Chances - help please

[njdancemed]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to SDN but I have heard good things and I need a little help with a list of MD and DO school to apply to. My application for MD is already verified and my DO application will be submitted this week but I am looking for some advice on what school to apply to.

For a little background: I graduated undergrad in 2013. I had a 3.27 CGPA and a 3.11 SGPA. I was a double major in Biology and East Asian Studies. I speak almost fluent Mandarin and I spent a year studying and living in China. While there I was also able to intern at a traditional Chinese medicine hospital. After graduating I worked at a non-medical related job. I also volunteered in my local hospital and did clinical work with two physicians. I am current in a SMP. As a graduate student I have a 3.8 GPA (99% of which counts as science GPA). I am also very involved at my school. I took the MCAT twice in 2013. I made the mistake of taking them only a month apart and I was not ready to take either, but I can't go back and change that now. I received a 24 on both of them. I took the recent June 18th MCAT, a particularly difficult form of the exam, and although I felt prepared I received a 504 (124/127/127/126). This was very upsetting especially since I had gotten a 515 on the scored practice exam and an 81% on the unscored exam. I am studying to retake the MCAT but in the mean time I am hoping that some of the people on here can give me some advice on what school I should be submitting my application to. I am looking for both MD and DO schools and any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

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[Faha]

Where is your state of residence? What is your calculated cGPA and sGPA including your SMP courses?

 

[Goro]

Don't bother retaking the MCAT. I believe that you're plateaued and you're not going to do any better. Your best chances will be with the NJ med schools (MD and DO).

Your multiple MCATs will get you screened out at my school, and probably the Touros, PCOM, AZCOM, KCU and CCOM. So apply broadly to other DO schools and you should be OK. I can't recommend LUCOM.

EDIT: I suggest the NJ schools because of your screen name. Change to "your state schools"

 

[njdancemed]

Where is your state of residence? What is your calculated cGPA and sGPA including your SMP courses?

My state of residence is NJ. The GPA numbers in my original post are from my verified AMCAS application

 

[Faha]

Your chances for a MD acceptance are very low but you could try the 3 NJ state public schools. You are competitive for some DO schools and consider all of these:
RowanSOM
PCOM
ARCOM (new school)
ACOM
BCOM (new school)
WCU-COM
LMU-DCOM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
VCOM (all 3 schools)
NYIT-Arkansas (new school)
RVU-Utah (new school)
UIWSOM (new school-Texas)

 

[njtrimed]

Don't bother retaking the MCAT. I believe that you're plateaued and you're not going to do any better. Your best chances will be with the NJ med schools (MD and DO).

Your multiple MCATs will get you screened out at my school, and probably the Touros, PCOM, AZCOM, KCU and CCOM. So apply broadly to other DO schools and you should be OK. I can't recommend LUCOM.

EDIT: I suggest the NJ schools because of your screen name. Change to "your state schools"

With a 515 on the AAMC practice test and a 3.8 GPA in a competitive SMP, do you really think OP has plateaued? This sounds like serious test anxiety to me. OP took the test unprepared and followed some bad advice from a college advisor, then did all the right things to build a strong application. I wouldn't advise applying broadly to MD schools with a 504, but it's still a marked improvement on a 24 from 3 years ago and the new grad GPA and experience has to be helpful.

OP, if you're applying this cycle, apply broadly DO and also to MD state schools. If you can, retake the MCAT in preparation for the next cycle, but only after you've figured out what went wrong and how you can improve. I'm not an admissions expert, but most people (including me) score pretty close to their practice AAMC exams and there seems to be a disconnect between your actual ability and your performance. Some med schools may see this as a weakness in terms of your ability to do well on boards, but others may look more closely at your next score if you improve again. I know plenty of students who improved substantially and got in on a third or fourth cycle. I personally would only say you plateaued if your practice scores were also in the 504 range, but they're clearly not.

 

[gyngyn]

3 MCATs in the same range are an independent variable that identifies an at-risk applicant.
A fourth score in the same range makes the application an even greater outlier.
Even a moderately improved 4th score will not erase the risk. It adds to it.

There is only one passing try at USMLE steps...

 

[Goro]

Agree 100% with my learned colleague!

3 MCATs in the same range are an independent variable that identifies an at-risk applicant.
A fourth score in the same range makes the application an even greater outlier.
Even a moderately improved 4th score will not erase the risk. It adds to it.

There is only one passing try at USMLE steps...