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Does anyone else have similar stats, has applied, and can share their results with me? This may help me decide what schools to apply to. Thanks.
From Cornell with a 4.0, 28 MCAT
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glinkov said:
My route wasn't similar to yours as you can see from my screen name. However I would suggest that you need to apply broadly and to a wide range of schools given your MCAT which is disproportionately low as compared to your perfect GPA. Is it at least a balanced 28? Also bear in mind that this process is not a strictly numerical one, and so you will need solid ECs, LORs, a compelling PS, etc.
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glinkov said:
Be careful with anecdotal evidence. You cannot know what else this person had in their app -- they may have had a "hook" that you cannot duplicate. For every person someone knows who got in with a given score, there will be someone else on SDN who knows someone with better stats who didn't get in. Best to play the odds rather than assume you too can beat them.
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Raise your MCAT to 30+, and you should be competitive at the majority of schools you apply to (unless you use the USNWR top 10 as an application guide). But shop around. If your state has med schools, apply to those. Figure out what you're looking for in a med school; what part of the country you'd like to spend the next four years in, etc. Above all, take your time. Don't pick schools out of a hat - make sure they're the ones you'd really like to go to. Don't apply to schools you wouldn't attend if you got into them. With me, it came down to geography, in helping me select. For you, it might be different. But this is definitely a step where proper planning will put you ahead of the pack. Good luck.
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Marie_ said:
Are these people kidding? Apply early and you can get in anywhere.
Remember, this is not an exact science. I have talk to many ADs and the difference between an early application( small pile) and a late application( big pile) is significant. My GPA and MCAT are lower than yours, I still got in a top tier school.My pal got into John Hopkins with a f@%& GPA:3.4 MCAT 29
Get it in early baby.
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dom1n1c said:
Again, the anecdotal stuff isn't helpful -- i can point you to lots of people who didn't get into hopkins with higher stats than your pal who applied early.
While I'm not sure the OP needs to retake the MCAT if he has a balanced 28, it does necessitate applying to a broader range of schools. But we don't actually know if it is balanced. No point coming to a conclusion without the facts being all in. Eg. if the OP has a badly unbalanced 28, (a 7 or below in a section) he may not be getting in anywhere. Similarly, if his ECs aren't up to snuff, has bad LORs, interviews badly, has a bad PS. There is really no way to know this. All we know is the dude/tte has a below average total MCAT. That doesn't really suggest to me that we should be talking about how easy it is to get into Columbia and Hopkins in this thread.
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Law2Doc speaks the truth. Folks will always counter with stories of "I know a guy..." but that should be taken with a grain of salt.
The fact is always this: there are LOTS of people out there who were suprised by how hard it was to get in to med school with their given stats (regardless of what those stats are). There are very few who walk away and say "Wow, it sure was easier to get in than I thought".
Caution never killed anyone.
The fact is always this: there are LOTS of people out there who were suprised by how hard it was to get in to med school with their given stats (regardless of what those stats are). There are very few who walk away and say "Wow, it sure was easier to get in than I thought".
Caution never killed anyone.
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glinkov said:
Make the rest of your app perfect (experiences, essays, LORs, etc), and I don't see your MCAT gettting in the way. Although you may have some explaining to do.
Like everybody else, I would suggest the whole apply to 20% dream schools, 60% Fair-to-good chance schools, and 20% good-to-great chance schools.
I would think that you would be looking at 2nd tier schools (Middle ranking on USNews) for your 60%.
luck
Geez dude. Take the MCAT again. Cornell is probably one of the toughest schools in the country to get decent grades at, and you got a 4.0, but only a 28? I bet if you study your a** off you'll nail it on round 2.
Then you can use the US News top 10 as an application guide.
Then you can use the US News top 10 as an application guide.
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eastsidaz said:
Yeah, I agree. Maybe the OP goes to the fake Cornell in the mid-west, "Cornell College".
a Cornell 4.0 is something to take seriously... unless your roommate had something to do with it... (do they STILL use this joke in Ithaca?)
unfortunately med school and residency applications are so numbers driven. don't give them an excuse to pass you up for someone else.
you probably didn't prepare enough for the mcats. as you no doubt know it takes a lot of practice to post a stellar score. i would try to dig deep down and post the best second score you can and you can only help yourself. good luck!
unfortunately med school and residency applications are so numbers driven. don't give them an excuse to pass you up for someone else.
you probably didn't prepare enough for the mcats. as you no doubt know it takes a lot of practice to post a stellar score. i would try to dig deep down and post the best second score you can and you can only help yourself. good luck!
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dom1n1c said:
You gotta be kidding me! Those #s getting into top-tier schools. I ain't getting no love with similiar #s. But then again, if you are a URM and apply early, then I imagine the OP can have a moderate chance.
