MCAT expiration?

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capn jazz

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I took the July 09 MCAT. I'm not applying this cycle. I may apply in June 2010 for September 2011 admission. Would I be screwed if I applied in June 2011 for Sept 2012 admission?

Is the 3 year rule 3 calendar years to the application season or to matriculation? Basically, with a July 09 MCAT when's the latest I can apply without retaking?

Thanks!
 
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Your exam would expire on July 2012. It's for application, not matriculation. If you end up applying again for the class entering in 2013, you will need to retake.
 
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The actual month your score expires differs per school. For most schools, you'll be fine. In terms of years, schools usually go off of the planned matriculation year. So for 2012 matriculation, most schools would have the oldest score in 2009. Similarly, right now the majority of schools accept 2007 scores as the oldest for admission into the current 2010 application process.
 
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SN2ed said:
The actual month your score expires differs per school. For most schools, you'll be fine. In terms of years, schools usually go off of the planned matriculation year. So for 2012 matriculation, most schools would have the oldest score in 2009. Similarly, right now the majority of schools accept 2007 scores as the oldest for admission into the current 2010 application process.
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Thanks. So if I took the July 09 test right after graduation, I need to apply by June/July 2011, meaning at most I can take 3 years off after graduation (counting the year between the June application and Sept matric)?
 
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capn jazz said:
Thanks. So if I took the July 09 test right after graduation, I need to apply by June/July 2011, meaning at most I can take 3 years off after graduation (counting the year between the June application and Sept matric)?
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Not necessarily, again, the month your score expires differs per school. For this application year, the majority of schools are fine with any score from 2007. Other schools will accept September 2007 as the oldest score. So you should check out the schools you're interested in to find the exact time-frame.
 
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Good to know! Most people are rushing to take the MCAT and apply as soon as possible... and here I am trying to prolong my life pre-medical school for as long as possible. 😀
 
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capn jazz said:
Good to know! Most people are rushing to take the MCAT and apply as soon as possible... and here I am trying to prolong my life pre-medical school for as long as possible. 😀
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Just curious, what's your plan for your 2-3 years off? Anything good?
 
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Substance P said:
Just curious, what's your plan for your 2-3 years off? Anything good?
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Avoiding real life. I'm teaching English abroad in Japan this year, and I'd like to spend a year in France (likely doing the same), but I'd then need 3 years off because I would need to apply next year and spend my last year off working in the states because flying home for interviews would be impossible.

Just things I know I'll never have another chance to do.
 
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capn jazz said:
Avoiding real life. I'm teaching English abroad in Japan this year, and I'd like to spend a year in France (likely doing the same), but I'd then need 3 years off because I would need to apply next year and spend my last year off working in the states because flying home for interviews would be impossible.

Just things I know I'll never have another chance to do.
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Those will likely help your application quite a bit as long as you also have clinical experience and shadowing. Are you going through the JET program or something similar?

Random note, but the 70+% of a major quake (7.0+) happening in Japan within 30 or so years is pretty scary considering the population density over there. I've even read reports that brought the chance up to 90% or higher.
 
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SN2ed said:
Those will likely help your application quite a bit as long as you also have clinical experience and shadowing. Are you going through the JET program or something similar?

Random note, but the 70+% of a major quake (7.0+) happening in Japan within 30 or so years is pretty scary considering how compact everything is over there. I've even read reports that brought the chance up to 90% or higher.
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Yea, I'm doing the JET program. In college I worked on a clinical research project with extensive patient interaction for 3 years, volunteered at the children's hospital for ~70 hours, did lab research for a year, TAed bio class/lab 4x. I probably have 20 hours or less of shadowing though because it seemed fairly redundant - I felt like I was getting the same thing out of it as I got out of my own interactions with patients, except this time I was standing behind a doctor as opposed to talking to the patients myself. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I think I'd benefit from shadowing in a non-inpatient environment, like surgery or the ER, which is something I'm planning on doing when I get home. There aren't many medically oriented opportunities for foreigners here, though!

And yea, a horrifically huge earthquake is supposed to occur every 100-150 years and we're currently at 154 years since the last one!! I think there's like a 100% chance of it occurring in the next 10 or 20 years. Luckily I am fairly far from Tokyo, but still, scary!
 
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capn jazz said:
Avoiding real life. I'm teaching English abroad in Japan this year, and I'd like to spend a year in France (likely doing the same), but I'd then need 3 years off because I would need to apply next year and spend my last year off working in the states because flying home for interviews would be impossible.

Just things I know I'll never have another chance to do.
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That sounds like it will be a great experience! I don't blame you at all for wanting to take the time off to experience life a bit. Live it up! I wanted to teach abroad when I was younger and sort of wish that I had. Good luck over there!

SN2ed said:
Those will likely help your application quite a bit as long as you also have clinical experience and shadowing. Are you going through the JET program or something similar?

Random note, but the 70+% of a major quake (7.0+) happening in Japan within 30 or so years is pretty scary considering the population density over there. I've even read reports that brought the chance up to 90% or higher.
Click to expand...


Hmmm, I've never heard of the earthquake risk... Sounds scary though... I have heard about the volcanic housing sliding off of the volcanoes in the Canary Islands that could theoretically create a wall of water about 300-500 feet high and devastate the east coast... Sounds like geologists are pretty certain it will happen in the next 100 years too... Scary world we live in, but nowhere is really safe...:shrug:
 
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I've seen that site. In all honesty, everyone on the program has a completely different experience, down to people who live in the same cities and work at neighboring schools. I've been here 2 months, and I've learned to just roll with the punches. Everyday is a new adventure!! haha

I'm really having a fantastic time and it hugely solidifies my opinion that taking off time between college and med school should be strongly recommended, if not required.
 
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