Competitive mcat?
Started by NRAI2001
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i had a 3.4 (cum and science) and got accepted to my top choice with a 32...
with that said, i'd say you should have all 10's and at least one 11 for a 31...don't get a 31 as like 8,10,13 or something because that doesn't look as good either. straight 10's or so should be good for you for a mid-lower school.
with that said, i'd say you should have all 10's and at least one 11 for a 31...don't get a 31 as like 8,10,13 or something because that doesn't look as good either. straight 10's or so should be good for you for a mid-lower school.
As high as you can get, obviously. But to feel somewhat comfortable at getting into a US, allopathic school, I would want something like a 33-34 at least. Of course, your essays and experiences will play a pretty big role, so if yours are better than avg, you can get away with a couple less points.
Keep in mind that this site is ridiculous when it comes to MCAT scores. I got a 31R and you would think (if you read this site often enough) that I have a mediocre score. However, in reality that is not the case. Just get a balanced 30 and you should be OK as long as your personal statement is good and you have good ECs. A good MCAT score can get you an interview, but you need a lot of other stuff to get an acceptance.
And if you wind up with a balanced 28 (say with a 10, 9, 9) I would think you would get in to at least one school somewhere. Assuming that you have good interviews, ECs and LORs.
hello23 said:
I am doubling in Public Health and MCB (molecular cell bio) at Cal Berkeley.
As for my ECs i m not sure what is considered good, but I have:
- a year of neurosurg research at UCSF (no publication)
- head TA for upper div physio course
- working with a professor in PH (possible publication)
Planning to volunteer at UCSF this semester (interview next week) in the OR or ER. Do you think 3-6 months of volunteer would suffice?
NRAI2001 said:
I would think that amount of time would suffice provided that you were in the hospital 8 hours per week. And I would lean more towards the 6 month side of things versus 3 months.
Just remember that the average matriculant MCAT is slightly below a 30. That means that about half of the people got below a 30. I know thats obvious but its so easy so forget that plenty of people get in that are below the average. I do agree though that a nice even 30 should make you feel pretty comfortable, though there are no guarantees. Make sure you get good LORs too. That was almost my undoing.
I had a 3.4 undergrad, similar grad GPA, and got a 30P (9,9,12) and I am struggling in the allopathic realm...just got my first interview invite the other day, rejected at a bunch, and have yet to hear from about 7 or 8 more. So really put the time in to ace your MCATs...I realize my GPA is my weak spot, but I truly believe a balanced 32 or so would have me singing a different tune at this stage of the game. Good luck!
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NRAI2001 said:
Use your experiences to set you apart. explain how great the head TA experience was. i did something like that and got to say how much better i learned the material when i had to teach it well enough for others to pass the class, rather than just learn it well enough for myself to pass the class...
and the volunteering is good. when i interviewed, my only real experiences medically were 2 summers of near-full time research, a 1-week job shadow, and about 7 months of volunteering @ 4 hours/week. so if you did the volunteering for 6ish months at 4+ hours/week, i'd think you're looking golden.
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