Confused, non trad, please help

[makingmd]

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Hello, and thank you in advance.

I will try and fit my story in the smallest nutshell and I am soliciting any advice....

Goal: med school
Barriers: GPA (good, but not stellar), MCAT (poor BOTH times)

Can anyone give me advice? I could...
A) study and take the MCAT for a 3rd time and risk bombing
if you like answer A please provide helpful study tips. First time I studied for 3 months straight, quit my job, didn't go out at all and took TPR prior.

B) apply to a program (not post bac as I have completed all of my requirements) - I am not familiar with them, but I know Drexel has one. If you chose B please provide me with the name of the program, what it entails, entrance requiremtns and location.

C) give up and keep doing what I am doing...not a viable option for me.

Just to let you all know I am not a flake. I started this process 5 years ago consistently taking multiple classes at night to finish my pre reqs, I have been working full time pretty much the entire time. I have volunteered 2 years in a well known hospital, shadowed doctors, and done well in my post bac classes. I am 28 so still young, but not country bumpkin right out of college into med school young. I appreciate any input be it your own experience, what you plan to do, what you have done, what you have chosen not to do etc....

My personal email is [email protected]. THANK YOU!!!

 

[Maxprime]

Hello, and thank you in advance.

I will try and fit my story in the smallest nutshell and I am soliciting any advice....

Goal: med school
Barriers: GPA (good, but not stellar), MCAT (poor BOTH times)

How bad is bad? A good GPA can make up for a bad MCAT and vice-versa. How are your EC's?

Is your MCAT good enough to get you into a Special Masters Program? Check out Georgetown, Boston University, just a few - there are a good # of them.

I don't know your #'s or your success rate with applying thus far (any interviews?). Can you give anymore info? How are your EC's?

 

[makingmd]

How bad is bad? A good GPA can make up for a bad MCAT and vice-versa. How are your EC's?

Is your MCAT good enough to get you into a Special Masters Program? Check out Georgetown, Boston University, just a few - there are a good # of them.

I don't know your #'s or your success rate with applying thus far (any interviews?). Can you give anymore info? How are your EC's?[/QUOTE

Sorry just getting this now....

My GPA is a 3.5 with all of the weird AMCAS thangs it drops to 3.2. MCAT 20R, 21R. EC stellar. I have everything except research & real journal publications and I really don't want to go to a research based school so that is ok.

I decided not to apply beause 1) I can do better 2) I was not happy with my #'s therefore chances.

I am kind of grounded in Cali for now. I am willing to move for med school,. but would love to stay here or East Coast, Philly, NYC, NJ etc.

Thank you for your input.

 

[daeojkim]

If you have stellar EC and 3.5 GPA, but calculated 3.2 AMCAS GPA, I would recommend this.

1. Study for MCAT for at least 6 months like there is no tomorrow. e.g. get princeton review book, memorize and understand the content back to back. And do thousands of questions and do them as many times as possible. Make sure to throughly read answer explanations even for those answers that you get right in the beginning stages and only those you get wrong in later stages of studying. If you scored 20 and 21 in MCAT you seriously need major improvement and that takes major commitment. You should try to get over 30 on your third time around.

2. Apply to SMP at Georgetown, Boston, or those that are geared towards post bac premeds. From personal experience, Georgetown SMP is not for anyone. The program has a great track record for getting students into med school but it takes MAJOR commitment to do well to benefit from it and competition is intense, but that is expected.

If you are only considering MD track, I suggest to change your mind and also consier DO schools as well. If you can improve your MCAT scores, I think you have a decent shot at DO schools.

 

[CrazyPremed]

I'm going to play devil's advocate and ask about the MCAT score. 20 and 21 seem pretty low - well below average. I could understand if something happened when you took the test the first time, but there are two really low scores. What do you think happened?

Like others said, I would repeat the prep class and the MCAT. I would also look at the correlations between MCAT scores and step I board scores in medical school. Statistically speaking, you may not have what it takes to be a competitive applicant. Truthfully speaking, I think that you CAN make it through this obstacle to an MD school, but it is going to take a shift in thinking, studying, and testing on your part. Good luck!! I have faith in you.

