Help me evaluate where I am

Med School Insiders
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
JDsfloatingheadDr said:
Hi Everyone,

This post is long overdue and I’m going to keep it as short as possible. I’ve been lurking around this forum over the last few years so I really do appreciate all of your guys’ insight.

As of now I’m one year out of undergrad and just received my mcat score. I’m trying to figure out my next steps and was hoping you guys could point me in the right direction.

My questions:

1) Do I have a shot at DO schools?

2) Do I have a shot at MD schools?

3) Does a post-bacc make any sense at all given the number of units I've taken

I tentatively plan on applying to medical school in June 2018.

I failed out of a large public university my freshman year, retook all of the science and math courses I failed along with pre-req classes at a community college and subsequently graduated with a degree in biochemistry from a private institution.

MCAT

September 2015 501: 126/125/125/125

June 2016 512: 129/125/128/130

GPA

oGPA (no grade replacement) 3.13

sGPA (no grade replacement) 2.96

I did some math and assuming I take one year (45 quarter units) of upper division science courses through a post-bacc and earned a 4.0, my sGPA moves from 2.96 to 3.17 and my oGPA moves from 3.13 to 3.26. This seems like a pretty big commitment for something that is not guaranteed and frankly doesn’t improve my by much. I don’t think this is a good option for me. What are your guys’ thoughts on a post-bacc in this situation?

**If you can take a look at the PDF I've attached which has a breakdown of my GPA over the course of my undergrad career, as it gives you a better idea of my progression. I I'm not sure how to embed the graph and chart into my post, sorry for this. **

ECs

I won’t delve into too much detail here.

- Worked as an inpatient diet technician for 5 years ( approx. 5400 hours of working hospital experience)

- 1 year of benchtop chemistry research (final year of undergrad)

- Will have 2 years of meaningful clinic research experience by the time I submit my app. (Should have pubs by then if that matters)

- Non-medical volunteer work

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read through my post. I realize these posts are a dime in a dozen but I really do value your insights very much.

Best,
JDs
Click to expand...

Your stats are too low for admission this year. Some people will say "go for the new schools," and this is true - they're your best shot - but it's still a pretty long shot. Your GPA and MCAT are both on the very low end of the "acceptable for DO" range, and your history and ECs show nothing special. The smart money is on "gets soundly beat by better applicants."

You need at least something on your application to stand out. Ideally you'd retake the MCAT, But failing that your best bet is to raise your GPA. I strongly suggest doing a masters of Biomedical science, or some other (hard science) masters, to give yourself a shiny new grad GPA while having a backup in case med school doesn't work out. A post-bac like you describe will work, but your MCAT is still pretty low, and MCATs that low really need a very high GPA to go compensate. An SMP with linkage is a very risky option, but if you're a goddam amazing student it will pay off.
 
Your MCAT is way above for DO schools. I think you meant MCAT 512 for June 2017 not 2016, right?
Some schools sGPA cut off is 2.75. I would email schools and ask them what do they suggest.
 
Peach Newport said:
Your stats are too low for admission this year. Some people will say "go for the new schools," and this is true - they're your best shot - but it's still a pretty long shot. Your GPA and MCAT are both on the very low end of the "acceptable for DO" range, and your history and ECs show nothing special. The smart money is on "gets soundly beat by better applicants."

You need at least something on your application to stand out. Ideally you'd retake the MCAT, But failing that your best bet is to raise your GPA. I strongly suggest doing a masters of Biomedical science, or some other (hard science) masters, to give yourself a shiny new grad GPA while having a backup in case med school doesn't work out. A post-bac like you describe will work, but your MCAT is still pretty low, and MCATs that low really need a very high GPA to go compensate. An SMP with linkage is a very risky option, but if you're a goddam amazing student it will pay off.
Click to expand...


Did you see his 512 MCAT? Yes if averaged he has a 506.5 but I have not heard of retaking a 512. The general sentiment of your post is certainly reasonable, though. Just think referring to 512 as "pretty low" is brutal.
 
