is it possible to get in with a 6??

[MTY]

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is it possible to get into med school with a mcat section 6?
i'll have an interview with chicago med, i know that '6' will definitely be brought up.

 

[Cobragirl]

I guess it probably depends on WHAT the 6 was in and what your overall score is....although a 6 is going to take a LOT of explaining.

 

[Zero Cool]

I'll let you know shortly...

 

[joe__d]

very, very doubtful at best....
i know of schools that won't consider anything lower then 7 (as in won't even look at the rest of your application)

 

[richierich]

MTY,

Hello again, it will be very difficult and probabally imposible to gain entrance with anything less than a 7. A lot of schools, as previously stated, will not even consider you with anything below a 7 and most schools will not consider you if you have two scores below 8.

I wish you the best of luck.

Richard

 

[jimmybee]

Hi there.....I have struggled with this question all summer, but I am feeling more and more confident recently. I received a 6 in verbal along with 10's and an N. I have a 3.88 gpa along with good letters and extracurriculars. Anyways, just yesterday I recieved an interview from Wayne State Univerisity and I am really pumped up about it. Of all 10 schools I applied to, Wayne is the first to notify me either way. I think that my story should be a great confidence boost for all of those people out there with a 6 in one of their scores. I'm sure that it will matter for some schools, but probably not for everyone. Afterall, if it was such a HUGE, HUGE deal, I wouldn't have received an interview this early in the season. They would have made me sweat it out until March or April.

The way I look at it is, most people already have applied, their scores are in and they can't retake the test until next year. SO RUN WITH YOUR STATS AND KEEP YOUR CONFIDENCE UP!

Good Luck To Everyone!!

jimmybee

 

[Zero Cool]

I told you that I would let you know shortly and here I am.

I just received an acceptance today....even with a 6 in verbal.

So, the answer to your question is YES!!!

Best of luck to everyone. If you want it bad enough it will happen!!!

 

[Dave]

Zerocool, where did you get in?

 

[Riesling]

Congratulations on your acceptance, Zero Cool!
If you don't mind sharing, which school? (or at least where the school is, whether it's a state or a private school, etc.)

 

[WashingtonMemorial]

ZeroCool is an African American. He got in under Affirmative Action, since he is a Minority. My guess is that he got in at a predominately black school, such as Howard University. There is no way in hell that he could have got into a Medical Program without the help of Affirmative Action.

 

[Zero Cool]

You could not be further from the truth WashingtonMemorial.

Don't be upset because you got blasted by myself and numerous others on the A.A. subject. If your unintelligent ass had not made the racist comments on another topic we would not be having this conversation. Maybe you should think before you open your mouth. Oh wait, you have to have a brain first. I'm sorry WashingtonMemorial, I guess you do have an excuse.

A little birdy told me that you masterbate with mittens on and pretend that they are someone else's hands...pathetic



[This message has been edited by Zero Cool (edited 11-08-2000).]

 

[simseema17]

That's really funny

That's really sad washingtonmemorial...I feel bad for you...wait, no actually I think it's funny...masterbate with mittens on...how funny is that

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[imtiaz]

You guys shouldn't even acknowledge someone like Washingtonwhatever12yroldgrammarschoolkid. Because their remarks are meant to be inflammatory. It's simply a waste of time

 

[Big Rick]

It truly depends on what you got your six in a six in Physical wont hurt you too bad but a six in bio or verbal can really hurt you, not to be racial or anything but are a minority? Because if so your chances are better than if you are not!!

 

[Detroit Rock City]

No. You have no chance. I dont even think foreign schools want you. No chance with dental schools either. Vet schools? Nah. Nursing school may be a possiblity. sorry

 

[jsorrell]

I was granted an interview at UTMB with two 6's: verbal and physical. Get this: I am not an URM, so I will not have A.A. to fall back on. Of course UTMB is the only school I have heard from and I have had my application in since May. Anyway, the point is that a six won't exclude you. Good luck!

