MD & DO Help with school list: MCAT raised from 27 to 32, chance for MD?

[premedM]

Hi there,

Well, I guess it's finally my turn to post here. I was originally going to apply DO only, but then improved my MCAT score to a point where I think I may have a shot at a few MD schools as well. I would be grateful for any suggestions as well as help with a realistic list of DO/MD schools for the upcoming cycle.

Stats: I'm a nontrad (30's) with Cali residency. I know I can't count on state schools.

GPA: cGPA ~3.9 BCPM ~3.9
Undergrad is from an honors program in a liberal arts discipline, attended a formal Post Bac for science/math prereqs
Female, non-URM
MCAT: #1 27 (9/8/10); #2 32 (10/11/11) --a few months later, really think the first Verbal score was a fluke.
1.5 years basic research lab volunteer at a top research institution, poster presentation (1200 hours+)
1 year hospital volunteer: Surgical and Emergency departments in a very racially/socioeconomically diverse area (200 hours +)
Shadowing: 20 hours critical care (MD) (currently in contact with physicians to schedule many more, working on getting some DO shadowing)
Will be interviewing in the next few weeks to start volunteering at a homeless health clinic
Other Volunteer EC's -- over the past 15 years I have volunteered consistently in many different organizations that foster community engagement in literacy and the arts as a teacher/tutor/administrator/technician. (2000+ hours)
Other: Generally just have a lot of strange and unique experiences because I am a nontrad.
Letters: 2 science profs, committee letter from my post-bac, MD letter, some great letters from previous non-clinical volunteer work

I know that clinical experience is a weak point in my application and I am working toward getting more shadowing and volunteering in before June. I also know that in order to have a shot at most DO schools I will need a DO letter. I'm hopeful by the end of the month I'll have something lined up, since there are a lot of DO's practicing in my part of the country.

Question: How much will it put me at a disadvantage with MD schools to have taken the MCAT twice? I noticed that some schools average new and old scores. Honestly I'll be happy being a doctor whether it's MD or DO, but don't want to throw my money away on schools that will reject me based on an averaged score.

Thanks for your input!

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[Goro]

Suggest all low tier MD schools, all new MD schools (except central MI) that do NOT average MCAT scores. Also, all DO schools.

Start with U Miami, Drexel, NYMC, Albany, BU, Dartmouth, Tulane and Rosy Franklin.

Hi there,

Well, I guess it's finally my turn to post here. I was originally going to apply DO only, but then improved my MCAT score to a point where I think I may have a shot at a few MD schools as well. I would be grateful for any suggestions as well as help with a realistic list of DO/MD schools for the upcoming cycle.

Stats: I'm a nontrad (30's) with Cali residency. I know I can't count on state schools.

GPA: cGPA ~3.9 BCPM ~3.9
Undergrad is from an honors program in a liberal arts discipline, attended a formal Post Bac for science/math prereqs
Female, non-URM
MCAT: #1 27 (9/8/10); #2 32 (10/11/11) --a few months later, really think the first Verbal score was a fluke.
1.5 years basic research lab volunteer at a top research institution, poster presentation (1200 hours+)
1 year hospital volunteer: Surgical and Emergency departments in a very racially/socioeconomically diverse area (200 hours +)
Shadowing: 20 hours critical care (MD) (currently in contact with physicians to schedule many more, working on getting some DO shadowing)
Will be interviewing in the next few weeks to start volunteering at a homeless health clinic
Other Volunteer EC's -- over the past 15 years I have volunteered consistently in many different organizations that foster community engagement in literacy and the arts as a teacher/tutor/administrator/technician. (2000+ hours)
Other: I had a career for 10 years in a corporate setting, have a ton of experience playing music, performing, touring, recording with bands, spent a year in Scandinavia working in radio. Generally just have a lot of strange and unique experiences because I am a nontrad.
Letters: 2 science profs, committee letter from my post-bac, MD letter, some great letters from previous non-clinical volunteer work

I know that clinical experience is a weak point in my application and I am working toward getting more shadowing and volunteering in before June. I also know that in order to have a shot at most DO schools I will need a DO letter. I'm hopeful by the end of the month I'll have something lined up, since there are a lot of DO's practicing in my part of the country.

Question: How much will it put me at a disadvantage with MD schools to have taken the MCAT twice? I noticed that some schools average new and old scores. Honestly I'll be happy being a doctor whether it's MD or DO, but don't want to throw my money away on schools that will reject me based on an averaged score.

