23R; Where Will I Be Next Year?

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[Nate]

Hey, keep your head up. It won't do you any good to worry yourself sick at this point and your application is already in. Your GPA is awesome, your experiences look solid, and your MCAT is not horrific. It is only slightly lower than average.
The question at this point is not whether you can be a DO, I think it is more of how badly do you want to be a DO? Because if you want it you are going to have to believe in yourself before anyone else can...
Good luck.
~Nate

 

[DD214_DOC]

My MCAT was a point lower (because of PS; I had to drop physics II in the summer, and my form was mostly physics II.) but I did have a 10 in VR. My GPA is also a bit lower, and I have an interview in two weeks. Don't sweat it, DO schools really do look at the whole person. If you look like a person who would make a good osteopathic physician, you shouldn't have a problem getting in. Good luck.

 

[DrB]

I agree with Nate, your stats look great, you have to believe it yourself! Your story about how you did better on the practice MCATs sounds good, just remember it when you are asked at your interviews (by the way, how did you practice; Kaplan, princeton, other?).

If all else fails, you can take the MCAT again in April. Don't worry about where you will be next year because in the end you will be where you want to as an Osteopathic Physician. All this stress... this game... will seem trivial.

Fellow game player,
-good luck 👍

 

[PreMedAdAG]

hey.. i feel you.. i have about the same GPA but when i took the MCAT the first time i got a 23Q.. so pretty much the same! But, I retook again and got a 30, it has made a world of difference. check out my profile if you want.. maybe you'll decide to take the MCAT again, maybe not.. but it's worth it in my world good luck to you!

 

[DD214_DOC]

To the OP,

The MCAT is a funny thing. The practice exams I took, I was getting 29+ composite. The last one I took was 11 VR, 10 PS, 9 BS. I ended up with a 10, 5, 7. Granted, I only prepared for 3 days the week of the exam, mainly because of family problems that came up. I had planned for two weeks, which would have been enough, but that didn't happen. My form was mainly formula-based problems in physics II, which I didn't have up to the MCAT. The irony of it all is that physical sciences has been my strongest subject in college. Go figure.

Regardless, who cares -- I still have an interview. If it doesn't go well, I know I will get in next year.

 

[trypto82]

Like many have said already, your mcat is only one aspect of your application. You should have a good shot considering the rest of your app. I too scored one point lower than you on the mcat, with a lower gpa as well, and have gotten an interview!

 

[OrthoFixation]

The MCAT is weak but your other factors rock.

I also scored much lower than my practice exams, but I probably shoud have coughed up the $1200-$1400 for a prep course. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I have a family, so I self studied both years (200 hours for Aug then 300 hours for April '04 each time). It was 15 years since I had some of the prereqs.

Just go for it, apply to at least 12 schools, more if you can. Just make sure you are serious about attending each one you apply to, otherwise you are just waisting money and time.

Good luck, you'll make it.

 

[Nate]

I think you're going to be fine. You write and communicate well and you seem like a good person. Keep us updated. Add UMDNJ to that list also!

 

[DOitright]

Hey...keep it up! I personally think the MCAT is a bag-of-BS, but hey...I'm not on the admissions committees! I agree with what has been said thus far...you're a very strong applicant with the exception of a semi-low performance on the MCAT! If/when you get interviews, go in confident...show them that you've worked hard to be a part of their program, and they'll have no choice but to accept you!

Good Luck!

 

[PreMedAdAG]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the words of encouragement.

I must have forgotten to mention how I studied. I took a Princeton Review course over the summer, and so I studied about 6-7 hours minimum per day for 1.5 months. I guess that's why I'm so disappointed with the score. I was basically living and breathing the MCAT until I went back to class.


PreMedAdAG - your improvement is really phenomenal. And you got into UCD on top of that! Wow. You really deserve it though. That's an amazing story. I guess the 30 really hit the spot considering how many interviews you got invited for!

I'm going to stick it out this application cycle. I know that if I get an interview, I'll do really well. I've always been a very social person, easy to talk to & I can hold conversations for hours on end.

QUOTE]
Hey! I think you should have more confidence. Like everyone has said before, you sound amazing besides that score (which in all honesty isn't that bad).... if it makes you feel better, I also took TPR and studied 7-10 hours every day, worked my tail off, breathed the MCAT, ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and still fell flat on my face. That by no means says anything about the type of student you are or the type of doctor you'll be. If anything, us crappy standardized test takers tend to be anal about details just to get as much of an edge over those seemingly genius types that understood nuclear physics upon taking their first breath as a baby. You'll do great, let us all know how things pan out.