Am I ready?

[OneDayDoctor]

Hey guys,

So it's been a while since I've posted on here. I will be finishing up my undergrad this year and graduating in 2013 with my Master's. I was thinking about taking a year off after graduation, but now I am reconsidering. My GPA is 3.97 cGPA and 4.00 sGPA. I have 3 years of research under my belt and 200 hours of ER volunteering over 2 years, plus some assorted ECs including music, intramurals, teaching, etc.

If I apply this cycle, this is what my application will look like. If I wait another year, I can get more volunteer hours, and will will have 4 years of research experience and should have at least one publication by the time of application.

So my questions:
-If I apply now, what sort of MCAT score will make me competitive for an MD acceptance? I've been scoring between 30-33 consistently on practice exams.
-Would if be worth waiting another cycle to apply so that I have my publication? Will it make that much of a difference?

Thanks for your input!

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[Total180]

A publication is a plus to any application, but with near a 4.0 cum and sci gpa and a 30-33 MCAT with normal ECs I would say you have pretty high chances of an MD acceptance somewhere provided you apply broadly and don't hope too much for a top tier school.

Hey guys,

So it's been a while since I've posted on here. I will be finishing up my undergrad this year and graduating in 2013 with my Master's. I was thinking about taking a year off after graduation, but now I am reconsidering. My GPA is 3.97 cGPA and 4.00 sGPA. I have 3 years of research under my belt and 200 hours of ER volunteering over 2 years, plus some assorted ECs including music, intramurals, teaching, etc.

If I apply this cycle, this is what my application will look like. If I wait another year, I can get more volunteer hours, and will will have 4 years of research experience and should have at least one publication by the time of application.

So my questions:
-If I apply now, what sort of MCAT score will make me competitive for an MD acceptance? I've been scoring between 30-33 consistently on practice exams.
-Would if be worth waiting another cycle to apply so that I have my publication? Will it make that much of a difference?

Thanks for your input!

 

[Catalystik]

My GPA is 3.97 cGPA and 4.00 sGPA.
-I have 3 years of research under my belt and
-200 hours of ER volunteering over 2 years, plus some
-assorted ECs including music, intramurals, teaching, etc.

If I apply this cycle, this is what my application will look like. If I wait another year, I can get more volunteer hours, and will will have 4 years of research experience and should have at least one publication by the time of application.

So my questions:
-If I apply now, what sort of MCAT score will make me competitive for an MD acceptance? I've been scoring between 30-33 consistently on practice exams.
-Would if be worth waiting another cycle to apply so that I have my publication? Will it make that much of a difference?

Thanks for your input!

How competitive you need to be stats-wise and EC-wise depends on your state of residence and how selective a school you yearn to attend.

You need not wait on the publication. Having 3 years of research puts you well above average in that arena anyway. Your clinical experience is similarly above average.

It would be a good idea if you knew what selection factors your favorite schools look for so that you'll suit their mission. If you are ambitious, you might add some definitive peer leadership, which top schools really like to see, and some nonmedical community service, which humanistically-inclined institutions will look for. No matter when you apply, you might consider doing some physician shadowing. About 50 hours is average. It would be nice if this included a primary care doc.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

Apply this cycle, your fine. But do some shadowing work before you submit the primary. One of my biggest mistakes was assuming that update letters held as much weight as the primary application. The simple truth is a lot of update letters get looked over so you want to have as much info as you can in the AMCAS app