Need opinions on how bad August MCATS hurts admission chances

[yenuwine]

Hey everyone,

I'm sort of in a dilemma. I feel like I might be too busy to take MCATs this semester, but I'm afraid taking them in august will put me at too great a disadvantage. What are everyone's opinions on the issue? Thanks.

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[derf]

Hey everyone,

I'm sort of in a dilemma. I feel like I might be too busy to take MCATs this semester, but I'm afraid taking them in august will put me at too great a disadvantage. What are everyone's opinions on the issue? Thanks.

my honest advice.... in light of many receiving acceptances each year who took the august test, it remains a great disadvantage in the totality of the process.

That is, it may not necessarily hinder your path to medical school, but certainly may decide where you end up.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

I believe that it is a much greater hindrance for those with weak applications than those with strong ones. Top applicants dont have to worry much about applying "late" (Oct., Nov), as their application will still receive considerable attention. Just my opinion.

 

[thesterlinggirl]

I believe that it is a much greater hindrance for those with weak applications than those with strong ones. Top applicants dont have to worry much about applying "late" (Oct., Nov), as their application will still receive considerable attention. Just my opinion.

I agree totally, I was in this situation and a couple of school wouldn't even look at my application until MCAT scores (mid. Oct.)came out. Then, by the time I got my secondaries in Nov. I thought it was a huge disadvantage considering many people were already interviewing at this time.

 

[ShyRem]

I also had schools that wouldn't even look at my app until my August MCAT scores came out. I found it to be a HUGE disadvantage. So did two of my friends in the same situation. I suppose if you have 3.9 GPA and have done five years worth of pediatric volunteer medical work and discovered the cure for cancer and have a 36+ MCAT you'd be ok... but I had a 3.7 and a 29 and 10 years of medical experience and got nothin'. If I had to do it over again I would have taken the MCAT a year earlier.

 

[Emergency!]

You need to think about what is going to put you at a greater disadvantage - a poor MCAT score because you don't have time to prep properly or getting in your application late.

I took the August MCAT and was not complete at some schools until early November. I have received interview invites to all five schools I applied to, 2 acceptances so far, and no rejections (Still waiting to hear following 2 interviews and one interview yet to attend).

My advice - get your AMCAS complete relatively early. Many schools do not screen prior to sending out secondaries. You can have your application complete except for the MCAT (secondary and LOR's submitted) before you get your scores. I have actually heard of a few people even getting interview invites before they had their MCAT scores. I'm assuming that these people had outstanding applications, though.

Obviously, you are risking $$$$ if you go ahead and submit your AMCAS and secondaries and then have a poor MCAT.

Good luck!

Amy

 

[JDAD]

August MCAT SUCKS!

The interview season is about 7 months long. If you take the August MCAT, you are missing out on 4 of those months.

Taking the August MCAT is the WORST thing you can do! If you are too busy, drop some classes and take them in the summer. You will be studying in the summer any way, why not get your application in early.

I took the August MCAT and I fully beleive it really hurt me. I have no acceptances to date.

You need to think about what is going to put you at a greater disadvantage - a poor MCAT score because you don't have time to prep properly or getting in your application late.

I took the August MCAT and was not complete at some schools until early November. I have received interview invites to all five schools I applied to, 2 acceptances so far, and no rejections (Still waiting to hear following 2 interviews and one interview yet to attend).

My advice - get your AMCAS complete relatively early. Many schools do not screen prior to sending out secondaries. You can have your application complete (secondary and LOR's submitted) before you get your MCAT scores. I have actually heard of a few people even getting interview invites before they had their MCAT scores. I'm assuming that these people had outstanding applications, though.

Obviously, you are risking $$$$ if you go ahead and submit your AMCAS and secondaries and then have a poor MCAT.

Good luck!

Amy

 

[derf]

i agree with JDAD

 

[Haybrant]

agreed; dont take aug mcat and DONT apply late!!

 

[tulips]

I agree. Don't take the August MCAT. One of my friends has almost exactly the same stats as me, except he took the August MCAT and I took it earlier. However, I have way more interviews and acceptances at this point, and I think it's almost solely due to the fact he took the August MCAT. Do your best to take it in April.

 

[DrDarwin]

Yeah, take the April MCAT if possible. If you are certain you won't be prepared by that time, however, I would advise the August test.

While sitting for the MCAT in August may not be a huge disadvantage for certain applicants, it is always a disadvantage, even at non-rolling schools. Non-rolling schools, despite withholding acceptances until after the interview season, do not (to my knowledge) have a larger number of interviews later in the season to accommodate the larger number of applications under review. Consequently, because more applicants are vying for the later interview spots, obtaining an interview in February is harder than obtaining an interview in October. And because an interview is a prerequisite for admission, applying early is advised. Always.