Peach Newport said:
Your stats are too low for admission this year. Some people will say "go for the new schools," and this is true - they're your best shot - but it's still a pretty long shot. Your GPA and MCAT are both on the very low end of the "acceptable for DO" range, and your history and ECs show nothing special. The smart money is on "gets soundly beat by better applicants."

You need at least something on your application to stand out. Ideally you'd retake the MCAT, But failing that your best bet is to raise your GPA. I strongly suggest doing a masters of Biomedical science, or some other (hard science) masters, to give yourself a shiny new grad GPA while having a backup in case med school doesn't work out. A post-bac like you describe will work, but your MCAT is still pretty low, and MCATs that low really need a very high GPA to go compensate. An SMP with linkage is a very risky option, but if you're a goddam amazing student it will pay off.
Click to expand...
Hi Peach,

Thank you for taking the time to reply. Regarding my mcat score, it is my understanding that 512 is on the higher end for do schools. Although it does seem like do averages are rising every year.

The MBS sounds like a good option; however, don't schools give weight to your undergrad gpa vs. grad gpa for admissions? Perhaps because my undergrad gpa is so impacted with units, showing a higher separate grad school gpa might be beneficial?

Looking forward to hearing back from you!
 
dial1010usa said:
Your MCAT is way above for DO schools. I think you meant MCAT 512 for June 2017 not 2016, right?
Some schools sGPA cut off is 2.75. I would email schools and ask them what do they suggest.
Click to expand...
Hi Dial1010usa,

Thanks for replying! I did in fact mean June 2017 for my latest score, went ahead and fixed that. Thank you for the advice, I will reach out to school specific advisors. I did speak to one advisor back in October and they said I was a good match for their masters program; however, the curriculum was gchem, ochem, bio, and physics...all classes which I scored B or higher in so I thought that advice was kind of interesting. Perhaps other school's advisors will have more comprehensive feedback.
 
parslea said:
Did you see his 512 MCAT? Yes if averaged he has a 506.5 but I have not heard of retaking a 512. The general sentiment of your post is certainly reasonable, though. Just think referring to 512 as "pretty low" is brutal.
Click to expand...
Hi Parslea,

Would you happen to know how I can find out which schools average two mcats rather than looking at the highest one? Thank you!
 
Peach Newport said:
Your stats are too low for admission this year. Some people will say "go for the new schools," and this is true - they're your best shot - but it's still a pretty long shot. Your GPA and MCAT are both on the very low end of the "acceptable for DO" range, and your history and ECs show nothing special. The smart money is on "gets soundly beat by better applicants."

You need at least something on your application to stand out. Ideally you'd retake the MCAT, But failing that your best bet is to raise your GPA. I strongly suggest doing a masters of Biomedical science, or some other (hard science) masters, to give yourself a shiny new grad GPA while having a backup in case med school doesn't work out. A post-bac like you describe will work, but your MCAT is still pretty low, and MCATs that low really need a very high GPA to go compensate. An SMP with linkage is a very risky option, but if you're a goddam amazing student it will pay off.
Click to expand...

Brah... this guy retook the MCAT and got a 512 which is like getting a 32 on the old MCAT!


JDsfloatingheadDr said:
Hi Peach,

Thank you for taking the time to reply. Regarding my mcat score, it is my understanding that 512 is on the higher end for do schools. Although it does seem like do averages are rising every year.

The MBS sounds like a good option; however, don't schools give weight to your undergrad gpa vs. grad gpa for admissions? Perhaps because my undergrad gpa is so impacted with units, showing a higher separate grad school gpa might be beneficial?

Looking forward to hearing back from you!
Click to expand...

Disregard Peach's advice, he must have misread your post or something cause your MCAT score is extremely good. The issue you have right now is that sub 3.0 sGPA. Is it possible to raise that GPA up before your apply? I think once you have done this you should be okay.

