- Joined
- Mar 23, 2015
- Messages
- 67
- Reaction score
- 85
Hello everyone.
I took my exam on 1/24 and came out with a 508 (125/126/129/128). I had 1.5 months of true studying, but I was passively studying since October. I ran out of time during C/P and CARS and that has been reflected in my score. Then again, I always ranged around 126-127 in CARS, but I usually got 127-128 in C/P. My FL averages were 510, so I technically scored in my range. I'm super bummed, and was even more emotional when I saw the score and went ahead with scheduling a retake on 4/6, but now I'm wondering if I should cancel it.
Would it be plausible to reach a 512 if I gave myself 2.5 months of studying; I was thinking of retaking in May. Then again, I see so many statistics that people don't do that much better, and I don't want to hurt my chances even more.
When I studied I bought the Kaplan self-prep and used all the resources they gave, even going over all the AAMC material twice. I also used premed95's Anki deck religiously.
I know that the AAMC material now will probably not be a good measure, so I got 4 NS exams and a U-World membership, but now I'm wondering if it was a mistake to reschedule and if I should just apply with what I got.
My stats:
I'm a 19y/o white female who was in a dual enrolled program, and graduated with my bachelor's in biology summa cum laude last summer.
GPA
Overall: 3.92 sGPA: 3.8
State: FL
Volunteering/ECs
Nonclinical: 100+ hours volunteering as a standardized patient, with a few LOR's from my UG medical school faculty, and I am still currently doing this
~150 hours working as a volunteer notetaker for my school's student disability program
~20 hours working as a mentor/tutor in my high school
~100 hours working for different events that fund-raise for individuals with different ailments
~400 hours tutoring grade-school students math for free over the course of 4 years
Clinical: ~200 hours volunteering abroad as an EMT-B in Israel (I'm fluent in Hebrew, and I know some very basic Spanish)
~50 hours volunteering in a hospice with true patient interaction (feeding them, helping the CNAs, etc), which I'm still currently doing
Shadowing: ~120 hours in different specialties (dermatology, plastic surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics) and I'm planning to do more. I'm thinking I will shadow a DO if it's a no-go for MD schools, so I will get into DO this cycle at least.
Leadership: Have been tutoring for around 4 years, and last year I tutored large groups of college students as a job. Required me to work with a team of other tutors, as well as create lesson plans for my students. I know this is pretty weak.
Research: Worked for 2 years on a case study that got published this February (yay!). Also helped on an ALS study in Ichilov (a hospital in Tel Aviv) for two months, while I was doing EMT work.
I have a connection with a professor in my UG's medical school and I plan on getting advice from him this coming Monday, but I wanted to get a few more perspectives as well.
I'm just worried that stress will get to me and I'll perform even more poorly if I tempted a retake, or not improve as much as I would need to.
I'm aiming for state schools and low/mid tier schools. I wouldn't even mind DO, but I'm just worried as I haven't shadowed any DO's (yet), and I know this will affect my chances. Would I have a shot at in state MDs if I applied as early as possible?
I took my exam on 1/24 and came out with a 508 (125/126/129/128). I had 1.5 months of true studying, but I was passively studying since October. I ran out of time during C/P and CARS and that has been reflected in my score. Then again, I always ranged around 126-127 in CARS, but I usually got 127-128 in C/P. My FL averages were 510, so I technically scored in my range. I'm super bummed, and was even more emotional when I saw the score and went ahead with scheduling a retake on 4/6, but now I'm wondering if I should cancel it.
Would it be plausible to reach a 512 if I gave myself 2.5 months of studying; I was thinking of retaking in May. Then again, I see so many statistics that people don't do that much better, and I don't want to hurt my chances even more.
When I studied I bought the Kaplan self-prep and used all the resources they gave, even going over all the AAMC material twice. I also used premed95's Anki deck religiously.
I know that the AAMC material now will probably not be a good measure, so I got 4 NS exams and a U-World membership, but now I'm wondering if it was a mistake to reschedule and if I should just apply with what I got.
My stats:
I'm a 19y/o white female who was in a dual enrolled program, and graduated with my bachelor's in biology summa cum laude last summer.
GPA
Overall: 3.92 sGPA: 3.8
State: FL
Volunteering/ECs
Nonclinical: 100+ hours volunteering as a standardized patient, with a few LOR's from my UG medical school faculty, and I am still currently doing this
~150 hours working as a volunteer notetaker for my school's student disability program
~20 hours working as a mentor/tutor in my high school
~100 hours working for different events that fund-raise for individuals with different ailments
~400 hours tutoring grade-school students math for free over the course of 4 years
Clinical: ~200 hours volunteering abroad as an EMT-B in Israel (I'm fluent in Hebrew, and I know some very basic Spanish)
~50 hours volunteering in a hospice with true patient interaction (feeding them, helping the CNAs, etc), which I'm still currently doing
Shadowing: ~120 hours in different specialties (dermatology, plastic surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics) and I'm planning to do more. I'm thinking I will shadow a DO if it's a no-go for MD schools, so I will get into DO this cycle at least.
Leadership: Have been tutoring for around 4 years, and last year I tutored large groups of college students as a job. Required me to work with a team of other tutors, as well as create lesson plans for my students. I know this is pretty weak.
Research: Worked for 2 years on a case study that got published this February (yay!). Also helped on an ALS study in Ichilov (a hospital in Tel Aviv) for two months, while I was doing EMT work.
I have a connection with a professor in my UG's medical school and I plan on getting advice from him this coming Monday, but I wanted to get a few more perspectives as well.
I'm just worried that stress will get to me and I'll perform even more poorly if I tempted a retake, or not improve as much as I would need to.
I'm aiming for state schools and low/mid tier schools. I wouldn't even mind DO, but I'm just worried as I haven't shadowed any DO's (yet), and I know this will affect my chances. Would I have a shot at in state MDs if I applied as early as possible?
