HELP!!! Applying to med school this june and possible mcat retake???

[pacman46]

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Hi, long time lurker on here, would appreciate any feedback or help. I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I took my MCAT and got my score and was dissatisfied. I was doing much better on practice and felt quite prepared but come test day, things did not go well. Not sure if it was a combination of things (lack of sleep, test anxiety, loss of hope) but I felt like i didn't do as well as i could've (felt terrible) and it showed score release day. CARS absolutely boned me as you can see, my psych section wasn't anything i could've prepared for, everyone else agreed too. The reason I'm worried, is bc i want to apply early and be one of the first applications in since that gives you an advantage and i could use any advantage i could get my hands on but don't want schools to put my app aside IF they find out that I'm retaking. I was going to apply to low tier MD schools in hopes that they would review my app with the score i have and not put my app aside to wait for the retake and when my score comes out (higher hopefully lol). Does anyone know if medical schools know that you are retaking if you don't click the future test box and have ur primary app verified and submitted ASAP(end June) and sign up for a test date? Im thinking about retaking end of June or early July which is around the time that AMCAS first sends its apps out to schools. i understand that the schools will get my score regardless if i retake once the scores come out and I'm content with that. Im just scared they will put my app aside and i wont be one of the first applications to be seen if that makes sense. All I'm hoping for is one MD school and the reason I'm even thinking about retaking and continuing with the cycle is that i cant take another gap year and feel like i can do better on the mcat but i do want to be considered with the score i have currently and not be put on a pending pile.

Im not trying to be neurotic, Ik some will say that a 507 is a decent score but I'm ORM and my gpa isn't that hot. The avg MD MCAT is 510 and avg sGPA is 3.6+ and ik they are averages but considering this process is incredibly competitive and not being one of the first to apply is risky for lower stats idk of any other route. Has anyone in the past submitted the secondary then taken the MCAT but still received an interview before score release? I am asking in terms of allopathic med schools only. If it is the case that med schools can see that you registered for a test date after submitted primaries and secondaries and put ur app aside i might just apply with this score and not retake, not completely sure yet. Also It's not an issue of content for the exam, I was having some test anxiety/wasn't feeling my best that day and feel like my content (besides CARS lol) is fine so it wont be like starting all over again as most of it is still fresh in my head. Greatly appreciate any advise, thank you!

Some stats

ORM: Vietnamese
507 (128/124/128/127)
3.5 gpa both cum and science with nice upward trend

EC's
-brigade volunteer to 3rd world country
-adult day care center volunteer
-2 research activities, one of which was published
-Med scribe
-High school tutor
-hospital volunteer
-surgeon shadowing
-medical assistant
- some not medical related hobbies that ill be including in the EC section of the app (expert pacman player lol)
A bunch of LOR but probably going to use the school committee one along with one more.

But seriously, thank you once again for taking the time and all the support you guys provide. Best of luck to all!

 

[On_The_Way_Up]

I don't believe your chances are good. Should apply DO as well or retake MCAT.

 

[Rachapkis]

I voted “yes but tough”, but want to emphasize the “tough” aspect of my answer. You have a shot, but you’re odds aren’t good. I wouldn’t worry about applying early. I would take a gap year, get your MCAT in order, and improve your ECs. Having a quality application is much more important than having an early application. You are making decisions for the rest of your life. It is important to do everything you can to improve your odds of success.

 

[acciobutterbeer]

Chances are about 40% when looking at Table 23 (https://www.aamc.org/download/321508/data/factstablea23.pdf) but closer to 20% at Table 24.3 (https://www.aamc.org/download/321516/data/factstablea24-3.pdf).


What is your state of residence? If you are from a lucky state, your chances will be better.


