Is it possible to apply in June without sending an MCAT score?

[Ferocity]

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Hi all,

Here's my situation... I graduated last year from University of Maryland with a 3.15cGPA and 3.00sGPA. It's pretty bad, I know...

I just got my MCAT score today, a measly 23N.

I only have 200 emergency room volunteer hours, and just 20 hours of shadowing a DO.

From my understanding it's best to apply as early as possible (June), should I do this without sending my MCAT score? Reason being is that I want to be an early applicant but I want to send the schools a higher score if/after I retake. Is that even possible? Would I even have a chance of getting in with my current score?

It appears that I'm going to have to hit the books again and retake the MCAT in August or September. 🙁

Thanks all

 

[ilovebiology]

Even applying right when it opens on June 1st, your grades are just too low...especially if your clinical experience/EC's only consists of what you stated. I retake some classes, as well as the MCAT and then apply next cycle. I am applying one year later than I would because I want to take a year to do a scribe program and add finishing touches to my application. It is so much money to apply when most likely you won't even get secondaries. I know its frustrating and you want to apply now, but honestly it would hurt more to waste all that effort to try to get in, where if you have a solid app., you're more likely to get in. Sorry, but I'm being honest and trying to save you your time and money 🙂 Hope this helps...

 

[Ferocity]

Even applying right when it opens on June 1st, your grades are just too low...especially if your clinical experience/EC's only consists of what you stated. I retake some classes, as well as the MCAT and then apply next cycle. I am applying one year later than I would because I want to take a year to do a scribe program and add finishing touches to my application. It is so much money to apply when most likely you won't even get secondaries. I know its frustrating and you want to apply now, but honestly it would hurt more to waste all that effort to try to get in, where if you have a solid app., you're more likely to get in. Sorry, but I'm being honest and trying to save you your time and money 🙂 Hope this helps...

Fair enough and thank you for responding.

By September I would have even more volunteer hours and shadowing hours. You don't think by then, even after I retake the MCAT and potentially get a higher score (say 27+), that I don't stand a chance of being accepted to DO schools?

 

[DitchDoc73]

Even applying right when it opens on June 1st, your grades are just too low...especially if your clinical experience/EC's only consists of what you stated. I retake some classes, as well as the MCAT and then apply next cycle. I am applying one year later than I would because I want to take a year to do a scribe program and add finishing touches to my application. It is so much money to apply when most likely you won't even get secondaries. I know its frustrating and you want to apply now, but honestly it would hurt more to waste all that effort to try to get in, where if you have a solid app., you're more likely to get in. Sorry, but I'm being honest and trying to save you your time and money 🙂 Hope this helps...

I hate to say it but I have to agree with ilovebiology... Don't get me wrong, you may have a chance to get into a US DO school, but your chances are greatly limited by both your GPA and MCAT. You can turn in your app now if you wanted, and then update your MCAT (but this assumes that you believe that you will score significantly higher the second time). I don't want to crush anyone's dreams (trust me I had plenty of people tell me I would never get in to med school!). If you truely believe that you will score higher on your second MCAT, then I would say go for it and hope for the best, but be realistic (there is a sizeable chance that you may not get in)! You may want to investigate the Caribbean as a more realistic alternative (I had a good friend get in with similar GPA and worse MCAT). Sorry don't mean to be a dream killer...Follow your dreams, but be realistic with the probability of success! Best of luck!

 

[DitchDoc73]

Fair enough and thank you for responding.

By September I would have even more volunteer hours and shadowing hours. You don't think by then, even after I retake the MCAT and potentially get a higher score (say 27+), that I don't stand a chance of being accepted to DO schools?

You will have a better chance, but there are no guarantees of success.

 

[Ferocity]

You will have a better chance, but there are no guarantees of success.

I'm not looking for guarantees, I'm just looking for a fighting chance.

I'm going to sign up for the August or September MCAT. Do you think it's a better idea to submit my application now, or wait until November to submit with my new MCAT score? Is there an option to submit with pending MCAT score?

Thanks

 

[DbDan]

To be completely honest, i'm not trying to rain on your parade but you may need even higher than a 27 (probably 30+) to make up for a 3.0 GPA. If you feel that you can do significantly better by all means apply this year. If you are going to apply though make sure you turn in June 1st. Don't wait until November because at that point you will be waiting up to 8 weeks for verification and you will not have secondaries until January. That will be death to your application from the start. Either way though, I'd start taking classes now to improve your GPA and work on making sure you can increase that MCAT score. I know my biggest regret is not taking at least 1 if not 2 courses as retakes per quarter since I applied last year, I'd have over a 3.2 now and be competitive everywhere as opposed to where I am now

 

[DitchDoc73]

I'm not looking for guarantees, I'm just looking for a fighting chance.

I'm going to sign up for the August or September MCAT. Do you think it's a better idea to submit my application now, or wait until November to submit with my new MCAT score? Is there an option to submit with pending MCAT score?

Thanks

If you have decided to do this (just making sure that you are totally comitted to applying this year), then you should submit your primary app as soon as you can. Your application will be considered complete by all of the medical schools that you apply to once your primary application is verified by AACOMAS. You will need to contact all of the medical schools that you applied to and make them aware that you intend to retake your MCAT (I think I recall there being a place in the app where you can put in future MCAT dates, but I would still contact the schools personally to make sure it is not overlooked!). This should (hopefully) keep you from being rejected right off. You should get secondary applications from most of the DO schools you apply to, but I wouldn't expect an interview request until your new MCAT scores (hopefully much higher) have posted!

 

[Ferocity]

I'm getting a little worried now about actually making it in for this cycle. I don't have a comittee LOR or a DO LOR. I'm going to try and acquire those quickly.