much better to get into medical school. There is still a possibility to get into some schools that take your 2nd MCAT score, but many schools wont consider a 2nd MCAT score. There are different policies at different schools and it would be your job to figure out which schools would be accepting of your retake."
It is true, you probably won't get accepted with a 17 anywhere. HOWEVER, most med schools give consideration to a 2nd MCAT especially if there is drastic improvements. Your overall gpa is not too bad, you just need to work harder on the MCATs. As you might know, they are changing as there will be new sections this year so you need to figure things out. I would personally not suggest the Carribean path.
It is true, you probably won't get accepted with a 17 anywhere. HOWEVER, most med schools give consideration to a 2nd MCAT especially if there is drastic improvements. Your overall gpa is not too bad, you just need to work harder on the MCATs. As you might know, they are changing as there will be new sections this year so you need to figure things out. I would personally not suggest the Carribean path.
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Don't go offshore. You can get into a US school if you get that MCAT score up. Take a lot of time to study. A year, even. It will pay off. I really liked the videos at jcoreview.com You buy access for a period of time, and it is pricy, but far cheaper than many other prep materials out there. Buy a week of access and watch those videos like it is your job. Seriously, sit and watch them like 8-10 hours a day and then take a practice test and see how you do. With your starting point, I wouldn't be surprised to see your score come up 5 or more points just from doing that.
Basically, the more you study, the higher you get that score, the more doors will be open to you. Throw yourself at it, retake a few classes, even at a community college, and you will find a US school that will let you in.
Basically, the more you study, the higher you get that score, the more doors will be open to you. Throw yourself at it, retake a few classes, even at a community college, and you will find a US school that will let you in.
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can you sign your name? then you can go to the Caribbean.
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Did you prepare for the MCAT? If you really studied for it and scored a 17 then you need to figure out what your plan B and C are and start working on that. Your GPA and MCAT indicate severe knowledge gaps. You probably wouldn't get into the Caribbean with those scores. You know how hard you prepared, don't waste time pursuing a dream that will never come true.
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I have not heard of any school not accepting a second MCAT score (save, maybe top 10 or so). It just has to be taken within the last 2-3 years, depending on the school. In fact, many so far have favored the fact that I took the MCAT a second time and did FAR better on it than the first time. I received acceptances to both MD and DO programs and not one mentioned anything like that.
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I suggest taking an MCAT course like Kaplan or Princeton Review (I personally used Kaplan the 2nd time I took it and my score went up 9 points!!). It's all about knowing how to take the test along with the actual subject matter. You won't get in anywhere with a 17, but if you can make it to at least a 26 or so, you have a shot at DO programs or in-state programs (provided you live in a state where they are available).
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Nope. Retake it and get at least into the upper 20s and apply DO. Don't go to the Caribbean. If you don't get an acceptance but you still really want to be in healthcare, explore alternate careers.
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Agree withe veryone else. If you re-take the MCAT and get at least > 25, there will likely be a DO program that is interested (and this is a much better option than going Carib)
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A 17 MCAT is a dealbreaker for all US MD/DO programs. It may not even be enough for the Carribbean, although those schools are just a waste of money-you won't get a residency.
Identify your weaknesses for 2015 and try again.
Identify your weaknesses for 2015 and try again.
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I respectfully disagree with a portion of the above. Is it necessary to score above a 17? Absolutely. The national average for all test takers is a 25, the national average of applicants is a 28, the national average of matriculants (to MD) is a 31. However, going to the Caribbean does NOT mean that you won't get a residency. I have several friends, from the Caribbean, who are in a residency--stateside--as we speak. That being said, it is still quite difficult. Your game plan should be to focus on the MCAT, nail it, and apply.
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Some Caribbean med schools don't require an MCAT score, but if you don't figure out how to do well on standardized tests first, you are highly unlikely to graduate and pass the Step tests required for residency applications and eventual licensure.
A 3.4/17 will not get you in to any US based school. There's a good reason for that: you're assumed to have a baseline of knowledge in medical school: a 17 indicates you do not have that. When I took the mcat, a 24 was considered "average," and you probably want to be well beyond that level.
You don't want to go offshore unless you are certain of your academic abilities (which you should not be, with a 17). Even if you make it through the process, half of your classmates won't match. I would guess you won't make it that far at the moment.
Good luck
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I know someone who got into Windsor with an 18 Mcat.
The Caribbean schools tend to look at the applicant as a whole being and not just the numbers. For instance, if you have 4 limbs and two functioning eyes, that makes you more of a well rounded applicant.
