Do schools reject before giving you secondaries?

[kings2]

Are there Schools that reject you before they give out secondaries? If so, what schools usually do that, and is it just based on raw number cut offs?

Thanks!

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[nascentdoc]

Yes and Yes. Top schools will do this with mediocre cantidates.

 

[DrJ2B]

Are there Schools that reject you before they give out secondaries? If so, what schools usually do that, and is it just based on raw number cut offs?

Thanks!

The UCs, Stanford, and Pitt come to mind. Certain schools have cutoffs for out of state applicants including some UT schools like UTSW. On the whole, I do not think they are strictly based on number cutoffs, but I am not totally sure. Perhaps someone can confirm this.

 

[skyreaper]

The UCs, Stanford, and Pitt come to mind. Certain schools have cutoffs for out of state applicants including some UT schools like UTSW. On the whole, I do not think they are strictly based on number cutoffs, but I am not totally sure. Perhaps someone can confirm this.

I head that admissions committee have a certain formula with mixes all your numbers and they pop out with a certain number themselves. Either this way or they use your numbers and create cut-off points for people they will send secondaries to.

 

[kings2]

So then is it good to explain an out of the ordinary score in your amcas essay? Or is it okay to wait until secondaries to mention it? Like if you have a poor MCAT score due to extraordinary circumstances-- but have a good score on your retake, can u wait to explain the first score in your secondaries, or will you not get secondaries b/c of the bad score?

my sitch, bad score the first time round- emergency situation
retake, and I got a 10, 10, 9-- so would I make the cut off for schools, or is it often a 10 in each section?

thanks again

I head that admissions committee have a certain formula with mixes all your numbers and they pop out with a certain number themselves. Either this way or they use your numbers and create cut-off points for people they will send secondaries to.

 

[bigbassinbob]

So then is it good to explain an out of the ordinary score in your amcas essay? Or is it okay to wait until secondaries to mention it? Like if you have a poor MCAT score due to extraordinary circumstances-- but have a good score on your retake, can u wait to explain the first score in your secondaries, or will you not get secondaries b/c of the bad score?

my sitch, bad score the first time round- emergency situation
retake, and I got a 10, 10, 9-- so would I make the cut off for schools, or is it often a 10 in each section?

thanks again

I wouldn't worry about explaining an MCAT score in your essay. That should be the place where you give admissions committees the initial impression of yourself, such as what draws you to a career in medicine. Lots of people retake the MCAT, and I think the majority of schools only look at the most recent test scores. If you are asked to explain your poor scores during your first test, it would probably be during your interview.

So are your "bad" scores the 29 total? Or are these your good scores? In any case, 29 is still a solid score and wouldn't cut you off or anything at the vast majority of schools. The only places that have cutoffs at 10 are usually state schools looking at out-of-state applicants. For example, Harvard accepts lots of applicants with <30 scores every year, while the University of Kentucky won't even look at someone who is out-of-state with less than a 10 in any section.

 

[Lochmoor]

Do not do any explaning of the negative points on your personal statement. It's a waste of the precious space you have in your ps to tell them about your best qualities.

Also, it puts you on the defensive. You need to be somewhat assertive in your ps by showing them experiences you have had that convince them you'll be a good doctor.

 

[docmemi]

So then is it good to explain an out of the ordinary score in your amcas essay? Or is it okay to wait until secondaries to mention it? Like if you have a poor MCAT score due to extraordinary circumstances-- but have a good score on your retake, can u wait to explain the first score in your secondaries, or will you not get secondaries b/c of the bad score?

my sitch, bad score the first time round- emergency situation
retake, and I got a 10, 10, 9-- so would I make the cut off for schools, or is it often a 10 in each section?

thanks again

cutoff for verbal is 8 and for some places a 7. you will make the computer cutoff for secondaries. you really should let them know about yourself in your essay.

like the other posters have mentioned, you should be positive and confident in your essay and tell them about yourself. im not sure how bad your first score was, but if you were ever going to mention the mcat in your personal statement, you should prolly just write one, at most two, sentences...somehow work this in. for example, one student who writes about a patient (he starts his statement with a catchy story) he once met who all of a sudden had a stroke and now became disabled can point out that one of things he learned from the patient was that "life is so fragile and that sometimes what happens to us is totally unexpected; for instance, when i had to retake the mcat as a result of an emergency that took place the night before i had to sit for my first mcats." i dunno i thought of that in 2 secs...some may say thats too cheezy. but im just trying to make a point. be very settle in saying. dont spend your entire essay on it obviously.

the uc's screen. stanford screens. some of the top programs, like harvard, give it to everyone actually. usc, loma linda dont screen.

 

[jlee9531]

mayo rejects you presecondary as well.

 

[bosox03]

Check out this thread

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=117038

for more schools that screen before sending out secondaries...

Hope this helps.