Do I have a chance or should I apply next cycle?

[somedude95]

Long time lurker here, looking for some advice. I was planning on applying to allopathic med schools this cycle, but I ended up taking the MCAT late in the game (tested on 7/8, getting scores on 8/8). As I walked out of the testing room, I felt confident--but at this point, I feel like I did terrible. My concern is that I will finish my primary app, and get a bad MCAT score, rendering my app useless. My GPA and ECs are solid (lots of hospital volunteering, research, presentations, conferences, and tutoring, although I don't have ANY formal shadowing experience yet). Personally, I feel like if I take a gap year, I can make my app stronger with more clinical experience, and retake the MCAT (if necessary). At the same time, however, in the slim chance that I did well on the MCAT, a gap year might not be needed. Should I wait until next cycle, or take my chances and finish the primary app (which I have already started) and hope for the best?

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[wysdoc]

Long time lurker here, looking for some advice. I was planning on applying to allopathic med schools this cycle, but I ended up taking the MCAT late in the game (tested on 7/8, getting scores on 8/8). As I walked out of the testing room, I felt confident--but at this point, I feel like I did terrible. My concern is that I will finish my primary app, and get a bad MCAT score, rendering my app useless. My GPA and ECs are solid (lots of hospital volunteering, research, presentations, conferences, and tutoring, although I don't have ANY formal shadowing experience yet). Personally, I feel like if I take a gap year, I can make my app stronger with more clinical experience, and retake the MCAT (if necessary). At the same time, however, in the slim chance that I did well on the MCAT, a gap year might not be needed. Should I wait until next cycle, or take my chances and finish the primary app (which I have already started) and hope for the best?

Work on all the parts of your application now but wait to officially submit it until you see your score.

 

[UncertaintyPrinciple]

I feel like a lot of people think they bombed the MCAT and end up doing fine. Wait until you get your score back until you condemn your chances.

If you feel like you want to apply this cycle, one option is for you to submit your primary application with 1 "throwaway" school right now before your scores come back. This way, it can be put in line to be verified while waiting on the score. Once your get your MCAT score, you can decide if you want to go ahead and add more schools.

Also, I would recommend getting some shadowing experience.