Am I cooked?

[john_doey]

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I just got my MCAT score back and I am somewhat disappointed. I got a 514 (130/124/131/129) and mind you I was getting 520s on the FLs. I have a 3.99 GPA. I was really shooting for T10/20.

Here is my resume: Research with lab at Stanford, Harvard, UCLA. Summer internship at NIH. 11 pubs, 7 of which are first author. 4 poster presentations and 1 symposium presentation. 600 hours clinical volunteering, 100 shadowing. 100 non-clinical volunteering.


I know these kind of posts suck but I am trying to come up with a school list. Before my score was released, I thought I had a (given relatively) decent shot at a T10 but now I don't even know if I can.

What do yall think?

 

[gexr]

7 first author pubs and you're worried about your mcat score lol

 

[deleted1130898]

MCATs literally the easiest thing on the app that u can fix lol. GPA and extracurriculars r already stellar and much harder to fix. If it bothers you, retake.

 

[dimplesage]

If you wanted to, I think you could retake the MCAT, but I would only do it if you're very very confident that you can score in the 520s. Considering that most schools average your MCAT scores, you would have to score extremely high to bring that score up. If you end up scoring around the same or going down, I think it would look more concerning to adcoms, especially in the T10/T20 range.

I am of the opinion that metrics aren't everything, so I think you would have a decent shot at the T10s and very good shot at the T20s considering the rest of your application, but I get the frustration. I was in your shoes a year ago and decided to apply anyway, and I'm happy with how my cycle has been going so far.

Also, are you applying MD/PhD, considering how much research experience you have? If so, I would worry even less about your MCAT score.

 

[Faha]

Where is your state of residence ? What is the nature of your 100 hours of non clinical volunteering ?

 

[john_doey]

Where is your state of residence ? What is the nature of your 100 hours of non clinical volunteering ?

CA. I mentored elementary school students and teach them science experiments

 

[Faha]

CA. I mentored elementary school students and teach them science experiments

I am more concerned about your lack of non clinical volunteering. You should accumulate 150+ hours of non clinical volunteering such as food bank, homeless shelter, etc, before you submit your application. Otherwise, you could be screened out at some schools. At top 20 schools, you will be competing with applicants who have many hundreds or thousands of hours of non clinical volunteering. I suggest these schools with your stats:
Vermont
Tufts
UMass
Boston University
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
New York Medical College
Rochester
Pittsburgh
Jefferson
Temple
George Washington
Virginia Commonwealth
Wake Forest
USF Morsani
Miami
Emory
Cincinnati
Ohio State
Western Michigan
U Michigan
Illinois
Iowa
Colorado
Arizona (Phoenix)
Kaiser
California University
The UCs (except Riverside unless you are from that region)
USC Keck
You can try top 10 schools ( you have connections at Stanford and Harvard) but your MCAT of 514 and your low non clinical hours will limit your chances.

 

[AJS59]

Agreed on the non clinical hours being low.

Skip the retake and apply — you'll need to score at least 520 for your average to go up meaningfully, and even then that may not be enough.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

It would help if you filled out a WAMC profile, but from what OP has disclosed, I agree... you need 150 hours of service orientation activities to avoid getting screened out at most schools, not just the brand-names. You need 250 hours by submission to remain in consideration for most brand name schools. You have a lot more work there, and you may want to skip a year if you want your shot.

Teaching, tutoring, and mentoring are academic activities that every prehealth student does and won't help you stand out, especially among the brand name schools. You should be smart enough to teach others, having navigated your education system that got you to where you are today.

Read

Finding Your Greatest Common Factors with Successful Students | SDN

The Greatest Common Factor (GCF) between two numbers is the largest positive integer that can divide both numbers evenly (without remainders). Prime

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[GoSpursGo]

Moving to WAMC.

Focus on a realistic school list for the MCAT score you got, rather than worrying about what might have been. If you approach this appropriately you are very likely to become a doctor

 

[LindaAccepted]

I agree with the above comments about non-clinical community service. And you need to increase that ASAP if you want to apply this cycle.

Regarding the MCAT score, you can either apply with the score you have and apply to most of the schools where your stats -- including the MCAT -- are competitive. I still think you can apply to HMS and Stanford since you do have outstanding research and a very high GPA, but I'm not so sure about the rest of the top 10. Or if you believe you can raise your MCAT to 520+, try and do so. While as was pointed out above, many programs average MCAT scores, there are also a significant number who "count" your highest score, although they see all the test scores.

I recommend you only retake the MCAT if you are very confident that you can raise it because you don't want it to go down, and that is always a risk. Also as was pointed out above, with your current stats (plus some non-clinical community service with the disadvantaged) you have an excellent chance at becoming an MD, just maybe not one who graduates from a T10 med school, but who regardless has an MD after his name.

 

[Hollow Knight]

A 514 is a GREAT score. Is it Harvard level? No. But people with that score get into Harvard, and people with much higher scores don’t.

The thing about a 514 is that you are almost certainly not going to do better. I agree with the others saying to chill, volunteer more, and be OK with training at your state MD. Maybe you’ll get into Harvard, but not worth the risk of a retake IMO

 

[deleted1130898]

I just got my MCAT score back and I am somewhat disappointed. I got a 514 (130/124/131/129) and mind you I was getting 520s on the FLs. I have a 3.99 GPA. I was really shooting for T10/20.

Here is my resume: Research with lab at Stanford, Harvard, UCLA. Summer internship at NIH. 11 pubs, 7 of which are first author. 4 poster presentations and 1 symposium presentation. 600 hours clinical volunteering, 100 shadowing. 100 non-clinical volunteering.


I know these kind of posts suck but I am trying to come up with a school list. Before my score was released, I thought I had a (given relatively) decent shot at a T10 but now I don't even know if I can.

What do yall think?

A lot of the nays have been heard, and there are good reasons for not retaking. If you apply with your current score, you have a good shot at getting an MD, making a great living, taking care of patients, and serving the community. The reality of med school admissions these days is as impactful as you think your research is, there probably is another applicant with a higher MCAT score and equally impactful research. Not to invalidate your accomplishments, but unfortunately that's just the way things are. Being a physician is patient first research second and you need to make sure you can convince the interviewer with evidence (activities) that patient care is first and foremost for you.

With that being said, a score of 514 does preclude application to the more stat hungry schools (i.e. at NYU, their lowest matriculated MCAT score was a 516 last year) but not Stanford, UCLA, etc. I think the more important question to answer is why do you NEED to attend school at T10/20. Do you have a dream that can only be accomplished with the resources provided to you at a T10/20? Have you gone through significant challenges/struggles to get to this point? Is there a community that you want to speak out for and advocate for?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I missed the part about your 7 first-author papers... why not Ph.D.? You wouldn't have to worry about "service orientation" hours so much. Why is it so important you get into a top-brand school because you can do research at schools that can give you protected time to do so. You won't likely be doing any first-author C/N/S papers as a medical student, so I don't get why not add the PhD if you're gearing up for academic medicine?