3.86c/3.5sGPA horrible mcat!

[emotionap2]

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Guess I'm posting for some advice...

As stated, I have a 3.8cGPA /3.5sGPA in AACOMAS. My mcat sucked. 20.... I have three VERY strong LOCs from professors (one being my research prof), 2LOCs from physicians that are also very strong. My DO LOC is from the director of my hospital's med student program. My shadowing consists of over 200hrs of experience. For my personal statement, I have had it checked by med student friends and other physicians. It's also VERY strong. I was a sick child, so it's the kind that will tug at hearts. It's even made a few people cry. My most prized attribute is my research. I just won my school's research award for "Researcher of the Year." I (alone) tracked the plant cell (ovary growth) of a species of plant never researched before. I used confocal/DIC/phase contrast microscopes to track cell growth of over 5,000 cell samples. Over the course of 2.5yrs of work, I received a publication and have the credit of being the "expert" of this particular species. This was the same level work that my professor did for his PhD. Even more exciting, I discovered a cell clearing technique that can be used for cancer cell biopsies in animal cells. For volunteer work, I have over 800hrs and have been president of two groups on campus. I also work as a chemistry & biology lab teaching assistant and lead photographer for my school's newspaper.

With a few things left out, I'd like to know what my chances are. I feel like I have all but my decent MCAT. Would it be ok to apply and see what may happen? I have an acceptance to AUA, but really want to be only a DO. My focus is rural family med/veteran care. Another reason I actually consider Crib. is my particular focus of practice. That said, what are you all's opinions?

 

[HinduHammer]

Why don't you retake the mcat?

 

[adriano710]

Retake MCAT because you are not getting anywhere into any US medical school with that score. How did you study for it? For how long?

 

[emotionap2]

I plan on retaking early January. Four months. I used the SN2ed method with very heavy emphasis on Kahn academy videos from YouTube. I know my material very well. When presented in passage form, I got tripped up with meaningless passage details. I suffered the most with verbal. During my verbal practice, my scores went from 5 to 9, back down to 5 again. Verbal screwed me over...

 

[Aerus]

I plan on retaking early January. Four months. I used the SN2ed method with very heavy emphasis on Kahn academy videos from YouTube. I know my material very well. When presented in passage form, I got tripped up with meaningless passage details. I suffered the most with verbal. During my verbal practice, my scores went from 5 to 9, back down to 5 again. Verbal screwed me over...

You NEED to practice doing passages. Knowing the material itself will not get you a high score. In fact, when it comes to the MCAT, practicing passages is a lot more high yield than knowing more content. Ideally, MCAT prep should be 70% practice passages, 30% content review, give or take 10%. I highly recommend investing in the TPRHL Science Workbook and doing a bunch of passages from there. If you have extra money, TBR Chemistry, Physics, and Organic Chemistry will ensure that you will completely dominate in those subject passages.

No comment on verbal. I'm sure you have your own strategy that you need to perfect.

 

[emotionap2]

I have all of the EK/BR books. I hit every single topic except the Nearnst equation. (Hated that topic) I believe most of my issue is the actual test. I have been heavily medicated since I was a child for a learning disability. As my GPA states, I know my stuff. I'm a slower reader and have to stay extremely engaged to do well though. I plan on starting over completely from page 1, (with a better background of course) to see if I make improvements. In the meantime, I will sit on this Carib acceptance to see what happens. If I don't improve, I'm not taking the new test. So hopefully good things will happen.

 

[Aerus]

I have all of the EK/BR books. I hit every single topic except the Nearnst equation. (Hated that topic) I believe most of my issue is the actual test. I have been heavily medicated since I was a child for a learning disability. As my GPA states, I know my stuff. I'm a slower reader and have to stay extremely engaged to do well though. I plan on starting over completely from page 1, (with a better background of course) to see if I make improvements. In the meantime, I will sit on this Carib acceptance to see what happens. If I don't improve, I'm not taking the new test. So hopefully good things will happen.

I highly recommend you just try practicing taking passages under extremely tight timing, stimulating real test conditions as much as you can to improve your MCAT score. You shouldn't waste all your accomplishments over just one test.

AUA isn't even a top 4 Caribbean school, so matching in the US is going to be incredibly difficult. It's already difficult now, so imagine how much harder it will be 5 years from now. You will have to dominate the USMLE (a much more difficult exam that requires a lot more critical thinking than the MCAT) and you still might not even match for years. It's not worth the trouble. Even if you aren't ready by January, it's still infinitely better to spend time doing well on the new MCAT and getting into a US school.

 

[SkipJunior]

You need to retake the MCAT and you need to apply next cycle to join med school in Fall 2016. Forget AUA.

 

[Mad Jack]

Retake and go DO if you land a 24-29 or MD/DO if you score a 30+.

 

[UBC2014]

Essentially you just said you are a poor test taker due to your limitations.

Why on earth do you think it's a good idea to go to the Carrib, where ever getting a residency will depend on step 1, a test that is significantly harder than the mcat?

If you can't do at least mediocre(a 20 is far below mediocre) on the mcat, what makes you think you will even come close to doing above average on step 1?


Terrible idea OP.

 

[Goro]

1000% agree with this and the other posts here, OP.

You need to retake the MCAT and you need to apply next cycle to join med school in Fall 2016. Forget AUA.