Any 30-32 MCAT with interviews????

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Doctor Strange said:
Seven interview invites with a 32O/3.8. See MDapps for details. Something is seriously wrong with your application and/or selection of schools if you haven't gotten any invites. If you want help, we need details, bub.
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this
 
aspiring20 said:
this
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Here are the details, he thinks it has to be a top 40 school or else he can't live with himself so that is where he applied. He comes across as a neurotic Asian so that ups the bars for entry, and the neurotic/immature/prestige ***** thing probably came across in the interviews.
 
Textbookversion said:
Here are the details, he thinks it has to be a top 40 school or else he can't live with himself so that is where he applied. He comes across as a neurotic Asian so that ups the bars for entry, and the neurotic/immature/prestige ***** thing probably came across in the interviews.
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Wow.

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Textbookversion said:
Here are the details, he thinks it has to be a top 40 school or else he can't live with himself so that is where he applied. He comes across as a neurotic Asian so that ups the bars for entry, and the neurotic/immature/prestige ***** thing probably came across in the interviews.
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did the op state that he's asian?
 
Ppierce baller said:
Where could I share it? Is there a seperate section on here to do so? I kind of want this thread to stay like the 27-29 one where people just list interviews and such forth to give hope to struggling people like me in future years (like the other thread does).
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Are you in California or something? What state are you in? Do you literally have no interviews? How many schools did you apply to? I see you posted in several other threads - give us more details!

this thread seems a little silly to me IMO as I am in this range and know many others in this range with multiple interviews...?
 
Ppierce baller said:
Man, your post makes we feel aweful inside. I had a great chance to work with one of the big directors at the NIH post-bac program but my parents wouldn't let me go because I had to "stay home and work on things that matter (my MCAT)". I was all set to go and they told me that I would be throwing my life away if I didn't get an MCAT score right away and get into medical school right away. In hind sight, I think I threw away the only ligitimate chance I stood at compensating for my low MCAT. I really did throw my life away in the end. Oh well, I'm at a much less prestigious place right now and about a month or two away from my first first author paper so hopefully in the end I show some production to compensate for all the mistakes I've made in my life.
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Also I can't help but notice you misspelled awful and legitimate.... perhaps you misspelled words in your PS??
 
MedPR said:
Maybe it was any ethnicity applying too late and not broadly enough 😉
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I don't know when and where they submitted but I know one of them applied for all the new schools (VT/Hofstra etc).
 
It's very doable with A 32

I have a 32r with ~3.3 undergrad GPA and 4.0 grad and I got two iOS and two acceptances

Your ec really matter so work on them. Also keep in mind that (in Canada at least) the averagemed student last year applied 2.7 times before getting in so don't sweat and spend the rest of the year doing something you love so you have something to talk about at your interviews next cycle
 
Textbookversion said:
Here are the details, he thinks it has to be a top 40 school or else he can't live with himself so that is where he applied. He comes across as a neurotic Asian so that ups the bars for entry, and the neurotic/immature/prestige ***** thing probably came across in the interviews.
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I haven't had any interviews yet.
 
Geebeejay said:
Then what the problem is should be obvious...
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Yep. It is probably something in your application that is bad for the schools. Since all schools that you applied to are ignoring you, it must be something that was sent to all of them. Hence, your primary application has some red flags. Try to find out what it is. If you want, you can send me your primary (you can copy and paste to leave out any identifying information) and I can help diagnose where you went wrong.
 
I have a 30 mcat...no interviews...and I understand your feelings. I keep telling myself that I might get a late interview.
 
magicm said:
It's very doable with A 32

I have a 32r with ~3.3 undergrad GPA and 4.0 grad and I got two iOS and two acceptances

Your ec really matter so work on them. Also keep in mind that (in Canada at least) the averagemed student last year applied 2.7 times before getting in so don't sweat and spend the rest of the year doing something you love so you have something to talk about at your interviews next cycle
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You got stats to back that up?

An average canadian pre-med has to apply 3 freakin times to get in?!?!

So for all the people that got in on their 1st try - there are people who got in on their 6th try??
 
MelissaThompson said:
You got stats to back that up?

An average canadian pre-med has to apply 3 freakin times to get in?!?!

So for all the people that got in on their 1st try - there are people who got in on their 6th try??
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I really doubt there are many who try six times. Sounds like a LOT of wasted time and money. If the average really is that high, there are probably a lot of applicants who try three times. You can't conclude anyone applied six times without looking at a distribution, which (assuming this isn't a fabricated or exaggerated average) probably drops off steeply at four.
 
