Application advise and questions...for a non-trad student

[O 2 B A Gooner]

I graduated in August 2014 and the story is....

So, I just received my MCAT percentiles for the new MCAT today. They are:
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems 85% - 100%
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills 39% - 54%
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems 85% - 100%
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior 61% - 76%
MCAT Total Score 77% - 87%

cGPA: 3.7
sGPA:3.72

Volunteering:
Clinical volunteerin:200-250 hours
Non-clinical volunteering: 1000+ hours

Work experience: 2 years of lab research with a presentation but no publication (worked in two different labs), 1.5 years as a student employee, 1 year as a DD cashier, after graduating past august of 2014 I worked 2 years as a lab tech (including this year and 2016).

I was on Dean's List for 5 out of 8 semesters. Apart from that I did receive several awards for community service and work as a student employee.

All of my 3 LORs are from professors. They are really strong LORs as said by my professors, so I am hoping that this becomes a strong point.

That was a general outline of my application. What I would like to know from you all is IF is should retake the MCAT or not in July? I also plan on submitting my application by 20th of June, is that too late? Next, I plan on submitting with just a couple schools for now and add more schools when I get my scores, is it possible? Finally, can I add at a later point after submitting my application, a future MCAT date on the application, such as July, if I submit the application on 20th of June?

I hope it is not confusing. If it is, feel free to message me and I will clarify it. I would really like to attend an MD school and would love having any feedback on my application. Any help would be much appreciated~!!!

Cheers!

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[sovereign0]

If those are percentiles and not raw percentages, that CARS score could hurt you and I would strongly consider a retake, especially considering your hard science scores. However, a retake in late June means no score until close to August, which is fairly late.

 

[O 2 B A Gooner]

Well the retake would be in July...so I get my scores on Aug 18th. Considering that I would submit my application and wait for the scores, I will prepare for secondaries meanwhile. Overall, as soon as I get the scores on Aug 18th, I would add the rest of the schools right away and turn in the application. Since it would have been verified already, I should receive the secondaries in a day or two, which would be ready as well and if all goes well, I can turn in everything including secondaries by 20th of Aug. Now, is that super late or still competitive enough??

 

[JackieChanFan]

Your overall MCAT score corresponds to ~30-32 on the old MCAT, which is decent with your GPA so I would not retake. August 20th is on the late side

 

[Lawpy]

Your overall MCAT score corresponds to ~30-32 on the old MCAT, which is decent with your GPA so I would not retake. August 20th is on the late side

The issue here is that the 30-32 is unbalanced with a seemingly low CARS score (I think a 6-7). Can the OP retake the MCAT and score substantially higher in CARS in a month's time?

I personally don't think he could, but that CARS score will hurt for MD.

 

[JackieChanFan]

I would say only retake if you think the CARS score is a fluke and you are confident in your ability to score above 85 percentile. Otherwise it might be more beneficial to just apply early with the score you have. The low CARS score will probably look bad but it wouldn't kill your application the same way finishing your secondaries in late Aug/early Sept would.

 

[sovereign0]

Well the retake would be in July...so I get my scores on Aug 18th. Considering that I would submit my application and wait for the scores, I will prepare for secondaries meanwhile. Overall, as soon as I get the scores on Aug 18th, I would add the rest of the schools right away and turn in the application. Since it would have been verified already, I should receive the secondaries in a day or two, which would be ready as well and if all goes well, I can turn in everything including secondaries by 20th of Aug. Now, is that super late or still competitive enough??

August 20th is late, and combining that with your ~average GPA and low CARS score, you may have a hard time with MD this cycle. I would be considering taking a gap year and the possibility of an MCAT retake. It's much better to take a year off, save money, and apply ONCE and apply WELL - instead of wasting money on a potentially ill-fated application cycle and having to take a year off anyway.