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Hey everybody, it's the OP here. To answer some of the points brought up : I am at the Ivy League Cornell, I do have a balanced 28 (9,9,10), my LOR's should be great, I've done molecular and behavioral research for 2 years, have volunteered in hospitals and with the blind, my interviewing skills are very good (I'm extremely down to Earth). I recieved the MCAT score that I did because I rushed into taking them after my sophmore yr. which was a mistake. I plan on retaking them in April, and based on my recent practice scores, should do substantially better. My dream is Cornell Med school. Hope to be there in Fall 2007. Thanks to everyone for the input.
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MN81 said:Make the rest of your app perfect (experiences, essays, LORs, etc), and I don't see your MCAT gettting in the way. Although you may have some explaining to do.
Like everybody else, I would suggest the whole apply to 20% dream schools, 60% Fair-to-good chance schools, and 20% good-to-great chance schools.
I would think that you would be looking at 2nd tier schools (Middle ranking on USNews) for your 60%.
luck
This really helps. Thanks
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swifty100850 said:
I think it's insulting to call any place 'fake' - just because it is not as prestigious as we may like.
Nice seeing this attitude in future colleagues. Expect to see it often.
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glinkov:
a word of warning, Cornell med is very harsh to its undergrads. Unfortunate in view of how difficult it is to get into med school anyway.
As for your stats, a 4.0 from Cornell says a lot, in my opinion more so than a 4.0 from Harvard or Stanford (schools with better fame, but, in my view, worse grade inflation). With such grades, you should have no problem retaking the MCAT and getting high 30s into the 40s. Is there, perhaps, a linguistic barrier (Glinkov sounds Russian)?
a word of warning, Cornell med is very harsh to its undergrads. Unfortunate in view of how difficult it is to get into med school anyway.
As for your stats, a 4.0 from Cornell says a lot, in my opinion more so than a 4.0 from Harvard or Stanford (schools with better fame, but, in my view, worse grade inflation). With such grades, you should have no problem retaking the MCAT and getting high 30s into the 40s. Is there, perhaps, a linguistic barrier (Glinkov sounds Russian)?
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mercaptovizadeh said:I think it's insulting to call any place 'fake' - just because it is not as prestigious as we may like.
Nice seeing this attitude in future colleagues. Expect to see it often.
My bad. I just checked - Cornell College is actually older than Cornell University. I thought it was the other way around.
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glinkov said:
I also rushed into taking my MCAT summer after sophomore year, it sucked, I was tired of studying and couldn't focus and didn't score too hot. Anyway, my advice is, a 4.0 at Cornell means you are at least a good test taker and able to study when you put your mind to it. Retake the MCAT, apply the same focus on the MCAT that you applied to your 4.0, you may find a much higher score. Cornell med school won't be easy, but you already got the GPA for it, retake and see where you get. Heck, you have a good shot right now at your local state university (unless you are from cali, then you are screwed 😛). Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much. But if you are aiming for a ivy league med school, study and retake the MCAT!
Law2Doc said:
I was just trying to let the guy know that he's not in bad shape. Let's not try to burst his bubble. The girl did some research, but nothing serious. I think that her #1 feat was getting that 4.0. I mean, schools look at that when you apply. The MCAT is just one test on one day, but you've got a 4.0, which says you're consistently good in school.
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keedz said:
Actually a lot of schools look at it as just the opposite. The MCAT is standard and across schools, so it is not subject to things like grade inflation, taking an easy courseload, taking easy profs. (Not saying the OP did this.) The MCAT is used as a yardstick for med schools to gauge how much weight they should give to a high GPA. In this case they might not give as much.
I'm not sure the goal should be to tell someone they are in good shape, when there is reason to at least entertain some rehabilitative action. Someone with a 4.0 at an ivy should be scoring better than a 28, one would think, and some schools will be troubled by this. With a lower MCAT, the knee-jerk reaction should not be to compare the OP to folks getting into Columbia and Hopkins. The question should be whether the person needs to retake the test to have a decently strong shot at allo schools in general.
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Yeah, but the cat was talking smack.Rafa said:
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Seriously, take a year off and re-take the test in August. If you have a 4.0 and good ECs and LORs, then you will be fine as a late applicant.
1) Taking a year off will give you life experience and may bolster your application if you do research and/or clinical work
2) There is a lot of anecdotal evidence about low MCAT scores. If you want to be competitive, re-take the MCAT. A 28 really will not do. Moreover, it is probably below Cornells average, so you will not seem like the top of their class.
1) Taking a year off will give you life experience and may bolster your application if you do research and/or clinical work
2) There is a lot of anecdotal evidence about low MCAT scores. If you want to be competitive, re-take the MCAT. A 28 really will not do. Moreover, it is probably below Cornells average, so you will not seem like the top of their class.
