Anybody have success applying to top schools with multiple MCAT's?

[GreekFreakOnFleek]

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Hi all,

Recent lurker and first time poster. I would really appreciate hearing any success stories/experiences from people who have taken multiple MCAT's and made large jumps.

I retook a 508 (late 2015) to 521 (a pleasant surprise in summer 2016) and am now gearing up to apply. Assuming my EC's and GPA are in order, I'm trying to gauge how much success I may have for some of the top schools. My state doesn't have a med school so I'm looking around.

I know it wasn't ideal to retake that scores, I know AAMC recommends averaging, and I know you can't predict how different ad coms perceive two scores. I'm really just hoping to hear from people who have disparate scores like me and what their experiences during their cycles were like.

Thanks!

 

[Goro]

A 521 is nothing to sneeze at. Aim high, and apply broadly, but wisely.

EDIT: differnet schools will have different views on retakes. @gyngyn's probably wouldn't like you, but @LizzyM's probably would. I remember her once commenting on "Who would re-take an already good MCAT?" and her reply was "Someone who wants to get into my school"

 

[GreekFreakOnFleek]

A 521 is nothing to sneeze at. Aim high, and apply broadly, but wisely.

EDIT: differnet schools will have different views on retakes. @gyngyn's probably wouldn't like you, but @LizzyM's probably would. I remember her once commenting on "Who would re-take an already good MCAT?" and her reply was "Someone who wants to get into my school"

Oh wow, I'm really honored you replied! Thanks for the great advice! I definitely anticipated mixed reactions to my retake but I'm glad I may have opened some new avenues.

Would you mind if I PM'd you to take a look at my school list? I definitely am aiming high. But I'm also hopeful I'm targeting the right mid-tiers and low-tiers to be safe and to make up for my lack of a state school.

 

[libertyyne]

Some schools average your mcat, others take the highest mcat, yet others take the highest mcat after combining subsection scores. I would apply as though you had a 515 and then pick some schools on the top end.

 

[Lucca]

N=1 but a friend of mine this cycle had retaken a pretty high score for an even higher score and was accepted at a lot of schools, mostly top tier places.

 

[Lawpy]

A 521 is nothing to sneeze at. Aim high, and apply broadly, but wisely.

EDIT: differnet schools will have different views on retakes. @gyngyn's probably wouldn't like you, but @LizzyM's probably would. I remember her once commenting on "Who would re-take an already good MCAT?" and her reply was "Someone who wants to get into my school"

I thought @gyngyn didn't like people retaking mid-510s for 520s. 508 is like a borderline 30 (and the MD matriculant median is a 510).

 

[Goro]

Oh wow, I'm really honored you replied! Thanks for the great advice! I definitely anticipated mixed reactions to my retake but I'm glad I may have opened some new avenues.

Would you mind if I PM'd you to take a look at my school list? I definitely am aiming high. But I'm also hopeful I'm targeting the right mid-tiers and low-tiers to be safe and to make up for my lack of a state school.

Sure, fire away

 

[Goro]

I thought @gyngyn didn't like people retaking mid-510s for 520s. 508 is like a borderline 30 (and the MD matriculant median is a 510).

My read of @gyngyn's school (which is located somewhere up in the stratosphere) is that they want ONE good MCAT.

 

[gyngyn]

My read of @gyngyn's school (which is located somewhere up in the stratosphere) is that they want ONE good MCAT.

A single strong MCAT is always better.
Multiple MCATs present the problem of unpredictable individual interpretations.

 

[gyngyn]

I thought @gyngyn didn't like people retaking mid-510s for 520s. 508 is like a borderline 30 (and the MD matriculant median is a 510).

Re-taking a very strong MCAT can reasonably be interpreted as hubris, bad judgement or perfectionism.
Re-taking an average MCAT (in CA) is so common that we have come to expect it, though. How this will be interpreted remains idiosyncratic.

 

[Endoxifen]

Re-taking a very strong MCAT can reasonably be interpreted as hubris, bad judgement or perfectionism.
Re-taking an average MCAT (in CA) is so common that we have come to expect it, though. How this will be interpreted remains idiosyncratic.

Why would perfectionism be interpreted as a negative character trait?

 

[deleted838145]

Why would perfectionism be interpreted as a negative character trait?

I think it could be because perfectionism is often associated with neuroticism.

 

[mwsapphire]

Why would perfectionism be interpreted as a negative character trait?

I think it's because you can never be perfect in medicine, and need to accept that you won't always be right. You'll have a really tough time as a doctor if you can't deal with failure.
But n=1 and I'm just a pre med so I don't know.

 

[Endoxifen]

I think it could be because perfectionism is often associated with neuroticism.

I think neuroticism is the defining character trait of most premeds. Honestly, I don't think anyone could volunteer, do research, study for the MCAT, and maintain a 3.7+ GPA without a fair amount of neuroticism.

 

[libertyyne]

I think neuroticism is the defining character trait of most premeds. Honestly, I don't think anyone could volunteer, do research, study for the MCAT, and maintain a 3.7+ GPA without a fair amount of neuroticism.

Sure , still doesn't make for the ideal medical student.

 

[DokterMom]

Why would perfectionism be interpreted as a negative character trait?

"Don't let Perfect be the enemy of the Good"

Perfection is unattainable, so constantly striving for a goal you'll never hit wastes a lot of time and energy in unproductive ways. Striving for excellence is different, but perfect is rarely productive.

 

[gyngyn]

Why would perfectionism be interpreted as a negative character trait?

We serve best when we know when to move on.

 

[GreekFreakOnFleek]

Thanks everybody for the superb advice and discussion! I definitely don't think I'm a super perfectionist; to be honest, I just believed I wasn't adequately prepared the first time around (taking it anyway was the real hubris). And like @Goro alluded to with the LizzyM quote, I value research highly and hoped to be more competitive for some of the research heavy schools.

 

[Endoxifen]

We serve best when we know when to move on.

That was actually a beautiful answer. Thank you.

 

[Goro]

Why would perfectionism be interpreted as a negative character trait?

Perfectionists try to learn everything, and end up learning nothing.
They do not seek help, because less than perfect is a loss of face for them, or a sign of weakness, as is even admitting one needs help.

They're also always in our offices trying contort that laws of mathematics as to why their 95 should actually be a 96. Some of them can warp space-time!