Is taking the MCAT mid june too late or leads to any consequences for TMDAS/Texas medical schools?

[Phantom95]

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[SpoiledMilk]

I was considering of moving my MCAT date to mid to late June to better prepare, would there be any consequences in doing so?

would taking the exam in mid june give me a large disadvantage?

The following are pdfs from TMDSAS' 2017 applicant pool.

It looks like if you take the MCAT in mid-late June, you won't get your score back til mid-late July. Then you submit your app in mid-late July and it will take about 4-6 weeks for TMDSAS to verify and transmit to the schools in mid-late August. Based on this timeline, there will be a slight disadvantage. However, that is not outweighed by having a less than competitive MCAT score.

 

[SpoiledMilk]

Assuming that your GPAs are high/competitive (TX loves high GPAs), ECs are in order, and you turn around the few secondaries quickly, getting a 510+ via a June MCAT won't hurt you too much.

Perhaps @biochemgirl22 can help with her perspective on turning in her TMDSAS app later this the cycle with a very high MCAT score...

 

[SpoiledMilk]

Is that 50 hours non-clinical volunteering? If so, if you can get up to 100+, that would be more helpful.
Your GPAs are high/competitive.
How much of the 300 hours is shadowing and how much is the internship? Does internship mean clinical employment or clinical volunteering?
Shoot for a MCAT score of 510+ since the average 2017 MCAT for matriculants is 509.1.

 

[SpoiledMilk]

50hrs clinical volunteering, the 300hrs of summer paid internship over 2 years consisted of shadowing, some research, office work (indexing, taking in patients etc..). I have 0 non clinical volunteering. I'm not sure if I can get much volunteering while going to school and studying for the mcat though, maybe after the mcat in the time period I'm working on my application it could be possible.

I'm gonna be completely honest. These are all red flags from an Adcom's POV, that even a 510+ MCAT and your high GPAs will not compensate for (even in TX):

-50 hours only of clinical volunteering
-zero non-clinical volunteering
-other applicants have been able to do volunteering, go to school, do research, and study for MCAT at the same time
-cramming volunteering hours in while you are applying

Even 4.0/528 applicants with little or not ECs are rejected every year. You don't want to hear this, but I suggest taking a gap year to round out your app with enough hours in ECs.

Paging real Adcoms for their POVs: @LizzyM @Goro @HomeSkool

 

[Goro]

I'm gonna be completely honest. These are all red flags from an Adcom's POV, that even a 510+ MCAT and your high GPAs will not compensate for (even in TX):

-50 hours only of clinical volunteering
-zero non-clinical volunteering
-other applicants have been able to do volunteering, go to school, do research, and study for MCAT at the same time
-cramming volunteering hours in while you are applying

Even 4.0/528 applicants with little or not ECs are rejected every year. You don't want to hear this, but I suggest taking a gap year to round out your app with enough hours in ECs.

Paging real Adcoms for their POVs: @LizzyM @Goro @HomeSkool

Agree 100%. And thank Gawd that stupid paper clip is gone.

 

[SpoiledMilk]

First I commend you for keeping your GPAs high under such circumstances. That said, while I believe Adcoms will take into consideration your circumstances, it will be hard for them to overlook the lack of EC hours.

According to the 2017 TMDSAS stats posted above, only 1679/5777 = 29% of applicants were successful. Therefore, 71% were rejected. Now think objectively about how your overall stats stack up against your prospective applicant cohorts.

Will you be competitive, stats wise, against other traditional applicants whom do not have the same life circumstances and have had the opportunities to accumulate the requisite EC hours? Same with nontradtional cohorts. How will you deal with the frustration, time, and lost $$$ if you are not successful in the 2018-2019 cycle with the added hurdle of having to show improvement on your app because of being a reapplicant?

The best advice I can provide you is to graduate in May, don't rush to take the MCAT in June unless you are getting 510+ scores on your practice exams (I saw you posted some of your practice exam scores in another thread), take it when you are ready, and use the free time from school to get a job to save $$ for the app cycle, acquire the necessary EC hours, and then apply in May-June 2019, not this upcoming cycle.

Be patient, apply once and only once with your best app.

GL!!!

 

[On_The_Way_Up]

Agree 100%. And thank Gawd that stupid paper clip is gone.

Lmao I was trying to swipe that thing off my phone!

 

[HomeSkool]

I'm gonna be completely honest. These are all red flags from an Adcom's POV, that even a 510+ MCAT and your high GPAs will not compensate for (even in TX):

-50 hours only of clinical volunteering
-zero non-clinical volunteering
-other applicants have been able to do volunteering, go to school, do research, and study for MCAT at the same time
-cramming volunteering hours in while you are applying

Even 4.0/528 applicants with little or not ECs are rejected every year. You don't want to hear this, but I suggest taking a gap year to round out your app with enough hours in ECs.

Paging real Adcoms for their POVs: @LizzyM @Goro @HomeSkool

Couldn't have said it better myself. OP, you're to be commended for what you've accomplished academically with work and family issues on your plate. But @DV-T is right: you need more time spent on ECs, even if that means taking another gap year. Remember: the best way to earn an involuntary gap year is to apply when you're not ready. It doesn't get you into med school any faster, and it saddles you with the baggage of being a reapplicant the next time around.

Also, in the interest of transparency and full disclosure, I'm a faculty interviewer but I don't sit in the admissions committee yet. I've thrown my name in the hat, though.

 

[biochemgirl22]

HI! Happy to chime in. Taking a June mcat is by no means late. I took it June 17. I turned in TMDSAS June 30 and wasn’t verified till first week of Aug. didn’t complete secondaries until second week. If you are more vigilant than me and turn in tmdsas early, a June mcat means you will be complete by mid July’s which is perfect for Texas. That’s around the time schools start looking at apps anyway. Plus, a good mcat score will help you out tons. It’s brtter to have a better mcat score than turn in app super early.

 

[Texasdoglover]

The following are pdfs from TMDSAS' 2017 applicant pool.

View attachment 231300
View attachment 231301
View attachment 231302
View attachment 231303


It looks like if you take the MCAT in mid-late June, you won't get your score back til mid-late July. Then you submit your app in mid-late July and it will take about 4-6 weeks for TMDSAS to verify and transmit to the schools in mid-late August. Based on this timeline, there will be a slight disadvantage. However, that is not outweighed by having a less than competitive MCAT score.

Does submitting date include secondaries or just TMDSAS portion?

 

[DameJulie]

Do we have similar data figures for AMCAS?

 

[Lucca]

Do we have similar data figures for AMCAS?

Check out PlaneBlue’s II tracker. That’s about the best we got.

 

[Texasdoglover]

Does submitting date include secondaries or just TMDSAS portion?

hmmmmmmm i wonder