admissions etiquette

[Sergeant D]

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In a nutshell, I scored a 30 (10P 6V 14B), and then the second time a 31 (12 7V 12) on the MCAT. No, I wasn't raised by a group of orangutangs, and no, English is not my 6th language. I didn't take verbal seriously either time, and it bit me in the ass. Anyways, I decided to apply with what I have because my EC's are fantastic. I registered for a July test date without indicating it on my primary application so I could get rolling early in the cycle. I did this because I know I won't do any worse, but because there's a possibility that I won't improve a whole lot, I didn't want to sacrifice an early application.

There's the background, now the question. Is it inappropriate (or annoying) to email a couple of my top choices and ask if they'll reject my application solely on my verbal score? My reasoning is that I want to identify the schools that won't screen me out, apply to them early, and then at the same time identify the schools that will screen me out so I can hold off on them until I get my scores back. But I'm not willing to bog the adcoms down with more neurotic email garbage than they already get, if that's how my email would be viewed. What do you think?

 

[flatearth22]

In a nutshell, I scored a 30 (10P 6V 14B), and then the second time a 31 (12 7V 12) on the MCAT. No, I wasn't raised by a group of orangutangs, and no, English is not my 6th language. I didn't take verbal seriously either time, and it bit me in the ass. Anyways, I decided to apply with what I have because my EC's are fantastic. I registered for a July test date without indicating it on my primary application so I could get rolling early in the cycle. I did this because I know I won't do any worse, but because there's a possibility that I won't improve a whole lot, I didn't want to sacrifice an early application.

There's the background, now the question. Is it inappropriate (or annoying) to email a couple of my top choices and ask if they'll reject my application solely on my verbal score? My reasoning is that I want to identify the schools that won't screen me out, apply to them early, and then at the same time identify the schools that will screen me out so I can hold off on them until I get my scores back. But I'm not willing to bog the adcoms down with more neurotic email garbage than they already get, if that's how my email would be viewed. What do you think?

You got a 6 on Verbal and didn't take it seriously the 2nd time? Forget your scores, they should reject you on that alone.

 

[DeltaPlaya]

In a nutshell, I scored a 30 (10P 6V 14B), and then the second time a 31 (12 7V 12) on the MCAT. No, I wasn't raised by a group of orangutangs, and no, English is not my 6th language. I didn't take verbal seriously either time, and it bit me in the ass. Anyways, I decided to apply with what I have because my EC's are fantastic. I registered for a July test date without indicating it on my primary application so I could get rolling early in the cycle. I did this because I know I won't do any worse, but because there's a possibility that I won't improve a whole lot, I didn't want to sacrifice an early application.

There's the background, now the question. Is it inappropriate (or annoying) to email a couple of my top choices and ask if they'll reject my application solely on my verbal score? My reasoning is that I want to identify the schools that won't screen me out, apply to them early, and then at the same time identify the schools that will screen me out so I can hold off on them until I get my scores back. But I'm not willing to bog the adcoms down with more neurotic email garbage than they already get, if that's how my email would be viewed. What do you think?

i dont blame ya, i wouldve done the same, VR is a pain in the ass. as for the asking, i'd do the same, why would i want to apply to schools that will screen me out for having a crappy verbal reasoning score.

 

[music2doc]

You got a 6 on Verbal and didn't take it seriously the 2nd time? Forget your scores, they should reject you on that alone.

This comes off a little harsh, perhaps, but I sorta agree. If you don't take the hoops you have to jump through now seriously (and, yes, that includes VR), why should they think you'll do so later? If you were someone who had immigrated from Iraq 5 years ago and were still learning English, you'd have a much better chance. If you're a native English speaker, that wouldn't seem to bode so well for you. Communication is a critical skill for a physician and your VR scores both times bring some serious questions to the table about your innate ability to communicate. Your f/u that you simply "did not care" does nothing to alleviate the concern (but does bring up other major concerns).

