Do I have any chance?

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darknecrosforte said:
Retaking a 510... sounds like there are issues that even a stellar app can't fix. Really hard to tell if troll or very uninformed.
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Sorry I don't quite understand what you are saying. I am not trolling, I am seeking honest opinions. What are the "issues that you see that can't be fixed," if you don't mind elaborating?
 
You already know what your deficit is--spend this next year before applying accumulating some clinical hours. The research isn't going to make up for the lack of clinical exposure.

Apply broadly to schools within your stats range. You'll be fine.
 
neekzg said:
You already know what your deficit is--spend this next year before applying accumulating some clinical hours. The research isn't going to make up for the lack of clinical exposure.

Apply broadly to schools within your stats range. You'll be fine.
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Okay thanks, I will try to do this.
 
Also, people seem shocked about the idea of retaking the MCAT when I have a 510. But a 510 is about equal to a 31 on the old test. And a 31 isn't exactly stellar. I'm sort of confused about this. Most top schools have median MCATs of 34-37...
 
kaim10 said:
Sorry I don't quite understand what you are saying. I am not trolling, I am seeking honest opinions. What are the "issues that you see that can't be fixed," if you don't mind elaborating?
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ProspectiveKidd said:
This is the issue he speaks of
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cantankerous said:
Don't waste your time with retaking the MCAT. Get clinical experience. All you've shown is that you LOVE research and that's not what the primary job of a doctor is.
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It was a little quip indicating suspected massive humblebrag. MOST MD schools will be fine with a 510 so implying that you want "decent schools" is pretty off-putting. I would imagine that uttering a sentence like that at an interview would be very adverse on your app so be careful.

I forgot to look at how low your post count is to give you the benefit of the doubt. Before you decide ANYTHING, figure out WHY the average applicant has 1000-2000 hours of clinical volunteering or experience. Reasons include: Knowing what the hell they're getting into, justifying the decision to undergo 300,000 hours of training and hundreds of thousands in debt, increasing the likelihood that you actually want the job, etc. There ARE ways to demonstrate this without a lot of clinical experience, but you have to have the writing skills of Orson Scott Card and a congruent/interesting collection of experiences (military, international missions, entrepreneurial stuff, etc.) to convey it.
 
darknecrosforte said:
It was a little quip indicating suspected massive humblebrag. MOST MD schools will be fine with a 510 so implying that you want "decent schools" is pretty off-putting. I would imagine that uttering a sentence like that at an interview would be very adverse on your app so be careful.

I forgot to look at how low your post count is to give you the benefit of the doubt. Before you decide ANYTHING, figure out WHY the average applicant has 1000-2000 hours of clinical volunteering or experience. Reasons include: Knowing what the hell they're getting into, justifying the decision to undergo 300,000 hours of training and hundreds of thousands in debt, increasing the likelihood that you actually want the job, etc. There ARE ways to demonstrate this without a lot of clinical experience, but you have to have the writing skills of Orson Scott Card and a congruent/interesting collection of experiences (military, international missions, entrepreneurial stuff, etc.) to convey it.
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Okay, I see what you are saying. And I'm sorry if I came off as bragging when I mentioned "decent schools." I'm not looking at Ivies or anything. It just seems that most that I've looked at have MCAT scores around at least 34.
 
Going from 83rd percentile to 94th may equate to only 4 or so more questions correct per section. It is a new exam and will probably not give schools much info outside of percentiles.

We're all lucky that schools generally don't REQUIRE an extracurricular checklist in order to be considered for admissions. In fact, having an app that looks like a disjointed checklist without some thematic, continuous thread of commitment is pretty obvious. If your app focused on your strengths and had evidence of working on weaknesses, you could make it work. For example: I happened to start learning violin specifically for its ability to conjure powerful emotions in the player and audience. Now I volunteer in hospice care in music therapy. Blah blah blah. Not clinical exactly (LizzyM says if you could smell the patient, it counts) but conveys the desired outcomes/competencies that generally result from clinical care, if done correctly.

Use your limited time wisely and make sure that if a stranger were to receive your app, they would get an accurate representation of who you are and why above all else, you must/want to be a physician.
 
kaim10 said:
Also, people seem shocked about the idea of retaking the MCAT when I have a 510. But a 510 is about equal to a 31 on the old test. And a 31 isn't exactly stellar. I'm sort of confused about this. Most top schools have median MCATs of 34-37...
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A 31 MCAT may not be stellar, but along with the rest of my app it's gotten me 6 interviews out of 19 MD schools. It's not shabby at all.
 
kaim10 said:
Looking at MSAR stats and starting to feel like I don't have a chance to get into a decent med school.
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All med schools are decent. All med schools are more than decent.

(Unless we're talking about the Caribbean or something.)
 
