Can I still apply?!

[ZDoc37]

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Hi all,
I just received notice on my most recent MCAT scores and i didn't fair too well, this is my second time taking them: my first time i got a 22 and now unfortunately it is a 19, to my shock i was quickly discouraged in applying when i had planned to, my overall gpa is ~3.5, sci gpa ~ 3.2, i have volunteer, work, research, and bunch other ec experiences, i just don't know if i should apply for the sake of it, i do not want to take it a third time, plus i wouldn't have time anyway since i will be on vacation the whole summer, so what i was planning on doing was plan on applying to pretty much most the DO skools and hope somewhere will respond. i will however, attach a "letter of explanation" of what happened this past semester, but not making an excuse for it. Tell me what u think. Thanks guys.

 

[Kazema]

Well if all you're doing is vacationing then you have time to prepare for the August MCAT instead. I'd say that sacrificing a vacation in favor of studying for the most important exam in your undergraduate career is a worthwhile sacrifice.

Otherwise you've got a shot but not a great shot - your science GPA and MCAT are both under the means for just about every DO school. Getting in is a (slight) possibility but you'd have a much, much better chance if you raised your score by like 6-8 points or so.

Edit: I missed the part where you said the 19 was a retake. In that case I think you really need to retake it a third time to get in anywhere. A 22 is not a good score and going down to a 19 is worse. Retake.

 

[LVDoc]

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate dilemma.

I would suggest you save yourself the trouble of applying this year - the prospect of doing this twice takes a lot of endurance and stamina. Not to mention, a lot of waiting.

Your best bet is to retake the MCAT. Your cumulative GPA is good, your science GPA is decent; it's really just the MCAT that's holding you back. Try to assess what went wrong last time and take a new approach to it - my feeling is, for you to have a fair shot at a broad range of DO schools, you're going to need probably a 25 on the MCAT. This does not mean you should automatically register for the August MCAT. If you don't think 2 months of studying will be enough for you to really work on it, do not rush into the exam unprepared. Take as much time as you need to. As I said before, you do not want to keep repeating this exam over and over again (nor do you want to do the same for the application process).

Good luck.

--- Just a note, your future is more important than a temporary vacation ---