Hey everyone. I just took the august MCAT's and I got a 27. My GPA is around 3.3 to 3.4 for both my overall and bcpm. What do you think I should do? Retake the mcat or do I have a decent shot with these stats. Some feedback would be REALLY appreciated. Thanks.
Chances with a 27M and 3.3 GPA...Help!!!!
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Not with a 27 and a 3.3. He *might* get in somewhere, but I wouldn't bet on it.
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all i got to say is this. dont be discouraged by ppl that say you cant get in anywhere, chances are that you can. Make sure you apply to a wide array of institutions. ANd it's important to keepntact with the admissions director and keep them updated on EVERYTHING you do. yes, it may be annoying, but believe me i know people that have and evidentally have gotten in. my two cents.
keep the faith.
keep the faith.
Thanks for the comments. But is it a good idea to retake or just apply with these stats. I have lots of volunteer/research experiences so i'm not too worried about my ec's. It's just the mcat score. More suggestions, comments? thanks.
Look at the averages that get in every year...they are around 8 or nine. you GPA is a little low, but you might have some other qualities that admissions committees might really like. You wont know until you try. Be smart about applying. It is unrealistic that you will get into Harvard or Hopkins or other school like that, but do your homework and apply to schools that you have a shot at. Don?t apply to every school were the average MCAT is 27 because a lot of those schools ONLY accept instate students. Bottom line: do some homework, don?t waste time and money in applying to schools that you really don?t have a chance in (top 10-25/out of state), and write some darn good essays?no matter what anyone says, you have a chance
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many premeds say 27 will never get in... the fact is, they havent been in the process - take their advice with a grain of salt. i know of many who score around 27-29 with a gpa of 3.4ish and get in with their first attempt to allos. those with 30+ and are complaining are just plain old weirdos. pay no attention to them.
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This really belongs in pre-allo. If I were a "super" moderator I would move it for you.
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To the OP, I think it is definitely possible to get in with those scores. BUT, I think many people would agree that there is an element of luck associated w/ getting accepted, and you might need a little more luck with number like that.
Last year my stats were similar to yours - 27Q, (w/ 7 in PS) 3.4 GPA from a top 5 undergrad school. I have really good EC's, LOR's etc. I only applied to 4 schools (I would NOT recommend this!) and was interviewed and waitlisted at 1. Ultimately I was not accepted. Despite this experience, I would still apply if I was in the same situation again (though to more than 4 schools). If I had one recommendation for you, it would be to spend LOTS of time on your essay - this can make a so-so applicant stand out. A friend of mine who was accepted and matriculated at the same school I was waitlisted at says that she has plently of classmates with 26-29 range MCATs. The moral there is to not get completely hung up on the numbers.
That said, I wouldn't bank on the idea of getting in. With numbers like that, it may take some luck to get a reviewer who's attention is drawn to your particular EC's and essay. This might not necessarily happen - and if it doesn't, you should be prepared to retake the MCAT, since I think if you could raise your MCAT a few points, you would have a lot better chance of not falling pray to the equation schools may use to weed out applicants.
So assuming you just got these scores on the Aug MCAT, and you haven't already started your applications for this cycle - my advice would be to wait. You're already late in the process, and it certainly won't help your cause if you don't have super numbers. I think it would help to retake in April, and apply next cycle (I know it's hell, but I raised my score to a 30R the 2nd time). However, if you've already submitted applications, I would continue with the process and hope you get some bites...
I'm no expert, but those are my recommendations based on my experience. Good Luck!
Last year my stats were similar to yours - 27Q, (w/ 7 in PS) 3.4 GPA from a top 5 undergrad school. I have really good EC's, LOR's etc. I only applied to 4 schools (I would NOT recommend this!) and was interviewed and waitlisted at 1. Ultimately I was not accepted. Despite this experience, I would still apply if I was in the same situation again (though to more than 4 schools). If I had one recommendation for you, it would be to spend LOTS of time on your essay - this can make a so-so applicant stand out. A friend of mine who was accepted and matriculated at the same school I was waitlisted at says that she has plently of classmates with 26-29 range MCATs. The moral there is to not get completely hung up on the numbers.
That said, I wouldn't bank on the idea of getting in. With numbers like that, it may take some luck to get a reviewer who's attention is drawn to your particular EC's and essay. This might not necessarily happen - and if it doesn't, you should be prepared to retake the MCAT, since I think if you could raise your MCAT a few points, you would have a lot better chance of not falling pray to the equation schools may use to weed out applicants.
So assuming you just got these scores on the Aug MCAT, and you haven't already started your applications for this cycle - my advice would be to wait. You're already late in the process, and it certainly won't help your cause if you don't have super numbers. I think it would help to retake in April, and apply next cycle (I know it's hell, but I raised my score to a 30R the 2nd time). However, if you've already submitted applications, I would continue with the process and hope you get some bites...