 

[Sparky Man]

Hey everyone,

I'm sort of in a dilemma. I feel like I might be too busy to take MCATs this semester, but I'm afraid taking them in august will put me at too great a disadvantage. What are everyone's opinions on the issue? Thanks.

Well, I think it's a disadvantage. Slows down your application, which sucks for schools with rolling admissions. I have been really slowed down at the UCs. It's not going to screw you completely, though. I have had several interviews. But the acceptances have yet to come. So that's an added stress. Waiting sucks. Just get those secondaries in by August/Sept if you can.

Sparky

 

[a_student]

Well, I think it's a disadvantage. Slows down your application, which sucks for schools with rolling admissions. I have been really slowed down at the UCs. It's not going to screw you completely, though. I have had several interviews. But the acceptances have yet to come. So that's an added stress. Waiting sucks. Just get those secondaries in by August/Sept if you can.

Sparky

i took the august mcat and i'm sure i wouldn't have gotten in to a top 20 school if i hadn't taken the time to study for the mcat

i

 

[sdnstud]

I also agree with JDAD. I know several people with lower stats, not-as-many EC, not-as-great LOR than I do who interviewed/accepted to schools like UMICH, AECOM, Columbia. The schools I have interviewed at are nowhere near the caliber of those schools.

Bottom line: If you're a border line applicant, by taking the August MCAT, you will struggle to get an acceptance somewhere.

If you're a good applicant, by taking the August MCAT, you will end up at somewhere that is not as good as your numbers suggest.

August MCAT SUCKS!

The interview season is about 7 months long. If you take the August MCAT, you are missing out on 4 of those months.

Taking the August MCAT is the WORST thing you can do! If you are too busy, drop some classes and take them in the summer. You will be studying in the summer any way, why not get your application in early.

I took the August MCAT and I fully beleive it really hurt me. I have no acceptances to date.

 

[sweatybrain]

what everybody else said.

in particular, i feel like the august mcat was the culprit for my Upenn rejection.

of course, it could be because I have little clinical experience or because I"m really ugly. But I chose to blame it all on the mcat

seriously, if you have 3.9+ and 37+, it probably won't hurt you (too much).

Otherwise, defer some of that heavy courseload to the summer and study for the mcat.

(if you take the mcat in april, you will also be able to target schools in your mcat range instead of applying blindly like I did.)

 

[Law2Doc]

Hey everyone,

I'm sort of in a dilemma. I feel like I might be too busy to take MCATs this semester, but I'm afraid taking them in august will put me at too great a disadvantage. What are everyone's opinions on the issue? Thanks.

I agree with all the posters who indicated that you are at a disadvantage taking the MCATs in August and by definition applying late.
However I'm not sure if anyone said this, but there is no law that says you must go to med school directly from college. Thus if time doesn't permit taking the MCAT this April, you could certainly take the August MCAT, then work at something health/research related for a year (a great EC), and that gives you a ton of time to put together your applications for the following year and even to retaking the MCATs the following April if necessary.

 

[lightnk102]

I took the August MCAT.

Whether I may or may not have gotten in somewhere better if I'd taken the April - we'll never know. However, I have had interviews into the double digits and an acceptance. I wouldn't consider the August MCAT to be an "ideal" situation, but my reasoning in choosing to take it in August is this:

1) I was still taking classes in the Spring. I realized I would not be able to devote the appropriate time to both my classes AND the MCAT.

2) I decided I would rather send my application in late with below-average GPA (I have a non-competitive GPA) and above-average MCAT's than apply "on time" with below-average GPA and average MCAT.

As someone else pointed out before, taking the August MCAT's mean you should submit your AMCAS when everyone else does, and everything rides on that test day then. You know yourself the best. I happen to be a clutch player, so I perform better under pressure (given enough preparation time). I personally don't regret the choice I made, because I know I wouldn't have done half as well if I'd taken the MCAT in April. And my GPA would have suffered even more. I suppose I could've waited to apply for entrance in 2006 and applied "on time" with my good August scores, but I also wasn't willing to wait that extra year =). I took my chances.

Assess your situation as honestly as you can to yourself. Good luck!

 

[RaistlinMajere]

I think we can all agree that there is a disadvantage to taking the August MCAT. However, if the OP will do much better (3 points or higher) in August vs. April than I would recommend waiting until August.

I think you need to sit down and realistically try to figure out if you can handle it all. If not, wait.