August MCAT?

[midi2017]

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Hello all.

I am currently a Chemistry senior and here are my stats:

cGPA: 3.96
sGPA: 3.95
MCAT: taking in July 2017 (might push to August)
Volunteering (at hospital): 100+ hours
Volunteering (community): 200+ hours
Shadowing: 65+ hours
Research: 2500+ hours
LOE: HPAC letter from university

I have already submitted my primaries and working through my secondaries for Texas medical schools. I am worried about taking the MCAT as I feel as though I haven't prepared enough in July. If I push back to August, maybe September, would that be too late for me to apply this cycle?

 

[jurisburger]

Yeah...that's definitely pushing it. Unless you have major reasons not to delay a year my recommendation is to take your time studying for the MCAT this year and apply from the very start in June 2018. It would be such a waste of potential if you did well on the MCAT (combined with those GPAs) but got screwed over because you simply applied too late in the cycle.

 

[midi2017]

Yeah...that's definitely pushing it. Unless you have major reasons not to delay a year my recommendation is to take your time studying for the MCAT this year and apply from the very start in June 2018. It would be such a waste of potential if you did well on the MCAT (combined with those GPAs) but got screwed over because you simply applied too late in the cycle.

I have been studying and I did a Kaplan course March-June, and then reenrolled into another one June-July, but I since I am doing a summer REU and have to work 40+ hours a week, I don't have much time for the full-lengths which is what has me worried.

 

[tantacles]

Hello all.

I am currently a Chemistry senior and here are my stats:

cGPA: 3.96
sGPA: 3.95
MCAT: taking in July 2017 (might push to August)
Volunteering (at hospital): 100+ hours
Volunteering (community): 200+ hours
Shadowing: 65+ hours
Research: 2500+ hours
LOE: HPAC letter from university

I have already submitted my primaries and working through my secondaries for Texas medical schools. I am worried about taking the MCAT as I feel as though I haven't prepared enough in July. If I push back to August, maybe September, would that be too late for me to apply this cycle?

If you are trying to figure out if it's too late and it's on the fence, just take a year off. Don't take the chance that your MCAT doesn't come out well and you don't have time to retake. Do this once, hit it out of the park, and delay applying a year. That's my suggestion.

 

[Dox4lyfe]

August is pushing it. Your stats (minus mcat) and ECs are on point. I would not risk a low mcat score. Please don't make a big mistake. Take the gap year.

Doesn't the Kaplan course make you take FLs? I'm sure if you made it a priority to take a FL, you could easily make the time for it because you need to see how you're scoring. This is much more important than the REU. With over 2500 hours of research experience, I wouldve spent the entire summer only focused on the mcat.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

This student has already submitted his primary. If he takes a gap year, will he be a reapplicant?

If the student will be considered a reapplicant at this point, he needs to figure out a way to study on weekends and evenings and take the Mcat in July.

Are you a Texas resident? Did you apply to all of your instate SOMs? With your GPA, if you score decent on your MCAT, you'll likely get into at least one Tx med.

I know that you're doing an REU, but often those aren't really 40 hours a week and usually nights and weekends are free, except for socials that the REU scheduled.

You already took a Kaplan course and signed up for another. If your REU is so time-consuming, why would you think you could do the second Kaplan course?

This all really just sounds like fear and procrastination at work.

 

[Kingsmen2018]

This is why you should never submit a primary before you get your mcat scores back. Take notes everybody

 

[jcorpsmanMD]

Wait.. let me get this straight, you paid for TWO Kaplan courses?

 

[OchemOficionado]

Why are you spending your energy on secondaries when you should be putting all the effort you can to MCAT studying? Now you're thinking possible September! You did t think this through.

 

[midi2017]

Wait.. let me get this straight, you paid for TWO Kaplan courses?

Kaplan gives you a free course if you waive the money back guaranteed for the higher score guaranteed.