Rolling basis admission of US med schools

[mike wang]

Hi guys, I'm a Canadian undergrad and I had a quick question regarding the rolling basis admission that some US med schools offer.
- if I'm planning on rewriting the MCAT this summer (previous score was 30) on July 12, if I apply early for med schools (in July) would they look at my first MCAT score or wait to get my second MCAT score? In other words, would it be best to wait until September for new MCAT score to come back or should I just apply for early admission?

Thanks!

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[YamNMangos]

Hi guys, I'm a Canadian undergrad and I had a quick question regarding the rolling basis admission that some US med schools offer.
- if I'm planning on rewriting the MCAT this summer (previous score was 30) on July 12, if I apply early for med schools (in July) would they look at my first MCAT score or wait to get my second MCAT score? In other words, would it be best to wait until September for new MCAT score to come back or should I just apply for early admission?

Thanks!

Forgot how this exactly works, but I think you can put in an expected MCAT date on your AMCAS application, so hopefully schools will see that and won't consider you for interview until they get the scores. If you take your MCAT on July 12, you should get your scores back in a month, so mid-August would be a good bet on when your scores will come out. Mid-august is still pretty early for consideration for rolling admissions. I would still get verified for the primary as quickly as possible, and don't submit your secondaries until about 1-2 weeks after you receive them (the earliest ones come out in early July). Schools won't look at your application until you submit your secondary (the exception to the rule that I know of is Vanderbilt, if you are applying to it - for Vandy, don't submit your primary to them until you get your new MCAT score). Some schools won't even give you secondaries until around August anyhow. Once you get your MCAT score back and the schools receive them, maybe send them a quick reminder to consider you based on your new MCAT score (if it is significantly better that is - like around at least 3-4 points). Most schools won't start rejecting applicants until much later in the year, so having an initial 30 on your MCAT (it is a bit on the low side for most schools you can apply for as a Canadian applicant - I was one myself) shouldn't hurt your chances too much. Applying early, in most cases, is a lot better than applying late.

For non-rolling schools, feel free to sit on the secondary until your new MCAT score comes out.

Now, if you think you can get 35+ on your MCAT, that is a different story. You may be justified in submitting your application a bit late. (ex. submit primary in late June - early July, get verified mid-August, and then submit your secondaries as you receive them).

 

[common man]

your case is easy - apply as early as possible. retake the mcat as you wish but don't let that hold your app. 30 is a respectable score but I understand you are a Canadian facing an uphill battle. no school is going to outright reject you because you only have a 30. there's a good chance they will invite you for an early interview. the other possibility is that they sit on your app and you show them your mcat retake. if you sit on your app, you are guaranteed to penalize yourself. if you apply early, there's a great chance you won't be hurt in anyway. good luck!

 

[mike wang]

Thanks for both of your replies! Both of you mentioned to submit my primary application as early as possible, but should I wait for my MCAT results to submit the secondary application? Since they don't actually know that I'm rewriting the MCAT.

 

[YamNMangos]

Thanks for both of your replies! Both of you mentioned to submit my primary application as early as possible, but should I wait for my MCAT results to submit the secondary application? Since they don't actually know that I'm rewriting the MCAT.

I think this depends on whether the AMCAS gives you the option to indicate that you will be taking the MCAT after you submit your primary. If you can't, then maybe wait a few days to submit your primary so you get verified a few weeks/a month later. Don't sit on secondary applications from rolling schools for too long - 1-2 weeks is fine, but more than that and it can hurt your chances.

 

[common man]

Thanks for both of your replies! Both of you mentioned to submit my primary application as early as possible, but should I wait for my MCAT results to submit the secondary application? Since they don't actually know that I'm rewriting the MCAT.

retaking - not rewriting.

no, do not wait for mcat results to submit the secondary. submit the secondary as soon as possible. schools take a long time to simply process / acknowledge your secondary app. chances are, by the time you get your scores back (which is updated on your app without any delay), some schools will still be processing apps / waiting to send out invites. if you delay, you'll just get backed up in the que.

as for schools knowing whether you retake or not - you have the option to include a future test date. that way, if schools are not impressed with the 30, they can wait for the new score. if they are happy as is and don't care (a possibility) then they can invite you on the basis of the 30. the other option is to not mention a second test at all in case you void or decide you don't want to spend some of your summer trying to beat an already decent score. I'm not sure if that is really a big deal but that's just me.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Moving to WAMC