Does my application make up for my 500 MCAT?

[lilylou221]

Hi,

I scored a 500 on my MCAT (I took the exam two months after graduating college while working full-time as I cannot afford to study full-time). I am willing to re-take the MCAT, but am curious about my chances of getting into medical school with my application as is.

Major: Cellular & Molecular Biology
GPA: 3.75
Science GPA: 3.75

Relevant experience:
-Paramedic Internship (50+ hours shadowing in ER and ambulance)
-CNA on Med/Surg floor (1000+ hours)

Research experience:
-3 consecutive summer internships at biotech company
-Presented research at Harvard conference
-Published research in prominent journal

Involvement/Leadership:
-Student-run coffee shop (2 years barista/ 1 year business manager)
-A cappella (4 years member/ 2 years business manager)
-Residential Assistant (2 years)
-Club Sport (4 years business manager/captain)

Volunteer:
-Founding board member mental health non-profit (200+ hours)
-Cancer center patient ambassador (300 hours)

Travel:
-Hiked Pacific Crest Trail raised $10,000+ for charity
-Taught English in Vietnam 1 year

How I spent my gap years:
First 9 months: Studied/took MCAT, worked 60+hrs/week
The next 15 months: Hiked the PCT (Mexico-Canada), traveled Southeast Asia, taught English as a second language in rural Vietnam
Year 3: Work as CNA on med/surg floor providing direct patient care (everything from phlebotomy to bed pans)

Does anyone have experience getting into medical school with a 500 MCAT? Does anyone think the rest of my application is enough to compensate for my 500 MCAT?

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[Faha]

Where is your state of residence?

 

[lilylou221]

Where is your state of residence?

MA

 

[Faha]

The GPA-MCAT grid shows you have only a 25% chance for a MD acceptance with your stats. Your chances go up to 65% with a MCAT of 509. You could retake the MCAT but do not retake unless your practice scores are consistently above 508. Alternatively you could apply to DO schools and you are competitive for the majority of DO schools.

 

[LavarBall]

For others reading this, I think this is a great of example of how over-involvement in EC's can potentially hurt your application. Working 60 hours/week while studying for the MCAT is not a good idea. Aside from those that have the ability to test extremely well with minimal effort, the MCAT should be viewed as a full time job. I would tone down your involvement in EC's when restudying because you really need to make scoring well on the MCAT your priority. A good MCAT score will benefit your application far more than 3 months of 60hrs/week of a certain EC will.

 

[Goro]

Hi,

I scored a 500 on my MCAT (I took the exam two months after graduating college while working full-time as I cannot afford to study full-time). I am willing to re-take the MCAT, but am curious about my chances of getting into medical school with my application as is.

Major: Cellular & Molecular Biology
GPA: 3.75
Science GPA: 3.75

Relevant experience:
-Paramedic Internship (50+ hours shadowing in ER and ambulance)
-CNA on Med/Surg floor (1000+ hours)

Research experience:
-3 consecutive summer internships at biotech company
-Presented research at Harvard conference
-Published research in prominent journal

Involvement/Leadership:
-Student-run coffee shop (2 years barista/ 1 year business manager)
-A cappella (4 years member/ 2 years business manager)
-Residential Assistant (2 years)
-Club Sport (4 years business manager/captain)

Volunteer:
-Founding board member mental health non-profit (200+ hours)
-Cancer center patient ambassador (300 hours)

Travel:
-Hiked Pacific Crest Trail raised $10,000+ for charity
-Taught English in Vietnam 1 year

How I spent my gap years:
First 9 months: Studied/took MCAT, worked 60+hrs/week
The next 15 months: Hiked the PCT (Mexico-Canada), traveled Southeast Asia, taught English as a second language in rural Vietnam
Year 3: Work as CNA on med/surg floor providing direct patient care (everything from phlebotomy to bed pans)

Does anyone have experience getting into medical school with a 500 MCAT? Does anyone think the rest of my application is enough to compensate for my 500 MCAT?

I think that you're DOA even for U MA, but fine for DO schools if you apply broadly. Skip AZCOM, CCOM and the Coastal Touros.

As a teaching moment to follow up LavarBall's comment, the MCAT is also a demonstration of your ability to make good choices. This is a high stakes, career deciding exam, and you're expected to prepare for it, and take it only at your best.

If you're boning for the MD, retake, and score at least a 510+. Chances will be best with U MA and U VM

 

[Deleted member 737595]

I think that you're DOA even for U MA, but fine for DO schools if you apply broadly. Skip AZCOM, CCOM and the Coastal Touros.

