low MCAT/Good GPA; Great EC's; Awesome Research.

[tiredofwaiting]

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Hey guys,

I just applied to medical school. I'm currently at UMass Amherst, I have a 3.4 GPA overall, 3.3 science; 3.8 non-science; graduating with latin honors; I'm 21. My mcat is a 20 (PS 7, BS 9, VR 4 not sure how that happened, english is my first language and I communicate quite well). I'm a white male; I have a great deal of lab experience, cutting edge lab experience, at that; Great EC's (e.g. I have worked as an EMT); I come well recommended; Very involved in my community and at school; I play two instruments well; work to build diversity through charitable programs in Amherst, etc.

I am hell bent on getting into medical school, so I applied to places like Meharry, Finch, UMDNJ, NYMC, etc of which I have completed secondaries from all of those schools +, back in November. I'm currently waiting to hear back. What do you think my chances are?(on the off chance that you folks might give me your opinions). 🙂 Please help. I'm a smart guy, I just didn't manage to test too well this August.

Thanks.

 

[G_Eagle]

That MCAT looks pretty devastating...you will probably have to retake it. Everything else makes you an interesting applicant. Remember, although outside experiences and activities make you an interesting applicant (so you can stand out from the rest), you have to prove that you will be able to make the grades in medical school and test well on the USMLE. Schools are going to wonder if you haven't been able to excel in undergrad.

 

[Adapt]

I apologize for being blunt but with your 20 MCAT and since you are not a URM, you have a near 0% probability of getting into an MD school. I would suggest applying to DO and caribbean schools, but honestly I think it would even be difficult getting into one of those type of schools.

If you really want to be a doctor, you will take the MCAT again. A 4 on verbal will not get it done at any medical school, MD or DO.

 

[jlee9531]

whew...

stuck between a rock and a hard place.

you can try to apply but your overall 3.4 gpa is under the average of almost all the MD schools on the mainland US. i have that same gpa and it hasnt hindered me but thats because...

i got higher than a 20 on the mcat. that score is not gonna make it through the schools that screen before they send you an secondary. you say you have excellent ECs and awesome research but a lot of people have that with higher gpas and higher mcats.

out of the schools you have listed i applied to nymc and finch and was complete early but have yet to hear anything from the post-secondary.

to be honest with you, i think for you to be competitive you need to have a better mcat.

 

[ASDIC]

yes...u need to increase ur mcat...get a 30 or better since u are not a URM. Also your science GPA is very low.

I was told that its the MCAT that makes all the difference in the admissions.

Retake the MCAT

 

[TTSD]

Originally posted by Slickness
I apologize for being blunt but with your 20 MCAT and since you are not a URM, you have a near 0% probability of getting into an MD school. I would suggest applying to DO and caribbean schools, but honestly I think it would even be difficult getting into one of those type of schools.

If you really want to be a doctor, you will take the MCAT again. A 4 on verbal will not get it done at any medical school, MD or DO.

The GPA looks nice, a 3.4.. I'm assuming you've taken a hell of a lot more science GPA than non-science as the disparity between the two is rather large.

The problem is your MCAT. While you MIGHT be able to slip in depending on your overall record.. the verbal would be a source of great consternation to whichever admissions commitee reads your application. As people have said above, I suggest re-taking the MCATs again and nailing it, but by all means apply.. you have April and August this year to try and try again.

Some people just aren't standardized test takers.. practice practice. Personally whenever I look at a problem, I have a hard time narrowing it down to one choice because I keep seeking out alternative routes and looking for tricks. It's an annoying habit that makes my class professors want to beat my skull in, but my reseach PI's buy me drinks.

Question: Have you tried sleeping with an adcom yet? 🙂

 

[tiredofwaiting]

What is adcom?

 

[lowbudget]

Dude, sounds good except for the MCAT obviously. The 3.3 science and the 3.8 non-science gap may legitimize the 20 on your MCAT (meaning it's possible for ad coms to think you can't cut it in hard sciences). That said, crazy things happen in admissions, but even so 20 is really low. If you applied and haven't been interviewed by now, your chances are slim. You still have time, but if I were you, I would start right now and study for the April MCAT. And not half-assed and be all "what the fu.ck, I'm a smart guy, I'll figure it out on the exam." Nuh-uh. You need to get military.