I'm no expert, but those are my recommendations based on my experience. Good Luck!
I had a 27M (third try, too), this past April. I got in my early decision program choice, only interview... but my gpa was 3.9 and I had nontraditional things going for me. Good luck. I wish I had got a 27M the first time!
OldMD
OldMD
I took the MCAT this past august and I'm a junior in a top undergrad school. So, I can still take the MCAT april of 2004 and apply. So raising my score to something like a 30 or 31 will put me in a better situation, but will taking the mcat again look bad? Thanks for the responses so far!
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I have a 27Q, 3.35 Science GPA, I have 6 interviews, and just got accepted to VCU! I'd say as long as your EC's and LOR's are great, and you're not trying to get into a top ten school, then you definitely have a shot!
Good luck!
Good luck!
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well, depends on what you were gettin on your practice mcats... if 27 was the score you've been gettin on them, then just apply with dat score... however, if you feel like you could've done a lot better, then you should definitely take it again.... Since you mentioned you go to a "top" undergrad school, I presume you should be able to easily break a 30... 27 from a top undergrad just doesn't look good. Dat's my two cents. Good luck~ 😉
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There are many people who have taken the MCAT multiple times, and many of those people who have been accepted - taking the MCAT again isn't going to make you look bad! I think the bigger questions are if you think you can definitely do better, and if you want to put yourself through that misery again.
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😕
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I agree with MNgrrl:
if you think you can improve your score consistently by April and have the energy, then totally take the test again. But as it is, a 27 is (or about) the national average of matriculants, so you're in a decent place score-wise.
Good luck!
--Rager1
if you think you can improve your score consistently by April and have the energy, then totally take the test again. But as it is, a 27 is (or about) the national average of matriculants, so you're in a decent place score-wise.
Good luck!
--Rager1
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I don't mean to be an @ss (and maybe I'm stinging from my Path exam yesterday and stressing about my Pharm exam tomorrow), but how exactly did you mean it?
.......
ussdfiant :
what i meant is that temple is a bit easier than most medical schools as far as selection and admissions. they have more relaxed admissions standards. not to say that your stats were substandard, but from what i have seen, temple seems to be more proactive when it comes to accepting people with slightly lower numbers than the rest of the pre-med community.
while my experiences with temple maybe biased and ultimately wrong, they are my experiences and i hold them as a granted truth, even if they are subjective.
i mean no insults =)
ussdfiant :
what i meant is that temple is a bit easier than most medical schools as far as selection and admissions. they have more relaxed admissions standards. not to say that your stats were substandard, but from what i have seen, temple seems to be more proactive when it comes to accepting people with slightly lower numbers than the rest of the pre-med community.
while my experiences with temple maybe biased and ultimately wrong, they are my experiences and i hold them as a granted truth, even if they are subjective.
i mean no insults =)
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I guess I'll drop it.
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I say go for it with what you have. I habe a 33N and a 3.6 GPA and I've already been rejected 2 places (including one "easy" to get in school) so you never know what the hell they want 🙂 My only interview so far is at my low tier state schools.
Nora
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I applied to Southern Illinois (interview 10/28) and Kentucky (interview 12/8)
Drexel and Loyola (rejected)
Chicago, UI-Chicago, Temple, Tulane, Albany, BU, Tufts, Lousiville, Pitt, Rush, SLU (no word)
Drexel and Loyola (rejected)
Chicago, UI-Chicago, Temple, Tulane, Albany, BU, Tufts, Lousiville, Pitt, Rush, SLU (no word)
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The all except a lot of out of staters except KY... go figure
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I agree with whoever said there is a bit of luck involved in the whole process. My stats were a 27Q, 3.8 (3.7 BCPM) and I had lots of ECs, research, etc. I got one interview and one acceptance out of the 23 schools I applied to last year (none of which were Harvard, Hopkins, etc). My interviewer said he couldn't figure out why I didn't get any other interviews. So who the hell knows what they want? I say go ahead and apply to some schools if you aren't dead set on going to a top ten...you never know.
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To the OP, last time I applied with a 3.2 and a 29R....The med schools with 3.4 averages all rejected me, and the 3.6 avg school interviewed and waitlisted me...Ok, i got rejected. But I'm reapplying with some lessons....
I looked at my time schedule from last time...turning secondaries in too close to the deadline..not good. I'm hauling arse on them now.
I have built up more experience to talk about. My mentor told me that the best thing to do with the essays is to try to engage the reader (I know, very "english class-like" of him) But hey, I looked at the essays for my previous apps, and if I had 5,000 other apps to read, I'd fall asleep after reading mine, wake up, then reject or "maybe" me.
The bottom line is, don't listen to those who say you can't get in anywhere. There's a lot of luck in this process too. While I suggest having realistic expectations in your choice of schools (e.g. schools with really high-end GPAs and MCATs, or out of state schools that take only 10% non-residents may not get you), I think that you do have a chance somewhere.