As for asking, sure you can ask, but most will likely say "no" even if they ultimately will. The fact is that schools don't generally reject (or accept) on the basis of any one data point. Instead, they look for patterns. In your case, the low VR twice is a bit of a pattern but probably still not enough to go either way. Further consideration of your LORs and PS would provide add'l data. If they decided you were admissible, you might be invited to an interview. After the interview, I'd suspect the adcom would probably be looking for indications as to the reason behind your low VR. At our medical school, from what I understand, this would probably come up in the adcom mtg as a question for your interviewers. It would not be something the interviewer would have known to ask you about but it would be expected that you had either disclosed and explained the situation effectively or otherwise strongly demonstrated that your consistently low VR score is not indicative of that which it purports to indicate (i.e., that you are a poor communicator, have difficulty understanding others or reading between the lines, and so forth).

 

[Sergeant D]

You got a 6 on Verbal and didn't take it seriously the 2nd time? Forget your scores, they should reject you on that alone.

Ya, and I'm sure your sh** doesn't stink. Spend 4 years deploying to Afghanistan and then, without a break, spend another 4 years preparing for medical school while trying to be as competitive as possible. I haven't had a break in 8 years, so I'm sorry that I became complacent and had a momentary lapse in judgment. I'm not perfect, and I made a mistake in not preparing enough for VR. But don't try to imply that I don't care or that I'm lazy and don't give a sh**. I worked hard to get here, just like everyone else. You can go Fu** yourself 🙂

 

[aSagacious]

Instead of calling and asking, simply pop open your copy of the MSAR and look for schools that have a 10th percentile verbal score at or below a 7.

 

[0919mmk]

Ya, and I'm sure your sh** doesn't stink. Spend 4 years deploying to Afghanistan and then, without a break, spend another 4 years preparing for medical school while trying to be as competitive as possible. I haven't had a break in 8 years, so I'm sorry that I became complacent and had a momentary lapse in judgment. I'm not perfect, and I made a mistake in not preparing enough for VR. But don't try to imply that I don't care or that I'm lazy and don't give a sh**. I worked hard to get here, just like everyone else. You can go Fu** yourself 🙂

lol - inb4

and also, thank you for your service 🙂

 

[CopaceticOne]

Ya, and I'm sure your sh** doesn't stink. Spend 4 years deploying to Afghanistan and then, without a break, spend another 4 years preparing for medical school while trying to be as competitive as possible. I haven't had a break in 8 years, so I'm sorry that I became complacent and had a momentary lapse in judgment. I'm not perfect, and I made a mistake in not preparing enough for VR. But don't try to imply that I don't care or that I'm lazy and don't give a sh**. I worked hard to get here, just like everyone else. You can go Fu** yourself 🙂

Just to lighten the mood in this thread a little...

 

[DrBowtie]

I'll give you a straight answer. Its not inappropriate, but I doubt you will find a school that will tell you straight away that they will reject your app with a 7. They may advise a retake, but they aren't going to tell you straight up no chance. They want your ~$80.

 

[Sergeant D]

If you don't take the hoops you have to jump through now seriously (and, yes, that includes VR), why should they think you'll do so later? If you were someone who had immigrated from Iraq 5 years ago and were still learning English, you'd have a much better chance. If you're a native English speaker, that wouldn't seem to bode so well for you. Communication is a critical skill for a physician and your VR scores both times bring some serious questions to the table about your innate ability to communicate. Your f/u that you simply "did not care" does nothing to alleviate the concern (but does bring up other major concerns).

As for asking, sure you can ask, but most will likely say "no" even if they ultimately will. The fact is that schools don't generally reject (or accept) on the basis of any one data point. Instead, they look for patterns. In your case, the low VR twice is a bit of a pattern but probably still not enough to go either way. Further consideration of your LORs and PS would provide add'l data. If they decided you were admissible, you might be invited to an interview. After the interview, I'd suspect the adcom would probably be looking for indications as to the reason behind your low VR. At our medical school, from what I understand, this would probably come up in the adcom mtg as a question for your interviewers. It would not be something the interviewer would have known to ask you about but it would be expected that you had either disclosed and explained the situation effectively or otherwise strongly demonstrated that your consistently low VR score is not indicative of that which it purports to indicate (i.e., that you are a poor communicator, have difficulty understanding others or reading between the lines, and so forth).

