I'd be very grateful to anyone who could provide me with any advice. While I was studying for the MCAT, I was consistently scoring in the 75th-80th percentile on EK FLs and an average of 512 on AAMC FLs so I thought I would be relatively fine going into the exam on June 1st. However, when I received my score I was devastated to find out that I scored a 499 (C/P 124, CARS 124, BB 125, PS 126) on the exam. I don't know what happened. I remember being shaken by the first couple of passages in C/P, but I don't know what else could have made me drop so significantly in every section.
So I need advice, because obviously I cannot apply with a score that low, especially because my GPA is a 3.5. So since I'm retaking, I'm running into some problems. I just graduated with a degree in neuroscience and am currently during research during my gap year. If I retake for this cycle then I'd either retake on the August 17th or August 30th exam date. That would mean that I'd have an incredibly late application which concerns me. It's no question that any of the top tier and second tier schools are way out of reach, but I need advice on if it's even worth it for me to apply this cycle.
Some background information on me. I am an URM applying as an in-state PA student. My GPA is low, I know, but I have a very strong upward trend after struggling to adjust my freshman year. I have about 4000 hours of research from undergrad including a second author, and two oral presentations, one at a moderately size, multi-departmental conference. I have about 420 hours of volunteering at a children's hospital, along with about 200 hours of volunteering in local elementary schools as a mentor for young girls at an after school program designed to expose them to fellow strong women. I have about 100 hours combined of shadowing doctors in the Dominican Republic and volunteering in the hospital's small, rural clinics. I've TA'd for neuroscience honors courses at my university and have an acknowledgement in my professor's textbook for helping with the editing process. I'm not sure if it counts for anything, but I also studied abroad for a semester while completing my minor in Creative Writing. I also have my EMT certification and plan on volunteering with a company soon, it just depends on how hard I need to study for my retake.
I'm kind of at a loss for what to do. I was really expecting to do better on my MCAT and I know I can. My adviser has been incredibly unhelpful and unresponsive, and I don't know many people in real life who are applying right now. Honestly I'd be embarrassed to ask them for advice because it feels like everyone I know who has taken the MCAT has gotten a 520 or above and I can't even get a 500. If you have any advice on whether or not I should retake for this cycle or to take another gap year please let me know. And if I do retake in time for this cycle, what would that mean for my application?
So I need advice, because obviously I cannot apply with a score that low, especially because my GPA is a 3.5. So since I'm retaking, I'm running into some problems. I just graduated with a degree in neuroscience and am currently during research during my gap year. If I retake for this cycle then I'd either retake on the August 17th or August 30th exam date. That would mean that I'd have an incredibly late application which concerns me. It's no question that any of the top tier and second tier schools are way out of reach, but I need advice on if it's even worth it for me to apply this cycle.
Some background information on me. I am an URM applying as an in-state PA student. My GPA is low, I know, but I have a very strong upward trend after struggling to adjust my freshman year. I have about 4000 hours of research from undergrad including a second author, and two oral presentations, one at a moderately size, multi-departmental conference. I have about 420 hours of volunteering at a children's hospital, along with about 200 hours of volunteering in local elementary schools as a mentor for young girls at an after school program designed to expose them to fellow strong women. I have about 100 hours combined of shadowing doctors in the Dominican Republic and volunteering in the hospital's small, rural clinics. I've TA'd for neuroscience honors courses at my university and have an acknowledgement in my professor's textbook for helping with the editing process. I'm not sure if it counts for anything, but I also studied abroad for a semester while completing my minor in Creative Writing. I also have my EMT certification and plan on volunteering with a company soon, it just depends on how hard I need to study for my retake.
I'm kind of at a loss for what to do. I was really expecting to do better on my MCAT and I know I can. My adviser has been incredibly unhelpful and unresponsive, and I don't know many people in real life who are applying right now. Honestly I'd be embarrassed to ask them for advice because it feels like everyone I know who has taken the MCAT has gotten a 520 or above and I can't even get a 500. If you have any advice on whether or not I should retake for this cycle or to take another gap year please let me know. And if I do retake in time for this cycle, what would that mean for my application?
