I don't have what it takes

[mitrieD]

After seeing my July Mcat score I've come to realize that I don't have what it takes to get into podiatry school. I studied for the mcat for 7 MONTHS, ~6-7 hours a day and I got a 491 on the Mcat. Based on this website thats like a 17 on the old Mcat. I'm devastated.

If I got a 22 or something then I'd just retake the exam in 3 months after studying more since that would be realistic to improve 2 points or so. But a 17? Thats just a sign that I probably don't have the intellectual capacity to be a doctor after all of that studying. Even if I slide through I'm not sure how I would even survive the schooling, since podiatry school is just as difficult as med school (just easier to get into). I got a 3.0 gpa from University of California San Diego and I thought that maybe I can barely handle podiatry school, but after seeing that 17 score that just pushed me down a whole other level.

I used the Exam Krackers home program as a study tool. Even if I were to take the exam again I'm not sure how I'm even supposed to improve 6-7 points. I think I need to realistically change my career. I want to stay in the healthcare field, so what would be the best career below a doctor that isn't as intellectually challenging? I'd like to avoid nursing since none of my pre reqs from my biology degree apply to nursing school prereqs.

Thanks for taking your time for reading this.

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[bengirlxD]

Well I would like to say to not give up but sometimes you do have to realize that you might need to look elsewhere. You might want to also look at
- Physician Assistant
- Healthcare Manager
- Some time of work in the Public Health field like epidemiology
- Anesthesiology Assistant
- Physical Therapist

and there are tons more. You just need to look.

 

[Xenith]

After seeing my July Mcat score I've come to realize that I don't have what it takes to get into podiatry school. I studied for the mcat for 7 MONTHS, ~6-7 hours a day and I got a 491 on the Mcat. Based on this website thats like a 17 on the old Mcat. I'm devastated.

If I got a 22 or something then I'd just retake the exam in 3 months after studying more since that would be realistic to improve 2 points or so. But a 17? Thats just a sign that I probably don't have the intellectual capacity to be a doctor after all of that studying. Even if I slide through I'm not sure how I would even survive the schooling, since podiatry school is just as difficult as med school (just easier to get into). I got a 3.0 gpa from University of California San Diego and I thought that maybe I can barely handle podiatry school, but after seeing that 17 score that just pushed me down a whole other level.

I used the Exam Krackers home program as a study tool. Even if I were to take the exam again I'm not sure how I'm even supposed to improve 6-7 points. I think I need to realistically change my career. I want to stay in the healthcare field, so what would be the best career below a doctor that isn't as intellectually challenging? I'd like to avoid nursing since none of my pre reqs from my biology degree apply to nursing school prereqs.

Thanks for taking your time for reading this.

I'm sorry to hear that. But before you beat yourself over it think about your motivations to go into podiatry specifically. If it didn't align with your motivations and you were just doing it for the heck of it then you haven't lost much. This gives you a chance to reevaluate your goals. If you really want it, you can retake it. If you really want something in healthcare, the post above me gives a lot of great options.

 

[mitrieD]

Well I would like to say to not give up but sometimes you do have to realize that you might need to look elsewhere. You might want to also look at
- Physician Assistant
- Healthcare Manager
- Some time of work in the Public Health field like epidemiology
- Anesthesiology Assistant
- Physical Therapist

and there are tons more. You just need to look.

I'll consider these careers if it gets to the point were I literally don't have what it take to get in Pod school. Thanks for the suggestions. Though I would assume that Anesthesiology assisting and PA are just as, if not more competitive to get into.

I'm sorry to hear that. But before you beat yourself over it think about your motivations to go into podiatry specifically. If it didn't align with your motivations and you were just doing it for the heck of it then you haven't lost much. This gives you a chance to reevaluate your goals. If you really want it, you can retake it. If you really want something in healthcare, the post above me gives a lot of great options.

I'm very motivated to get in, but after how much I studied for the Mcat it makes me ask questions on my capabilities :/
I'll retake it, but I get a similar score after using more study resources, then I'll have to reconsider my career options.

