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deleted555445
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Application Diagnosis - How's My Non-Trad Plan Looking One Year Out? [deleted]
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deleted555445
Thanks! I appreciate that. I'm just trying to make sure I don't come around next year and find myself behind the eight ball in a few categories.
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Geriatrician is...adequate, though you might want to see if you can shadow a family care doc.
You don't need any more coursework for medical school application. 56 credits of 4.0 kills dead any doubts about your academic chops.
The fact that you were a military officer also counts for something. If you get a 520+ there are some top schools like Columbia that might bite. Good luck.
You don't need any more coursework for medical school application. 56 credits of 4.0 kills dead any doubts about your academic chops.
The fact that you were a military officer also counts for something. If you get a 520+ there are some top schools like Columbia that might bite. Good luck.
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deleted555445
I appreciate that. I've heard Columbia has some non-trad tedency, I'll have to reevaluate with an MCAT. That would be incredible though.
I want to do some more shadowing before I apply, but my schedule is fairly full (at least when there isn't a pandemic going on, I could do it now if it wouldn't put patients in danger). Maybe I'll use a vacation day for that though, I do want to try to check out all kinds of medicine, and I still want to shadow a military doctor too.
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No bets until an official MCAT score, but that said, have you talked with the admissions staff at USUHS, given that you are non-traditional with military experience? I'm not saying that you would get admitted there, but they might be able to clarify some of the questions you have in the context of your service.
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deleted555445
Thanks for the response. I understand there's no use really going too far without an MCAT, but I just want to make sure outside that my application is looking okay, as I'm going to be four years out of college and don't want to find out I'm not competitive this time next year.
I haven't talked much with admissions at USUHS outside of an email I sent to a bunch of schools a while back asking how they graded post-bacc programs to make sure it would help my GPA. I'm hoping I might get a boost with them due to prior military service, but I haven't asked them directly. I imagine its a little like being in-state for a school, it'll get you maybe a longer look but wont make or break you. USUHS is definitely on my tentative list though, especially since I've been able to make a few connections there recently.
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Goro's got a good list of top schools that reward reinvention, but any speculation is useless without a real MCAT score. I can say as a former tutor that if you are doing that well on official AAMC tests that you're taking timed under conditions like you'd see on Test Day, you've got an excellent shot at being able to do that well on the real deal.
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deleted555445
Forgot to reply to this, thanks! I took the real exam 4 years ago when I considered applying right out of school (thought better of it) and got a 514 (obviously expired). My study habits have vastly improved since then, so I'm hoping the FL's are a good indication. I still have a while before my exam though so I'll keep evaluating.
And yes I've seen the list and done some light research myself into schools, and found some I'm really excited about (personally I think Dartmouth would be perfect for me), but I'm not really taking anything too seriously before I have a real MCAT in hand and actually get these pubs accepted.
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A single strong score is best; some schools average scores. However, a 520+ still looks very good; if your actual score is anything close to what you've been getting on practice tests, you should be a solid applicant. Dartmouth might like you, if you are lucky.
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deleted555445
I was saying my 514 score is expired - schools can't see expired scores, can they?
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schools can see all mcat attempts
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deleted555445
Oh wow I didn't know that, and they even will average expired scores? Seems if the exam was 4-5 years ago it shouldn't be worth as much, but if I do well hopefully a 514 wont bring me down too far.
Edit: I don't mean to say 514 is a bad score, just with my GPA I was hoping to have a 520+ MCAT to offset the damage, and now I would need a 528 to have a 521 average depending on school policy. Just not something I thought I'd have to worry about.
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Schools have their own policies for how to deal with multiple mcat scores. Some only consider most recent, others average the two, a few may do “super score” with the highest from each section. The AAMC recommends that schools treat an applicants true score as the average of the two. At this point I wouldn’t worry about it.
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And as for trying to get a 528 to average at a 520 imo isn’t worth the stress. An average MCAT in the 95th percentile vs the 99th percentile is extremely similar. That kind of score difference would likely have a negligible impact on an admission decision.
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deleted555445
haha that was a joke, just saying for schools that average my personal goal was to get 520+, so in order to achieve that I would need a 528. I know its unrealistic to try to get a 528, a lot needs to go right on test day. I guess maybe what I'll do when I have my score is try to choose reach schools that will prioritize my latest score, and leave the rest alone. Once again, this is way down the line, this was just news to me, I thought my old MCAT disappeared in a puff of smoke.
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As noted before, all MCAT attempts are automatically part of your application. Each school will set its own policies about screening and older MCATs (this was previously mentioned), but all attempts are shown. AAMC did put a data document out on MCAT retakes, and most will score within 3 points of their original score (gain or loss). Now I think they were very narrow in defining a re-taker, and I think being beyond the 2-year window may not be as applicable for the OP's situation, but it is important to know what has been observed with so many retakers before.
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Don't count your chickens before they're hatched, but a 523 on official AAMC material is for sure a good sign. Keep taking the official AAMC tests, keep doing what you've been doing, and you should do very well on Test Day. Pretty good chance you'll break a 520.
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deleted555445
Yeah definitely not banking on anything yet. Still have about 4-5 months before my exam, probably going to work my way through all the FL's to make sure I'm doing well consistently and keep a cycling review going. I also hear there is a good Khan Academy document that outlines p&s knowledge that I plan to work my way through, since that is my weakest right now. I'm feeling like my understanding is a lot stronger this time around, which will hopefully mean less memorization is needed.
Anyways, thanks for your advice!
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Good luck! There are Section Banks (not Question Packs, except for CARS) that you can use to prepare. This is a decent rough conversion chart for questions from the Section Banks, Official Guide to the MCAT, and the Sample MCAT test. AAMC material's better than anything else - it's most like the actual test.
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deleted555445
Thanks for your help! I decided to edit and close my post as it seems I have gotten the advice I needed and don't want to leave PII out there. Stay safe!
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