GPA 3.77 MCAT 26 (10-6-10)

[arish]

Hey guys

So I just received my MCAT score and I got a 26 ( 10 - 6 - 10) and my GPA is 3.77
As you can see my verbal is the one that is holding me back and English is not my first language. I have been having a lot of problems with this section and not sure if I should retake. Would medical schools consider my foreign nationality? Do I have any chance getting into any MD schools?

-I have 2.5 years of research in molecular biology at Harvard medical school (1 publication and 1 to be submitted within the next 6 months).
-I have 150 hours of clinical shadowing which was part of a research study. I collected all the data for the paper and my name is acknowledged on the paper which was published in 2013.
-I have lived in three different Continents (Asia-Europe-America), and entered the US as an immigrant and have lots of life experiences that I can talk on my application.

I just signed up for July 26th but not sure if I retake since I might end up increasing my score by only few points to like a 29-30. But I am willing to retake and put the time to study again.

Be brutally honest with your suggestions. What would you do if you were in my position?

Thanks very much

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[lmn]

26 is not good enough for MD programs. It doesn't matter that english wasn't your first language or that you're international, schools are in the business of producing the best physicians they can and there are plenty of other qualified applicants to take up those seats that have proven they can do well in all sections.

Honestly a retake would greatly help you if you could reach a 30, sure it is still lower for MD's, but you'll go from screen rejections/instant rejections to at least being considered. If you are taking a gap year, feel free to push back the test another few months if that means you could bring up your verbal and your other scores as well.

Also are you a US citizen? If you are international, disregard everything I said before - you need to score much higher on the MCAT to be competitive as international. In that case, look into DO and their requirements for international, and/or look into some extreme MCAT prep to get you into the top percentile to be competitive at MD.

 

[arish]

I am a US citizen and I don't want to wait another year since the mcat is changing to a new version which has sociology and psychology on top of everything else. I took the trial part of the exam for the new upcoming section and it was very similar to the verbal exam along with some calculations. Calculations are not a problem but the verbal part again is going to make me suffer.
I am planning to retake but not sure how I should approach this time.

 

[lmn]

I would either go with the SN2 study plan in the mcat forum or with a prep course if you can afford it.

I would probably post in the mcat forum with what your previous study routines were and then get some feedback on how you can alter/improve your study plans.