CA resident, 30Q, 7 IIs, two acceptances. I have a feeling this is a PS or work/activities problem, OP. Maybe even something you wrote on your secondaries?
 
MelissaThompson said:
You got stats to back that up?

An average canadian pre-med has to apply 3 freakin times to get in?!?!

So for all the people that got in on their 1st try - there are people who got in on their 6th try??
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Canadian medical schools are very competitive, and it's also very competitive for a Canadian applying to American schools.
 
MelissaThompson said:
You got stats to back that up?

An average canadian pre-med has to apply 3 freakin times to get in?!?!

So for all the people that got in on their 1st try - there are people who got in on their 6th try??
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😕

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sinombre said:
Why is it so hard to get into medical school in Canada? Are there just too few schools?
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There are 17 schools. Success rate is <10% for Canadians applying to Canadian schools. Not sure of the statistic for Canadians applying to US schools.
 
Ismet said:
There are 17 schools. Success rate is <10% for Canadians applying to Canadian schools. Not sure of the statistic for Canadians applying to US schools.
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Interesting... is there a severe physician shortage in Canada? (Sorry for asking Google-able questions)

Nevermind, spent an extra 10 seconds and Googled it.
 
tehrevenant3 said:
CA resident, 30Q, 7 IIs, two acceptances. I have a feeling this is a PS or work/activities problem, OP. Maybe even something you wrote on your secondaries?
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I don't think it is the secondaries because OP has been shot down by every school. Unless the OP has copied and pasted every secondary, each one is bound to be slightly different (due to prompts varying slightly between schools). I am sure it is the primary application that is causing the problems. Possibly a LOR, activity problem, description, or even the PS.
 
sinombre said:
Interesting... is there a severe physician shortage in Canada? (Sorry for asking Google-able questions)

Nevermind, spent an extra 10 seconds and Googled it.
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Well don't deprive us...do share your findings :laugh:
 
OP,

Your numbers are just fine. I got 4 interview invites after applying to 12 schools with a 3.97, 31 MCAT, and not a terribly impressive resume otherwise. Something else is wrong! Do you have noteworthy interests outside of medicine (sports, art, writing, cars, outdoorsy stuff, etc.?) Are you a good self advocate? These are some things to evaluate before you try again. Also, if you mix in 10-15 DO schools to your list of schools, you should be virtually guaranteed an acceptance.
 
3.4 GPA + 31 MCAT + from CA + ORM = 5 MD interview invites.

They're all schools you wouldn't be interested in, though, since they're ranked outside the top 50. I'll gladly take my spot and MD degree 4 years later even if the general public wont ooh and ah over where I got my degree from.
 
virtuoso735 said:
3.4 GPA + 31 MCAT + from CA + ORM = 5 MD interview invites.

They're all schools you wouldn't be interested in, though, since they're ranked outside the top 50. I'll gladly take my spot and MD degree 4 years later even if the general public wont ooh and ah over where I got my degree from.
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Same

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MelissaThompson said:
You got stats to back that up?

An average canadian pre-med has to apply 3 freakin times to get in?!?!

So for all the people that got in on their 1st try - there are people who got in on their 6th try??
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stats to back up which?

the 2.7 comes from the dean of admisions at a school in western canada. (the 2010 statistics were 2.59 acording to CARMS they referenced The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada. Canadian Medical Education Statistics 2009. Volume 31. Available at: http://www.afmc.ca/pdf/cmes/CMES2009.pdf. Accessed August 2010.)

I know people who have gotten in on their first, second, third and even fourth try, I also know a few people who are appling for the sixth time now

Keep in mind there are only 17 medical schools in canada and some of those are in french
 
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atleast your not a 3.74/34 with 1 II out of 34 schools lol
 
Ppierce baller said:
I couldn't find a thread like this, only for 27-29. I think there should be a thread for this too, right?

Anyways, please help instill some hope in an utterly depressed 32P, 3.94 applicant.

Thank you to all who contribute.
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I have similar stats and I am a white male. I attend a public univ ranked in the top 100 nationally.

I've had a few IIs and I have one acceptance to an OOS private SOM so far - all apps were to US MD SOMs. My LORs, which were within a Committee Letter, were very good, but my ECs were probably just typical (shadowing and some research opps - nothing spectacular). I am an engineering major, so maybe my high GPA (3.99 cum/4.0 science) was a nudge?

I first applied to about 12 SOMs in late July - which I know is later than I intended but a summer REU took more hours than I had anticipated. By the time AMCAS reviewed my app it was the end of Aug and senior year had started. Secondary requests came in from all SOMs except one. I did 7 secondaries and never finished the rest.