Thanks for the advice. I should rephrase what I said earlier. It's not that I don't care; I care very much. I "didn't take it seriously" because I scored 9-13 on verbal on all my practice tests. There was no reason, it seemed, to put nearly as much effort into verbal as any of the other sections. So I allocated my studying time accordingly. I thought the first test was a fluke, so I took it a second time. After that, it became painfully clear that there's something fundamentally wrong with how I approach verbal, so now I'm putting all my effort into correcting it.

 

[music2doc]

Ya, and I'm sure your sh** doesn't stink. Spend 4 years deploying to Afghanistan and then, without a break, spend another 4 years preparing for medical school while trying to be as competitive as possible. I haven't had a break in 8 years, so I'm sorry that I became complacent and had a momentary lapse in judgment. I'm not perfect, and I made a mistake in not preparing enough for VR. But don't try to imply that I don't care or that I'm lazy and don't give a sh**. I worked hard to get here, just like everyone else. You can go Fu** yourself 🙂

You might ask your CO to talk about your ability to communicate, your understanding of others' unspoken requests, etc. in an LOR. Since you were in Afghanistan for four years (and thank you for your service, btw), I'd think you may have taken on somewhat of a leadership role by the end of it and may be able to leverage that to alleviate the impact of a low VR.

Regardless, best of luck! The 10th percentile VR suggestion (in the MSAR) is a great one, btw. It would help you to know what the minimum a given school typically finds acceptable is.

 

[Ride Big Sky]

I'll give you a straight answer. Its not inappropriate, but I doubt you will find a school that will tell you straight away that they will reject your app with a 7. They may advise a retake, but they aren't going to tell you straight up no chance. They want your ~$80.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Sergeant D]

lol - inb4

and also, thank you for your service 🙂

Lol, thank you 🙂

Instead of calling and asking, simply pop open your copy of the MSAR and look for schools that have a 10th percentile verbal score at or below a 7.

Because from what I can see, this changes from year to year. For example, the VR 10th percentile of my state school (AZ) fluctuates between 7 and 8. So the MSAR isn't really giving hard cutoffs. Mayo has dipped into the 7's from time to time also.

I'll give you a straight answer. Its not inappropriate, but I doubt you will find a school that will tell you straight away that they will reject your app with a 7. They may advise a retake, but they aren't going to tell you straight up no chance. They want your ~$80.

Thank you for the straight answer! Ya, I thought that this might be the case.

 

[raltima07]

Thanks for the advice. I should rephrase what I said earlier. It's not that I don't care; I care very much. I "didn't take it seriously" because I scored 9-13 on verbal on all my practice tests. There was no reason, it seemed, to put nearly as much effort into verbal as any of the other sections. So I allocated my studying time accordingly. I thought the first test was a fluke, so I took it a second time. After that, it became painfully clear that there's something fundamentally wrong with how I approach verbal, so now I'm putting all my effort into correcting it.

if you scored 9-13, then you have to figure out why you mess up on the real thing

 

[Sergeant D]

You might ask your CO to talk about your ability to communicate, your understanding of others' unspoken requests, etc. in an LOR. Since you were in Afghanistan for four years (and thank you for your service, btw), I'd think you may have taken on somewhat of a leadership role by the end of it and may be able to leverage that to alleviate the impact of a low VR.

Regardless, best of luck! The 10th percentile VR suggestion (in the MSAR) is a great one, btw. It would help you to know what the minimum a given school typically finds acceptable is.

My old CO is overseas, but I did get a LOR from a professor who taught an honors comparative literature course I took. He basically said that he believes the score isn't representative of my verbal abilities. I don't know how far that's going to get me though, lol. The test is standardized, and I'm not special.

 

[Sergeant D]

if you scored 9-13, then you have to figure out why you mess up on the real thing

I know!!! I don't understand how I go from that to 6's and 7's on game day. I'm just going to get my hands on every verbal passage I can between now and test day.

 

[Gastrapathy]

Try again. Focus your prep on the verbal. A 6 and then a 7 really validates that these are accurate scores and it wasn't just a bad day. A third round of the same scores will only look marginally worse.

 

[NickNaylor]

Try again. Focus your prep on the verbal. A 6 and then a 7 really validates that these are accurate scores and it wasn't just a bad day. A third round of the same scores will only look marginally worse.

Truth.

