Apply or take a year off? 28Q MCAT, 3.7 GPA, 3.5 scGPA

[mackfiggins]

Looking to apply in the upcoming 2012-2013 cycle but have gotten mixed advice

Undergrad: top 20 university in the midwest
Major: Psychology, PreProfessional Studies
cGPA: 3.69, should be over 3.7 after this semester
sGPA: 3.52, should also go up after this semester
MCAT: 28Q-----7/10/11 (VR/PS/BS)
Nevada Resident
White and Hispanic

-Do a lot of volunteer work with groups like special olympics, habitat for humanity, etc
-Interned at a neurosurgery office last summer and will again this summer
-Work in a psychology research lab
-Officer in a service group at school dedicated to global health--have gone and worked in clinics in Latin America for a week twice in the past two years
-Probably about 100 hours of shadowing over the past two years (emergency room, neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery)
-Participate in club sports

I'm from the west and my state only has one medical school which tends to be very friendly to IS applicants, so hopefully I can get in there. But besides that, I know i am a long shot for a lot of other schools.

I'd love to apply in the upcoming cycle, even though I have been told going for a higher MCAT would do wonders.

Should i retake the MCAT or just give it a shot and see what happens??

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[dreamweaver1988]

Can't really help you out here but I curious to see what others have to say, as I will be applying this cycle with stats very similar to yours (3.8/3.6, dunno about MCAT yet). Good luck to us both!

 

[411309]

Looking to apply in the upcoming 2012-2013 cycle but have gotten mixed advice


Undergrad: top 20 university in the midwest (I only say this because our school is known for having a pretty good track record when applying to medical schools and something like 75% of applicants get in somewhere)
Major: Psychology and PreProfessional Studies
cGPA: 3.69, should be over 3.7 after this semester
sGPA: 3.52, should also go up after this semester
MCAT: 28-----7/10/11 (VR/PS/BS) and a Q for writing
Nevada Resident
White and Hispanic

-Do a lot of volunteer work with groups like special olympics, habitat for humanity, etc
-Interned at a neurosurgery office last summer and will again this summer
-Work in a psychology lab for children with autism (10 hrs/wk)
-Officer in a service group at school dedicated to global health--have gone and worked in clinics in Latin America for a week twice in the past two years
-Work 5 hours a week in the math department
-Probably about 100 hours of shadowing over the past two years (emergency room, neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery)
-Participate in club sports

I'm from the west and my state only has one medical school which tends to be very friendly to IS applicants, so hopefully I can get in there. But besides that, I know i am a long shot for a lot of other schools.

I also know the MCAT verbal score is a bit worrisome, but I just don't know if I wan't to risk retaking it and doing worse because I already studied really hard the first time around. I don't want to go to somewhere prestigious, I'll take any acceptance.

I'd love to apply in the upcoming cycle, even though I have been told going for a higher MCAT would do wonders.

Should i retake the MCAT or just give it a shot and see what happens??

Personally I think you should give it a shot. Your mcat really isnt that bad. It's a shame because VR is what really seemed to get you on the mcat. You should try spending a month or two getting better at verbal and do a mcat retake, since you seem to be solid in the other areas of the mcat...but even with a 28 and your current stats I still say apply, imo you have a decent shot.

 

[allstargurl522]

I actually had stats similar to yours and I applied this year. I have some interviews lined up for a few weeks, so in your case, I wouldn't hold back on applying this coming cycle, especially since your GPA will go up and you have great extracurriculars.

 

[XTRAWK]

I recommend that you apply. MCAT is decent. your science GPA is okay but you have some broad exposure and experience to health care of which you can expound upon in your essay and interview.

I have sat on medical school interview boards and the mind set interviewers have is looking at your potential to #1. Get through medical school - the mental and academic challenges that you will face #2. What sets you apart from all of the other medical students. "What have you done that no one else has done"? #3. Be ready to answer how can your psychology background benefit you as a physician (why did you choose it?)

Research the schools, look at their mission, stats for their 1st year medical students and if possible befriend some of the 1st years to get an inside scoop about the positives and negatives about the school.

If you can get through these small hurdles, I am sure you will get into a decent medical school.

Xtra hint: 1. if you are attending an undergraduate school that has a medical school, APPLY THERE. Get a recommendation letter from one of the Chairs or Professors at the institution and for goodness sake show some interest in research - that's a shoe in.
2. Apply to medical schools outside of your comfort zone North East, South

Be confident that you will get in this year. Just do a little bit of legwork first.

 

[Catalystik]

Looking to apply in the upcoming 2012-2013 cycle but have gotten mixed advice


Undergrad: top 20 university in the midwest (I only say this because our school is known for having a pretty good track record when applying to medical schools and something like 75% of applicants get in somewhere)
Major: Psychology and PreProfessional Studies
cGPA: 3.69, should be over 3.7 after this semester
sGPA: 3.52, should also go up after this semester
MCAT: 28-----7/10/11 (VR/PS/BS) and a Q for writing
Nevada Resident
White and Hispanic

-Do a lot of volunteer work with groups like special olympics, habitat for humanity, etc
-Interned at a neurosurgery office last summer and will again this summer
-Work in a psychology lab for children with autism (10 hrs/wk)
-Officer in a service group at school dedicated to global health--have gone and worked in clinics in Latin America for a week twice in the past two years
-Work 5 hours a week in the math department
-Probably about 100 hours of shadowing over the past two years (emergency room, neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery)
-Participate in club sports

I'm from the west and my state only has one medical school which tends to be very friendly to IS applicants, so hopefully I can get in there. But besides that, I know i am a long shot for a lot of other schools.

I also know the MCAT verbal score is a bit worrisome, but I just don't know if I wan't to risk retaking it and doing worse because I already studied really hard the first time around. I don't want to go to somewhere prestigious, I'll take any acceptance.

I'd love to apply in the upcoming cycle, even though I have been told going for a higher MCAT would do wonders.

Should i retake the MCAT or just give it a shot and see what happens??

Do you maintain connections with your Hispanic heritage? Are you a native or learned Spanish speaker? Do any of your community service or other activities allow for interaction with local Latinos? If any of these are true, then your chances with a 28 MCAT are more likely to be pretty decent. And keep in mind that all schools don't look at MCAT subscores.