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If you’re retaking your MCAT this year, you could send out your application to a few schools and then add more when you get your score. That will help appease your parents, save money in applying to schools if you don’t get the score you want, and give you a leg up on the application whether you apply to more schools in August or apply next year.
 
If you retake your MCAT during that timeframe, it will be late to apply this cycle, tbh. I would wait and apply next cycle if I were you. To give you an idea, taking the MCAT late July-early Aug, will result in you receiving your scores in September/October and that is dangerously late. 2 gap years is just fine and the extra time will allow you to focus to give it your all during your retake.
 
Don’t apply till you feel you’ve done your best otherwise you’re going to regret it. Tell your parents you’re not competitive enough or something.
 
futuredoc520 said:
3.5/3.4; will of course retake MCAT. Probably late July/early August. I could either apply this year to DO schools only, or wait until next year and apply MD and DO. I have no interest in research. Don't have a clue about specialty. Location is most important to me.

Graduated this year, so I was planning on taking a gap year anyway and scribe. If I apply next year, it would be two gap years. Currently living with my parents who are pressuring me to apply this year.

I have 3 years research experience, lots of nonclinical volunteering, not much clinical (hence the scribing), and ~50 hrs shadowing.
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Applying with a 499 isn't even a question.

Here is how this often plays out: person with 3.5/3.4 and 499 MCAT goes ahead and applies, retakes MCAT in summer, gets another suboptimal MCAT score due to time pressure/inadequate preparation, is now stuck being a reapplicant with mounting strikes against academic credibility.

Here is the smart way to play the game: forget this cycle entirely. Spend 10 months prepping for an MCAT retake, destroy it, head into the 2019-2020 cycle with a competitive app.
 
Merodeo said:
If you retake your MCAT during that timeframe, it will be late to apply this cycle, tbh. I would wait and apply next cycle if I were you. To give you an idea, taking the MCAT late July-early Aug, will result in you receiving your scores in September/October and that is dangerously late. 2 gap years is just fine and the extra time will allow you to focus to give it your all during your retake.
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Haha, you added a little extra time in there. A July MCAT is perfectly fine. Scores will release about 30 days later. I keep hearing if applicants get their scores and secondaries in by the first week of Sept it’s all good.
 
OchemOficionado said:
Haha, you added a little extra time in there. A July MCAT is perfectly fine. Scores will release about 30 days later. I keep hearing if applicants get their scores and secondaries in by the first week of Sept it’s all good.
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That's still pushing it. Also consider if OP will score significantly higher so soon given that s/he received a 499 recently.
 
futuredoc520 said:
3.5/3.4; will of course retake MCAT. Probably late July/early August. I could either apply this year to DO schools only, or wait until next year and apply MD and DO. I have no interest in research. Don't have a clue about specialty. Location is most important to me.

Graduated this year, so I was planning on taking a gap year anyway and scribe. If I apply next year, it would be two gap years. Currently living with my parents who are pressuring me to apply this year.

I have 3 years research experience, lots of nonclinical volunteering, not much clinical (hence the scribing), and ~50 hrs shadowing.
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Apply when you have the best possible app, even if it means skipping an app cycle. Get your parents accounts on SDN so they can see how their ignorance of this process is doing its best to destroy your medical career.

The MCAT is a career-deciding, high stakes exam, and it's also as much a test of your judgement as well as subject competence (hint: we don't like applicants who make bad choices)
 
I did apply with a 499 (after multiple seatings) last year to lots and lots of DOs, and ended up with 2 acceptances and 1 Waitlist (from 4 out of ~12 interview invites). But both my GPAs were 3.7+ though, and I'm also extremely URM so... I say put your best foot forward and do what's best for you.

Sent from my SM-G950U using SDN mobile
 
futuredoc520 said:
3.5/3.4; will of course retake MCAT. Probably late July/early August. I could either apply this year to DO schools only, or wait until next year and apply MD and DO. I have no interest in research. Don't have a clue about specialty. Location is most important to me.

Graduated this year, so I was planning on taking a gap year anyway and scribe. If I apply next year, it would be two gap years. Currently living with my parents who are pressuring me to apply this year.

I have 3 years research experience, lots of nonclinical volunteering, not much clinical (hence the scribing), and ~50 hrs shadowing.
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Sub 500 implies real risk on step 1. Even if you got in (somewhere like a new DO school) you are at real risk on exams. You wanna drop a quarter mil for that?

Take your time, take biochem, a+p, genetics, immuno. Then an prep course - or at least a structured review. Then retake.