It came down to this: I realized that my chances were best with the 7 secondaries that I completed and that the rest of the schools were very popular longshots that also required very time-consuming essays. Fall engineering classes were demanding and I also had some money concerns for the remaining apps as well. I wanted to reserve some money for interview trips. So, I ended up blowing off the remaining ones. I know that that was a risky decision.

I soon had 3 interviews and I have another interview next week from an instate public that is known for dragging its feet for interviews. Two months after one of the early interviews, I was accepted. I think I will get accepted to at least one more - maybe two more. I do think that this last interview will accept me since it's not a popular SOM and it does favor instate students. I still have hopes that our top instate public SOM will also accept me because my interview went well. However, if I only end up with the one acceptance, then I'll be fine with that since I really like that SOM.

My point is that I don't necessarily think it's the number of apps, but rather a carefully strategized list. If you're only applying to big name SOMs and your stats are competitive, but not spectacular, I think your chances are low without some hook (URM or something).

Just my opinion, but I think if you have a 32ish MCAT with a strong GPA that if you focus on instate publics and less-popular privates (in various states), that you'll get IIs and at least one acceptance. I would avoid OOS publics and maybe only apply to 1-2 popular privates just to see what happens.

If you're not getting IIs, then I would quickly identify some good DO's to apply to. They accept much later apps and you'd likely get accepted to a couple of them.

Just my 2 cents. :😀 Good luck.
 
It is definitely doable. I have a 32R, a 3.7 GPA, have had 4 MD interviews (2 acceptances and waiting to hear from another) with 2 more interviews to come. Keep your heads up!
 
Thought I would chime back in here since the application season seems to be coming to a close.

Applied to ~20 programs, late in the season. Rejected at ~11. Haven't heard back from ~8 (I'm guessing silent rejections at this point). 1 interview invite.

If I had any advise for future students it would be:

1) Retake the MCAT. Shoot for a balanced 33+.
2) You MUST have something to set you far apart from the applicant pool (1st author pubs, years abroad in Peace Corps, huge NPO initiated, etc.)
3) If you are complete later than mid September it is game over before you hit the final submit button.

Best of luck.
 
Ppierce baller said:
Thought I would chime back in here since the application season seems to be coming to a close.

Applied to ~20 programs, late in the season. Rejected at ~11. Haven't heard back from ~8 (I'm guessing silent rejections at this point). 1 interview invite.

If I had any advise for future students it would be:

1) Retake the MCAT. Shoot for a balanced 33+.
2) You MUST have something to set you far apart from the applicant pool (1st author pubs, years abroad in Peace Corps, huge NPO initiated, etc.)
3) If you are complete later than mid September it is game over before you hit the final submit button.

Best of luck.
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No you just need to have decent stats, apply early, and be enthusiastic during your interview.

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MedPR said:
No you just need to have decent stats, apply early, and be enthusiastic during your interview.

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and in your application essays.
 
Ppierce baller said:
Thought I would chime back in here since the application season seems to be coming to a close.

Applied to ~20 programs, late in the season. Rejected at ~11. Haven't heard back from ~8 (I'm guessing silent rejections at this point). 1 interview invite.

If I had any advise for future students it would be:

1) Retake the MCAT. Shoot for a balanced 33+.
2) You MUST have something to set you far apart from the applicant pool (1st author pubs, years abroad in Peace Corps, huge NPO initiated, etc.)
3) If you are complete later than mid September it is game over before you hit the final submit button.

Best of luck.
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There are US MD schools with sub-30 MCAT scores. If your MCAT is in the 30s, then it's not the reason you were rejected unless you applied unrealistically (ie all your primaries went to top 20s).

Having something to set you apart is definitely necessary in the top schools' admissions, but for most schools there's no need to have any breathtaking EC accomplishments. Just enough volunteering, clinical, and research hours to make the adcoms happy and give you something to talk about.

The third count is mostly right unless you're a strong applicant applying to schools well beneath your stats.
 
31/3.6 from CA. 8 interviews (see MD apps). Low 30's will get you interviews, OP. I agree with previous posters that there must be something blatantly wrong with another component of your application. There's still a slim chance you could get an interview this cycle, but if not, you're best bet is probably to consult with a pre-med advisor and work to fill in the gaps in your app for next cycle.

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Ppierce baller said:
Thought I would chime back in here since the application season seems to be coming to a close.

