Application Dilemma

[junos187]

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Hi all,
I'm very confused right now. I have a 3.0 overall and science GPA, and just graduated last summer.
The thing is knowing my GPA is below average and having 2 Ds in my last two quarters, i decided to apply to carribean schools and took the MCATs. Well, MCAT scores came out and I hit a 31R!!!!!! That was the most unexpected thing every happened to me!
The thing is that stopped me from applying to the carribean, but didn't push me enough to apply to US Med schools.
I'm planning on throwing 200 hrs of volunteer till summer, retake 2 Ds I had, work, and do research. Then I plan to apply this summer for medschool while I go to georgetown for a postbac. I even intend on retaking the MCAT this April and try to hit a 35 or 36.
Western University (DO) told me to go ahead and apply now and they will more than likely accept me. Is a US MD school worth all the extra work (plus another year off)? And are the odds worth doing so?

Thank you much

Tariq
---------------------------------
Biological Sciences B.S - UCI 2005

 

[theunderdog]

hello tariq,

honestly, only take that mcat if you are 110% positive that you won't go down in terms of score. i was freaking out when i took the mcat a 3rd time because i was actually unlucky and got a hard test with lots of experimental. i ended up getting the same score and now, my app is delayed.

in terms of your chances for a MD school, u need to rectify those Ds. retake them and own those classes with As. boost your gpa somehow, keep your 31R, and you will succeed. i think you have everything but the gpa. the 31 is actually good enough at a lot of schools. just increase your gpa and you will have a solid chance.

-the underdog

 

[Elastase]

Re-do those Ds and study hard during your post-bac. Work hard on your extracurriculars. DO NOT retake the MCAT! Its too much stress on yourself. Besides you could be doing so much more helping out in the community or gaining more clinical knowledge/research. Good luck!

 

[LT2]

only you can decide whether the MD is worth the time and effort over a year. things to think about thought:

-what specialties are you interested in? if you're not interested in really competitive residencies, you may think about attending western (besides, it's in Cali!)

-do you care about taking a year off?

-what can you do in a year to rectify your gpa? if you go back to UCI, and you're on the quarter system, it's going to take quite a bit to bring that gpa up even a tad. if you choose to apply next year (to enter in 2007) you'd want to apply early (which means june 2006). between now and june of 2006, you've got two quarters (or 1 semester if you go somewhere else) to raise your gpa. that's not much time. so in essence, you have a bit more than a half a year to get those grades up.

-what are some activities you can participate in between now and june to boost your application?

anyway, i hope this helps a bit, these are questions i had to ask myself when i thought about applying last year. i hope it helps and good luck with your decision!

 

[-Goose-]

only you can decide whether the MD is worth the time and effort over a year. things to think about thought:

-what specialties are you interested in? if you're not interested in really competitive residencies, you may think about attending western (besides, it's in Cali!)

-do you care about taking a year off?

-what can you do in a year to rectify your gpa? if you go back to UCI, and you're on the quarter system, it's going to take quite a bit to bring that gpa up even a tad. if you choose to apply next year (to enter in 2007) you'd want to apply early (which means june 2006). between now and june of 2006, you've got two quarters (or 1 semester if you go somewhere else) to raise your gpa. that's not much time. so in essence, you have a bit more than a half a year to get those grades up.

this is good advice. consider taking two years off, if thats an option... only b/c this is about the only way to significantly improve a gpa consisting of 4 years worth of classes.

good luck!!

 

[junos187]

Thank you very much for your respondes.
Definately I'm retaking those Ds. However, my MCAT breakdown is the following:
8PS, 12VR, 11BS, and R.
The reason my PS is low because I took the kaplan tests and I was doing 11s on PS, but there where alot more G-Chem questions on the real thing than physics. My strategy was to milk points from physics since it was my strength.
I focusing on volunteering and research till summer.
I heard that postbacs like georgetown send out letters to all the med schools applied to inform them that I'm in such a program. They also send progress reports so med schools wait and see how well I do.
I still believe that a 31 is a waste to go to the carribean especially that most who do so want to take a shorter route or because for some reason they can't get a decent MCAT scores. I heard of 3.8 students that apply to carribean because they can't pass a 24 on the MCATs!!
My problem is with D.O is that it's not recognized in some countries and there might be a chance that I practice oversease. Plus I need to take the COMLEX and USLME boards (USLME scores are needed for foreign lisensure).

Thank you for your adivce, good luck to those who are applying, and congratulates to those who were interviewed!

Tariq
-------------------------------
Bioligcal Sciences BS. - UCI 2005

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

Thank you very much for your respondes.
Definately I'm retaking those Ds. However, my MCAT breakdown is the following:
8PS, 12VR, 11BS, and R.
The reason my PS is low because I took the kaplan tests and I was doing 11s on PS, but there where alot more G-Chem questions on the real thing than physics. My strategy was to milk points from physics since it was my strength.
I focusing on volunteering and research till summer.
I heard that postbacs like georgetown send out letters to all the med schools applied to inform them that I'm in such a program. They also send progress reports so med schools wait and see how well I do.
I still believe that a 31 is a waste to go to the carribean especially that most who do so want to take a shorter route or because for some reason they can't get a decent MCAT scores. I heard of 3.8 students that apply to carribean because they can't pass a 24 on the MCATs!!
My problem is with D.O is that it's not recognized in some countries and there might be a chance that I practice oversease. Plus I need to take the COMLEX and USLME boards (USLME scores are needed for foreign lisensure).

Thank you for your adivce, good luck to those who are applying, and congratulates to those who were interviewed!

Tariq
-------------------------------
Bioligcal Sciences BS. - UCI 2005

I don't think going to the Caribbean is reserved only for people with low MCATs. It can also be for other reasons, such as low grades or any other issue that can keep someone from getting into a US school. I don't think you should immediately write off DO or Caribbean schools. A 31 is a good score, but certainly not stellar enough to make an AdCom ignore the weaknesses in your transcript. I'm not saying that you won't get into a US school if you make the changes you propose, but you might be overestimating the importance of your MCAT score to think that it would be "wasted" in the Caribbean, particularly with the rest of your application.