As a teaching moment to follow up LavarBall's comment, the MCAT is also a demonstration of your ability to make good choices. This is a high stakes, career deciding exam, and you're expected to prepare for it, and take it only at your best.

If you're boning for the MD, retake, and score at least a 510+. Chances will be best with U MA and U VM

Plus he still has time to take it and apply early this year, so its a no brainer.

 

[lilylou221]

For others reading this, I think this is a great of example of how over-involvement in EC's can potentially hurt your application. Working 60 hours/week while studying for the MCAT is not a good idea. Aside from those that have the ability to test extremely well with minimal effort, the MCAT should be viewed as a full time job. I would tone down your involvement in EC's when restudying because you really need to make scoring well on the MCAT your priority. A good MCAT score will benefit your application far more than 3 months of 60hrs/week of a certain EC will.

Hi! Thanks so much for your response. I absolutely agree that my MCAT score should have been my first priority; however, working 60 hrs/week after graduating was out of necessity and was not intended to boost my application in any way. I was unable to move home after graduating, so I had to support myself and start paying rent immediately. I worked as a nanny and a waitress for those nine months while studying for the MCAT.

In retrospect, I should have waited to take the MCAT until I was prepared rather than rush to “get it out of the way”.

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply to my post!

 

[candbgirl]

I certainly understand having to work but you somehow survived after the MCAT hiking the Pacific Crest raising money for charity for several months. Be careful how you word things.

 

[Deleted member 737595]

I certainly understand having to work but you somehow survived after the MCAT hiking the Pacific Crest raising money for charity for several months. Be careful how you word things.

Yeah, what up with that?? Redflag?

 

[lilylou221]

I certainly understand having to work but you somehow survived after the MCAT hiking the Pacific Crest raising money for charity for several months. Be careful how you word things.

Hi! Thanks for your response and advice. I was actually able to find sponsors from outdoor brands to fund almost my entire trek. Regardless, my question is if the degree to which my application is made stronger by these gap year travel experiences compensate for the 500 on the MCAT. The consensus seems to be that it does not.

I now have the time and financial flexibility to fully commit to retaking the exam, I was just curious if it could be avoided.

 

[Walter Raleigh]

I think that you're DOA even for U MA, but fine for DO schools if you apply broadly. Skip AZCOM, CCOM and the Coastal Touros.

As a teaching moment to follow up LavarBall's comment, the MCAT is also a demonstration of your ability to make good choices. This is a high stakes, career deciding exam, and you're expected to prepare for it, and take it only at your best.

If you're boning for the MD, retake, and score at least a 510+. Chances will be best with U MA and U VM

Maybe OP has a chance if "prominent journal" means "Nature, Science, or Cell" - as a first author. What are your thoughts? Can a first-author Nature paper outweigh a 500 MCAT for a school like UMass?

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

Maybe OP has a chance if "prominent journal" means "Nature, Science, or Cell" - as a first author. What are your thoughts? Can a first-author Nature paper outweigh a 500 MCAT for a school like UMass?

I'm of the opinion that the schools that care about which journal the first author was in are the ones with mean MCATs in the 51x's

 

[OchemOficionado]

For others reading this, I think this is a great of example of how over-involvement in EC's can potentially hurt your application. Working 60 hours/week while studying for the MCAT is not a good idea. Aside from those that have the ability to test extremely well with minimal effort, the MCAT should be viewed as a full time job. I would tone down your involvement in EC's when restudying because you really need to make scoring well on the MCAT your priority. A good MCAT score will benefit your application far more than 3 months of 60hrs/week of a certain EC will.

Haha. This PSA is hilarious to me only because I doubt anyone enjoys working full time+ and studying for the MCAT. Nobody thinks for a second that this is a great idea. You basically said, PSA don’t be broke Got it, thanks! A job isn’t just an EC to a lot of us. Some of us are required to support ourselves. I have no choice but to work full time while studying for the MCAT, BUT like Goro it’s now my responsibility to demonstrate good decision making skills when it comes to scheduling this high stakes exam. That seems like a better PSA.

 

[PapaSmurphy777]

Haha. This PSA is hilarious to me only because I doubt anyone enjoys working full time+ and studying for the MCAT. Nobody thinks for a second that this is a great idea. You basically said, PSA don’t be broke Got it, thanks! A job isn’t just an EC to a lot of us. Some of us are required to support ourselves. I have no choice but to work full time while studying for the MCAT, BUT like Goro it’s now my responsibility to demonstrate good decision making skills when it comes to scheduling this high stakes exam. That seems like a better PSA.

Thank you! The kids gotta eat!

 

[Isentropic]

I think you should apply broadly, especially with a published journal article.
Look for programs that are looking for research-oriented candidates like you, and not just all-rounders.