As far as your application being put on hold while awaiting a new score, @gonnif has said before:

Schools are not obligated in anyway to wait for a planned MCAT retake. If you submit with MCAT score (along with everything else), your application can be considered complete, can be processed evaluated and decided, prior to new score arriving

 

[Goro]

Hi, long time lurker on here, would appreciate any feedback or help. I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I took my MCAT and got my score and was dissatisfied. I was doing much better on practice and felt quite prepared but come test day, things did not go well. Not sure if it was a combination of things (lack of sleep, test anxiety, loss of hope) but I felt like i didn't do as well as i could've (felt terrible) and it showed score release day. CARS absolutely boned me as you can see, my psych section wasn't anything i could've prepared for, everyone else agreed too. The reason I'm worried, is bc i want to apply early and be one of the first applications in since that gives you an advantage and i could use any advantage i could get my hands on but don't want schools to put my app aside IF they find out that I'm retaking. I was going to apply to low tier MD schools in hopes that they would review my app with the score i have and not put my app aside to wait for the retake and when my score comes out (higher hopefully lol). Does anyone know if medical schools know that you are retaking if you don't click the future test box and have ur primary app verified and submitted ASAP(end June) and sign up for a test date? Im thinking about retaking end of June or early July which is around the time that AMCAS first sends its apps out to schools. i understand that the schools will get my score regardless if i retake once the scores come out and I'm content with that. Im just scared they will put my app aside and i wont be one of the first applications to be seen if that makes sense. All I'm hoping for is one MD school and the reason I'm even thinking about retaking and continuing with the cycle is that i cant take another gap year and feel like i can do better on the mcat but i do want to be considered with the score i have currently and not be put on a pending pile.

Im not trying to be neurotic, Ik some will say that a 507 is a decent score but I'm ORM and my gpa isn't that hot. The avg MD MCAT is 510 and avg sGPA is 3.6+ and ik they are averages but considering this process is incredibly competitive and not being one of the first to apply is risky for lower stats idk of any other route. Has anyone in the past submitted the secondary then taken the MCAT but still received an interview before score release? I am asking in terms of allopathic med schools only. If it is the case that med schools can see that you registered for a test date after submitted primaries and secondaries and put ur app aside i might just apply with this score and not retake, not completely sure yet. Also It's not an issue of content for the exam, I was having some test anxiety/wasn't feeling my best that day and feel like my content (besides CARS lol) is fine so it wont be like starting all over again as most of it is still fresh in my head. Greatly appreciate any advise, thank you!

Some stats

ORM: Vietnamese
507 (128/124/128/127)
3.5 gpa both cum and science with nice upward trend

EC's
-brigade volunteer to 3rd world country
-adult day care center volunteer
-2 research activities, one of which was published
-Med scribe
-High school tutor
-hospital volunteer
-surgeon shadowing
-medical assistant
- some not medical related hobbies that ill be including in the EC section of the app (expert pacman player lol)
A bunch of LOR but probably going to use the school committee one along with one more.

But seriously, thank you once again for taking the time and all the support you guys provide. Best of luck to all!

I suggest the following. You must have DO schools on your list.
Drexel (maybe)
Temple (maybe)
Wake
Tulane
GWU
Albany
Nova MD
VCU
Wayne State (maybe)
Netter (maybe)
EVMS
U Toledo
Seton Hall
Rosy Franklin
Loma Linda (only if you are SDA or a very devout Christian)
Loyola
WVU
U VM
Rush
MCW
Creighton
Oakland-B
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Gtown
Your state school(s).
Any DO school. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, Wm Carey, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me.

 

[ciestar]

Be aware, schools arent obligated to wait for the new score either

 

[pacman46]

I voted “yes but tough”, but want to emphasize the “tough” aspect of my answer. You have a shot, but you’re odds aren’t good. I wouldn’t worry about applying early. I would take a gap year, get your MCAT in order, and improve your ECs. Having a quality application is much more important than having an early application. You are making decisions for the rest of your life. It is important to do everything you can to improve your odds of success.

Thank you for

Chances are about 40% when looking at Table 23 (https://www.aamc.org/download/321508/data/factstablea23.pdf) but closer to 20% at Table 24.3 (https://www.aamc.org/download/321516/data/factstablea24-3.pdf).


What is your state of residence? If you are from a lucky state, your chances will be better.


As far as your application being put on hold while awaiting a new score, @gonnif has said before:

my state is PA, is that considered a lucky state? and thanks for referencing @gonnif

 

[ciestar]

Thank you for

my state is PA, is that considered a lucky state? and thanks for referencing @gonnif

Lucky in the sense we have a bunch of schools. Not lucky in the sense that admission standards are lower in places like Mississippi as we have no real “state” schools (they’re all private except Temple, I believe). So none really heavily favor PA residents