Bad MCAT x3....... Still had great success

[RueTay]

I wanted to share my experience for those who have had poor results taking the MCAT and dashed hopes of ever getting into and succeeding at med school.

Don't quit!

I took that frackin test three times and scored 27, 24, 26. My undergrad gpa was 3.59. I did NOT get into school on my first try so I took two years after undergrad to do research, knock out some pubs, and get my Masters. I got into one and only one US med school the following year. The work I did in those years paid off enormously because although I never improved my MCAT, I was well prepared for med school courses and had some research under my belt. I just graduated with honors this weekend and will be starting my surgical subspecialty training at Mayo Clinic next month.

When I think back to those disappointing days when I got my MCAT scores back I can hardly believe that I got to where I am today. I was sure I would never be an MD. If you are or were in a similar situation, I know it can be devastating and downright scary to think that your goals are out of reach. Stay focused and do not quit your pursuit... It can be done.

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[Noggin]

This is such an inspiration. Thank you for posting. I will not have nightmares tonight because of this post.

 

[askamsky51]

I wanted to share my experience for those who have had poor results taking the MCAT and dashed hopes of ever getting into and succeeding at med school.

Don't quit!

I took that frackin test three times and scored 27, 24, 26. My undergrad gpa was 3.59. I did NOT get into school on my first try so I took two years after undergrad to do research, knock out some pubs, and get my Masters. I got into one and only one US med school the following year. The work I did in those years paid off enormously because although I never improved my MCAT, I was well prepared for med school courses and had some research under my belt. I just graduated with honors this weekend and will be starting my surgical subspecialty training at Mayo Clinic next month.

When I think back to those disappointing days when I got my MCAT scores back I can hardly believe that I got to where I am today. I was sure I would never be an MD. If you are or were in a similar situation, I know it can be devastating and downright scary to think that your goals are out of reach. Stay focused and do not quit your pursuit... It can be done.

Big congrats on your degree. I always love underdog stories.


Reading your post I had montage music playing in my head. (team america style).

 

[catrunnels]

Hello,
I am new to this forum and so happy to see your post. I am here specifically to find out what I need to do to get into med school. I am also so inspired by your story. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

[Goro]

Can you name your school? It will help to know that there are ones out there that look beyond MCATs and reward academic re-inventions/improvement.

Good luck!

I wanted to share my experience for those who have had poor results taking the MCAT and dashed hopes of ever getting into and succeeding at med school.

Don't quit!

I took that frackin test three times and scored 27, 24, 26. My undergrad gpa was 3.59. I did NOT get into school on my first try so I took two years after undergrad to do research, knock out some pubs, and get my Masters. I got into one and only one US med school the following year. The work I did in those years paid off enormously because although I never improved my MCAT, I was well prepared for med school courses and had some research under my belt. I just graduated with honors this weekend and will be starting my surgical subspecialty training at Mayo Clinic next month.

When I think back to those disappointing days when I got my MCAT scores back I can hardly believe that I got to where I am today. I was sure I would never be an MD. If you are or were in a similar situation, I know it can be devastating and downright scary to think that your goals are out of reach. Stay focused and do not quit your pursuit... It can be done.

 

[katniss09]

I wanted to share my experience for those who have had poor results taking the MCAT and dashed hopes of ever getting into and succeeding at med school.

Don't quit!

I took that frackin test three times and scored 27, 24, 26. My undergrad gpa was 3.59. I did NOT get into school on my first try so I took two years after undergrad to do research, knock out some pubs, and get my Masters. I got into one and only one US med school the following year. The work I did in those years paid off enormously because although I never improved my MCAT, I was well prepared for med school courses and had some research under my belt. I just graduated with honors this weekend and will be starting my surgical subspecialty training at Mayo Clinic next month.

When I think back to those disappointing days when I got my MCAT scores back I can hardly believe that I got to where I am today. I was sure I would never be an MD. If you are or were in a similar situation, I know it can be devastating and downright scary to think that your goals are out of reach. Stay focused and do not quit your pursuit... It can be done.

.

 

[RueTay]

Nope. I'm not URM and I didn't do DO. I'm just mainstream white dude who caught a break and got into a decent allopathic Midwest state school.

 

[katniss09]

.

 

[RueTay]

I think the research and LORs I got from those two years were the most important. That and maintaining a very high (3.8ish) GPA in the masters program. The joke about the whole thing is that if you can get into med school by going the route I did, then the tables totally turn. I was an extremely below average applicant as a senior in college largely because I wasn't focused at all my first two years of college. Once in med school I had an advanced degree, several publications, several oral/poster presentations, and had experience talking med school level basic science courses (biochem, cell bio, neuroanatomy, and physiology) because of my masters coursework. Because of this experience and my newfound academic maturity, the first two years of med school were more manageable for me compared to my peers. I got good grades and was able to score well on step 1 and 2. All in all it was an ideal springboard to make a run at a competitive sub specialty with top tier residency placement.

Many med students who are gunning for a competitive residency end up taking a year off to do research anyway these days. I basically did this without realizing it at the time. I did take two years but I also got a degree and learned more about the type of career I wanted.

 

[RueTay]

Wow that's really impressive, congrats on everything you've acomplished so far! Just curious - do you think it was your time off and the experiences that you gained from that that helped you get the acceptance(s)? I am also a non-traditional applicant and the MCAT is the biggest roadblock between me and med school right now (can't seem to pull up my VR score). I am just trying to break a 30

Best if luck to you!