What do you think? 3.53, retaking MCAT 3rd time

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shirtlessguy

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So I messed up on the MCAT the first time (7 on VR, 30 overall), retook, got a 27.. improved verbal by one point.
i'm retaking it a third time, think it will help? Or take away from my application? If the score is high, will it be better or worse?
gpa is 3.53 cum and sci too
i've done 4 months of weekly clinical volunteering but chose to do quarterly free clinics (for last year) at two places.
I've started a club is associated with the organization that does the free clinics too, and have been involved w/ the organization for years.
I've had 2 years of research, 8 hrs+ a week, will be listed as an author on four grad students' papers (so i've been told). one is in the process of being published/edited, and another soon to be published.

What do you think my chances are? I'm from california, so I know CA schools will be tough.
I picked these schools because they had the GPA/MCAT (first score) averages around my own, because they accepted many of my university's students, or because they had a highER % of accepting out of state students (2-11%).
UCI, UCD, UCSD, Loma Linda, Drexel, Marshall University, Howard University, Albany University, Albert Einstein COM, SUNY upstate, Oregon HSU, NYMC, Medical College of Wisconsin, Saint Louis University, Tufts, Tulane, Virginia Commonwealth, University of Minnesota, Toledo, Pittsburgh, and Rochester

I'm also looking into getting certified as a emergency room tech. Think it will help as one of those update letters?
Does anyone think I should wait a year to apply or give it a go and see how it falls? More or less schools, or diff schools?
Is it worth considering Military, ie let military pay for school? This of course means I have to get accepted first right?

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I think it's worth applying and you've chosen a good range of schools. The MCAT thing sucks, but at this point it's alittle late in the game to do anything about it for this application cycle. Just see if you can do some creative spinning about it in your secondary apps if possible. Prepare a thoughtful answer about it too, for interviews. I think all the things you talk about trying to do in the meantime are good. Here's my advice:

1) see if you can beef up patient contact experience in a hospital setting that's not ER. I've had several adcom people specifically say that ER stuff is less appealing than inpatient unit experience.
2) physician shadowing is a great way to add to your ECs quickly.
3) Always be planning next years apps, even though you might get in this year. These means thinking about how you improve that MCAT for next year, doing research or getting a patient care job, doing an SMP or MPH, etc.

Good Luck! I think you have a reasonable shot at an acceptance this year.

Honestly, unless serving the MILITARY is important to you, and not serving YOURSELF with tuition assistance, the military route is not for you. It will limit your options in the future which will leave you frustrated and possibly bitter. Plenty of studies show that physicians who used the military option are no better off financially than those who financed with loans 10 years after graduation. But if you have pride in military service and that's specifically how you want to serve your country I think it's noble, admirable, and great. But as just a financial ploy, it ain't a great one.
 
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thanks!
i'm still planning on taking the MCAT next friday...
Where might I go about getting that kind of experience regarding inpatient care?
I'm also planning on going to Fresno where my aunt lives. her daughter is doing research with a UCSF professor ... whom she said she would introduce me to and see if I can intern under him for about month. I think this would be better served as one of those updates yeah? Because by the time I get a letter of Rec from him, it will be sept already... and I think I should have at least sent in secondaries to other schools by aug (after my July mcat)
If I do go the update route, how do I incorporate the fact that he does write me a letter or rec?
 
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thanks!
i'm still planning on taking the MCAT next friday...
Where might I go about getting that kind of experience regarding inpatient care?
I'm also planning on going to Fresno where my aunt lives. her daughter is doing research with a UCSF professor ... whom she said she would introduce me to and see if I can intern under him for about month. I think this would be better served as one of those updates yeah? Because by the time I get a letter of Rec from him, it will be sept already... and I think I should have at least sent in secondaries to other schools by aug (after my July mcat)
If I do go the update route, how do I incorporate the fact that he does write me a letter or rec?

You'll probably have to talk to each school individually. Some schools may just say to forward the LOR itself to them. Others may say to just send an update letter.

Inpatient contact experience - just go to a hospital's volunteer department and tell them you want to work with patients on the units.
 
Hmm, that usually takes some time before I can actually do any volunteer work haha.. damn training :(
well Will try to do the volunteering thing more so in sept.
 
As it stands now (with your current MCATs), you can consider: NYMC, RFUMS, Drexel, Tulane and maybe GW. Don't get me wrong; these schools are very difficult to get in, but you may have a chance (though I'd rate is as rather low). The public schools on your list, both insides and outside of California, are not even worth applying to. Eliminate: all UCs, SUNY, OHSU, VCU, MN, Toledo and Pitt. Also eliminate the remaining privates, though you may want to keep Howard and Marshall if you're African American.

Applicants need to keep in mind that public schools are VERY selective for OOS applicants. Even if a public school has relatively low average scores, those scores are going to be much higher for OOS than in state. Even the public schools that take 'a lot' of OOS applicants are very selective for OOS, since they have a lot of applicants for very few spots.

You may actually want to hold off on applying. If you're a Male (assumed from your username) from California who is not a URM, you need very strong scores to get in. Keep in mind that essentially all private schools (especially the middle tier privates, like NYMC, RFUMS, Drexel, etc) receive TONS of very strong applications from California residents. These schools are private, but don't think for one second that it's not harder for a California resident to get into one of these schools than a resident of a state that is much less well represented at that school.

If you took some mid-to-upper level Science courses in the Fall and Spring, volunteered and got your MCATs up to 30+ (no section less than 9), you'd be much more competitive than you are now. You'd also be able to submit your complete application (i.e. no pending MCATs or LORs) sooner next year than now. Unless your next MCAT score is much higher and no section is less than 9, your chances aren't very good.
 