Since you've got the EC's and lab stuff down, you really should put them on hold until your MCATs have improved. I'm sure you've worked hard, but it is really easy to underestimate the MCAT. So you really need to focus if you're truly hell bent. Which means you gotta start training: make a schedule of the chapters and subjects and practice tests you need to complete by week 1, 2, 3, etc. Go to the gym and eat meals at certain times. No more TV. Go out 1 night per week, study at the library NOT near an internet terminal. No more binge drinking and wake up early on weekends to study. Studying like a med student is like being an Olympic athlete. If you want to do well and be respected, it takes a lot of work. I guarantee you that that 20's gonna haunt you, so you really need to focus and over-compensate for it. If schools decide to interview you, they'll ask for an explanation.

If I were you, I'd borrow some money and invest in Kaplan or Princeton review and go to every session, take every test, and really invest in your future. Maybe even drop your class load so you can focus. Go to the Verbal sessions and really listen to how they de-construct the QUESTIONS and answer choices (and THEN the passages).

Really ask yourself if you want to do this. Because MCAT is only the beginning of your medical career. From that point on, it is ALL about exams. Through your med school classes, your clerkships, the 3 USMLE steps, your board certification (which may or may not be oral exams), and your re-certification. It only gets harder so you gotta make sure you can at least keep up with the average premed/med student.

I'm sure people on this forum will tell you to relax, don't worry, "I got a 5 and got into Harvard" blah blah... they're full of sh.it. The strategy here is that you don't want the ad coms to have any reason to reject you. OR if you have a backdoor in, all bets are off and disregard everything I said.

 

[exmike]

i think he has an outside shot at some D.O schools. I'd definitely retake the MCAT before applying though.

 

[gschl1234]

Originally posted by tiredofwaiting
My mcat is a 20 (PS 7, BS 9, VR 4 not sure how that happened, english is my first language and I communicate quite well).

I applied to places like Meharry, Finch, UMDNJ, NYMC, etc of which I have received secondaries from all of those schools +. Thanks.

I don't know about these schools specifically but some schools flat out say that if you have lower than 7 on any seciton of the MCAT you are automatically rejected. Did you do practice tests before taking the real thing? I took 7 practice exams (6 Kaplan, 1 MCAT downloaded from the MCAT web site) and they really helped me.

 

[robotdancing]

terrible mcat, sub-par gpa... sorry, your application needs some work.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

MCAT and GPA take precedence over EC's, so do put more work into school and testing.

 

[Marianne11]

I know a white guy right now who has interviewd at 3-4 schools with a GPA of 3.7 (non and sci), and a 20 MCAT. No acceptances as of yet, but he thinks he aced his interviews. He did have a legitimate reason for the low score, illness, but he is getting interviews. His GPA is higher than yours, but you never know. When you say just applied, do you mean last year or now? Isn't it way too late??

 

[spinestudent]

An illness might be a legitimate excuse for a 20ish mcat score, but adcoms probably won't care. There are a lot more people that score 20 out there than we think, and they all can't be sick.

To the OP: you need to improve your mcat score by a good 7-8 points to be competitive at allopathic medical schools with your gpa.

 

[TTSD]

As I said before though.. a 3.8 Non science and 3.3 science with a 3.4 overall does suggest a high number of science courses taken, right?

If so, don't sweat it too much. If you took heavy courseloads, suicidal classes and shown a good positive trend.. don't sweat the GPA too much.. adcoms will see it (hopefully). Just work on your MCAT and pop that verbal up.

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by Marianne11
I know a white guy right now who has interviewd at 3-4 schools with a GPA of 3.7 (non and sci), and a 20 MCAT. No acceptances as of yet, but he thinks he aced his interviews. He did have a legitimate reason for the low score, illness, but he is getting interviews. His GPA is higher than yours, but you never know. When you say just applied, do you mean last year or now? Isn't it way too late??