Don't do an SMP yet. I suggest trying one cycle to see who will take you. Aim for the newer schools (ex. UIW, BCOM, Rocky Vista-utah, KCU-Joplin, etc.) and the schools that have been around for 8-40 years (ex. WVSOM, KYCOM, ATSU-SOMA, PCOM-GA, etc.). However, please try to see if you can raise that sGPA before you apply. If not, then make sure of which schools have an auto screen of any GPA below 3.0.

Good luck
 
I would go ahead and apply and see what happens. Apply to SMPs and Post-Baccs later on in the winter if you haven't heard anything back.
 
1)
JDsfloatingheadDr said:
Hi Everyone,

This post is long overdue and I’m going to keep it as short as possible. I’ve been lurking around this forum over the last few years, I made a similar post a few years back while I was in school and felt now was a good time to follow-up. This forum has been invaluable for me over the years, I really do appreciate all of the knowledge that makes this community so great.

I’m one year out of undergrad and just received my mcat score. I’m trying to figure out my next steps and was hoping you guys could point me in the right direction.

My questions:

1) Should I consider a post-bacc/mbs/smp? My biggest concern here is with the number of units I've already completed, a year of course work may not have a dramatic impact. I have retaken the science and math courses I scored less than a B in, although it doesn't really show without grade replacement.

2 As I currently stand, do I have a shot at DO schools?
b) Do I have any chance at schools like: western, rvu, kcumb, ccom, dmu?

3) Is the MD door totally shut?

I tentatively plan on applying to medical school in June 2018.

I failed out of a large public university my freshman year, retook all of the science and math courses I failed along with pre-req classes at a community college and subsequently graduated with a degree in biochemistry from a private institution.

MCAT

September 2015: 501 - 126/125/125/125

June 2017: 512 - 129/125/128/130

GPA

oGPA (assuming no grade replacement) 3.13

sGPA (assuming no grade replacement) 2.96

I did some math and assuming I take one year (45 quarter units) of upper division science courses through a post-bacc and earned a 4.0, my sGPA improves from 2.96 to 3.17 and my oGPA improves from 3.13 to 3.26. This seems like a big commitment for something that is not guaranteed and frankly doesn’t improve my gpa as much as I would have hoped. I'm personally weary that additional courses would show something adcoms haven't seen in my 5+ years of undergraduate transcripts. What are your guys’ thoughts on a post-bacc in this situation?

LizzyM goes from 63.3 to 64.6 assuming a 4.0 in a full time year long post-bacc.

**Please take a look at the PDF I've attached, which has a breakdown of my GPA over the course of my undergrad career, a graph of my gpa trend, along with a chart that shows which classes I've retaken and the new grades earned. I can also post or message my transcripts if that's helpful for anyone. I apologize for not knowing how to directly post the graph and table into my post.**

ECs

I won’t delve into too much detail here.

- Worked as an inpatient diet technician for 5 years ( approx. 5400 hours of working hospital experience)

- 1 year of benchtop chemistry research (final year of undergrad)

- Will have 2 years of meaningful clinical research experience by the time I submit my app. (I anticipate I'll have one pub by the time application time rolls around, if that matters at all.)

- Non-medical volunteer work

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read through my post. I realize these posts are a dime in a dozen but I really do value your insights very much.

Best,
JDs
Click to expand...

1) If I were you I would apply primarily to SMPS, like this cycle. Clearly taking more UG classes isn't going to help your GPAs at this point. You need to demonstrate that you can handle med school like coursework and that is the most effective way at doing so for someone in your situation. With your MCAT I suspect you would get into good SMPs.

2) I don't want to be a downer but truthfully you have little chance at DO schools like DMU, western, CCOM. Yes, your MCAT is high, but both of your GPAs are far too low. These schools often get applicants who have MCATs in your range with average to above average GPAs. I do think you could be successful at one of the new programs this year, but if it were me I would do an SMP to open more doors for yourself.