Head up, and keep moving forward.
🙂
I looked at my time schedule from last time...turning secondaries in too close to the deadline..not good. I'm hauling arse on them now.
I have built up more experience to talk about. My mentor told me that the best thing to do with the essays is to try to engage the reader (I know, very "english class-like" of him) But hey, I looked at the essays for my previous apps, and if I had 5,000 other apps to read, I'd fall asleep after reading mine, wake up, then reject or "maybe" me.
The bottom line is, don't listen to those who say you can't get in anywhere. There's a lot of luck in this process too. While I suggest having realistic expectations in your choice of schools (e.g. schools with really high-end GPAs and MCATs, or out of state schools that take only 10% non-residents may not get you), I think that you do have a chance somewhere.
Head up, and keep moving forward.
🙂
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ABSOLUTELY, you are describing me & I got accepted to multiple schools (albeit, not Harvard, Yale, etc. Just nice state/out-of-state friendly allopathic schools)
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well as long as you arent applying right now.......its all good..
you are like a bubble team trying to get an invite to March Madness......
sound like you have your ECs and etc.. in order but in order to improve your chances of gettin in........ya needs some quality wins......meaning take the mcat again in april and hopefully you will do better.
you are like a bubble team trying to get an invite to March Madness......
sound like you have your ECs and etc.. in order but in order to improve your chances of gettin in........ya needs some quality wins......meaning take the mcat again in april and hopefully you will do better.
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you sounds like a good applicant. people may take a gander at that verbal score of yours but you did get a Q on the writing sample so that can counterbalance that a bit. Though if you were to pull off a 10 verbal that would have been extra sweet 😉...
but yeah......i hope you have good extras........
i have a lower gpa, but doubles across the three sections on the mcat and ive been accepted early in the process.
just apply to a good range of schools.
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Everytime I want a break and read something stupid, I come to the preallopathic forum. Why? Because I see idiots posting "I barely pass all my undergrad classes and failed mcat and I watch tv eat potato chips 24/7 a day, do you think I have a chance to be a doctor?" I mean, if you're a lazy bum who dont care about education and getting good grades, how do you think you will do as a medical student/resident/doctor? Yes doctors deal with people but still have know everything about treating diseases, so if you want to be an ignorant bum all your life then dont even think about being a doctor. Sorry to be harsh but that's reality.
About temple, I have friends who have much greater stats >3.5 AND 30 mcat who didnt get in temple. So temple probably wont accept this bum either, sorry.
About temple, I have friends who have much greater stats >3.5 AND 30 mcat who didnt get in temple. So temple probably wont accept this bum either, sorry.
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hey man, keep your rude comments to yourself..
if you don't have any positive advice to give....dont bother reading/posting on these forums
what good do you think that post did, huh?😡
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I am trying to give positive advice. If this guy or anybody else want to be a doctor, quit trying to get sympathy about your low scores, get your gluteus off the tv, ps2, chat rooms or whatever and start studying. I say this because I dont want any 3.3 27 mcat doctor to be treating me in any way. I study my ass off so I know how to help people, and so should all my fellow colleagues. Go do a postbac/grad school raise gpa and mcat to show you probably wont end up being a doctor playing golf all day.
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1. You probably have already been treated by a guy who had a 3.3 27MCAT at one point in his career, and didn't know it.
2. People are more than their GPA or MCAT, I know this might be hard to accept, but its true.
3. I've met people who had a 4.0 and good MCATs (don't know for sure what it is), that I wouldn't trust with my dry cleaning. They had zero common sense, and were basically hyper-introverts that couldn't hold a conversation.
4. I do think you offer good advice though. The only way to improve the situation is to work hard and improve.
5. I don't really think your comments were all that rude, just brutally honest. If people are going to be successful doctors, they're going to need to learn how to hear people being brutally honest without freaking out or getting emotional.
Only being "positive" isn't always helpful, sometimes people need to hear things they might not like, because they are true. While the OP might not like what he is saying, he is right.
I'd say thats what "good" his post did.
He was a bit rude with this comment "About temple, I have friends who have much greater stats >3.5 AND 30 mcat who didnt get in temple. So temple probably wont accept this bum either, sorry"
You don't know this guy, and calling him a bum is rude. Just because your friends didn't get in somewhere with such and such stat, doesn't mean someone with lower stats can't get in. Maybe your friends are A**holes, I don't know them to say.
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Thanks for getting the point.
I made that temple comment only to defend people talking down on temple and ussdfiant's institution. I dont go to temple or have any friends there now, but giving some facts. It aint easy.
I made that temple comment only to defend people talking down on temple and ussdfiant's institution. I dont go to temple or have any friends there now, but giving some facts. It aint easy.
