Thank you for the list! I did notice an interesting anomaly within your post, however. By showing me a list of MCAT scores, it doesn't serve to refute that a higher GPA makes up for a lower MCAT score. In fact, by definition, I would have to have some sort of deficiency in order to "compensate". Thus, by showing me a list of the average MCAT scores, it only shows me that I don't have an average MCAT score; it doesn't say anything regarding the relationship between MCAT and GPA. The only thing that speaks to that (as far as I know) is the AMCAS information itself which states that 67% of all folks with my stats gets accepted. My goal is to figure out where I can apply in order to be part of that majority.
Now, I would be willing to retake the MCAT, but I do feel that I peaked. My highest score on a practice was a 29 (I studied for 11 weeks about 20 hours a week and took all the AMCAS practice tests), and while I do wish that I was able to be perfectly confident in a dramatic improvement on the next score, I simply am not. So should I attempt it again, or should I stay put and pray?
Also, what are your thoughts on applying to traditionally black schools(I am white)? I have served quite a bit in underdeveloped communities, but I am not sure if that is enough.
The problem with the 67% is that it is an amalgamation of many different applicants. For example, a person with a 28 and 3.8 but from Mississippi will almost certainly get into their state school, while someone from Washington state with a 28 and 3.8 has really, really, really bad odds of getting into UW. If you look here, with a GPA>3.75, and an average MCAT sub-section score of 8-9 (24-27 total), the instate acceptance rate is 14.8%, and in the subsection score of 10-11 (30-33 total) the acceptance rate is 33%. In other words, if you were a Washington resident, your chances of being accepted would probably be somewhere around 20-25%
http://uwmedicine.washington.edu/Ed...ions/Pages/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.aspx#mcat
Like I said in my previous post, if you are from the south or one of the plains states, you have a decent shot, but if not, quoting the 67% stastic and hoping you'll be accepted may not be the best plan. If you can raise your MCAT to at least a 30, youe chance of getting in somewhere will be a lot better.
At the end of the day, you can explain a low gpa, i.e. the applicant went to one of the best schools in the country and has a deflated gpa/was not the sharpest crayon at an institution filled with above-average students, while the MCAT is a national exam that places everyone on the same footing. If given the option between a slightly lower MCAT and high GPA vs a slightly lower gpa and a high MCAT, I'd chose the latter.
An MCAT score of 28 (for the 2010 MCAT exams) places you in the 63.1-69 percentile. The above institutions have averages around 31 (79.9-84.1 percentile) and 32 (84.5-88.8 percentile). Considering that 82,000 people took the exam last year, if we use the upper end of your percentile (69th percentile), 25,420 scored higher than you on the MCAT
https://www.aamc.org/students/download/157904/data/combined10.pdf.pdf. In 2010, there were only 18,885 first year spots at AAMC (i.e. allo) colleges
https://www.aamc.org/download/152934/data/enrollment_data_2010.pdf. Basically, the point I am trying to make is that while gpa can fluxuate greatly from institution-to-institution, the MCAT does not. Do people get accepted to allo schools with 28s? Yeah, but how many of them get accepted to their state school, particularly a state school that is less competitive? The answer, unfortuantely, is that we don't know. The average MCAT at the good DO schools is about a 27 (some are even higher), and the average MCAT at the 'less competitive' private allo schools is between 31 and 32. You are in a gray area, so unless, like I've said before, you are from a southern or plains state, you should consider retaking the MCAT or plan on applying to both DO and allo schools. If you feel like you peaked with a 29, it might be worth reading in the MCAT forum to see what has worked for other applicants.
Re: HBCs, do a search on this topic: it's been addressed many, many times
Good luck
Interview invites weigh heavily on your scores. Getting them is a lot harder than you think, trust me. So go study for the MCAT instead of assuming you are that extra special applicant with the best reasons for pursuing medicine that will surely win the adcom over. It's not gonna happen.