 

[primetime]

Is this what applying to medical school is doing to us?? I thought this forum was for students who wanted to help and support other students who are going through the same things they are. I know this is tough for all of us, and we have all worked hard to get even get to this point. Right now I can barely even sleep after being so stressed for the last couple of months waiting on an interview. I know that ultimately we are all competing against each other, but we should be happy for someone who is fortunate enough to get and interview and even get in for that matter. It makes no sense to sit here and bark at each other and crap all over someones dreams just because things are not going well for yourself. Everyone may not have the same credentials, but we are all in the same
*&^%ing boat!!!

 

[Pegasus]

Ok..enough of the BS...Honestly about the 6 MCAT score:

I did make a 6, and I got into every school I intervied at. Why? Well, that is the question I asked my interviewers and deans after my admissions because I couldnt believe it!

It really depends on the type of school you are applying too. If you apply to a private school, know that they are keen to take out of state, VERY high MCAT scores. However in state allows more lower scores, yet dont get me wrong, you do have to prove yourself to them. I so remember being in your position and scared as hell so much that I was about to look for foreign and cannadian schools to go to (honestly, I didnt care..I wanted to be a DR...and Damned if anything was going to stop me)

Key: you need to show them why YOU should be accepted. I was only asked about my 6 in physics in one interview, however, my GPA totally showed a different student. If you do have a weakness the key is to balance it with a strength, and if you have to work on making strengths, then do it...do whatever you can. If you want to get into med school, prove to them that you deserve to be there, and that will make a much more lasting impression than that 6!

~Pegasus~

 

[Hercules]

Originally posted by Pegasus:
If you apply to a private school, know that they are keen to take out of state, VERY high MCAT scores.
~Pegasus~

Private schools don't care about in-state/out-of-state.

------------------
Hercules

But there is also a time for sleeping.
-Odysseus in the Odyssey 11.330-331

 

[Pegasus]

I guess what I said about the private schools is from my own experience at Wake Forest. They are over 60% out of state and the average MCAT is over 30, so I guess I was making a generalization.

I actually did apply to several private out of state schools for the fact that they were private I felt as if i had a better chance getting in there than applying to a 'state school' being from out of state.

Hope this clarifies.

 

[MTY]

Pegasus,
after reading your post, i was wondering if you got accepted to wake forest with a 6 on your mcat?

thanks

 

[Detroit Rock City]

I am far removed from the MCAT so maybe things have changed, but it seems to me if people are getting accepted to med school with a 6, especially on the verbal, which is a reading test, then I would guess that applications are way down from when I applied. Not to be mean, but if you can't read, which is what a 6 on the verbal implies, then I don't know if you should go to med school in the first place. Now, I know people will say that they ran out of time...too many passages to read....blah,blah. How much time do you think you will have to read AND RETAIN info for your med school classes? You don't need to retain anything for the verbal for longer than 5 minutes, and unfortunately it seems that you couldn't do that either.

 

[Pegasus]

MTY,

No, It was not Wake that I got into. I did get into other schools however. And I am now at Chapel Hill. My 6 was in Physics and I had all intentions to retake the MCAT to bring it up if I would have been rejected.

My experience at Wake is that I did take some classes over there, but more importantly I worked for Baptist Hospital for a few years so I had the advantage of meeting many students and residents. I honestly do not think that a score of a 6 would even be considered at Wake.

I do want to say that although the MCAT is VERY important and is weighted differently among different schools, I had several strong areas in my application that helped outweigh that 6, and I believe that they helped me alot.

If you do not get in with a 6, and very few do, I think that it is extremely important to keep a positive attitude and be determined that if you have to retake, by all means do so. My attitude was that I worked to hard to get here, and if I did not get in the first time around, I would have given it another shot. Motivation and determination, they really see that in your interview and application.

I hope that this helps out.

 

[jsorrell]

Detroit,

I can't speak for others, but in my case, I did not take a prep course. Being a full time biology graduate student(where I am maintaining a 4.0 GPA), and a part time teaching assistant, I did not have much time to prepare for the MCAT at all. Considering that, I did pretty well by scoring a 6, 6, 8, N. So, I really do not feel the need to defend myself. I do not see how I am any less proficient at reading when I score a six on the verbal, the portion deemed most difficult. Furthermore, I do not see how my 6 can be compared with somebody else's 10, when that person took a prep course and was taught SPECIFICALLY how to take the test. I had a meeting with an admissions committee member, and he told that in perspective, my MCAT score was pretty good. However, they are interested in numbers. He said I should take a prep course, because it will teach how to take the test and do well. Then I will have the numbers they are looking for.

