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Hi sluox,Your MCAT is way too low. I wouldn't even apply at this point. 3.67 overall isn't a kiss of death.
I've dealt with similar things, and learned to focus on what I can instead of can't control. For instance, I received a C in an upper division science class due to a poor TA, couldn't prepare for the VR portion of the MCAT since I had to deal with an unexpected situation, etc. Instead of dwelling, I did things to improve my CV in ways that would address the above (e.g. took the GRE and received a good verbal score, earned A's in harder classes within similar subjects) while pursuing my interests. Bad people, difficult situations, etc are part of life, but how you handle them when they present themselves and what you do afterward are more important than worrying about the areas you mentioned.
So, my advice would be to study for the MCAT next time if you'll retake it and more or less learn perspective. As far as target schools, find a match with your research interests outside of the really competitive ones and tailor your research/ECs to those. Your future PI will care more about your ability to be a productive, interested researcher than the areas you're concerned about, while medical school admissions committees see things in more black and white; the post-baccalaureate forum is useful for the latter, although I think there are better options than SMPs in your case.
Thanks for your advice! I am studying for the MCAT now and will apply if the score is good. Do you have a few suggestions for schools I should look into? I saw on another form that I should use the US Med school rankings as a metric to judge, but do you know of any other criteria?
The 20% thing is generally post-interview. All interviewees are "acceptable" on paper, so post-interview, there is consideration of the actual interview to further stratify candidates.There's a reason you have to write essays and include letter writers. Numbers don't say much. I have a ppt from a med school that says GPA and MCAT totals to only 20% of your application's score. Posts like these are pointless. You only know for sure if you apply and if you are accepted, come back and tell your success despite your stats.
The 20% thing is generally post-interview. All interviewees are "acceptable" on paper, so post-interview, there is consideration of the actual interview to further stratify candidates.