I think you have a shot, especially if you applied DO and MD. Your MCAT is definitely better than mine and you have a solid GPA. The only thing that needs some work is you could use some more clinical experience but I definitely think you have a shot with what you have listed. However, if you for some reason do not get accepted then clinical experience is what I would do if I was you to approve your app for the following cycle
 
You could use clinical exposure and move volunteering in general. They don't have to be the same, but it would save time if they were.

Your stats and EC's look good. Even as is you have a good shot at a lot of school. Especially since you don't seem too picky.
 
123456123456 said:
I think you have a shot, especially if you applied DO and MD. Your MCAT is definitely better than mine and you have a solid GPA. The only thing that needs some work is you could use some more clinical experience but I definitely think you have a shot with what you have listed. However, if you for some reason do not get accepted then clinical experience is what I would do if I was you to approve your app for the following cycle
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Yeah, I think you're right. Thanks- I will keep this in mind.
 
Pagan FutureDoc said:
You could use clinical exposure and move volunteering in general. They don't have to be the same, but it would save time if they were.

Your stats and EC's look good. Even as is you have a good shot at a lot of school. Especially since you don't seem too picky.
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Thanks! And no, I'm really not picky actually. I will be happy if almost any school accepts me!
 
Never change, SDN. Even a 31 MCAT doesn't make someone well learned on the process.
 
darknecrosforte said:
Considering I said experience which includes jobs, it does seem reasonable for over 1000. Not every MS1 matriculates with zero work experience -_-
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I'm saying there's no way that the average for all applicants is 1000-2000. Sure some do, but the majority probably have a few hundred.
 
With that kind of research experience, I'm assuming you'd like to be a physician investigator throughout your career. I'd recommend you find a clinical research position that encompasses you enrolling patients in clinical trials and interacting with them in some way for the studies. With that much NIH experience under your belt, it should be fairly easy to find a position like that with just a few e-mails. When you apply to schools, pick the ones that love research / incorporate some sort of longitudinal research experience in the curriculum. Also, state your goals very clearly, and you should get several interviews.

Edit: my main point is that this kind of clinical research position would double dip with counting as clinical hours. Plus, you'll learn a lot about how to speak very clearly and transparently to patients, and this will be highly valuable to you throughout your career
 
kaim10 said:
Looking at MSAR stats and starting to feel like I don't have a chance to get into a decent med school.

GPA=3.7, MCAT= 510 (approx. 31 on the old test) but will retake
-Three consecutive summers of NIH research
-Dance at school fairly seriously/rigorously
-Have played violin 12 years (though no longer in a formal orchestra)
-Some volunteer tutoring inner city kids (about 60 hours)
-About 50 hours of doctor shadowing
-Attend a top 15 liberal arts school

I guess my main worry is a lack of clinical volunteering. Although maybe my extensive research compensates? Any opinions on my chances? Thanks!
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As others have said, all US med schools are decent.

What state are you in? if you're from Calif, then your chances won't be the same if you're from West Virginia.
 
SOMBound13 said:
As others have said, all US med schools are decent.

What state are you in? if you're from Calif, then your chances won't be the same if you're from West Virginia.
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Well, that's the other problem. I am from D.C. :/ Which means I have no state schools. There are three private ones but they give no preference to in state.
 
On that topic, if anyone knows of any public schools that don't have a huge preference in-state vs out of state, I'd love to hear about it!
 
kaim10 said:
On that topic, if anyone knows of any public schools that don't have a huge preference in-state vs out of state, I'd love to hear about it!
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The MSAR would be a great resource to answer this question.
 
candbgirl said:
Just a FYI- only apply to schools you would attend if accepted.
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Do applicants actually apply to MD schools that they wouldn't attend? Why would they not attend? And, if so, why apply?
 
No chance if you don't get any patient contact volunteering. How can you demonstrate to us that you know what you're getting into and that you really want to be around sick people????

Your app isn't one of someone who does what's necessary to be a doctor; it's the app of someone doing what's convenient.

kaim10 said:
Looking at MSAR stats and starting to feel like I don't have a chance to get into a decent med school.

GPA=3.7, MCAT= 510 (approx. 31 on the old test) but will retake
-Three consecutive summers of NIH research
-Dance at school fairly seriously/rigorously
-Have played violin 12 years (though no longer in a formal orchestra)
-Some volunteer tutoring inner city kids (about 60 hours)
-About 50 hours of doctor shadowing
-Attend a top 15 liberal arts school

I guess my main worry is a lack of clinical volunteering. Although maybe my extensive research compensates? Any opinions on my chances? Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
SOMBound13 said:
Do applicants actually apply to MD schools that they wouldn't attend? Why would they not attend? And, if so, why apply?
Click to expand...

candbgirl said:
I find it totally absurd but there have been posts on here that seem to indicate it does happen.
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I can understand applying to all one's instate publics with the thinking that a couple may not be that desirable (location, maybe), but if one of those schools were the person's only acceptance, would they decline? 😱
 
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