3) MD is totally shut as of right now but if you do an SMP, especially one through an MD program, then you'd have a chance.

Truthfully I'm not well informed about the different types of SMPs out there but I'm in a summer class with a guy who did well in one and has gotten interest from MD schools this cycle.
 
parslea said:
Did you see his 512 MCAT? Yes if averaged he has a 506.5 but I have not heard of retaking a 512. The general sentiment of your post is certainly reasonable, though. Just think referring to 512 as "pretty low" is brutal.
Click to expand...
JDsfloatingheadDr said:
Hi Everyone,

This post is long overdue and I’m going to keep it as short as possible. I’ve been lurking around this forum over the last few years, I made a similar post a few years back while I was in school and felt now was a good time to follow-up. This forum has been invaluable for me over the years, I really do appreciate all of the knowledge that makes this community so great.

I’m one year out of undergrad and just received my mcat score. I’m trying to figure out my next steps and was hoping you guys could point me in the right direction.

My questions:

1) Should I consider a post-bacc/mbs/smp? My biggest concern here is with the number of units I've already completed, a year of course work may not have a dramatic impact. I have retaken the science and math courses I scored less than a B in, although it doesn't really show without grade replacement.

2 As I currently stand, do I have a shot at DO schools?
b) Do I have any chance at schools like: western, rvu, kcumb, ccom, dmu?

3) Is the MD door totally shut?

I tentatively plan on applying to medical school in June 2018.

I failed out of a large public university my freshman year, retook all of the science and math courses I failed along with pre-req classes at a community college and subsequently graduated with a degree in biochemistry from a private institution.

MCAT

September 2015: 501 - 126/125/125/125

June 2017: 512 - 129/125/128/130

GPA

oGPA (assuming no grade replacement) 3.13

sGPA (assuming no grade replacement) 2.96

I did some math and assuming I take one year (45 quarter units) of upper division science courses through a post-bacc and earned a 4.0, my sGPA improves from 2.96 to 3.17 and my oGPA improves from 3.13 to 3.26. This seems like a big commitment for something that is not guaranteed and frankly doesn’t improve my gpa as much as I would have hoped. I'm personally weary that additional courses would show something adcoms haven't seen in my 5+ years of undergraduate transcripts. What are your guys’ thoughts on a post-bacc in this situation?

LizzyM goes from 63.3 to 64.6 assuming a 4.0 in a full time year long post-bacc.

**Please take a look at the PDF I've attached, which has a breakdown of my GPA over the course of my undergrad career, a graph of my gpa trend, along with a chart that shows which classes I've retaken and the new grades earned. I can also post or message my transcripts if that's helpful for anyone. I apologize for not knowing how to directly post the graph and table into my post.**

ECs

I won’t delve into too much detail here.

- Worked as an inpatient diet technician for 5 years ( approx. 5400 hours of working hospital experience)

- 1 year of benchtop chemistry research (final year of undergrad)

- Will have 2 years of meaningful clinical research experience by the time I submit my app. (I anticipate I'll have one pub by the time application time rolls around, if that matters at all.)

- Non-medical volunteer work

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read through my post. I realize these posts are a dime in a dozen but I really do value your insights very much.

Best,
JDs
Click to expand...
The sGPA is the problem. You'd be autorejected at my school and a good number of others. Even LUCOM has standards.
Read this:
 
parslea said:
Did you see his 512 MCAT? Yes if averaged he has a 506.5 but I have not heard of retaking a 512. The general sentiment of your post is certainly reasonable, though. Just think referring to 512 as "pretty low" is brutal.
Click to expand...

I did not see the 512 part. Ignore my post.
 
IslandStyle808 said:
Brah... this guy retook the MCAT and got a 512 which is like getting a 32 on the old MCAT!




Disregard Peach's advice, he must have misread your post or something cause your MCAT score is extremely good. The issue you have right now is that sub 3.0 sGPA. Is it possible to raise that GPA up before your apply? I think once you have done this you should be okay.

