Decent numbers, STUPID mcat retake....chances?

[stressed07]

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Hi all, ive long time lurker but this is my first time posting and i was hoping to get some advice. I am a rising senior and here are my stats:

Undergrad: Ivy
State of Residence: NY
cGPA: 3.79
sGPA: 3.76
MCAT:
- 1st time taking = 12/10/10/R (32R)
- 2nd-time taking = 11/11/11/Q (33Q)
LORs should be fairly strong (2 research PIs, 1 non-science professor)
Extracurricular Activities:
- 1 summer break + 1 winter break of Alzheimers research
- 2 years + 1 summer break of cancer research (2nd author paper in the process of being submitted; 1 poster presentation)
- Member of 2 student organizations on campus since freshman year (so 3 years so far) with leadership positions in both organizations this past year.
- 5 months clinical volunteering for cancer patients
- 1.5 years clinical volunteering in hospice
- 1.5 years nonclinical volunteering in homeless shelter
- 1 week shadowing (only 1 doctor)
- 2 summers + 2 winter breaks of seasonal employment as student tutor
- Volunteer for my local church since elementary school through college

School List:
1. Albany
2. Albert Einstein
3. BU
4. Case Western
5. Columbia
6. Dartmouth
7. Drexel
8. GWU
9. Georgetown
10. Jefferson
11. Mount Sinai
12. NYMC
13. NYU
14. Penn St.
15. Upstate
16. Buffalo
17. Downstate
18. Stony Brook
19. Temple
20. Tufts
21. Pitt
22. Rochester
23. UVA
24. VCU
25. Cornell

I have yet to begin any of my secondaries because I am still debating whether or not i should apply this cycle. I have everything else submitted (i.e primary, letters of rec, etc.) except for the secondaries. I realize that if i start now i would be considered "late" but im just trying to decide what i should do for now.
My main concern is obviously the MCAT retake and only going up by 1 point. In retrospect retaking for me was idiotic and simply out of arrogance. How badly will the retake affect my chances of getting in? Does anyone have any feedback for my school list (add/remove any schools)?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[sector9]

Hi all, ive long time lurker but this is my first time posting and i was hoping to get some advice. I am a rising senior and here are my stats:

Undergrad: Ivy
State of Residence: NY
cGPA: 3.79
sGPA: 3.76
MCAT:
- 1st time taking = 12/10/10/R (32R)
- 2nd-time taking = 11/11/11/Q (33Q)
LORs should be fairly strong (2 research PIs, 1 non-science professor)
Extracurricular Activities:
- 1 summer break + 1 winter break of Alzheimers research
- 2 years + 1 summer break of cancer research (2nd author paper in the process of being submitted; 1 poster presentation)
- Member of 2 student organizations on campus since freshman year (so 3 years so far) with leadership positions in both organizations this past year.
- 5 months clinical volunteering for cancer patients
- 1.5 years clinical volunteering in hospice
- 1.5 years nonclinical volunteering in homeless shelter
- 1 week shadowing (only 1 doctor)
- 2 summers + 2 winter breaks of seasonal employment as student tutor
- Volunteer for my local church since elementary school through college

School List:
1. Albany
2. Albert Einstein
3. BU
4. Case Western
5. Columbia
6. Dartmouth
7. Drexel
8. GWU
9. Georgetown
10. Jefferson
11. Mount Sinai
12. NYMC
13. NYU
14. Penn St.
15. Upstate
16. Buffalo
17. Downstate
18. Stony Brook
19. Temple
20. Tufts
21. Pitt
22. Rochester
23. UVA
24. VCU
25. Cornell

I have yet to begin any of my secondaries because I am still debating whether or not i should apply this cycle. I have everything else submitted (i.e primary, letters of rec, etc.) except for the secondaries. I realize that if i start now i would be considered "late" but im just trying to decide what i should do for now.
My main concern is obviously the MCAT retake and only going up by 1 point. In retrospect retaking for me was idiotic and simply out of arrogance. How badly will the retake affect my chances of getting in? Does anyone have any feedback for my school list (add/remove any schools)?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Well it was a bad idea to retake a 32, but I don't think you'll be at too much of a disadvantage.

Did you take classes from your two research PIs? I am worried that you don't have two science and one non-science LORs.

 

[stressed07]

Thanks for your reply. I have not taken any lectures with any of my PIs but I have been receiving letter grades as a class from one of my PIs (thought im not sure if that matters). I could attempt to get LORs from professors that I have actually taken classes with once I return to school but would that be too late (around the end of August)? Also Im not sure they would be very good letters because although i did go to office hours occasionally, i dont think my professors really knew me that well.

Would not having 2 letters strictly from science professors automatically screen me out from admission?

 

[Flamen04]

Are you kidding me? You WOULD NOT be late if you started your secondaries now. Just work through them diligently and you should be fine.

 

[sector9]

Thanks for your reply. I have not taken any lectures with any of my PIs but I have been receiving letter grades as a class from one of my PIs (thought im not sure if that matters). I could attempt to get LORs from professors that I have actually taken classes with once I return to school but would that be too late (around the end of August)? Also Im not sure they would be very good letters because although i did go to office hours occasionally, i dont think my professors really knew me that well.

Would not having 2 letters strictly from science professors automatically screen me out from admission?

For example, you may not fill the requirements at Downstate
http://sls.downstate.edu/admissions/medicine/how_to_apply/letters_of_rec.html

You should look up each school's website to figure out their LOR requirements. If they aren't listed, you can ask in the school-specific thread for that school. Your final option is to call or email the schools left.

Some schools just say that the professor needs to be a science faculty member, so your letters may be fine. Others have additional stipulations that may require you to get additional letters.

Of course, this all supposes that your school doesn't have a committee letter.

Schools won't screen you out prior to secondaries, but they won't mark you complete (and thus won't consider your application for interviews or acceptance) until you meet their requirement. This means that you will be paying $33 to AMCAS to add that school+the secondary fee and won't ever be considered at that school. So it is worth it to figure out the LOR requirements before applying

 

[stressed07]

My school does in fact have a committee letter that has already been sent and received.

Does this mean im good? I kind of feel my heart dropping lol....

 

[sector9]

My school does in fact have a committee letter that has already been sent and received.

Does this mean im good? I kind of feel my heart dropping lol....

If you've got a committee letter, then that usually replaces any individual letter requirements. It's still worth it to look into it, but I think you're fine in that case. So basically you should be fine 🙂

Also, you're fine if you submit secondaries now. I would call you "average" at this point rather than early or late.

 

[stressed07]

I appreciate the info sector.

Does anyone have any feedback on my school list? I mainly chose schools based on location as I really need to stay in the northeast. Is it too top heavy or is it broad enough? Does anyone suggest adding any other schools?

Thanks guys

 

[stressed07]

Im thinking about not applying to cornell and columbia. any thoughts? My number 1 choice in NYU also btw