LOW VERBAL SCORE, Chance of Acceptance????!

[jamcat]

From your posts, I'm assuming you don't have a bachelor's degree yet. What you learn from gen eds is how to think and write in ways that are not covered in the pre-reqs. Those skills are important for doctors every bit as much as what bio they know.

Only one of the goals of the selection process is to predict the applicant's success in medical school. Another goal is to select applicants that will make good doctors after medical school. The ability to think, read, and write in "gen ed" ways is crucial to the second goal.

It's a really sad day when somebody thinks that English and history courses are irrelevant to medicine.

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[user3]

So basically you just want to make it easier to get into medical school...

You have to understand that there are reasons why standardize tests exists. There is no way to tell if the Organic Chemistry class at one college is harder than another college. Some colleges have grade inflation and some colleges have a grade deflation. The MCAT serves as an equalizer to all students across the nation. Why do you think residency directors care so much about USMLE/COMLEX scores more than anything else? It's because how do you compare my grades at one school to the grades at another school.

I sometimes question why individuals' MCAT scores often vary so much. If someone can walk into two different exams with X amount of prep, yet score 25 on one and 30 on another, or 10 vr then 6 vr, that is a problem. (and from numerous anecdotes here, this seems rather common.)

Standardized tests, if well designed, should ensure that an examinee with X amount of preparedness/ability/whatever scores approximately the same regardless of which test date they select. I'm not sure how well the MCAT accomplishes this.

 

[TopTomato]

I sometimes question why individuals' MCAT scores often vary so much. If someone can walk into two different exams with X amount of prep, yet score 25 on one and 30 on another, or 10 vr then 6 vr, that is a problem. (and from numerous anecdotes here, this seems rather common.)

Standardized tests, if well designed, should ensure that an examinee with X amount of preparedness/ability/whatever scores approximately the same regardless of which test date they select. I'm not sure how well the MCAT accomplishes this.

Lot's of things can happen on exam day that can affect a score. I think on the AAMC website it says that an MCAT score can swing 4 points? I'm not 100% on that I just remember reading it somewhere.

 

[TopTomato]

I never said to get rid of MCAT. All I said was to get rid of the bachelor's degree requirement that forces people to take unnecessary courses like gen eds. Besides the MCAT, performance in the prerequisite courses that I have mentioned are enough to let an adcom predict an applicant's success in medical school.

I'm not to sure what you would accomplish by getting rid of a bachelor's degree requirement. If nurses, police officers, teachers and other jobs require a bachelors degree I really don't think it's unnecessary to ask your surgeon/physician to have one as well. After all we're not all science geeks who just know about science and medicine. Some of us are interested in other subjects as well.

 

[AM508]

1. GPA in prerequisite courses that include General Chemistry I & II, Organic Chemistry I & II, Biochemistry I & II, Physics I & II, Introduction to Psychology, and Introduction to Sociology. 2. MCAT 3. Shadowing a physician for at least 200 hours

Shadowing a physician for 200 hours, I have to say is about the most arbitrary and foolish thing that I have heard as of late. There are a plethora of ways to get healthcare experience and learn what a physician does, not just shadowing. For example, as a non-traditional student, I have over 25,000 hours working in the healthcare field with physicians on a daily basis. The idea that I would be required to shadow a physician for 200 hours is preposterous and quite frankly would be a 200 hour waste. Fact of the matter is, medical students should have a well-rounded undergraduate education in addition to the prerequisites, it is perfectly reasonable to require a Bachelor's degree for this. MCAT is not perfect but a good tool and students should be allowed to demonstrate their exposure to the healthcare field in the myriad of ways that exist in the real world rather than your myopic idea of "200 hours of shadowing".