Don't do an SMP yet. I suggest trying one cycle to see who will take you. Aim for the newer schools (ex. UIW, BCOM, Rocky Vista-utah, KCU-Joplin, etc.) and the schools that have been around for 8-40 years (ex. WVSOM, KYCOM, ATSU-SOMA, PCOM-GA, etc.). However, please try to see if you can raise that sGPA before you apply. If not, then make sure of which schools have an auto screen of any GPA below 3.0.

Good luck
Click to expand...

Hi Islandstyle808,

Thank you for your message and I appreciate the love regarding improved MCAT. I looked at Goro's thread regarding grade replacement and learned that math courses interestingly don't factor into accomas sGPA like they do for amcas. Without math courses my sGPA moves up from 2.95 to 3.10 which is nice. It was an a painless way to raise that sGPA to above 3.0. New numbers without any grade replacement are sGPA 3.10 and oGPA 3.13, which are still on the low end.

I'll take a look at the schools you've listed. Would you happen to know (and I will do my own search as well) if there are any schools that historically are willing to overlook a low gpa for a high(ish?) mcat? Perhaps my thinking is flawed, but because RVU-utah and KCU-joplin are affiliated with already well established schools I feel relatively comfortable giving them my money/attending them. Would you agree with this assessment?

HanSoloYolo said:
I would go ahead and apply and see what happens. Apply to SMPs and Post-Baccs later on in the winter if you haven't heard anything back.
Click to expand...

Hi HanSoloYolo,

I think that would be a good way to go, just don't want to put my app out there if I won't be taken as a serious candidate.

workaholic181 said:
1)


1) If I were you I would apply primarily to SMPS, like this cycle. Clearly taking more UG classes isn't going to help your GPAs at this point. You need to demonstrate that you can handle med school like coursework and that is the most effective way at doing so for someone in your situation. With your MCAT I suspect you would get into good SMPs.

2) I don't want to be a downer but truthfully you have little chance at DO schools like DMU, western, CCOM. Yes, your MCAT is high, but both of your GPAs are far too low. These schools often get applicants who have MCATs in your range with average to above average GPAs. I do think you could be successful at one of the new programs this year, but if it were me I would do an SMP to open more doors for yourself.

3) MD is totally shut as of right now but if you do an SMP, especially one through an MD program, then you'd have a chance.

Truthfully I'm not well informed about the different types of SMPs out there but I'm in a summer class with a guy who did well in one and has gotten interest from MD schools this cycle.
Click to expand...

Hi Workaholic,

You're not being a downer, you're being realistic which is exactly why I posted on here. I can rationalize my improvement over the years all I want, but ultimately this is a numbers game and if I haven't improved my numbers enough I won't even get an interview.

My reason for not applying to an SMP during my final year of undergrad came down to two things:

1. I gave my final two years of undergrad my best effort and was in the 3.3 - 3.6 range over those two years. I feel comfortable saying that is the kind of student I am, if that's not good enough I may not be medical school material, which is ok with me. I'm not sure how much more an SMP would reveal about my abilities to an admissions officer. Also, just how common at 3.8+ gpa's at a good SMP? Is is realistic for someone who has performed in the 3.3 - 3.6 range to jump up to the 3.8+ range.

2. I did speak to a few SMP/MBS representatives and it felt like they were giving me sales pitches and wanted to make money off me rather than explaining how I was a good fit for their program and how they could help me get to where I want to go. For example, one adviser recommended I retake gen chem/physics/ organic chem which just seemed bizarre to me since I had already retaken chem and physics. I guess my question for you is what would me retaking gen chem for the third time prove to an admissions adviser?

I should consider the right SMP, especially if it opens significantly more doors for me. The thought of leaving my job which I started a little over a year ago is very hard.

Thank you for your thoughtful response Workaholic!
 