To the OP's question, though, you can e-mail and ask, but I doubt they'll give you any useful information. They'll probably just refer you to the school's matriculant data or some other statistic that you could get on your own.

 

[Teppil]

Ya, and I'm sure your sh** doesn't stink. Spend 4 years deploying to Afghanistan and then, without a break, spend another 4 years preparing for medical school while trying to be as competitive as possible. I haven't had a break in 8 years, so I'm sorry that I became complacent and had a momentary lapse in judgment. I'm not perfect, and I made a mistake in not preparing enough for VR. But don't try to imply that I don't care or that I'm lazy and don't give a sh**. I worked hard to get here, just like everyone else. You can go Fu** yourself 🙂

This type of attitude isnt going to get you anywhere. I was deployed to, so I can pretty much guarantee your going to have a hard time linking deploying and a low vr score to an adcom. Own up to the low score, check msar for schools, and I'm sure you'll be okay with a strong app.

Btw what mos/ branch were u

 

[Sergeant D]

Try again. Focus your prep on the verbal. A 6 and then a 7 really validates that these are accurate scores and it wasn't just a bad day. A third round of the same scores will only look marginally worse.

I 100% agree. I know that if I don't significantly improve my score, I'll just be digging a deeper hole. I know I can do better though, and I refuse to come this far to just get shot down by a VR score.

 

[Sergeant D]

This type of attitude isnt going to get you anywhere. I was deployed to, so I can pretty much guarantee your going to have a hard time linking deploying and a low vr score to an adcom. Own up to the low score, check msar for schools, and I'm sure you'll be okay with a strong app.

Btw what mos/ branch were u

You can't tell by my picture??!! Marine Corps! I totally agree with you. I would NEVER go to an adcom and use that as an excuse, lol. That was just a response to the person who was insinuating that I didn't care and that I was a lazy piece of crap. I owned up to it a little farther down the thread 🙂

 

[Teppil]

You can't tell by my picture??!! Marine Corps! I totally agree with you. I would NEVER go to an adcom and use that as an excuse, lol. That was just a response to the person who was insinuating that I didn't care and that I was a lazy piece of crap. I owned up to it a little farther down the thread 🙂

Gotcha. 11b infantry in army here, but I was in Iraq.

Best of luck with your app.

 

[Sergeant D]

Truth.

To the OP's question, though, you can e-mail and ask, but I doubt they'll give you any useful information. They'll probably just refer you to the school's matriculant data or some other statistic that you could get on your own.

Gotcha, thanks for the input. I think I'll leave it alone and not send out any emails.

Gotcha. 11b infantry in army here, but I was in Iraq.

Best of luck with your app.

An Army dog, huh?! Thank you 🙂 I think I'll need it, lol.

 

[LizzyM]

Schools aren't going to tell you "we'll screen you out" . There are rare situations where they will accept a low VR if the applicant brings other characteristics to the table (ESL URM, etc).

You are a fool to register for the July test without indicating this on your application. For the most part, applications get one pass through the adcom and once you are in the trash bucket, you won't be pulled out thanks to a new MCAT score. That's the reason for asking if you'd be taking it again before the deadline for applictions.

 

[Tapepsi]

I feel you on the VR. I was scoring 9-12 on the practice tests, took the MCAT the first time and got a 6, retook it w/o studying b/c I felt like it was a fluke, and got a 9 the second time. Add in the fact that the passages are on the dumbest things like turtle shaped chocolate (cleverly named "turdles") and it's no surprise why many are saying WTF after that section.

 

[theWUbear]

I'll give you a straight answer. Its not inappropriate, but I doubt you will find a school that will tell you straight away that they will reject your app with a 7. They may advise a retake, but they aren't going to tell you straight up no chance. They want your ~$80.

I have to respectfully disagree with this statement. Though it seems logical, it has been proven false through my multiple first hand experiences with deans and directors of admission.

I have requested meetings and spoken with many admissions offices. Jefferson told me they like where I'm going with my grade improvement but when I said "it's May 25th, if I apply June 1st do you believe I will be considered this cycle" they said no, I'm the person that makes that decision and unfortunately to be fair to everyone we as a rule could not consider such a low GPA.
RWJMS also was upfront enough to notify me that there happens to be a written policy against considering students with GPA's of my level.