 

[Doc Oc]

Originally posted by jsorrell:
Detroit,

I can't speak for others, but in my case, I did not take a prep course. Being a full time biology graduate student(where I am maintaining a 4.0 GPA), and a part time teaching assistant, I did not have much time to prepare for the MCAT at all. Considering that, I did pretty well by scoring a 6, 6, 8, N. So, I really do not feel the need to defend myself. I do not see how I am any less proficient at reading when I score a six on the verbal, the portion deemed most difficult. Furthermore, I do not see how my 6 can be compared with somebody else's 10, when that person took a prep course and was taught SPECIFICALLY how to take the test.

The first time I took the test, with absolutely zero prep, I got a 9 in Verbal. The second time I took the test, after taking a prep course, and doing about 20 Verbal passages a day, AND taking 5 full-length practice tests, and also taking several verbal section only run-throughs, (I'm really setting myself up here

) I got .... (drum roll) another 9!!! Granted I did much better in the other sections, but still, after taking my prep course which supposedly teaches me "how to take the test", I got the same score, and not for lack of studying or trying. So not all people who didn't have enough time to prepare got 6's, and also not all gunners who prepped like mad got double digit scores. My second point - I did not get into med school the first time I applied. When I took the MCAT the first time, I had just returned from study abroad in Australia, so I wasn't exactly in the right mode. I also was way behind on bills, so I was working 60 hours a week to catch up. I worked about 50 hours a week during my undergrad to pay my tuition and living expenses, so my GPA was a little lower than the average applicant too (but still high enough to graduate with honors - barely). My point is, I had average numbers at best and thought it was okay to apply anyway because I had reasons for it. The problem is, there is a big difference between my reasons. Lower GPA? Good reason. Lower MCAT, because I didn't study AT ALL? Horrible excuse. I've known for years I wanted to go to med school, so the importance of the MCAT should not have been lost on me. For something so integral to deciding whether or not I get to realize a life-long goal, studying for the MCAT needed to be a #1 priority. I probably could have shifted things around and taken on less that semester, but I chose not to, instead telling myself that I had a good reason for doing bad if that should be the case. Med schools will be understanding about things that you cannot change (working your way through school), but they are a little less understanding about things like not studying for the MCAT. I mean, it's one test, and it means a great deal. You only need to adust your life for a few months to prepare for it. I remember people in my classes who would brag about getting a 80 on a test when they "didn't even study for it". Is my 90 not comparable to their 80 because I worked my butt off for it? Does this mean that I am somehow less intelligent because I didn't wing it and slide by? I put in the effort and the other student didn't. Who cares if they /could/ score high if they /tried/ ? They didn't. I was always amused by that sort of bragging (not to say you were, I mean people in my classes). Who cares if 80% is not bad for not trying? Wouldn't you rather have the doc who cared enough to learn 90%? This is what went through my head when I considered retaking the MCAT. This is what I thought med schools would think, if I tried to make my bad scores look good by pointing out how smart I /really/ am because look what I got without studying. It gives off an air of a student who is not willing to put in the effort because they are have an excuse for mediocrity. So I took it again. I shifted around my life, and made time to study for the most important test of my life thus far. Last time I applied, I didn't get any interviews. This time, I've already been accepted to my #1 school, two others, and one wait-list. (I haven't heard from my other interview yet.) My MCAT scores weren't the only part of my application that I improved between application cycles, but I still feel that taking it again made me able to make it through more "numbers cuts". Uhh...I just noticed how much I've digressed! My main point is that I feel that the above-mentioned 6 and 10 are comparable, and that effort put into preparing, whether on your own or in a prep course, makes the difference.

[This message has been edited by Doc Oc (edited 11-27-2000).]

 

[jsorrell]

Doc Oc,

You made some very salient points, and I do agree. I was the first to admit that I did not put in a 100% effort on the MCAT. That is why I was too disappointed when I got my scores. Since then, I have paid for a Kaplan course which starts in February. I have had one interview (I am sure it was because my application was strong in other areas: GPA, volunteer work, etc.). That is why I have scheduled the course to start later, just in case I get accepted. My point is, I know I did not put in the effort to study, and when I do put my best foot forward, I know I will do much better. A five or six point overall improvement should, according to an admissions committee member, seal the deal for me.