Last edited:
JDsfloatingheadDr said:
Hi Islandstyle808,

Thank you for your message and I appreciate the love regarding improved MCAT. I looked at Goro's thread regarding grade replacement and learned that math courses interestingly don't factor into accomas sGPA like they do for amcas. Without math courses my sGPA moves up from 2.95 to 3.10 which is nice. It was an a painless way to raise that sGPA to above 3.0. New numbers without any grade replacement are sGPA 3.10 and oGPA 3.13, which are still on the low end.

I'll take a look at the schools you've listed. Would you happen to know (and I will do my own search as well) if there are any schools that historically are willing to overlook a low gpa for a high(ish?) mcat? Perhaps my thinking is flawed, but because RVU-utah and KCU-joplin are affiliated with already well established schools I feel relatively comfortable giving them my money/attending them. Would you agree with this assessment?



Hi HanSoloYolo,

I think that would be a good way to go, just don't want to put my app out there if I won't be taken as a serious candidate.



Hi Workaholic,

You're not being a downer, you're being realistic which is exactly why I posted on here. I can rationalize my improvement over the years all I want, but ultimately this is a numbers game and if I haven't improved my numbers enough I won't even get an interview.

My reason for not applying to an SMP during my final year of undergrad came down to two things:

1. I gave my final two years of undergrad my best effort and was in the 3.3 - 3.6 range over those two years. I feel comfortable saying that is the kind of student I am, if that's not good enough I may honestly not be medical school material, which is ok with me. I'm not sure how much more an SMP would reveal about my abilities to an admissions officer? Also, just how common at 3.8+ gpa's in a a good SMP?

2. I did speak to a few SMP/BMS representatives and it felt like they were giving me sales pitches and wanted to make money off me rather than explaining just how I was a good fit for their program and how they could help me get to where I want to go. For example, one advisory recommended I retake gen chem/physics/ organic chem which just seemed bizarre to me. What would me retaking gen chem for the third time prove to an admissions advisor?

I should consider the right SMP, especially if it opens significantly more doors for me. The thought of leaving my job which I started a little over a year ago is very tough though...

Thank you for your thoughtful response Workaholic!
Click to expand...

I do think there are a lot of SMPs out there that prey on people who are desperate to improve their app. With that said there are definitely a lot of good ones; I'm applying to Temple's ACMS this year when it opens in addition to MD/DO. I would absolutely go to it if I got in. There are a lot of other reputable programs you could find.

I can't really say how common it is for people to do well in SMPs. It's up to you man! I'm sure whatever you decide will be fine. If you think you can walk away from this path without it really eating at you, then I certainly understand and respect that.
 
workaholic181 said:
I do think there are a lot of SMPs out there that prey on people who are desperate to improve their app. With that said there are definitely a lot of good ones; I'm applying to Temple's ACMS this year when it opens in addition to MD/DO. I would absolutely go to it if I got in. There are a lot of other reputable programs you could find.

I can't really say how common it is for people to do well in SMPs. It's up to you man! I'm sure whatever you decide will be fine. If you think you can walk away from this path without it really eating at you, then I certainly understand and respect that.
Click to expand...

While the rational part of me says that I can walk away and that it's possible to have a happy life outside of all of this, but when it comes to practice I don't think I can walk away. The desire has are at me enough to keep going until now. We just keep going man, that's who we are.
 
Last edited:
JDsfloatingheadDr said:
Hi @Goro ,

I'll be the first to admit I had a bit of a fanboy moment when I saw you replied to this thread. Thank you for taking the time to read through and respond to my post as well as for being such an invaluable source of information for those of us trying to find our way through this process.

I vividly remember sitting at this very cubicle back in early January scrolling r/premed and seeing a post about grade replacement no longer being a thing, I immediately hopped over to sdn and looked for what you had to say. At the time I certainly felt dejected. I took some time today to re-look through your thread, and played with the idea of academic reinvention throughout my workday today. I also realized this morning that my aacomas gpa isn't equal to my amcas gpa. My aacomas sGPA is actually 3.1 and oGPA still remains 3.13.