3.7 is wayyy higher than 3.4 and can make somewhat of a difference.

and your friend...i think is more of the rare cases esp. if he let that reason be known in his essay and the secondaries he recieved.

 

[CalBeE]

Now I don't like it when people write about rare exceptions and give people false hope. How much is the chance of an applicant with 20 in MCAT getting an interview at a U.S. Medical School? Probably not very high. You want to maximize your chance, and not to play by luck.

You said you had "great EC's and awesome research"....sorry but that's very subjective. Many people thought their EC's and research are stellar until they meet other applicants during interviews.

Sorry to be blunt, but if I learned anything by going through the application process, it would be not to assume that one's a good applicant. Repeat after me: "Study hard and retake the MCAT".

 

[UCLAstudent]

Yep, I agree with everyone else. You'll probably have to retake the MCAT to have a shot.

 

[LP1CW]

21 is young. Not to be mean, but you're not going to get in with an MCAT of a 20. People can tell you about one or two people that have gotten in, but they are exceptions.

If I was a betting man, I'd say no way. Work hard, study hard, and committ yourself to improving your MCAT and not just your verbal score. Get everything up to at least a 9 because your GPA is marginal and you attend an okay school.

You can be successful. This will work out for you. Just plan to really kill the MCAT. Good luck and keep us posted. I'm hoping things work out for you. All of us had to tackle the MCAT. You can do it.

 

[NYCheartlMD]

As someone said, you are still really young. My advise is to first look at your life... what is it that you really want to achieve? If medicine is trully your dream, you will find a way to get there. But first you need to improve your application... not just your MCAT score but also your GPA.

Consider taking some time off medicine: work, travel, be more involved... this activities have given a presepective, stamina and dedication. Also, you might want to seriously consider post bacc or graduate program which can help you strenghen you academic credentials. You might want to retake the MCAt at that point. In my opinion, being at a mature and stable state of mind when you take the MCAT is one of teh most helpful things you can do. Also, don;t wait for two long, your science knowledge might not be so fresh in your head.

Good Luck!!!

 

[quideam]

I essentially agree with everyone else... in order to get in, you MUST re-take your MCAT. With a 27/28, i'd say you have SOME chance... but a 20? Probably none...

Re-think why you did so badly on the MCAT. Did you study? Did you prep enough? Next year, you could continue your research (maybe try to get a publication?), and study hardcore for the MCAT - I mean start in October/November and keep studying until you're getting 30s on the practice tests. Taking a course like Kaplan or PR might be good for you...

Good luck, and don't give up!! But don't count on miracles... re-take and apply!!!

- Quid

 

[king_robert12]

Yeah, I agree with the other posters-you need to retake the MCAT. Find some good MCAT prep books and try to get a hold of some practice tests. Take these under normal testing conditions, take note of how the questions are asked, assess your weak areas and concentrate on them. A large part of doing well on the MCAT is just becoming familiar with thinking in terms of its questions. Studying for the MCAT is very labor and time intensive, but your first acceptance will make it all worth it! Good luck!

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

I'll be the 3287238749824th person to say this...RE-TAKE the MCAT. A 20 is a very low score and it will not put you over the top at even the sh*tiest American MD schools (Meharry, Finch, etc). All you have to do is sign up for an MCAT prep class with Princeton Review or Kaplan...go to all their sessions and do ALL the practice exams. Make sure you focus most of your studying on the verbal section though...from the looks of it...it seems to be your weakest section. If I were you, I'd order 101 MCAT Verbal Passages from Examkrackers (www.examkrackers.com) along with the MCAT Verbal and Math Strategy guide (the author gives you strategies on how to tackle the verbal section). I ordered both of these books and have already started working out of one, but still waiting for UPS to deliver the second one.

From what I hear, Princeton Review does a very good job at tackling the verbal section so you might want to invest your dollars with them. Your GPAs look alright and I'm sure an adcom would give your application the consideration it deserves if you just raised your MCAT by 7 or 8 points. I wish you the best of luck!