Low MCAT? Please read before posting

[Jrsharp70]

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This should be a stickie...

D.O. Does not mean no MCAT standards

No, spending 20k on a post-bac will not change the fact that you got a 24 on the mcat.

Yes, average mcat scores are going up. What does average mean? "Well, person X got in with a 25!" great. Others had a 33 (yes, lots of them).

If you take post-bac courses, volunteer 1,000 hours and go to the peace corps, you still have a 22 mcat and you still have your pick of any Caribbean school you choose to attend.

what about a 24? 25? 26? ... 27???? I don't know, and nobody on the forum does because half of it is a roll of the dice. That is why you apply broadly; because you may fill some key demographic for one school and hit the jackpot.

If you want to find a 25 that got into Columbia, I guarantee it is out there. If you want a 33 that got rejected from D.O. Shool X, it is out there. If that makes you feel better about turning in a substandard score so you have a reason to hope or something to blame when you don't get in, awesome.

now every one can fill the page up with "ooooh... What about a 22t" just to be funny (i would do it to me), but honestly... I really got a lot out of SDN during the application process. How about personal stories about how people bumped their mcat, or how they explained during the interview that 8 in PS so the adcom overlooked it. Useful information.

here, I'll go first. I got a 6 on my bio first time, so I shelled out 1400 bucks to take a&p and got up to a 10. A lot cheaper than 20 grand. And you can work a job simultaneously that adds to your life experience. I got a 28s. Still lucky to get in.

who else has a useful story so maybe these repeat threads might stop?

good luck

 

[FutureCTDoc]

To be competitive a 27 is fine as it is average for all DO schools. Obviously the higher the better, however if you apply broadly, to schools that are good fits academically you should get in somewhere. WVSOM, PCSOM, LECOM-E, LMU-DCOM are all in the 23, 24, 25 MCAT average range. If you have a 30+ wonderful, however it isn't necessary to be competitive.

 

[ncguy2005]

To be competitive a 27 is fine as it is average for all DO schools. Obviously the higher the better, however if you apply broadly, to schools that are good fits academically you should get in somewhere. WVSOM, PCSOM, LECOM-E, LMU-DCOM are all in the 23, 24, 25 MCAT average range. If you have a 30+ wonderful, however it isn't necessary to be competitive.

I think what he's saying though is you shouldn't think you're guaranteed a spot at those schools just because they have lower averages. An average includes scores higher than that and scores lower than that. I think the number of people who apply with 23's and 24's and 25's greatly outweighs the number of people with those score who actually get in.

People (including myself) try to pretend like its a problem that isn't really there even though its probably one of the leading "sore thumbs" in people's applications. I'll put it this way, I talked with the dean of UNC's med school last year after my interview, what did he say? This:

"I looked over your GPA and its great, your interviewers really liked you and wrote great notes about you, but your MCAT score is a 29, if you try to bump it up to a 33 or so you'll definitely have a great shot if you reapply"

I had to make a choice and I felt like pushing for a 33 or 34 was a big risk and just decided to reapply to schools I was more competitive at. I guess ultimately it is your choice, but if I had a 24 or 25, I think I would retake it as it probably wouldn't be super hard to raise my score 2 or 3 points from that position...

 

[MaximusD]

This should be a stickie...

D.O. Does not mean no MCAT standards

No, spending 20k on a post-bac will not change the fact that you got a 24 on the mcat.

Yes, average mcat scores are going up. What does average mean? "Well, person X got in with a 25!" great. Others had a 33 (yes, lots of them).

If you take post-bac courses, volunteer 1,000 hours and go to the peace corps, you still have a 22 mcat and you still have your pick of any Caribbean school you choose to attend.

what about a 24? 25? 26? ... 27???? I don't know, and nobody on the forum does because half of it is a roll of the dice. That is why you apply broadly; because you may fill some key demographic for one school and hit the jackpot.

If you want to find a 25 that got into Columbia, I guarantee it is out there. If you want a 33 that got rejected from D.O. Shool X, it is out there. If that makes you feel better about turning in a substandard score so you have a reason to hope or something to blame when you don't get in, awesome.

now every one can fill the page up with "ooooh... What about a 22t" just to be funny (i would do it to me), but honestly... I really got a lot out of SDN during the application process. How about personal stories about how people bumped their mcat, or how they explained during the interview that 8 in PS so the adcom overlooked it. Useful information.

here, I'll go first. I got a 6 on my bio first time, so I shelled out 1400 bucks to take a&p and got up to a 10. A lot cheaper than 20 grand. And you can work a job simultaneously that adds to your life experience. I got a 28s. Still lucky to get in.

who else has a useful story so maybe these repeat threads might stop?

good luck

1. This should not be a sticky because it is very poorly written and there is far too much of your personal opinion interlaced into what's written.

2. This is a no-brainer. MCAT is the single easiest way to improve your application. It is probably anywhere between 30-50% of the med school adcom decision criteria, and you can improve it by studying for a month or two and retaking.

3. GPA is huge as well, but it takes a LONG time and many courses to improve your undergrad GPA. Postbacc is great, but it ultimately won't improve your undergrad GPA. Postbacc is a very successful way to get into med school if you do well. PCOM's biomed program, for example, offers all participants an auto-interview if they pass (to the best of my knowledge).

Honestly, if you have a strong application and are personable, a 25/26+ is probably sufficient for most DO schools.

That said, I've seen people with outstanding applications firsthand faceplant on their interview and not be offered admission (with high 20's, 3.4+ GPA, good recs).

 

[Jrsharp70]

Sorry it was poorly written, i use a cell phone for internet.

it should be a stickie because of the common misconception. Perhaps some one without the burden off using T9 for efficiency's sake would phrase it better

 

[NPHisyourLord]

Sorry it was poorly written, i use a cell phone for internet.

it should be a stickie because of the common misconception. Perhaps some one without the burden off using T9 for efficiency's sake would phrase it better

No.


NPH

 

[Jrsharp70]

Suck it Trebek



Sean Connery

 

[Longshanks]

Posts that are belittling of new forum members or students not as knowledgeable about med school statistics shouldn't be stickied, let alone one full of only one's personal opinion and hyperbole.

SDN is a great place to help fellow applicants and students in this stressful process, but telling those with low MCAT scores not to post or to give up is not and a terrible waste of SDN's utility.

 

[MegaSpectacular]

Suck it Trebek



Sean Connery

 

[MegaSpectacular]

No.


NPH

 

[Veyron]

i have various thoughts on the validity of the mcat but i have many classmates who did not score over 25 and they are some of the strongest students in my class. i really think it just comes down to how efficient you are in managing the ridiculous amount of volume that gets thrown at you daily. med school isn't the place to start getting complacent. if you do you're gonna get smashed on the exam. but it's not impossible.

 

[Little Boots]

i have various thoughts on the validity of the mcat but i have many classmates who did not score over 25 and they are some of the strongest students in my class. i really think it just comes down to how efficient you are in managing the ridiculous amount of volume that gets thrown at you daily. med school isn't the place to start getting complacent. if you do you're gonna get smashed on the exam. but it's not impossible.

I have to agree, I know many people who just didn't do well on the MCAT but I know are going to be amazing doctors. Some people aren't just the right "type" for standardized exams. I think that's the great thing about DO schools is that they look beyond the numbers.