 

[Roxas]

Shadowing a physician for 200 hours, I have to say is about the most arbitrary and foolish thing that I have heard as of late. There are a plethora of ways to get healthcare experience and learn what a physician does, not just shadowing. For example, as a non-traditional student, I have over 25,000 hours working in the healthcare field with physicians on a daily basis. The idea that I would be required to shadow a physician for 200 hours is preposterous and quite frankly would be a 200 hour waste. Fact of the matter is, medical students should have a well-rounded undergraduate education in addition to the prerequisites, it is perfectly reasonable to require a Bachelor's degree for this. MCAT is not perfect but a good tool and students should be allowed to demonstrate their exposure to the healthcare field in the myriad of ways that exist in the real world rather than your myopic idea of "200 hours of shadowing".

This.

I shadowed for like 50 and every hour was painful. I didn't learn anything and it was awkward as hell. If I could go back I'd take an EMT course, work as a scribe, or something else.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

This.

I shadowed for like 50 and every hour was painful. I didn't learn anything and it was awkward as hell. If I could go back I'd take an EMT course, work as a scribe, or something else.

Save for a 10 hour shadowing experience with a surgeon who obviously loved his job I found shadowing to be largely unpleasant and insignificant.
By the time you're shadowing honestly it's unlikely you'll be deciding against medicine.

 

[emkayveedee]

This.

I shadowed for like 50 and every hour was painful. I didn't learn anything and it was awkward as hell. If I could go back I'd take an EMT course, work as a scribe, or something else.

When I spoke with the director of a Masters program about why I thought my application wasn't strong last cycle, I said that I thought I didn't have enough shadowing hours (I had around 50) and he basically said that it's bad to have none but medical schools would rather see 200 hours of volunteering than 200 hours of shadowing a physician. You're very limited in what you can actually do, besides take up space, when shadowing.

 

[Stagg737]

When I spoke with the director of a Masters program about why I thought my application wasn't strong last cycle, I said that I thought I didn't have enough shadowing hours (I had around 50) and he basically said that it's bad to have none but medical schools would rather see 200 hours of volunteering than 200 hours of shadowing a physician. You're very limited in what you can actually, do besides take up space, when shadowing.

Agree, the point of shadowing is just to get a feel of what a day is like for a physician, to see if medicine is really a field you want to enter, and sometimes to help you narrow down a specialty. I'd be fine with 10-25 required shadowing hours just so people have some idea about what the job is actually like, but 200 is far beyond excessive. Plus, I always hear people say to shadow docs to figure out what field you want to pursue as a pre-med which I think is the dumbest advice ever for someone not yet accepted. After all, rotations will give someone far more insight about what a field is actually like than shadowing for a few days.

 

[izotic]

Unless you have discovered a cure for cancer, you have literally no shot of an acceptance with a 4 in VR. I had a 7 in VR and was terrified about how low my score was. If you don't retake the MCAT, you might as well start pursuing other career options.

The MCAT sucks—this is true. However, if you really have the passion to become a physician, I would think you would rather embrace the suck than spend the rest of your life not being a physician.

Hello everyone, I would appreciate serious comments only if possible.

VERBAL SCORE PROBLEM

I recently received my MCAT score back for the second time and scored a 8,4,10 (PS,VR,BS). I am not worried about my sciences scores, but clearly the verbal score is a problem. I am aware that some schools have a cut off and MD schools are completely out of the picture for the most part.

My question is, as are many peoples I assume, is there ANY hope/chance of possible acceptance to DO schools?????? My GPA is a 3.5, I have a fairly extensive resume I would like to think including ER scribing, Cardiovascular Research, volunteering, Mission trips, medical device development, etc...

Of note, I am not going to take the MCAT again, especially the new one as I don't have the endurance and mentality to do so again plain and simple, this is my choice.

Again let me know what you think! Thanks.

your best bet is to look at Masters Programs such as Touro and a few other in Philly, or Florida that allow for direct matriculation based on your results and end score.

 

[alwaysbehappy]

Either retake, or find a masters progam that will allow you to matriculate as a student!
There's no way you can get in with a 4! I feel lucky enough to get accepted into a DO school with a 6 in VR.
Good Luck!