HELP with SMP programs and gap year(s)?

[medmotivation]

Hello everyone,
I recently got my second mcat grade of 24. I have a 3.9 gpa with a bs in chemistry and am currently umemployed since I studied full time for this test after I graduated in the spring. It does not look like I can apply to DO schools this late in the game with those stats even though some people gave me hope, after thinking hard I feel like I'm hurting my chances. I had DO shadowing but did not get a letter of rec so I would have to do that too. I am trying to get a mcat spot in January, if it is possible in nys area. In the meantime I need something during the academic year and I have not been able to land a job. I think a masters program in nyc would help me in the coming years . Does anyone have experience with this and can recommend some whether it be do or md? I think my mcat scores are really low for these programs. I was also thinking a masters in public health/policy but I don't know if this is the right path in the meantime? Your advice is appreciated? My last choice is carribean..but Im telling myself one more year and see what happens....

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[DrMidlife]

Consider the masters programs that are hosted at DO schools. These typically put you through a real grad program in 2 years, they don't make you retake the MCAT, and they route you into the host DO school if you do great work. These are the DO equivalent of an SMP. More or less.

Don't go to a med school that will take you with a 24 otherwise.

Don't take the MCAT in January, unless you want another low-20's score. People who get huge increases on a 3rd MCAT score generally give up many months of their lives and thousands of dollars and pretty much change their entire character along the way. People who take the MCAT a bunch of times don't seem serious about the MCAT.

A 24 on a 2nd try means you should be very concerned about performing well in med school, where you are constantly facing multiple choice tests covering massive amounts of science content presented in long confusing paragraphs. Getting accepted somewhere might not be much of a gift if you're not ready to perform. Better to slow down, maybe get a job for a few years, see if you still want to do med school after a few years out in the real world. Really.

Best of luck to you.

 

[medmotivation]

Consider the masters programs that are hosted at DO schools. These typically put you through a real grad program in 2 years, they don't make you retake the MCAT, and they route you into the host DO school if you do great work. These are the DO equivalent of an SMP. More or less.

Don't go to a med school that will take you with a 24 otherwise.

Don't take the MCAT in January, unless you want another low-20's score. People who get huge increases on a 3rd MCAT score generally give up many months of their lives and thousands of dollars and pretty much change their entire character along the way. People who take the MCAT a bunch of times don't seem serious about the MCAT.

A 24 on a 2nd try means you should be very concerned about performing well in med school, where you are constantly facing multiple choice tests covering massive amounts of science content presented in long confusing paragraphs. Getting accepted somewhere might not be much of a gift if you're not ready to perform. Better to slow down, maybe get a job for a few years, see if you still want to do med school after a few years out in the real world. Really.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks for your honest answer. What baffles me is that my practice scores were consistently above this final score,28-33 range. I am doing something wrong, and I am really worried. I just need to pinpoint it with practice. I can devote another three months to this exam and try again before the 2015 additions. I know I want this, all my coursework and ec's reflect this,.This is the last hurdle that I cannot get past and its killing me. I don't know what to practice with anymore though after taking kaplan.
I dont want to just sit around studying forever, that is why I think these programs would test me on the higher levels. Ive been researching these osteopathic school programs but I cannot seem to find the 2 year grad programs with admission based on performance, do you have any resources you can direct my way by any chance? I really appreciate your help

 

[DrMidlife]

There's a postbac forum down in Interdisciplinary (here on SDN). You can find the program-specific threads there.

 

[medmotivation]

ok thanks. I am new to this site hence lack of navigation skills, so I will check it out!

 

[DrMidlife]

Also, I'm not a fan of using MCAT practice scores as predictors. It's been my SDN and real world experience that people start taking practice tests too early, before they're done with content review, and with a decent practice score they stop doing content review. I'm more comfortable with the readiness measures you can get from books like the Examkrackers series, which are much more representative of the entire body of content tested on the MCAT. The questions on the real MCAT change much more quickly than the production rate of practice tests by the AAMC. And Kaplan's quality isn't great.

My point is this: don't kid yourself about your readiness based on a practice score, if you're not able to slam through problems wholesale.

(BTW, I don't understand why there's no UWorld equivalent for the MCAT yet. There are 80,000 MCAT takes per year. Where's the decent MCAT QBank that has super high quality very-predictive questions, 10x the number you'll see on the test?)

 

[medmotivation]

Also, I'm not a fan of using MCAT practice scores as predictors. It's been my SDN and real world experience that people start taking practice tests too early, before they're done with content review, and with a decent practice score they stop doing content review. I'm more comfortable with the readiness measures you can get from books like the Examkrackers series, which are much more representative of the entire body of content tested on the MCAT. The questions on the real MCAT change much more quickly than the production rate of practice tests by the AAMC. And Kaplan's quality isn't great.

My point is this: don't kid yourself about your readiness based on a practice score, if you're not able to slam through problems wholesale.

(BTW, I don't understand why there's no UWorld equivalent for the MCAT yet. There are 80,000 MCAT takes per year. Where's the decent MCAT QBank that has super high quality very-predictive questions, 10x the number you'll see on the test?)

Def after a second retake this is my realization. I thought I did much better the second time around, and my practice scores did improve drastically so I thought I was set... or so I thought. I have the option of taking kaplan again for a discounted rate. I might just do examkrackers then, maybe open up to taking the new test...oh how the plans and tides change..
(I am wondering the same thing. I feel like all we are guided towards these commercial prep companies that have one way of doing things with no holistic approach and then just pull the plug after about 5 months. It's prob just me , not the test. I mean this was my second try. Kaplan quizbank was helpful but def nowhere near uworld.)

 

[Goro]

Test taking anxiety might be an issue.

The MCAT is your problem, not your GPA. I suggest keep looking for a job, so you can save some money, and seriously, do NOT retake the MCAT until you are fully ready. My colleague Doc Midwife is spot on in her advice.

Thanks for your honest answer. What baffles me is that my practice scores were consistently above this final score,28-33 range. I am doing something wrong, and I am really worried. I just need to pinpoint it with practice. I can devote another three months to this exam and try again before the 2015 additions. I know I want this, all my coursework and ec's reflect this,.This is the last hurdle that I cannot get past and its killing me. I don't know what to practice with anymore though after taking kaplan.
I dont want to just sit around studying forever, that is why I think these programs would test me on the higher levels. Ive been researching these osteopathic school programs but I cannot seem to find the 2 year grad programs with admission based on performance, do you have any resources you can direct my way by any chance? I really appreciate your help