 

[studentdocftw]

Do you feel like you may have burned out? That is a good amount of studying...which could actually be backfiring. But then again, you know yourself better...but IMO...6-7 hrs/day for 7 months is overdoing it...I think you may be focusing on the details instead of the bigger picture...which will hurt when it comes down to the questions (focusing on the details will only be useful if you are asked a question in a similar fashion). Could potentially be a problem...just trying to encourage you somehow :/ Regardless, realize this isn't the end of the road...life has so much more to offer in terms of occupations! Good luck OP!

 

[Xenith]

If I may ask, why podiatry? You will be asked this question over and over again when hopefully you ace your next MCAT so might as well figure that out first.

 

[Buzzin]

Whether you say you can or you can't, you are right. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and put another year in. It takes time.

 

[bartzx3]

Hard work beats talent every day. If you want something, you have to work hard. If you fail there is usually always an opportunity in life to try again. So try again.

 

[j306c954]

I've been studying for the MCAT the past year (I believe there was a 2 month break). Got a19 the first time, after studying for 3 months pretty much every day 6-8 hours. Took it again in a month. Got a 23. Better, but not good enough. Found out from the dean of admissions that the only reason I didn't get in was because of my low MCAT score. So here I am, about to take it again in a month.

The road to becoming a doctor takes persistence. It takes determination. I have a 3.9 GPA, never struggled with tests or academics in my life. For some reason, the MCAT is a major challenge and roadblock for me. But everyday I sum up the motivation to rise to the occasion.

I'm sorry, but 7 months and you take the MCAT once and get a bad score and aren't even going to try again? I was devastated too. I sucked it up. Feeling bad for myself won't do anything. So maybe you're right...if you don't want it bad enough, I would choose a different career. But if you want this bad enough, you will find a way and find the strength to make it happen.

 

[j306c954]

The MCAT is a whole different ball game. It's not about the hours you put in studying. It's about REALLY understanding the exam.

 

[skinofteeth]

Don't be hard on yourself, maybe you were doing more content review rather than practice questions? How many FL's did you do?
Maybe try again and just do practice problems now that you have a foundation. The key is to study smarter not harder.

 

[OrdinaryDO]

I'll consider these careers if it gets to the point were I literally don't have what it take to get in Pod school. Thanks for the suggestions. Though I would assume that Anesthesiology assisting and PA are just as, if not more competitive to get into.

An Anesthesia assistant is nothing more than a person who is hired and trained on the job to do their tasks. My girlfriend's dad is an anesthesiologist and all I ever see them do, really, is go get the ultrasound machine and set it up when doing some sort of block, help hand the anesthesiologist/CRNA the tools they need to intubate or w/e it is they are doing. That is pretty much it. No certification needed.
Now, if you are talking about a licensed Anesthesiologist assistant, then you are talking about a CRNA or a PA-anethesist, which are either a nurse or a PA respectively. OP doesn't want to do nursing though, therefore PA would have to be the route. With that being said, there are very few PA-A schools in the US. It is a very new thing. The only one I know of right now is in Georgie, because I have a buddy who enrolled in it about 2 years ago.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Pharmacy School might be worth consideration.

 

[hayden29]

Definitely retake if you truly want to become a Podiatrist. There are an infinite number of possibilities which could have negatively impacted your performance on test day, which probably have nothing to do with your intellectual capacity. Take some time and seriously review the pros and cons of your study design and make the necessary changes. Perhaps you need a tutor, prep class, do whatever you think will give you an advantage on test day. But don't attribute one poor performance as a sign of incompetence, you got it! Good luck!

 

[StudyLater]

After seeing my July Mcat score I've come to realize that I don't have what it takes to get into podiatry school. I studied for the mcat for 7 MONTHS, ~6-7 hours a day and I got a 491 on the Mcat. Based on this website thats like a 17 on the old Mcat. I'm devastated.