I would send a copy of your CV in an email and request phone or in person meetings.

 

[music2doc]

I have to respectfully disagree with this statement. Though it seems logical, it has been proven false through my multiple first hand experiences with deans and directors of admission.

I have requested meetings and spoken with many admissions offices. Jefferson told me they like where I'm going with my grade improvement but when I said "it's May 25th, if I apply June 1st do you believe I will be considered this cycle" they said no, I'm the person that makes that decision and unfortunately to be fair to everyone we as a rule could not consider such a low GPA.
RWJMS also was upfront enough to notify me that there happens to be a written policy against considering students with GPA's of my level.

I would send a copy of your CV in an email and request phone or in person meetings.

Some may do this. I know for a fact that the school we work closely with would not. Their response would be that they cannot guarantee one way or the other but they would love to talk with you and help in whatever way they could. In other words... if you wanted a straight answer, you'd walk away frustrated with only the stats -- average GPA for matriculants this year will be about 3.8; average MCAT will be ~33-34, but something akin to a 13/7/13 might be acceptable (despite rarely accepting students with <9-10 on VR). They could only state that they look at the whole package and that no one thing will be what gets you rejected (nor accepted). A low VR simply means they have to identify root causes for the issue.

 

[flatearth22]

Ya, and I'm sure your sh** doesn't stink. Spend 4 years deploying to Afghanistan and then, without a break, spend another 4 years preparing for medical school while trying to be as competitive as possible. I haven't had a break in 8 years, so I'm sorry that I became complacent and had a momentary lapse in judgment. I'm not perfect, and I made a mistake in not preparing enough for VR. But don't try to imply that I don't care or that I'm lazy and don't give a sh**. I worked hard to get here, just like everyone else. You can go Fu** yourself 🙂

brb forwarding this thread to all 126 medical schools who will easily find out who you are based on your distinctive MCAT scores (srs).

Enjoy fighting in Iran in 3 years!

 

[BushidoBrown]

brb forwarding this thread to all 126 medical schools who will easily find out who you are based on your distinctive MCAT scores (srs).

Enjoy fighting in Iran in 3 years!

Wow, you are an absolute douche.

 

[flatearth22]

Wow, you are an absolute douche.

Dude tries to brush away his poor VR scores by saying "he didn't take verbal seriously either time." I mean come on....if you get a six on VR and you intend to go to Med School you had better take it seriously the 2nd time. No excuses. And when I call him out on it he makes personal attacks with obscene language...

Stop acting all HAM because you're in the military. I'm glad there are barriers in place to keep people like this out of the medical profession.

 

[BushidoBrown]

Dude tries to brush away his poor VR scores by saying "he didn't take verbal seriously either time." I mean come on....if you get a six on VR and you intend to go to Med School you had better take it seriously the 2nd time. No excuses. And when I call him out on it he makes personal attacks with obscene language...

Stop acting all HAM because you're in the military. I'm glad there are barriers in place to keep people like this out of the medical profession.

Trying to justify your douchiness doesn't make you any less douchey.

 

[Tapepsi]

No name calling and let's stick to the question. K?

 

[flatearth22]

Trying to justify your douchiness doesn't make you any less douchey.

Oh look....more personal attacks 🙄

 

[akaVonk]

brb forwarding this thread to all 126 medical schools who will easily find out who you are based on your distinctive MCAT scores (srs).

Enjoy fighting in Iran in 3 years!

Dude, don't mess with the Marines.

 

[Sergeant D]

You are a fool to register for the July test without indicating this on your application. For the most part, applications get one pass through the adcom and once you are in the trash bucket, you won't be pulled out thanks to a new MCAT score. That's the reason for asking if you'd be taking it again before the deadline for applictions.

I don't think we're on the same page here. I'm very aware that you only get one pass, but because almost every school sends secondaries to everyone, and because they don't review your app until you've paid your fees and filled out the supplemental material, I can in effect cherry pick schools to send my completed application to. Like I said earlier, by doing this I can apply early to schools I know won't screen me out while stopping more selective schools from reviewing my app until I get a new score. For schools that send secondaries to everyone, there's no difference between not indicating a future test date on my primary application or simply choosing to withhold from completing supplemental material until I get my scores. If I have that completely wrong, please correct me.