My question for you Goro, if I were to get past your schools filter and you looked at my app, would you consider me someone who was able to reinvent them-self? What additional information would completing a one year MBS/SMP reveal about who I am or my academic abilities.

Steps I have taken towards reinvention:

1) I retook a C/C-(s)/ and F(s) in my courses and earned B(s) in all of them except for programming which was an A.

2) Show consistent improvement and ability to maintain a competative-ish gpa over a period of time. This evening I edited my original post to include my o/sGPA breakdown for each yea of undergrad (along with some other information including my complete transcripts and more details about my EC experiences). I'll post the GPA breakdown this post as well:

Large Public School 2010-2011: sGPA 1.43, oGPA 1.53
JC 2011-2012: sGPA 3.0, oGPA 3.11
JC 2012-2013: sGPA 3.0, oGPA 3.29
JC 2013-2014: sGPA 4.0, oGPA 4.0 (I took two sciences courses and a bunch of GE's in 2013-2014)
Private 2014-2015: sGPA 3.37, oGPA 3.47
Private 2015-2016: 3.43, oGPA 3.46 (Every course except for one was an upper division science course in 2015-2016)

3) Improve from 501 to 512 on the mcat.

4) Right after failing out of school, seeking employment and gaining practical experience in the health care field. Keeping that job for five years and accruing 5000+ hours of working experience.

Perhaps the reinvention hasn't happened yet, maybe I am still very much the caterpillar in the cocoon, and there is still much work to be done before I can burst out as a butterfly.

"You cannot disrespect the caterpillar and rave about the butterfly" - Marc Jackson

If your schedule permits, I would really appreciate if you could take a look at my updated original post as well. I have since included more information which may or may not be helpful in giving some additional background on me. A very sincere thank you for your time, Goro.
Click to expand...


I think if you apply broadly, you can get some love from DO schools.
 
Hi @Donna Moss

I don't mind sharing at all. The short version is I didn't know the material as well as I need to and had really poor advising from the course I took (These people should really not be in the business of advising premeds). I believe my score improvement came down to a few things.
  1. Taking relevant course work - I took three biochem courses a molecular biology w/ lab course, and participated in organic chemistry research after my first attempt. These courses and experiences not only provided me with important content knowledge but showed me how to think in a more analytical/scientific way. In my opinion mcat is not all about content knowledge, understanding experimental passages (without explicitly knowing the content) will go a long way in helping you improve.
  2. Setting a realistic study schedule - You know yourself and how you learn best. During my first go around I tried studying for the exam during my 2 1/2 month long summer. I followed a study plan made by the mcat course I was taking and it was really difficult for me to follow, almost realistic. Other than being not enough time to learn, the initial program was a mix of 50 % content review and 50% passage practice right away. This made it difficult to get really good at either. I recommend doing 80% content review and 20% passages during the first half of your studies and 80% passages/tests (along with reviewing them) and 20% content review and fine tuning over the second half of your studies. What this means is when you’re content reviewing, then really content review! Don’t spend a large amount of time working through random passages; rather do a few passages that gauge how well you understood a topic. After the first half of my study program I turned to completing and reviewing the section bank and working through fl's. Work through the section banks, when reviewing the section bank jot down topics you need to review. Go back and review those topics, you do this by reading content, taking notes, and doing practice passages which are found in either TBR books or the In class exams for EK. I personally didn't find taking notes helpful until the second half of my study program, when I was doing exams/passages and it was clear what content I needed to spend some time on learning. If I completely butchered something during passage practices and exams, I went back and reviewed the material and took notes. I reviewed these notes in the notebook once or twice a week until I felt comfortable. I also planned to take practice tests once a week for 6 weeks leading up to the test. One test a week gave me time to take the test and thoroughly review it without feeling burnt out. I highly recommend working backwards from your test date and planning on taking one fl a week for those six weeks.I reviewed the fl’s the same way I did the section bank. I also took notes and studied almost every single term I I came across during all of the P/S sections of the FL’s. I ended up studying for 1 ½ to 2 hours usually four days a week and during the day on the weekends. With mental health days and break days sprinkled in. For me, consistent review and repetition works much better for long term recall and my overall confidence than cramming a bunch of content over a span of a few weeks.
  3. Materials - The first time I studied I exclusively used TBR materials which was dry and overwhelming for me (I do think their chem books are fantastic). I only took two TBR fll lengths and never reviewed them. Scoring a 501 may have been a miracle. I highly recommend using a combination of materials. I liked EK for - physics, chem and systems books, Kaplan for - bio/biochem, and TBR for - psych/soc. I read through the tbr p/s book twice and made an anki deck which I reviewed everyday during my train ride to work. I think anki is very valuable for p/s, but I didn’t find it useful past that. I think this approach along with reviewing the p/s sections of my full lengths really helped me jump from a 125 to a 130. I highly recommend the NS practice exams 1-3 bundle, along with the official aamc practice tests and section banks. In the days after each test, go through each passage one by one and make note of concepts you didn't know, anything from units to logs to embryology. By the end of reviewing the exam you'll have a long list of concepts to review in the next week.
  4. Set your aims high and believe in your abilities - Don't just aim for a 510, aim for a 520. It's possible to score high but you have to believe that you can do it. Other advice I have is to not take the test until you're ready for it, I think there was a point after my fifth or sixth exam where while I was nervous for the real thing I knew I was in good shape. This gave me piece of mind and confidence come test day, which I found really invaluable. Also, if something isn't working, be proactive and make adjustments. It seemed like I spent the first month of my studying just finding a routine that worked for me, it may feel uncomfortable but don't be afraid to try new ways of studying. (there are different study protocols/active learning techniques on sdn if this is something you're interested in)
If you'd like more details about what I did or what I'd do differently please message me!
 