What I was trying to say in the post was to Detroit who said that I cannot read because I got a 6 on the verbal MCAT. I was just stating that it is not true. The verbal is considered the most difficult section of the MCAT. Many people get a 6 on the verbal and go on to be very successful in medical school. Let's face it. There is virtually no attrition in med. school. Unless you cheat and get kicked out, or you quit on your own will, once you matriculate, you will graduate.

 

[UHS2002]

It is somewhat amusing that all the posters who got into med school with a 6 haven't told us WHERE they were accepted...

 

[Pegasus]

Originally posted by UHS2002:
It is somewhat amusing that all the posters who got into med school with a 6 haven't told us WHERE they were accepted...

I was accepted at UNC-School of Medicine, and Im still in disbelief that I am actually here. I had it in my mind to retake the MCAT over the summer. It was the best feeling withdrawing from the class after being accepted.

Our average MCAT in the class is over a 30, so I guess my 6 didnt bring the class down too much..hehe!

~Pegasus~

 

[masteryoda]

washington memorial , why are you so angry all the time ? if you are really as sharp as you claim to be , then you should have no problem getting into a program somewhere ! if you are so sharp why are you worried about A.A.'s ?! do you feel you are competeing in an unfair enviroment ? well , to quote my grandpa , a wise republican and successful buisnessman with a 7 th grade education , life ain't fair lad !! now i could care less about your comments on A.A. , for i do not support A.A. either ! and i am indian and mexican , double u.r.m. what concerns me about you is your attitude " i sense much anger in you!" and you want to be a doctor . well , physician (or in this case future physician ) heal thyself ! get some help for your anger problems and learn to present an inelltigent arguement without resorting to childish assults and racist dogma ! you frighten me , no not in the " oh lord he's got an a.k. 47" sense, you want to be a healer yet you are not able to examine both sides of an issue without becoming so angry that you resort to malicious name calling to get attention . let me ask you this , when a pt addicted to crack comes in giving birth will you be able to maintain enough objectivity to treat the pt .? or will you attack her and only serve to increase the suffering of both pts. ? why do you want tobe a doctor ?

 

[masteryoda]

oh and one more thing , congrats. to the persons who got accepted with a 6 mcats . i hope you have a succesful career.you are on your way!

 

[Dr. P]

Medical school applications are drastically down throughout the country and people with credentials that would not have gotten them in a few years ago are getting in now; it's a numbers game. Let me tell you, I am graduating medical school this year and, without a doubt the best doctors and medical students I've worked with were the ones who consistently showed a high work ethic, professionalism and kindness to their patients and COLLEAGUES. Some of the remarks I have read on this post are disgusting, to say the least. Too bad admissions committees do not read these posts as a screening process. Oh wait, maybe they do.

If you do not have 14's on the MCAT like I suppose the loudmouths responding to you do (yeah right), don't worry, apply. If you don't get in, ask the schools what would make you a more competitive applicant, retaking the MCAT, whatever. And never doubt your ability to be a good doctor; it is not based on standardized tests. The Attending Phsycians of today got in to med school during the 80's when a 3.0 and a 26 would get you in, again, because apps were down. And most of the ones I have worked under are excellent, again, for the above-mentioned reasons.
Give it a shot with your 6. Life goes on after the MCAT, and soon, when you are in med school, it will be a long-forgotten story. PS: if they like you on the interview, you'll generally get in. So if they have granted you an interview, you've gotten passed the MCAT score, they now wnat to get to know you as a person. That is where the person making the minority and mitten comments will have trouble, (unless he fools them).

 

[adjsmj]

I got in with two sixes in both science sections and an eight in verbal. I did have previous medical experience being a PT and realitively high GPA. I think you have to look at your entire application.

I am african american and I am sure that had something to do with it, but that is not the only reason. I believe that your MCAT scores mean very little as to how you will perform in medical school. I am sure that my MCAT scores are probably the lowest in the class, but I am in the top of the class grade wise this semester.

If you want to do it, it will happen