CrazyPremed

 

[melissa123]

You are NOT alone!! I just turned 29, and have consistently struggled with the MCAT. I too worked full-time, and am pursuing this dream. I am not giving up! I have a decent GPA (3.62 overall, 3.55 Science, 3.92 non-science). I'm currently looking into either post-bacc programs, or even caribbean med schools! I feel that no matter where you go to med school, in order to practice in the us, we all have to pass the SAME boards! In the end, we are all doctors. Good luck!! 🙂

Hello, and thank you in advance.

I will try and fit my story in the smallest nutshell and I am soliciting any advice....

Goal: med school
Barriers: GPA (good, but not stellar), MCAT (poor BOTH times)

Can anyone give me advice? I could...
A) study and take the MCAT for a 3rd time and risk bombing
if you like answer A please provide helpful study tips. First time I studied for 3 months straight, quit my job, didn't go out at all and took TPR prior.

B) apply to a program (not post bac as I have completed all of my requirements) - I am not familiar with them, but I know Drexel has one. If you chose B please provide me with the name of the program, what it entails, entrance requiremtns and location.

C) give up and keep doing what I am doing...not a viable option for me.

Just to let you all know I am not a flake. I started this process 5 years ago consistently taking multiple classes at night to finish my pre reqs, I have been working full time pretty much the entire time. I have volunteered 2 years in a well known hospital, shadowed doctors, and done well in my post bac classes. I am 28 so still young, but not country bumpkin right out of college into med school young. I appreciate any input be it your own experience, what you plan to do, what you have done, what you have chosen not to do etc....

My personal email is [email protected]. THANK YOU!!!

 

[relentless11]

1. Study for MCAT for at least 6 months like there is no tomorrow. e.g. get princeton review book, memorize and understand the content back to back. And do thousands of questions and do them as many times as possible. Make sure to throughly read answer explanations even for those answers that you get right in the beginning stages and only those you get wrong in later stages of studying. If you scored 20 and 21 in MCAT you seriously need major improvement and that takes major commitment. You should try to get over 30 on your third time around.

There is a huge difference between studying effectively, and studying ineffectively for a long amount of time. Having someone study for "at least 6 months" without resolving whatever issue they had to get a score of 20 in the first place is inadequate. If time was an issue, sure, they need to find more time to study. But, more often than not, people tend to not study effectively. Prep courses such as TPR are merely there to profide scaffolding for ones study habits, and to familiarize first time test takers to the MCAT. It will always come down to ones personal study habits, and capacity to understand, and apply concepts on the MCAT. This goes beyond any study tips that anyone on SDN can suggest. One can study hard for 8 months, or 12 months, and still do poorly if you do not understand "what went wrong".

In regards to makingmd, the MCAT score is disturbingly low, and the second score is not encouraging. Statistically, improving ones score a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) time quite minimal. In fact some may get a lower score, others may get the same score. Drastic improvements are usually due to people having some kind of hinderance at the time of taking their first test (like they had to work full-time, or raise a family..etc). Even then, this is not a common event.

Both GPA and MCAT are equally important. I honestly have not heard of anyone getting in with a 20 or 21 on their MCAT. In fact its probably more common for someone with a <3.0 GPA (I'm thinking 2.9) getting in with a high MCAT score, and having shown recent academic success (e.g., 4.0's in post-bacc). Therefore, I'd figure out "what went wrong" with the MCAT. This is something intrinsic to you, rather than something we can recommend. Also note that the MCAT is computer based next year. Could be good, could be bad. I think it'll depend on the person taking it. Regardless, an MCAT score of 30 or more is pretty much needed in your case. Good luck!

 

[PedzOhNine]

yes, i agree. Look into both DO and MD schools. Especially if you are thinking about primary care. Osteopathic medicine is on the rise in terms of novel treatment and patient care. Read about it. You'll be surprised...

best of luck