Applied to ~20 programs, late in the season. Rejected at ~11. Haven't heard back from ~8 (I'm guessing silent rejections at this point). 1 interview invite.

If I had any advise for future students it would be:

1) Retake the MCAT. Shoot for a balanced 33+.
2) You MUST have something to set you far apart from the applicant pool (1st author pubs, years abroad in Peace Corps, huge NPO initiated, etc.)
3) If you are complete later than mid September it is game over before you hit the final submit button.

Best of luck.
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I'd say:

Without some hook, you need to:

1) Apply early (mid July at the latest! - this means taking the MCAT before May.

2) Have a balanced MCAT ...minimum 30....BS and PS should not be lower than 10 ( A 9 in the verbal may not be a death sentence, but may affect where you should apply).

3) Apply to a well-strategized list that includes instate publics, privates of various levels, and maybe a couple of OOS publics that you have ties to. (If your MCAT is strong, then include a couple of OOS publics that accept some OOS students that don't have state ties).
 
I agree with most of this, except the part about VR<9. I think adcoms can be a little forgiving with a low VR score, considering this is often the lowest section score for many applicants. The other components of the app definitely need to be solid to compensate. Top tiers may not be as forgiving, although I was able to get an interview at UCSF with an 8VR. BS and PS certainly need to be 10+.

This makes me wonder if the OP's section breakdown might have been too unbalanced. Maybe another possible reason for the lack of interview invites.

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Not me, but a friend of mine has a 3.9/30, accepted (and withdrew) from Mayo, UTSW, and Einstein for a top 50 school who offered him a full ride (Edit: School he chose omitted since I realized it's not my business to share that). He was also a white male who did not file as disadvantaged. I know he had a bunch of other interviews (every school he applied to) and was either accepted or withdrew from them all. Probably the most spectacular result I've ever heard out of a 'middle ground' application.
 
DocG said:
I agree with most of this, except the part about VR<9. I think adcoms can be a little forgiving with a low VR score, considering this is often the lowest section score for many applicants. The other components of the app definitely need to be solid to compensate. Top tiers may not be as forgiving, although I was able to get an interview at UCSF with an 8VR. BS and PS certainly need to be 10+.

This makes me wonder if the OP's section breakdown might have been too unbalanced. Maybe another possible reason for the lack of interview invites.

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using SDN Mobile
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The problem is even getting your app thru to the point that an Adcom is going to look at it. If you're a URM, then your app will likely go thru at these better SOMs to the Adcom level, if not, your app may not make it thru the the initial down-select process.
 
PreMedOrDead said:
Not me, but a friend of mine has a 3.9/30, accepted (and withdrew) from Mayo, UTSW, and Einstein for a top 50 school who offered him a full ride (Edit: School he chose omitted since I realized it's not my business to share that). He was also a white male who did not file as disadvantaged. I know he had a bunch of other interviews (every school he applied to) and was either accepted or withdrew from them all. Probably the most spectacular result I've ever heard out of a 'middle ground' application.
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3.9 GPA isn't what I would call "middleground". And I'm assuming that he had some noteworthy ECs too, right?

You can be somewhat deficient in one area of an application as long as you make up for it everywhere else.
 
SOMBound13 said:
The problem is even getting your app thru to the point that an Adcom is going to look at it. If you're a URM, then your app will likely go thru at these better SOMs to the Adcom level, if not, your app may not make it thru the the initial down-select process.
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I think consideration of ethnicity probably comes later in the process, like when the adcom actually sees the app. It doesn't sound reasonable for schools to have lower GPA/MCAT minimums for URMs during initial screening. If it were so, it seems like more schools would be admitting (or at least interviewing) underqualified URM's, and I don't believe that is the case. However, this is not an affirmative action thread and we are digressing towards such topic. The point I am suggesting to the OP is that one weak component of an app is salvageable if the rest are stellar. If the rest of the app is mediocre to below average, or more than one thing is lacking, then you may venture into no interview territory.
 
OCDOCDOCD said:
3.9 GPA isn't what I would call "middleground". And I'm assuming that he had some noteworthy ECs too, right?

You can be somewhat deficient in one area of an application as long as you make up for it everywhere else.
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A 3.9 GPA and a 30 MCAT is a 69 LizzyM, the average matriculant is a 3.7 GPA and a 32 MCAT, which is also a 69 LizzyM. So indeed, by the books, he's a 'middle ground application' considering those that matriculate. I'm sorry I didn't specify. But yes, he had a good list of ECs and I am sure his LORs were great. I mean the season clearly attests to that. It's not all a numbers game.
 
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