If you rush a retake and get another 500 or so (likely) then this would be extremely damaging.
 
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Skiiiiiing said:
Sub 500 implies real risk on step 1. Even if you got in (somewhere like a new DO school) you are at real risk on exams. You wanna drop a quarter mil for that?

Take your time, take biochem, a+p, genetics, immuno. Then an prep course - or at least a structured review. Then retake.

If you rush a retake and get another 500 or so (likely) then this would be extremely damaging.
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Not saying you are wrong or anything, but I remember reading an article saying that they found MCAT Bio and phys/chem to be a better predictor of step 1 than the overall score.

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lenspx said:
Not saying you are wrong or anything, but I remember reading an article saying that they found MCAT Bio and phys/chem to be a better predictor of step 1 than the overall score.

Sent from my SM-G950U using SDN mobile
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The MCAT is a weak predictor and pre-clinical GPAs are much better. If anything, the MCAT is a better predictor of who will do poorly in med school.
 
Goro said:
The MCAT is a weak predictor and pre-clinical GPAs are much better. If anything, the MCAT is a better predictor of who will do poorly in med school.
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Just curious, but is it common for your program to ask students to leave based on preclinical performance alone?

My class had several repeats, and one that I know of who didn't pass step in 3 attempts and left (I am assumed under administrative pressure). I don't know of anyone who washed out on preclinical grades alone, but perhaps this is eclectic to my school.
 
Skiiiiiing said:
Just curious, but is it common for your program to ask students to leave based on preclinical performance alone?

My class had several repeats, and one that I know of who didn't pass step in 3 attempts and left (I am assumed under administrative pressure). I don't know of anyone who washed out on preclinical grades alone, but perhaps this is eclectic to my school.
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Failing preclinical classes > COMLEX failures as a reason for student dismissal. Professionalism dismissals are rare. Preclinical dismissals are almost always due to failures in Fall OMSI semester.
 
futuredoc520 said:
3.5/3.4; will of course retake MCAT. Probably late July/early August. I could either apply this year to DO schools only, or wait until next year and apply MD and DO. I have no interest in research. Don't have a clue about specialty. Location is most important to me.

Graduated this year, so I was planning on taking a gap year anyway and scribe. If I apply next year, it would be two gap years. Currently living with my parents who are pressuring me to apply this year.

I have 3 years research experience, lots of nonclinical volunteering, not much clinical (hence the scribing), and ~50 hrs shadowing.
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Don't apply. Sounds like a very weak application. Take 2 years to improve everything, or don't apply at all.

Also -- don't work as a scribe. Find a job where you can develop real world skills/ backup plan, because there's a very significant chance you will never get in.
 
Merodeo said:
That's still pushing it. Also consider if OP will score significantly higher so soon given that s/he received a 499 recently.
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Ehh, not really pushing it. More like just right on time (having all secondaries in the first week of Sept). I didn’t see OP mention that the score was recent, but I agree they should retake only when they’re prepared.
 
Merodeo said:
That's still pushing it. Also consider if OP will score significantly higher so soon given that s/he received a 499 recently.
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I agree with you that op should wait, but taking the MCAT in July or August is not late. I’ll take the words of real adcoms over SDN lore.
 
If you just want to be a doctor and have other boxes checked off, you could prolly get into one of the newer DO schools.
 
futuredoc520 said:
Thanks for the advice, everyone. The 499 is from last month. I've recently started studying again for a retake. My plan is to try to take a full-length every week and register for the real thing when I'm scoring well. I'm setting my goal for August, but I won't take it until I'm ready.
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August sounds rushed to me.
499 suggests severe deficiencies in either test taking or content review, or weaknesses in both.

If you're in your 20s, one year lost is nothing. If you retake the MCAT and get another 500ish, you are done.
 
futuredoc520 said:
Just because I responded to the last bit doesn't mean I didn't read the first part.
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I agree. While your MD shot is much lower, if you improve that MCAT you do have a chance at DO so I am not sure how you’ll never ever get in. I do feel if you apply this year your odds of being a reapplicant are pretty high. Take the time you need for your MCAT and get a good number of clinical hours. Then apply broadly next year.
 
futuredoc520 said:
Just because I responded to the last bit doesn't mean I didn't read the first part.
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Sorry, his advice was harsh but not at all unfair, and it's something that you should heed. You absolutely should be coming up with ideas for long-term backup career plans. Hopefully you won't need them, but you should be prepared to move onto the next stage in your life with something more on your resume for the next couple years than "Failed med school applicant/scribe" if you still struggle with test taking or other unforseen things trip you up.
 
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