help with acceptance, no interviews with 31 mcat

[blueivy]

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hello

i am a recent us graduate from a top undergrad school in PA. i have a 31 in mcat after taking Berkeley review and doing all practice tests and keeping up with the homework. science gpa of 3.6 and gpa of 3.8 major in marine biology.

first time with only a few weeks of studying my mcat was 29. after months of prep with berkeley review bumped it up to 31. however the past application cycle i didnt get any interviews and i applied to far more than my premed counselor even suggested i do including many lower tier and public schools.

should i retake and try again this year? or apply again with the same score, i am going to talk to the premed counselor again. most of my friends that got interviews said they had 33-36.

 

[VOP]

more info is needed that just your MCAT score

 

[flip26]

Did you apply early? Broadly? Fill in the blanks here...your stats are borderline, but plenty of people with those stats get in somewhere.

Your second MCAT basically reinforced the idea that your first score, while a tad low, is in the ballpark for you. I would say that unless you are SURE you could bump that score into the mid 30s, a retake is not only a waste of time but very risky - I mean, you could score <29...

 

[illegallysmooth]

I'd be willing to bet there was a problem with the ECs, LORs and/or personal statement.

 

[ShinyDome19]

I'd be willing to bet there was a problem with the ECs, LORs and/or personal statement.

👍

I would suggest either posting more info about other parts of your app or talking to a admissions counselor at a medical school your interested in attending.

 

[longhorn09]

I'd be willing to bet there was a problem with the ECs, LORs and/or personal statement.

I am guessing maybe OP has one really bad LOR..

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Any clinical experience - if no you have 0% chance of getting in.
Any research - if no your application is weak here.
How many schools did you apply too? Were they in your range. ( if you applied to 10 schools or less that's a -, if you applied to primarily top heavy schools its also a -.

My advice, get a MSAR.

 

[caniac]

hello

i am a recent us graduate from a top undergrad school in PA. i have a 31 in mcat after taking Berkeley review and doing all practice tests and keeping up with the homework. science gpa of 3.6 and gpa of 3.8 major in marine biology.

first time with only a few weeks of studying my mcat was 29. after months of prep with berkeley review bumped it up to 31. however the past application cycle i didnt get any interviews and i applied to far more than my premed counselor even suggested i do including many lower tier and public schools.

should i retake and try again this year? or apply again with the same score, i am going to talk to the premed counselor again. most of my friends that got interviews said they had 33-36.

def need more info -- I had a 31 and a lower GPA with accepts -- your score is fine. There's something else going on.

 

[longhorn09]

Hey, OP, are you int'l student?

 

[Colonol Forbin]

I am guessing maybe OP has one really bad LOR..

I concur

 

[amygdaloideum]

I don't think you need to be worrying about your stats in terms of numbers. Take this year and spend some time doing something that shows your comittment to the field of medicine.


With a 3.8 GPA and >30 MCAT you have a very high chance of being accepted >80% to be exact

see below

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table24-mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt.htm.


It's not all about MCAT and GPA. Do you have leadership, research, volunteer activities, athletics? Did you not include something on your application that is on your transcript? These are things to consider.

Try calling some schools you were rejected from to find how you can improve your application for next cycle.

hello

i am a recent us graduate from a top undergrad school in PA. i have a 31 in mcat after taking Berkeley review and doing all practice tests and keeping up with the homework. science gpa of 3.6 and gpa of 3.8 major in marine biology.

first time with only a few weeks of studying my mcat was 29. after months of prep with berkeley review bumped it up to 31. however the past application cycle i didnt get any interviews and i applied to far more than my premed counselor even suggested i do including many lower tier and public schools.

should i retake and try again this year? or apply again with the same score, i am going to talk to the premed counselor again. most of my friends that got interviews said they had 33-36.

 

[addo]

Did you apply early? Broadly? Fill in the blanks here...your stats are borderline, but plenty of people with those stats get in somewhere.

really? how is a 3.6 cgpa, and 3.8 sgpa borderline?
like many people have said, his stats are not the problem

 

[flip26]

really? how is a 3.6 cgpa, and 3.8 sgpa borderline?
like many people have said, his stats are not the problem

If he only applied to Top 20 schools, his stats ARE a problem. Because he hasn't filled in the blanks, nobody can say for sure what his problem was. Could have been the # of schools, the ranking of the schools...could have been a late app...who knows?

His stats are below the median for all accepted applicants, particularly at the higher ranked schools. Hence my use of the word "borderline." For top schools, that MCAT record (29 and 31) is deadly.

Don't get all huffy over the word I used. He obviously went to Penn, and he may have felt some entitlement and only applied to the top drawer schools in the Ivy League, etc. If you read my entire post, I said that plenty of people get in with those stats, so give us more info if he wants better answers.