>3.8 and 509 MCAT CA Applicant

[drcatknight]

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[Bones_McCoy]

Hi there,

1. Personally, I would not recommend retaking the MCAT. For reference, I have a similar MCAT score (albeit higher GPA) and 2 acceptances already this cycle. As many have said, the issue with retaking the MCAT is you're trying to improve an already solid score (30-31). You're running the risk of ADCOM's questioning your judgment, especially if there isn't a wide margin of improvement.
2. Your call - but it looks like you have a lot of "reach" schools based on your stats (e.g. Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Northwestern, Michigan, etc.). I would choose 2 from the reaches to keep, and toss the rest. Since you're a CA resident, better to play on the safe side, and apply to schools within your range that are more OOS-friendly. Especially, since the UC schools will be tough.
3. Just based on my own experience and that of friends, it may not be a bad idea to also send out a few apps to upper-tier DO schools. Every year, it's getting harder and harder to get in. This year in particular, I have many friends with solid apps scrambling to throw in a few DO apps because they have no interviews yet. Once again, just my opinion, but better to be on the safe side if you're open to DO or MD.
4. Other than that, apply broadly and early (first week you can submit on AMCAS) and you should be fine.

Best of luck to you.

 

[GrapesofRath]

To answer your question no it is not worth applying to these schools where your MCAT is around the 10th percentile. You can go through MSAR and see how many schools that eliminates off your list: I count at least a dozen.

Hoards of 3.9/30 applicants get in every year. Being from CA will complicate things to some extent and if you have a strong reason to believe you can do significantly better on an MCAT re-take, in this situation, being from such a competitive state it might not be a terrible idea. But I would only consider this if you have a really strong reason to believe you can hit at least 514+ on the re-take. Re-taking and hitting a 510 or 511 or something will honestly probably hurt your app more than help.

Apply rather broadly to realistic schools and I think you can still be competitive however.

 

[piii]

Lets look at your list:

Reach
BU - high stats but also high volume, low yield
Emory
Northwestern
Albert Einstein
Columbia
Cornell
Michigan - 35 mcat medium
Ohio State - 34 mcat medium

Target
Temple
Thomas Jefferson
Oakland
Western Michigan
Loyola
SLU
Creighton
Vermont
Wake Forest
Penn State
USC
UCD
UCI
UCSD

Target but still low yield for you/anyone
Rush - high volume, low yield, prefers service oriented students
Tufts - high volume, low yield
Dartmouth - prefers non trad
Hofstra - likes higher mcat
Rosalind Franklin - high volume, low yield
Drexel - high volume, low yield
Georgetown - high volume, low yield
George Washington - high volume, low yield


I think your list is fine. Apply to everything in the target first. Drop Michigan and Ohio State. If low on cash/energy/time, drop some reaches first (after michigan and ohio), then consider dropping some of the target but low yield schools, its just hard for anyone to get IIs there. Add quinnipiac, Umiami, albany (takes a lot of CA apps).

Your ECs are good. Make sure you add something that makes you look like a normal human being that has a life. Do you play sports? Musical instrument? Hobbies, clubs, etc? Add that into your ECs.

 

[Goro]

I strongly recommend getting off campus and out of your comfort zone and getting in some nonclinical volunteering, especially in service of those less fortunate than yourself. Your locals houses of worship would be a good place to start.

I recommend the following:

NYMC
Albany
Rosy Franklin
Drexel
Temple
Loma Linda (but read their list of don'ts)
MCW
St. Louis U
WVU
Jefferson
Creighton
Tulane
Loyola
U Miami
Wake Forest
EVMS
VCU
Oakland-B
Western MI
Any DO program, starting with Western and Touro-CA
UCD
UCI
UCR IF you're from the Inland Empire

Hey all,

California applicant applying in June with a 509 and just around a >3.80.

• 350+ Hours as an emergency medicine research assistant (Position shows leadership, working with patients, doctors, research coordinators, research all in one)
• 150+ Hours of doctor shadowing abroad - Not using this experience as something that has completely changed my life and my view on medicine, but something that has rather opened up my eyes to different cultures and experiences etc
• 1.5 Years of research in a cardiac genetics lab - Worked with mice, ran gels, basic lab work. No pubs and no posters, but will have good letter from the PI of the lab
• 1.5 Years in student government - not medical or health related at all but should add some flavor to my app, going to be vice president of one of the commissions

I'm slightly worried that my application is a bit too cookie cutter and that my MCAT score is a bit low (80th percentile, should I retake?) for getting in to schools. Is it even worth applying to schools where I'm basically at their 10th percentile for MCAT but above the average GPA?

My school list:
UCD
UCI
UCSD
USC
BU
Drexel
Temple
Thomas Jefferson
Penn State
Georgetown
Oakland
Western Michigan
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
SLU
Creighton
Vermont
Ohio State
Michigan
George Washington
Emory
Northwestern
Rush
Tufts
Dartmouth
Albert Einstein
Columbia
Hofstra
Wake Forest
Cornell

Thank you so much!

 

[gyngyn]

All of the CA schools are a reach, but I know you are going to apply anyway!
As long as you have at least 15 OOS schools on @Goro's list, you should get interviews.