a year off and NOTHING to do!

[schooler]

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hey guys, i hope you all can help me out. i decided not to apply to med school last year, so now i have a year off to build up my application. my stats are:

3.74 gpa, volunteering hours, tutoring, with only a 23p mcat. alot of the postbacc programs want student with little or no science experience or who did poorly in science courses, and that is NOT me. im a chem major and did pretty good in all my science courses. i want to get into a program during this year so that it wont go to waste. retaking the mcat is my LAST resort, i already took it twice, i want to avoid a third time at all costs! i would rather get into a program where i will be able to show that i can excell in higher level science courses.
my verbal score was horrible, and that is what ruined my mcat. my bio phy and writing samples were all good, not spectacular, but good enough for a lot of schools.

well, thats my story,
does anyone have any SUGGESTIONS?

ps. i want to attend medical school, and will stop at nothing until i do. taking the mcat is not an absolute NO, but i would like to avoid it, and keep it as a last resort.

 

[Jaider]

Sorry, but I really think you should raise your MCAT. 🙁

I had a stellar application (perfect grades for both science/non-science double major and a graduate degree, awesome unique experiences and essays) but only a mediocre MCAT (that was still above the national average and much higher than 23). Only my state school interviewed me.

The MCAT is very important, whether or not we want to accept it. If your MCAT's not above the national average, I'd worry. There are too many people who will "stop at nothing" to get into med school and the competition is stiff.

Study/practice your a$$ off and raise that verbal score!! Of course, you could choose not to raise your MCAT and try your luck, but I wouldn't rely so much on luck, personally.

Good luck.

hey guys, i hope you all can help me out. i decided not to apply to med school last year, so now i have a year off to build up my application. my stats are:

3.74 gpa, volunteering hours, tutoring, with only a 23p mcat. alot of the postbacc programs want student with little or no science experience or who did poorly in science courses, and that is NOT me. im a chem major and did pretty good in all my science courses. i want to get into a program during this year so that it wont go to waste. retaking the mcat is my LAST resort, i already took it twice, i want to avoid a third time at all costs! i would rather get into a program where i will be able to show that i can excell in higher level science courses.
my verbal score was horrible, and that is what ruined my mcat. my bio phy and writing samples were all good, not spectacular, but good enough for a lot of schools.

well, thats my story,
does anyone have any SUGGESTIONS?

ps. i want to attend medical school, and will stop at nothing until i do. taking the mcat is not an absolute NO, but i would like to avoid it, and keep it as a last resort.

 

[jebus]

does anyone have any SUGGESTIONS?

You have a year off with nothing to do but prepare for the MCAT. We need to help you get over your fear of the MCAT. I would kill for your grades. It's hard to raise my grades but it's easy for you to raise your MCAT score. Post-bacs are for people with poor grades. You don't need a post-bac. You're a chem major; you've already shown you can excel in upper-division science courses. Let's get your VR score higher.
If you want more science grades then you should get a PhD. But this won't do anything to address your low VR score.
As Jaider said, competition is fierce. You could try to get in without re-testing but you might as well throw your money away (or gamble it away because that way you may get a payback). If you have a copy of the 2006-2007 MSAR (or just go the library since you have a year off with nothing to do) turn to page 27 and look at the chart for MCAT Total Numeric Score Distribution. You'll see that of ~1500 applicants with a 23 only ~300 were accepted. 20%. If you can bring up that MCAT to a 27 your chances increase to 50%. If you want to be more than just another failed statistic then you should start to study for the MCAT.
Good luck.

 

[yellowpersuazio]

hey guys, i hope you all can help me out. i decided not to apply to med school last year, so now i have a year off to build up my application. my stats are:

3.74 gpa, volunteering hours, tutoring, with only a 23p mcat. alot of the postbacc programs want student with little or no science experience or who did poorly in science courses, and that is NOT me. im a chem major and did pretty good in all my science courses. i want to get into a program during this year so that it wont go to waste. retaking the mcat is my LAST resort, i already took it twice, i want to avoid a third time at all costs! i would rather get into a program where i will be able to show that i can excell in higher level science courses.
my verbal score was horrible, and that is what ruined my mcat. my bio phy and writing samples were all good, not spectacular, but good enough for a lot of schools.

well, thats my story,
does anyone have any SUGGESTIONS?

ps. i want to attend medical school, and will stop at nothing until i do. taking the mcat is not an absolute NO, but i would like to avoid it, and keep it as a last resort.

I think retaking the MCAT is your only resort. Post-bac programs are only there to strengthen your academic record, but some may help you study for the MCAT. Unless you're a URM, being able to matriculate with a 23 is going to be really tough. I hear that schools place more weight on verbal as well, as that is the only section that you have to have some underlying amount of intellect to excel, and not just a good memory.

If you REALLY don't want to retake the MCAT, I would suggest you look into osteopathic schools. They generally accept applicants with low MCAT scores in your range.

 

[relentless11]

Echoing what everyone else said, unless you have other factors like being a URM, that low MCAT will cost you big time. For the most part, science majors EXPECTED to do well on the bio/physical sci sections. That is no surprise. I believe a dean of admissions once said: "we can always teach you science, but critical reading skills is something you develop over time". Regardless of how high your science sections are, a low VR section will hurt...a lot.