Thanks for your input!

 

[premedM]

Thank you @Goro ! I have been a long-time lurker on these forums and really value your advice.

 

[premedM]

I thought I would update here in case there is anybody out there in the same situation I was almost a year ago-- unsure if it was worthwhile to even apply MD with an MCAT retake. My cycle is done, and I'm really happy and humbled with how it went!

MD: Applied 18, 3 II's, 2 Acceptances, 1 Waitlist
DO: Applied 11, 5 II's (Attended 3), 2 acceptances, waiting to hear back on the 3rd

It is possible to be accepted to both MD and DO programs with 2 MCAT scores. I definitely did my research when applying to see which schools look at only the most recent MCAT, and of course, improved my score considerably on my retake. Best of luck, all!

*Edit, I also really amped up my clinical activities with paid clinical employment, and hav shadowed and volunteered a ton since my original posting, which I'm sure made a difference in how my cycle went

 

[CHoge25]

I thought I would update here in case there is anybody out there in the same situation I was almost a year ago-- unsure if it was worthwhile to even apply MD with an MCAT retake. My cycle is done, and I'm really happy and humbled with how it went!

MD: Applied 18, 3 II's, 2 Acceptances, 1 Waitlist
DO: Applied 11, 5 II's (Attended 3), 2 acceptances, waiting to hear back on the 3rd

It is possible to be accepted to both MD and DO programs with 2 MCAT scores. I definitely did my research when applying to see which schools look at only the most recent MCAT, and of course, improved my score considerably on my retake. Best of luck, all!

*Edit, I also really amped up my clinical activities with paid clinical employment, and hav shadowed and volunteered a ton since my original posting, which I'm sure made a difference in how my cycle went

Congrats on a successful cycle! I am in a pretty similar situation as you with a fluke VR score (13/6/11), and debating on a retake.... Which schools did not average your MCAT scores? and which schools did you have success at with II? I am coming up with my list/debating on how to handle my MCAT issue so your advice will be very helpful

 

[ljree1613]

Congrats on a successful cycle! I am in a pretty similar situation as you with a fluke VR score (13/6/11), and debating on a retake.... Which schools did not average your MCAT scores? and which schools did you have success at with II? I am coming up with my list/debating on how to handle my MCAT issue so your advice will be very helpful

I second this! I am in a very similar situation as yours-where I received a 26 on my first MCAT and then retook for a 513, but I'm not sure how schools will feel about me having taken two MCATs. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[premedM]

Congrats on a successful cycle! I am in a pretty similar situation as you with a fluke VR score (13/6/11), and debating on a retake.... Which schools did not average your MCAT scores? and which schools did you have success at with II? I am coming up with my list/debating on how to handle my MCAT issue so your advice will be very helpful

I second this! I am in a very similar situation as yours-where I received a 26 on my first MCAT and then retook for a 513, but I'm not sure how schools will feel about me having taken two MCATs. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

Congratulations on the MCAT improvement @ljree1613 and for the impressive PS/BS scores @CHoge25!

The best advice I can give you both is to buy the MSAR, make a list of schools based on stats/location/mission/tuition that you would want to attend, and to email admissions regarding their MCAT policy after seeing if their policy is posted. A lot of schools will also list their MCAT policy on their Admissions page. The list I made of schools/MCAT policies was junked in my computer's recycle bin as soon as I submitted AMCAS and AACOMAS, and I don't actually think it would be that helpful to you, given that my school list was based heavily on geographical preference for my spouse's job, school mission, and other factors like OOS vs IS tuition, etc. For instance, I didn't apply to any schools in Florida, even though I fit the stat profile for more than a few, because it's not a place where my spouse could find work, and didn't apply to MSU-CHM because the OOS tuition is too high, even though it historically takes a lot of students from my Post-Bac program. I also didn't apply to a few programs I really liked because of coursework prerequisites that I would not have had time to complete (the Biochemistry Lab requirement at Rosalind Franklin comes to mind). @CHoge25 given your awesome PS/BS scores I would imagine your school list would be much different than mine.

I applied smartly to schools I knew I fit the profile for and would attend if accepted, broadly, and with only a couple of reaches thrown in where I was in the lowest 10th percentile. I received no love from any of my reaches by the way. From the start I knew I would apply to 30 schools max including a good number of DO schools, started with around 50 schools that met my requirements, and cut schools from there.

There's plenty of time before app season to make a school list that is individually tailored to you and will give you the best chance for success. Good luck!