 

[aSagacious]

I don't think we're on the same page here. I'm very aware that you only get one pass, but because almost every school sends secondaries to everyone, and because they don't review your app until you've paid your fees and filled out the supplemental material, I can in effect cherry pick schools to send my completed application to. Like I said earlier, by doing this I can apply early to schools I know won't screen me out while stopping more selective schools from reviewing my app until I get a new score. For schools that send secondaries to everyone, there's no difference between not indicating a future test date on my primary application or simply choosing to withhold from completing supplemental material until I get my scores. If I have that completely wrong, please correct me.

This is only tangentially relevant to the above, but I thought I'd share a funny story from my last application cycle. Though some schools send out 'screened' secondaries that does not mean that the schools will look at all of the received secondaries. Both Georgetown and Brown rejected me within 18 hours of me submitting their secondaries (somehow I doubt that they 'seriously considered my application' in that timeframe 😉). Anyway, carry on.

 

[Sergeant D]

I have to respectfully disagree with this statement. Though it seems logical, it has been proven false through my multiple first hand experiences with deans and directors of admission.

I have requested meetings and spoken with many admissions offices. Jefferson told me they like where I'm going with my grade improvement but when I said "it's May 25th, if I apply June 1st do you believe I will be considered this cycle" they said no, I'm the person that makes that decision and unfortunately to be fair to everyone we as a rule could not consider such a low GPA.
RWJMS also was upfront enough to notify me that there happens to be a written policy against considering students with GPA's of my level.

I would send a copy of your CV in an email and request phone or in person meetings.

Thanks for this insight!!!!

brb forwarding this thread to all 126 medical schools who will easily find out who you are based on your distinctive MCAT scores (srs).

Enjoy fighting in Iran in 3 years!

WOW. How old are you? Are you offended because I used "obscene" language? There are worse things in life than being told to fu** off, lol. It's time to man up my friend. You threw the first blow, so don't get upset that I hit back. And be my guest, but the only person it will negatively reflect on is you.

 

[Sergeant D]

This is only tangentially relevant to the above, but I thought I'd share a funny story from my last application cycle. Though some schools send out 'screened' secondaries that does not mean that the schools will look at all of the received secondaries. Both Georgetown and Brown rejected me within 18 hours of me submitting their secondaries (somehow I doubt that they 'seriously considered my application' in that timeframe 😉). Anyway, carry on.

Hmmmmmm, this might be something I need to think about, lol.

 

[vandyam]

Oh look....more personal attacks 🙄

Generally speaking, I hate it when a thread gets childish. However, you couldn't be more of a douche. You haven't been helpful to the OP in anyway regarding his question and that is just not necessary. At the very least, have a little respect for the fact that he has fought for this country. Saying "Enjoy fighting in Iran in 3 years! " is about the rudeness most *****hole thing you can say. If you aren't going to be helpful, leave the thread. PS. he admitted to having an error in judgement, and was scoring well before he took the test. chill.

To the OP, I agree with what others have said that you probably won't get a straight answer from adcoms, but I still think it is worth a shot. If the MSAR of your top choice fluctuates, I still think it would be worth it to shoot them an e-mail. I do not believe it will come off in a negative light to them. Worst case scenario they aren't helpful and all you are out is the time if took to write the e-mail. Just come off as sincere when you write it.

 

[Sergeant D]

Generally speaking, I hate it when a thread gets childish. However, you couldn't be more of a douche. You haven't been helpful to the OP in anyway regarding his question and that is just not necessary. At the very least, have a little respect for the fact that he has fought for this country. Saying "Enjoy fighting in Iran in 3 years! " is about the rudeness most *****hole thing you can say. If you aren't going to be helpful, leave the thread. PS. he admitted to having an error in judgement, and was scoring well before he took the test. chill.

To the OP, I agree with what others have said that you probably won't get a straight answer from adcoms, but I still think it is worth a shot. If the MSAR of your top choice fluctuates, I still think it would be worth it to shoot them an e-mail. I do not believe it will come off in a negative light to them. Worst case scenario they aren't helpful and all you are out is the time if took to write the e-mail. Just come off as sincere when you write it.