Pretty much, here in CA consider GPA and MCAT as equal. Therefore one is not better than the other. This policy probably applies to a few schools outside of CA as well. Additionally some schools (again in CA) screen GPA/MCAT scores during the primary applications...so if you're below the cutoff, then no secondaries.

I believe the national average is about a 28 (someone correct me if i'm wrong), and these people tend to average about 9's on each section. Although averages don't say too much, it is usually better to at least meet the average, if not go beyond it. So the choice is clear, you will need to retake the MCAT. I found the MCAT to be challenging yes, but not impossible to beat. You just have to go in confident, but at the same time know what your study habits and limits are. Something that each of us learns on their own, rather than have some magical book tell you how to do it.

 

[cee]

i didnt do a postbacc but i took postbacc classes at my local college.. i've got a low overall gpa but i high science gpa (3.7 i think).. what the hell do i do my year off? i havent taken the mcat yet (april), but i'm wondering what's gonna happen that 1 year too

 

[jays2cool4u]

Your GPA is above average so you might want to try the Drexel MSP Program. "Students in the MSP program have completed the premedical science requirements but need to enhance their science preparation in order to take or retake the MCAT". - drexel msp website

Jays2Cool4u 😎

 

[Beth_W737]

desiredusername, you are totally incorrect when you say post-bacs are for people with poor grades. Most formal post-bac programs are for people who had other careers (often with good UG GPAs), and decided to go to med school and need to take the science pre-reqs for the first time. Some may go because of poor grades, but the majority probably have good grades but lack the pre-reqs. I graduated with almost a 3.6 GPA from The College of New Jersey but did not get all the pre-reqs, and am applying to post-bacs in order to get the remaining pre-reqs and prepare me for the MCAT. While most post-bac programs are for people who have never taken the pre-reqs, there are some for those who have already taken the sciences and want to retake them and prepare for the MCAT. I believe Syracuse University has a website that lists the programs for those who already took the pre-reqs. Drexel has a program, I believe, as does UPenn - there are often 2 year master programs for those who have the pre-reqs. UMDNJ has a master of biomedical sciences program for those who took the pre-reqs. Although your biggest hurdle is your MCAT, you may want to look at some of these programs - but hurry as most have rolling admissions.

Beth

You have a year off with nothing to do but prepare for the MCAT. We need to help you get over your fear of the MCAT. I would kill for your grades. It's hard to raise my grades but it's easy for you to raise your MCAT score. Post-bacs are for people with poor grades. You don't need a post-bac. You're a chem major; you've already shown you can excel in upper-division science courses. Let's get your VR score higher.
If you want more science grades then you should get a PhD. But this won't do anything to address your low VR score.
As Jaider said, competition is fierce. You could try to get in without re-testing but you might as well throw your money away (or gamble it away because that way you may get a payback). If you have a copy of the 2006-2007 MSAR (or just go the library since you have a year off with nothing to do) turn to page 27 and look at the chart for MCAT Total Numeric Score Distribution. You'll see that of ~1500 applicants with a 23 only ~300 were accepted. 20%. If you can bring up that MCAT to a 27 your chances increase to 50%. If you want to be more than just another failed statistic then you should start to study for the MCAT.
Good luck.

 

[opstandzon]

schooler: Just out of curiousity, did you take a MCAT prep course (Kaplan, Princeton Review, or other) or did you self prepare?

If you self prepared and only did poorly on your verbal, you might consider doing an organized class to focus on that skill set. I know Kaplan offers a Verbal Edge online program for $499. Princeton Review has a Verbal Accelorator program.

From your posts, it sounds like you KNOW that this is what you should do, but you're being resistant. You have 6 months and 11 days to get ready for the paper/pencil MCAT. You might as well get started now.

 

[schooler]

thanks everyone, you have all been very helpful. i spoke with my premed advisor at school and i have now decided that i AM going to take the MCAT again in AUGUST. it really is my only option, but i will look into that drexel program, thanks jay.

now, can anyone tell me the BEST way to improve my Verbal score? i would like to get a 9. i would like to go up 2-3 points...

thanks you,
schooler

 

[relentless11]

thanks everyone, you have all been very helpful. i spoke with my premed advisor at school and i have now decided that i AM going to take the MCAT again in AUGUST. it really is my only option, but i will look into that drexel program, thanks jay.

now, can anyone tell me the BEST way to improve my Verbal score? i would like to get a 9. i would like to go up 2-3 points...

thanks you,
schooler

I just kept doing VR passages day and night...haha. It sucked, but thats how I got my score up. Each person has their own way of being able to QUICKLY, and ACCURATELY doing the VR passages. The big question is how you can be both quick and accurate...rather than trading one for the other....and those are study skills you might have to develop yourself, or at least try the strategies of other people.

Oh yea that passage mapping thing kinda works. I usually skim through the questions first, and then map the passage. But even then, i barely finished the section.

 

[jebus]

everyone does have different methods. I read a lot of newspapers (I subscribe to 4 paper versions and read a few more online) and I used to read a lot of scientific articles. If you read a type of material commensurate to the MCAT content it will definitely help you prepare for the VR section. The only formal VR prep materials I used were the AAMC practice tests and I used some GMAT review books (The Official Guide to GMAT Verbal Review was, in my experience, harder than the MCAT verbal sections. They are a bit different but their explanations are clearer than the AAMC's and because they are more difficult than the MCAT VR I think they are great prep materials).