Last edited:
JDsfloatingheadDr said:
Hi Islandstyle808,

Thank you for your message and I appreciate the love regarding improved MCAT. I looked at Goro's thread regarding grade replacement and learned that math courses interestingly don't factor into accomas sGPA like they do for amcas. Without math courses my sGPA moves up from 2.95 to 3.10 which is nice. It was an a painless way to raise that sGPA to above 3.0. New numbers without any grade replacement are sGPA 3.10 and oGPA 3.13, which are still on the low end.

I'll take a look at the schools you've listed. Would you happen to know (and I will do my own search as well) if there are any schools that historically are willing to overlook a low gpa for a high(ish?) mcat? Perhaps my thinking is flawed, but because RVU-utah and KCU-joplin are affiliated with already well established schools I feel relatively comfortable giving them my money/attending them. Would you agree with this assessment?
Click to expand...

There are previous interview/acceptance threads you can look up on here where applicants put their stats and where they interviewed and got accepted at. I myself cannot really say which school overlook a low GPA.

Good luck
 
IslandStyle808 said:
There are previous interview/acceptance threads you can look up on here where applicants put their stats and where they interviewed and got accepted at. I myself cannot really say which school overlook a low GPA.

Good luck
Click to expand...
Hi Islandstyle,

I'll forsure take a look at those threads. How's the process going for you?
 
@IslandStyle808

I'm glad to hear that, I hope you first year went well! Thank you for taking the time to point me in the right direction.

Are the interview/acceptance threads you mentioned the same thing as the yearly "school specific" discussion threads?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Looking for genuine advice, I am really lost and confused please help
Replies
21
Views
2K
AlbinoHawk DO
AlbinoHawk DO
S
I need advice/help
Replies
9
Views
2K
chilly_md
chilly_md
D
Help Me Decide Please
Replies
4
Views
1K
Goro
Goro
dolephant
Am I early or on time if I submit my DO primary application today?
Replies
5
Views
2K
Goro
Goro
dscmn
No volunteering and extra clinical job hours...? I am low income.
Replies
14
Views
2K
Goro
Goro
Top