The Caribbean schools tend to look at the applicant as a whole being and not just the numbers. For instance, if you have 4 limbs and two functioning eyes, that makes you more of a well rounded applicant.
How are we measuring roundness? Less limbs would probably roll more easily
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You are absolutely correct that many Caribbean graduates do find residencies. Numbers floating around SGU suggest that 55-60% of their class find residencies. However, how many of them scored better than 17 on the MCAT? The topic creator is in the bottom twelfth percentile of all test takers, by the 2013 numbers. Getting a residency with a Caribbean degree usually requires a strong performance on USMLE Step 1. The MCAT is the strongest predictor of USMLE Step 1 performance- what does a twelfth percentile score predict? I think he or she is highly likely to be the type of person to enroll, get hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, and then end up in that bottom 40% that ends up with no residency- and possibly no MD, based on their dropout rates.
I hope that doesn't sound too bleak. This is a risky financial decision and it's important to take off the rose-colored glasses and look at the statistics.
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Listen to doug.
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1000% agree with my learned colleague.
OP, you have some serious deficits to fix. i hope that you didn't make the seruious and foolish mistake of taking the test unprepared, as some people have done.
Are you ESL?
The Carib diploma mills will take you as long as you're breathing and can write a tuition check, MCAT is mostly irrelevant for them.
OP, you have some serious deficits to fix. i hope that you didn't make the seruious and foolish mistake of taking the test unprepared, as some people have done.
Are you ESL?
The Carib diploma mills will take you as long as you're breathing and can write a tuition check, MCAT is mostly irrelevant for them.
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Yes and yet there are schools which don't accept a 2nd MCAT. The ones that will take 2nd or 3rd MCAT scores may approach it differently as well. Some consider the average between your MCAT scores, some take highest, some take most recent. There are many policies at different schools.
Just because they didn't mention it during your interview by no means tells you what actually goes on in the admissions process beyond that. Good for you with scoring higher on the MCAT your 2nd time. To get a serious consideration you must have scored pretty well as you already mentioned. The OP would also have to score very well for them to overlook it.
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MCAT and GPA Grid for Applicants and Acceptees by Selected Race and Ethnicity, 2013
https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/app...mcat-gpa-grid-by-selected-race-ethnicity.html
That can't be true... which school would be crazy enough to accept MCAT of 14 though?
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My guess is that these low MCAT scores are either students in BS/MD programs who are required to take the MCAT without needing to preform well, or students of minority/disadvantaged etc status. No evidence of this.
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1) Find out why you got a 17 and where you need to make improvements
2)Re-take the MCAT and crush it (or just try to do well enough to compensate for the GPA a bit)
3) Is that your undergrad or post bacc GPA? 3.4/3.0 is lower end, but it's not gonna close doors to US schools.
If your post-bacc GPA is significantly higher and shows you can do better in the science, that should make up for the low GPA IMHO.
4) Apply to US med schools (MD and DO both). DO NOT apply Caribbean, financially and security wise it's not worth it from what I've read on here. Just search "Caribbean med schools" on these forums and you'll get the gist of why many on here are against applying to it.
5)??????
6) Profit
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These people are the ones who know people. Family members or close family friends in administration. I remember reading one story on sdn about a student with a MCAT in the teens that got in because his parents donated millions to the university.
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I just don't know why you would WANT to go to medical school if you can't do any better than that on the MCAT. Clearly they struggle to grasp basic sciences and reasoning, so med school must be a nightmare for them.
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If they really aren't smart or not committed enough to put in the hours then yeah, they would be quite miserable.
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Exactly. I'm not saying this is OP's case, but it seems that many very low stat applicants are preoccupied with whether or not that are able to get in to a school, and rarely stop to think if they should be pursuing this in the first place.
One look at the thread list here in allo with all the posts about people struggling in school (many of whom did very well in UG and on the MCAT) should show that it's not easy. Even for those of us with a solid work ethic and an aptitude for science, it can be very demoralizing and difficult.
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...i got a 14 on one section
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I read the first sentence, rolled my eyes, and angrily hit reply. Then I read the second sentence and thought that I should let you know how hard I laughed.
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this is gold.
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lol
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Merging duplicate threads
Agreed. No chance. Retake the new mcat and score at least in the 50th percentile and apply DO. Don't go to the caribbean. A 17 on the mcat is low for even someone who hasn't studied at all. You need to develop a studying strategy.,,making take a course if you can afford it. Although I didn't take a course and most of my friends said it was a waste of money but in your case maybe it could help.
