Advice Needed!

[Khenon]

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I'm wondering if I should withdraw my applications this year. I took the MCAT in April and got 22N. I retook in August and just got a 23Q. I know the reality of getting into med school with this score, but I'm not sure what would look worse . . . continuing to apply, or just withdrawing and start studying for next April. The rest of my app is solid. I just can't seem to get this MCAT straightened out. Any advice would be appreciated. 😳

 

[tgirl27]

well...i just got my scores too..and got a 20Q. i have so much going on other part of my application..research, tons of ec, schoarships, research, tons of volunteering...presently doing research now..but i know the realities of md too. have you thought about DO or Caribbean schools? i'm starting to rethink all that right now....
😕

 

[fotolilith]

How much effort have you put into this application? Is it already finished?

It all definitely comes down to you, but 2 adcom members and numerous docs have told me over the years that med schools like re-applicants. Every application that you fill out usually has a box about "are you a re-applicant," and many secondaries (in Texas, especially) ask about if you have applied in the past and what you have done to improve your application.

Certainly don't take the word of one SDN member, but since most of those questions on applications are used to screen in and not screen out applicants, it would seem resonable that a re-applicant is looked upon favorable by most places. It shows you won't give up - no matter what (and believe me, if you heard the NPR story today about how med schools are getting frustrated because many of their students are giving up on going for challenging residencies like internal medicine, you'd want to give as much evidence as possible that you won't be like that in the future).

Hey, like some other poster quoted - if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will. Another resource that might help - go pick up the MSAR from amazon - it breaks down acceptances by schools.

Good luck!

 

[fotolilith]

well...i just got my scores too..and got a 20Q. i have so much going on other part of my application..research, tons of ec, schoarships, research, tons of volunteering...presently doing research now..but i know the realities of md too. have you thought about DO or Caribbean schools? i'm starting to rethink all that right now....
😕

Well, I visited the Belize med schools - you get to study while filling your scuba tanks. 🙂 The classes are in English, and the beaches are lovely. 🙂

And they boast near 90% matching for residencies.

But there is always the stigma. If you want to do GP/ internal in a small town or office building, no one will be asking where you went to school (heck, I think my internist went to Guad or something), but if you want research/ top positions/ a cushy 9-5 job... it's pretty impossible with a foreign medical license (FML).

PAs and nurse practitioners can do the same things as FMLs pretty easily - that is, hang up a shingle in a rural area. So you gotta figure what is important to you.

 

[whorubigman]

Take an MCAT course and slowly go over test questions, trying to understand each of them. Take practice tests, as many as possible, every Saturday, e.g., for ten weeks. Kaplan questions in their libraries are good. Berkeley Review full-length tests are good. Kaplan full-length tests are good.
Do not retake the MCAT until you consistently score on full-length tests what you actually want to get on the next real MCAT. Then reapply.

If you want to apply now, without retaking the MCAT, look outside the US. St George, I heard, is great, because you get to take rotations starting your third-year at hospitals in the US, and once you graduate from the school, you'll have rotated through US hospitals, just like US med students. Catch is you need to do well on Step I and even Step II if you want to get into competitive fields later, after med school. I know several interns from St George; they're doing medicine at a VA hospital and, other than lack of relative confidence, they seem to be great human beings and pretty good docs! I'm a third-yr med student in CA.





QUOTE=Khenon]I'm wondering if I should withdraw my applications this year. I took the MCAT in April and got 22N. I retook in August and just got a 23Q. I know the reality of getting into med school with this score, but I'm not sure what would look worse . . . continuing to apply, or just withdrawing and start studying for next April. The rest of my app is solid. I just can't seem to get this MCAT straightened out. Any advice would be appreciated. 😳[/QUOTE]

 

[Non-Trad DO]

My numbers were 23N when I got into LECOM's post-bacc. I'm currently a third year. If y'all don't want to waste anymore time I'd get busy filling out post-bacc apps. It ends up maybe costing a little more (of course this depends on how much the college your going to costs) but you get to know the faculty a lot better and they get to know who you are. Naturally you have to do well in the program but if you can't turn up the heat in this setting its not likely you'll be able to turn it up in the actual setting. 😉

 

[myfavred]

Could you please tell me more about LECOM's post bac. Isn't it just a one year program?

Thanks

 

[Non-Trad DO]

Yes, it is just one year. If you go to www.lecom.edu there is a lot of information about the program. After you've read that stuff if you have any other questions I'd be glad to answer them.
I believe the some of the info youseek will be there under the "fast links" drop down box. 🙂

 

[Baditude]

You should consider Caribbean schools if you don't want to wait another year. There are several great schools that have high USMLE 1st time pass rates and have clinical rotations in the US. The "big 3" Caribbean schools are St. Georges, Ross and AUC. Do your research and decide if waiting a year and retaking the MCAT or doing a post -bacc (I was instructed this was a waste of time and money for no gaurantee because not many get accepted out of the programs no matter what they tell you) is right for you and what you want.

Good Luck

 

[DOitright]

have you thought about DO or Caribbean schools? i'm starting to rethink all that right now....
😕

just a little note...don't use DO as a back-up plan. adcoms can see right threw it. they are pretty good at picking out the MD wannabies!

seriously look into osteopathic medicine if you think you might go that route. you might fall in love! it's a great philosophy and who knows...maybe you'll end up applying to only DO schools!

good luck in which ever field you choose!

 

[Khenon]

Thanks everyone, for the great advice. I felt compelled to tell you my plan of attack. I'm basically going to take the April 2005 exam regardless. I've purchased some more study material and borrowed a friend's Kaplan course material, so I've got enough to study. So I plan on being an MCAT pro by next April. I've also decided to pursue the applications I've put out. I figure I've already paid for several secondaries, so I may as well pursue them. And as far as future secondaries go, all the schools I have left screen, so if they actually send me a secondary then it's feasible that they are considering me with my low score. I've also heard that many schools will consider your April scores if you get waitlisted, so since I'm taking the test anyway, I may as well see if it can work for me this year. However, I do realize that I may still be applying next year, and that's okay too. There are bright sides to that scenario, so it's not so detrimental. I will make sure to get in some more clinical experience over the next year, just in case I do have to reapply, so it doesn't look like I've been sitting around waiting to get into med school (like working full time and raising a kid is "sitting around" ). Too, I'm going to try to shadow a DO so if my April score doesn't improve (not possible, right?) I will have more substantial reasons for applying than "I can't into MD schools so DO schools are my backup plan." In other words, I'll be more prepared to apply next year, under the assumption I don't get in this year. I'm looking at all this as a huge learning experience and as a way to make myself virtually impossible to reject next year.

Anyway, that's my plan. Thanks again for all of you who responded. I wish you all the best, and maybe I'll be a regular on this forum for the next year or so! 🙂