advice needed

[TotalEclipse]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Ok, so here's the deal:

I graduated from an Ivy school in May with a 3.55 GPA. I majored in history, but I took all the premed requirements plus biochem and physiology. I took the August MCAT in 2002 and scored VR 13-15 BS 9 PS 8 WS P. I'm not sure if adcoms will view my score as a 30 or a 32. That's my first question: are adcoms more likely to round up or down?

I'm taking the year off to work in a lab. I had a lot of things going on over the summer, so I got my applications in kind of late. So far, I only have one interview scheduled, but it's not until the end of January. I'm getting very nervous about my chances of getting in this year. Do I still have a chance, or should I stop hoping and try again next year? If I try again, would people recommend that I take the MCAT again? I'm not sure if I'll be able to study well for the April MCAT because I work long hours.

I have good clinical experiences (working for a doctor, volunteering in an ER) plus a few summers of lab experience prior to this year. I thought my application was pretty strong, although my science GPA could stand to be somewhat higher. I got a C- in Orgo II the semester that a good friend of mine was going through a depressive episode and threatening to commit suicide. I wrote my personal statement about that, so I was hoping the adcoms wouldn't put too much emphasis on that one grade, especially when I got A's in bio and chem and B's in physics.

What do people think I should do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rendar5]

The previous lab tech for my lab (I took his job) also got his stuff out very late and didn't get his first interview until February. He's at UMich now.

 

[Wardens]

Well, first of all, I read on medfools that when an admissions member presents a file they read all the scores from your mcat, and not a combined score. That 13-15 will probably look impressive. The 8 and 9 may raise questions, moreso the phsyical than the bio.. Your gpa looks pretty solid, and extracurriculars, you certainly have a shot this year. It's just a lot tougher with having taken the august mcat. You may not know for sure until the summer, but still, it's possible..
If perchance you didn't get in this cycle, (which to me seems an outside chance), you'll have to weigh whether the mcat is worth the committment. I think with getting your stuff in early and with those numbers and a decent interview, you won't have much difficulty.
I guess the upshot is that you shouldn't give up hope yet. You're a strong candidate, and if you don't get in, it's only either because of timing or some other intangible we don't know about. Anywho, best of luck, and keep us updated.

 

[TotalEclipse]

Thanks for the reassurance! The whole application process is driving me crazy. I can't stand waiting anymore. I would almost rather get a whole slew of rejection letters so I can move on with my life instead of checking my mail and email 50,000 times a day. It's gotten to the point where I try to avoid the topic of med school altogether. It doesn't help when my father calls me up to tell me "helpful" information such as the statistic that only 1% of applicants get invited to interview at a school I would like to go to, and only 4% of people interviewed get accepted. Thanks, Dad, that makes me feel a lot better. Plus, he keeps updating me on all the neighborhood people and children of his friends who are getting accepted while I'm just waiting. 🙁