If I got a 22 or something then I'd just retake the exam in 3 months after studying more since that would be realistic to improve 2 points or so. But a 17? Thats just a sign that I probably don't have the intellectual capacity to be a doctor after all of that studying. Even if I slide through I'm not sure how I would even survive the schooling, since podiatry school is just as difficult as med school (just easier to get into). I got a 3.0 gpa from University of California San Diego and I thought that maybe I can barely handle podiatry school, but after seeing that 17 score that just pushed me down a whole other level.

I used the Exam Krackers home program as a study tool. Even if I were to take the exam again I'm not sure how I'm even supposed to improve 6-7 points. I think I need to realistically change my career. I want to stay in the healthcare field, so what would be the best career below a doctor that isn't as intellectually challenging? I'd like to avoid nursing since none of my pre reqs from my biology degree apply to nursing school prereqs.

Thanks for taking your time for reading this.

Pharm if you have literally no regional preference for where you want to end up, with virtually no upward mobility other than starting a successful indie/praying for an administrative spot to open up. It's also likely you won't practice much pharm in the truest sense if you decide to go retail, which is "where all the jobs are." Hospital gigs can be ****ing sweet, though, not to mention you're actually doing a lot more critical thinking on the job (if you're into that).

Umm....but I'm just wondering. Call it a knee-jerk response, but I tend to call bull**** when people report things like this. Not that the story isn't true. I'm more talking about your being "incapable" of scoring well. You obviously just studied completely wrong. I'm also wondering why you didn't check yourself with practice along the way, which would have notified you of what was wrong before actually taking the exam. Either that or you did, knew you weren't ready, and still took the exam - which is also the wrong thing to do, in addition to the fact you studied incorrectly. It seems to me like you didn't have a whole lot of info, and the way you studied didn't align very well with the advice from top scorers. Another possibility is you studied perfectly well, knew everything cold, but you just suck terribly and have some seriously bad physiological response in a test-taking environment, resulting in severe cognitive impairment. If it actually is this last one, though, that's a big problem but there may still be hope - the MCAT can accomodate individuals with mental impairments. Look it up on the AAMC website. You simply need to go through a psych evaluation and get a battery of tests.

I don't know the deal, because you didn't elaborate a whole lot. You basically said you got a 491, you took an EK program (which virtually no one on here in particular is advocating for, by the way, which is why I said I believe you had a lack of info out the gate), and you think you're not capable of scoring well. So...I don't know. Lack of info, so I can't do much with this. That's just my ****ty analysis above. But if you're dead set on dropping this whole thing (we've gotta take several more comprehensive tests like the MCAT throughout this career), then pharm's a good option. CRNA/AA (though both require good scores like podiatry on a post-graduate exam, either MCAT or GRE).

Nice thing about pharm is you technically don't even need to take the PCAT and you've still got mad options. They are desperate to rake you guys in, along with the 40k/yr you're gonna pay em to score 6 figs until corporate wises up about the oversupply.

 

[fleur64]

First off you need to ask yourself if you really want to become a doctor/ podiatrist. If your answer is a yes them take some time to breathe and jump back into the studying. I used EK books for the first time I took my mcat and it was a wreck. I think you should buy BR books and use videos and give yourself ample time to study. This exam is a beast. But that doesn't mean you can't beat it. It might take you longer than others but if this is what you want to do then give it another try. Work hard. Review and practice. I am confident that you can bring up your score! And your GPA isn't thaaattt bad. Get a decent mcat score and apply to DO schools early.

That being said: if you think you are def feed up and just can't do it, then go ahead and explore other career choices. There were great options mentioned above. See something that you will enjoy. Good luck and don't underestimate yourself

 

[StudyLater]

First off you need to mask yourself

I was trying to think if you were going for like a metaphorical meaning but....

 

[fleur64]

Ask*

Sorry autocorrect lol

 

[StudyLater]

Ask*

Sorry autocorrect lol

Kudos writing all that on your smartphone (mostly) successfully.