First off, thank you. THANK YOU. I try to never take anything personally on here, but this kid's behavior just blew me away. I was getting pretty upset until you came and rescued me with this post 🙂 And thank you for the advice concerning my original question.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Goodluck dude I hear verbal is what most people get low scores on. I have yet to take the MCAT so my opinion would be useless. Just wishing you luck man! Semper Fidelus!

 

[flatearth22]

generally speaking, i hate it when a thread gets childish. However, you couldn't be more of a douche. You haven't been helpful to the op in anyway regarding his question and that is just not necessary. At the very least, have a little respect for the fact that he has fought for this country. Saying "enjoy fighting in iran in 3 years! " is about the rudeness most *****hole thing you can say. If you aren't going to be helpful, leave the thread. Ps. He admitted to having an error in judgement, and was scoring well before he took the test. Chill.

To the op, i agree with what others have said that you probably won't get a straight answer from adcoms, but i still think it is worth a shot. If the msar of your top choice fluctuates, i still think it would be worth it to shoot them an e-mail. I do not believe it will come off in a negative light to them. Worst case scenario they aren't helpful and all you are out is the time if took to write the e-mail. Just come off as sincere when you write it.

mcat: bs 8, ps 7, vr 7, q

 

[mauberley]

mcat: bs 8, ps 7, vr 7, q

Give up already.

 

[dbeast]

I don't think we're on the same page here. I'm very aware that you only get one pass, but because almost every school sends secondaries to everyone, and because they don't review your app until you've paid your fees and filled out the supplemental material, I can in effect cherry pick schools to send my completed application to. Like I said earlier, by doing this I can apply early to schools I know won't screen me out while stopping more selective schools from reviewing my app until I get a new score. For schools that send secondaries to everyone, there's no difference between not indicating a future test date on my primary application or simply choosing to withhold from completing supplemental material until I get my scores. If I have that completely wrong, please correct me.

I think this might work, but a July MCAT isn't so late that if this plan doesn't work, it's not worth wasting applications. Assuming you bring up that verbal score, your other sections are strong enough that a 2 month delay won't be a huge disadvantage.

 

[Sergeant D]

Goodluck dude I hear verbal is what most people get low scores on. I have yet to take the MCAT so my opinion would be useless. Just wishing you luck man! Semper Fidelus!

Thank you! It's different for everyone. VR may be one of your strengths! Good luck to you too

 

[NYBills987]

This comes off a little harsh, perhaps, but I sorta agree. If you don't take the hoops you have to jump through now seriously (and, yes, that includes VR), why should they think you'll do so later? If you were someone who had immigrated from Iraq 5 years ago and were still learning English, you'd have a much better chance. If you're a native English speaker, that wouldn't seem to bode so well for you. Communication is a critical skill for a physician and your VR scores both times bring some serious questions to the table about your innate ability to communicate. Your f/u that you simply "did not care" does nothing to alleviate the concern (but does bring up other major concerns).

Sorry but do you seriously think VR correlates to the ability to communicate? I am done with the MCAT and applying but, honestly, whether an author considered an asteroid closer to a vanilla wafer or bubble gum really has no bearing on my ability to communicate to others.

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

mcat: bs 8, ps 7, vr 7, q

What was your point here? Are you demonstrating your effective use of left-clicking followed by reading numbers? Please, please stop. Your snide remark about serving in Iran singles you out as tactless and self-centered. No one finds that funny. This is especially true for people like me with family and friends in the military.

/end rant.

 

[Sergeant D]

I think this might work, but a July MCAT isn't so late that if this plan doesn't work, it's not worth wasting applications. Assuming you bring up that verbal score, your other sections are strong enough that a 2 month delay won't be a huge disadvantage.

You know, I was just reading another thread about early applications. I think you're right, and I may just hold off on everything, pre-write the secondaries, and wait till after the July test date to get everything in.

 

[Sergeant D]

Sorry but do you seriously think VR correlates to the ability to communicate? I am done with the MCAT and applying but, honestly, whether an author considered an asteroid closer to a vanilla wafer or bubble gum really has no bearing on my ability to communicate to others.

Bahahahahahahahahahahahaha. I picked vanilla wafer because they're tasty, but the answer was bubble gum...hence, the 7.

 

[NickNaylor]