521 MCAT retake with a 3.4 cgpa

[LivingLife99]

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Like many others, I’ve been researching through these forums for some time now and am currently looking for advice. Earlier this year I took the mcat unprepared and scored a 498. I took some months off to dedicate myself to studying full time and then received a 521. Due to my gpa not being the greatest, I’m hoping that someone could advise me on if It would be reasonable to apply next cycle. I have over 80+ hours of physician shadowing, 300+ clinical volunteer hours, and am a non traditional urm applicant. Thank you all for your time, any info would be very much appreciated.

 

[candbgirl]

How about nonclinical volunteering? Congrats on the MCAT retake.

 

[LivingLife99]

How about nonclinical volunteering? Congrats on the MCAT retake.

Thank you so much. For non clinicals I have roughly 150 hours which I’m currently active in so that should steadily increase.

 

[Knight in shining armor]

I think it’s reaosnable for you to apply next cycle. Good luck.

 

[Faha]

Where is your state of residence ? Which URM group do you belong to ? If Hispanic are you fluent in Spanish ?

 

[LTUbluedevil]

Your retake score is amazing. Good work!

 

[LivingLife99]

I think it’s reaosnable for you to apply next cycle. Good luck.

Thank you. I’m currently weighing my options of either applying or attending a post bacc program.

 

[LivingLife99]

Where is your state of residence ? Which URM group do you belong to ? If Hispanic are you fluent in Spanish ?

Thanks for the reply. I’m a resident of Alabama and an African American male who is fluent in German due to being born and raised there.

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
U Alabama
South Alabama
Howard
Meharry
Morehouse
UCLA-Drew
Emory
Miami
Duke
Tulane
Vanderbilt
St. Louis
U Michigan
Ohio State
Boston University
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
NYU
Harvard
Stanford

 

[LivingLife99]

Your retake score is amazing. Good work!

Thank you! Just grateful to be done with that exam.

 

[LivingLife99]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
U Alabama
South Alabama
Howard
Meharry
Morehouse
UCLA-Drew
Emory
Miami
Duke
Tulane
Vanderbilt
St. Louis
U Michigan
Ohio State
Boston University
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
NYU
Harvard
Stanford

That sounds like a great list but don’t you think my gpa and prior mcat score would disqualify me for applying to schools such as NYU and Harvard? I’ve heard that you need to have close to perfect numbers to qualify for those.

 

[Goro]

That sounds like a great list but don’t you think my gpa and prior mcat score would disqualify me for applying to schools such as NYU and Harvard? I’ve heard that you need to have close to perfect numbers to qualify for those.

Nope. URM are desired candidates preceisely because they're URM.

Start list with WashU and radiate outwards.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Nope. URM are desired candidates preceisely because they're URM.

Start list with WashU and radiate outwards.

URM (African-American), 3.6/519 with 400 clinical volunteering hours and 100 nonclinical hours, plus 800 hours of research with poster presentations. Applied to Harvard, Yale, UPenn, Columbia, and Mt. Sinai. Complete before Labor Day. Radio silence from these schools.

 

[Goro]

URM (African-American), 3.6/519 with 400 clinical volunteering hours and 100 nonclinical hours, plus 800 hours of research with poster presentations. Applied to Harvard, Yale, UPenn, Columbia, and Mt. Sinai. Complete before Labor Day. Radio silence from these schools.

Still early.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Still early.

Yeah, you'd said before that I could expect top-20 interviews; d'you think I'll get any this cycle? If I don't get any by Thanksgiving, are my chances at top-20 schools pretty much done?

 

[Goro]

Yeah, you'd said before that I could expect top-20 interviews; d'you think I'll get any this cycle? If I don't get any by Thanksgiving, are my chances at top-20 schools pretty much done?

If none by Tgiving, then start thinking about Plan B.
Start by rewriting all essays, and consider that you might have a bad LOR.
Did you apply tot he HBCs and your state school?

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

If none by Tgiving, then start thinking about Plan B.
Start by rewriting all essays, and consider that you might have a bad LOR.
Did you apply tot he HBCs and your state school?

I've had a few IIs, but none to top 20s.