Well I think I am going to put off one more year.
Will try to see if any publications go through finally. Will do more volunteering/shadowing for a year or more. Will try to improve MCAT signifcantly by putting it off to Jan. GPA won't improve too much, as long as I just maintain over my 3.53, since I've taken so many units.
Will also try to/get a position of coordinator for future free clinics here in SoCal.
Meanwhile, what's a good job type that is related to medicine that I could work for one year while I apply to medical school NEXT year? Graduate Microbio major..
 
Meanwhile, what's a good job type that is related to medicine that I could work for one year while I apply to medical school NEXT year? Graduate Microbio major..

Everything you do this next year you should be thinking, "What weaknesses in my application can I address?". That should inform what kind of job you think is most beneficial to do for one year. Unfortunately, there are time constraints so you may not have the liberty to pick and choose. But since you already have good research credentials (and one year isn't generally enough time to get a first-author publication), I'd suggest trying to get a patient care job (specifically a hospital inpatient job), if possible.
 
Well, Technically I have over a year, o_O but definitely I don't think that's long enough to get a first author unless my year is utterly devoted to lab. That's not gonna be possible as I am gonna still be afull time student thru June 2009
Other thing about the job is if I can get one this year, it would let me work two years, but then I wouldn't be able to work fulltime and be a fulltime student *sigh*
Actually I think what I wanted to ask was a JOB NEXT year while i'm applying to medical school... after I graduate, what kind of jobs are medically related that I can take on for a year..
 
Well, Technically I have over a year, o_O but definitely I don't think that's long enough to get a first author unless my year is utterly devoted to lab. That's not gonna be possible as I am gonna still be afull time student thru June 2009
Other thing about the job is if I can get one this year, it would let me work two years, but then I wouldn't be able to work fulltime and be a fulltime student *sigh*
Actually I think what I wanted to ask was a JOB NEXT year while i'm applying to medical school... after I graduate, what kind of jobs are medically related that I can take on for a year..

Same principle applies. I always think you should be thinking about next years apps and what you could be doing on the off chance you don't get in.
 
the problem is I'm not sure what kind of job...
I truly just want to get in somewhere... just one time do it right. Hence my stepping away from applying this year.
I really think it's my clinical, which I am trying to boost this year with some shadowing as well as coordinating free clinic outreaches..
Also I was told it might be a good idea to look into starting a bone marrow drive at school? If successful, make it a yearly thing?
 
the problem is I'm not sure what kind of job...
I truly just want to get in somewhere... just one time do it right. Hence my stepping away from applying this year.
I really think it's my clinical, which I am trying to boost this year with some shadowing as well as coordinating free clinic outreaches..
Also I was told it might be a good idea to look into starting a bone marrow drive at school? If successful, make it a yearly thing?

Those all sound like really great things, honestly. I guess the only suggestion I could give is what I did. I had tons of research and teaching/tutoring and volunteering. But I added a nurse's aide position at a cancer hospital. It's been a great experience for me, really added to my PS and essays. Plus great LOR from my boss specifically about how good I was with patients.
 
as a nurse's aide, what kind of training did you have to have? how long did it take to get that kind of training?
 
Just try to get more exposure to Medicine during your year off and try to raise your numbers, primarily MCAT and (to the extent you can) BCMP as well. It's not worth getting more education or training just for something you're doing for this short a time.

While shadowing and volunteering are standard, it doesn't hurt to have those. Maybe you can continue or return to the clinic where you volunteered. You're currently in a situation where your numbers are the main factors keeping you out. Once those are raised, you become a much better candidate than you are now. Additional exposure to Medicine certainly helps as well.
 
Well thing is, I'm completing my bio degree in the fall, and finishing up a humanities degree in the Spring. Will that be beneficial, being able to say I have two degrees?
Thing about my gpa is because I'm gonna be a 5th year, I don't think it can Improve a significant amount, from the shear numbers of units that I've taken already. I did the math, and if I get all A's, at about 12-16 units a quarter, it would raise it only like .05 or .1 total.. :(

I think i'll do the exposure thing, shadowing once or twice a month with a med student or resident, if possible >.>



Another thing, will that help me with Letters of rec, if i can get a humanities professor in my major to get me a letter as well, to supplement a possibly weak sci professor's letter?
 
IMO you can def get in with your stats, although you have weak numbers you've worked a lot of many diff areas. However most of the schools you picked, ie aecom and pitt are very good schools where your chances are low, I would pick more lower tier schools. IMO I think it would be a waste to take another year off, although if you could break 32 on your next mcat I think your golden
 
Schools won't care if you have two majors. I don't think two degrees will make much difference either. Don't submit any weak recommendations. If the better LOR comes from a Humanities professor, then take that one.

I'll concede that you have a chance of getting in this cycle, but by no means is it 'definite.' There are a lot of people with stats similar to (and, in many cases, better than) yours who don't get in anywhere, year in and year out.

If next week's MCAT scores are strong, you'll have a reasonable chance this year (depending on where the scores fall exactly). I'll agree with the previous poster in the sense there's no benefit in choosing to wait a year if you can get in one year sooner.

Why don't you send out your AMCAS applications, transcripts, LORs, etc and have a complete AMCAS application in case your scores are strong? Once that happens, you can designate schools right away.
 
Well I think I am going to put off one more year.

I wouldn't wait until next year. Apply to 5 or so schools that you are on par with and see what happens. At worst you don't get any interviews and you are out $700 (but I think you will learn a lot from the app process that you could use to your benefit the next time you apply). At best, you get an acceptance. So apply to some schools while knowing that you will most likely need to apply again.

My 2 cents, GW gets tons of apps. Find another school to apply to.
 
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