What are my chances for big 4?

[luckywong]

undergrad GPA : 3.89 (biochem & molecular bio major)
MCAT: 20 ( highest of 3 tries )
Decent amount of ECs, research, int'l volunteering.

No harsh comment please..
Apart from retaking MCAT, what chances I have to get into big 4?

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[Top Gun]

No, don't even apply for big 4 yet. You have a strong GPA, extracurriculars, research, and volunteering. If you bring that MCAT up, you should have a shot at DO schools, maybe even some US allopathic ones.

 

[Skip Intro]

If you look at the bottom of this thread, there are 5 additional topics with the exact same title.

Perhaps we should make a new sticky with the answer to this question.

-Skip

 

[luckywong]

Yes, but those are old posts from 2007 and 08.

 

[bedevilled ben]

Yes, but those are old posts from 2007 and 08.

You need to figure out why you're scoring so low on the MCAT and correct that deficiency before doing anything. The exams don't get any easier and test-taking is a big part of medical education. It's a $40k mistake to come down here and fail out of your first term because you're a poor test-taker, and doing that is going to sink just about any chance you have of practicing in the US or Canada. That being said, you're pushing the edge for US schools with 3 low scores, which is a real shame since your application has everything else going for it, and the MCAT is the fastest and easiest part of your application to improve. The January classes are already full so you're not going to be losing any time by taking a few months to study, take LOTS of practice exams, and make sure you're scoring 30+ before you sit for the real exam. Many schools are going to be wary at 4 sittings, but you should still get some bites if you score well, so you need to really hit this one out of the park.

I'm honestly not sure what your chances are, because I'd say a 20 is right on the low-end of what the Big 4 would likely accept. I can really only speak to SGU, but the lowest MCAT score I've heard of from my classmates is a 22, and due to so many applications the admissions are starting to become more competitive. The average MCAT for my incoming class was a 28 I believe.

 

[luckywong]

Thanks for the advice, bedevilled ben. Seems like my MCAT scores were trash even for Caribbean schools. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/members/bedevilled-ben.491464/
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/members/bedevilled-ben.491464/

 

[hmania]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/ross-university-interview.1028795/

Read my thread from this year. your stats look like mine.i made the same mcat score as u even with 3 tries. There is hope to get in the big 4. I am not blessed with test taking skills. Gl...

 

[Skip Intro]

Yes, but those are old posts from 2007 and 08.

The admission criteria haven't changed significantly since then. And, they won't. For the most part, if you have a pulse and not a third arm growing out of your forehead, you'll get into one of those four schools.

I think Ben answered a more specific point to your question. And, that is test taking ability which I also touched on recently. If you are really struggling with standardized tests, this is and will continue to be a major obstacle for you throughout your medical career. All tests, including board-certification tests, have at least in part a multiple-choice type format. If it is merely an issue of not knowing the material well-enough, that's one thing. But, if there is actually a problem with your brain and that format, you may wish to choose another career to save yourself a lot of heartache and money.

Sorry, I didn't make the game. But, like everyone else, I have to play it.

-Skip

 

[bedevilled ben]

Thanks for the advice, bedevilled ben. Seems like my MCAT scores were trash even for Caribbean schools.

Nope, you can't think that way. I'm not saying you're hosed. Far from it, in fact. But I'm trying to give you a realistic picture of what you're facing. I know so so so many people who have come down here and been dismissed for failing a term, or at best, forced to decel and take an extra term of courses. This is Not An Easy Road to Take to becoming a doctor. It requires that you be acutely aware of your deficiencies, and understand why you didn't get into a US school. You're in a position where you don't need to come down here, and I'm trying to urge you in the strongest possible way to fix what you need to so that you don't have to come down here. Seriously. Study your ever-living ass off for the MCAT, score a 29 or so, and apply broadly, and you can ignore all of the headache of coming down here. Four months of hellish studying is preferable to coming down here, especially when it won't set you back in terms of application time.

 

[Top Gun]

Nope, you can't think that way. I'm not saying you're hosed. Far from it, in fact. But I'm trying to give you a realistic picture of what you're facing. I know so so so many people who have come down here and been dismissed for failing a term, or at best, forced to decel and take an extra term of courses. This is Not An Easy Road to Take to becoming a doctor. It requires that you be acutely aware of your deficiencies, and understand why you didn't get into a US school. You're in a position where you don't need to come down here, and I'm trying to urge you in the strongest possible way to fix what you need to so that you don't have to come down here. Seriously. Study your ever-living ass off for the MCAT, score a 29 or so, and apply broadly, and you can ignore all of the headache of coming down here. Four months of hellish studying is preferable to coming down here, especially when it won't set you back in terms of application time.

Have to agree here. If it weren't for your MCAT scores, you'd have a very good chance of being accepted into a US school. Figure out where you're going wrong on your MCAT and then do everything you can to fix it. As another poster mentioned, if its an issue of poor test-taking skills, you're going to have to figure out how to resolve it, because the MCAT is only the first of many standardized tests you will be taking in your future medical career. There is the USMLE, inservice exams, and board certification exams, all of which are mainly multiple choice.