MCAT 22P---should I apply?

[Pudgyp]

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Hey guys. I'm in a bind. I've been planning to apply to medical school for ever it seems. I'm a junior right now and I just took the April MCAT and did poorly: 22P. My GPA is 3.36 (overall and sci). Should I still apply this summer? ? i didn't even submit my AMCAS b/c I lost all hope. But now after reading some threads, I'm wondering if I made the right choice. As of now everything is on hold for a year...but if i have the slightest chance of pushing this forward now, I would give it my all. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Resident Alien]

The average mcat for applicants to MD schools is around 27, and the average for those matriculating is 29-30. Your scores are obviously below average. Unless there is something extraordinary in your application, I'd advise you to avoid high hopes, and try to improve that score.

DO schools are known to concentrate less on the MCAT score. If thats an option for you, then I figure you could apply with a 22.

 

[MSTP boy]

Sure, you never know if you will get in..just only apply to your in-state school. You'll save money this way. You don't have much of a chance at out-of-state schools, unless you're one-in-a-million [in terms of EC's, race, your parents are alumni, or all around amazing]. If you just apply to your state school, you'll learn alot about the application process, and be ready for next year.

And you never know, maybe someone in the committee will accept you just to make a point that MCAT scores aren't that important. :wink:

Hope this helps! ;-)

 

[Spiderman [RNA Ladder 2003]]

or you can still retake in August (what I am going to do)

 

[rxfudd]

If the only problem was the 22 MCAT, I'd say give it a shot at your state school and a few private schools. However, I think that you're going to have severe problems getting anywhere with a 22 coupled with a 3.36 - not that a 3.36 is an unviable GPA, but in this scenario I don't think it's high enough. I'm usually optimistic about numbers, but I'd say that it's not worth it to apply. Although you COULD apply, I think a much wiser decision would be to take the August test (if you seriously think you can do better) and raise your GPA to a 3.5 by the end of the next school year.

 

[Hendooneh]

Don't apply. Its never too late to change anything, you can always improve your GPA and MCAT and get into medical school. Never give up hope if beign a doctor is what you want to do. But applying would just waste your money and your time unless if you have very special circumstances(minority olympic medalist with a 3 year mission work history) . I would sit down and figure out a way to improve my stats first.

 

[Pudgyp]

Do you think I would run into problems next year during my reapplications (you can see that I definitely don't have my hopes up about getting in this year). I've heard that some schools don't even consider reapps b/c of the first one. Also, since my state school is my first choice, I'm not sure if I'd want to ruin my chances with them. What do you guys think?

 

[jot]

i wouldn't apply at all, raise the gpa and retake the mcat. there is no point raising too much false hope; state schools are by no mean a repository of purely lower stats. there is a stigma attached to reapplicants which, through a friend, i am familiar with. this is his 3rd time reapplying, and he has to petition committees to even be allowed to apply, which i'm sure doesn't help much. don't use up this chance on an unlikeley shot. my opinion. goodluck though.
-jot

 

[PrincessCKNY]

I would say wait till next year. You can work on bulking up your EC's, improving your GPA (mine skyrocketed my senior year), and improving your MCAT. Also, it's kind of nice to take a year off during the application process and earn some money since it is VERY costly.

 

[Pudgyp]

Do you think applying to a select few (maybe 2-3) would be viewed negatively? Of course, those schools would be realistic for me in terms of GPA, EC's, etc...not MCAT though. I just feel that if I don't give it a shot, I'll never know. I've just been waiting for this for so long...and to brush it off b/c of a bad MCAT score...I don't know if I'd be able to live with it....Please help... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

 

[CaNEM]

Whether you want to apply or not depends on how set you are on allopathic school. With your MCAT score and GPA, you can get into osteopathic schools. Especially if you apply only osteopathic and show them you like the philosophy. Of course, extracurricular, clinical experience, and such will matter too.

Personally, If I were you and I really wanted to be a physician, I would apply osteopathic. They are just as qualified and the same (or similar) residencies. HOwever, with your GPA and MCAT score, I do not think you should apply to allopathic schools. It would be an investment of time and money that is not likely to pay off.

 

[rxfudd]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Pudgyp:
•Do you think applying to a select few (maybe 2-3) would be viewed negatively? Of course, those schools would be realistic for me in terms of GPA, EC's, etc...not MCAT though. I just feel that if I don't give it a shot, I'll never know. I've just been waiting for this for so long...and to brush it off b/c of a bad MCAT score...I don't know if I'd be able to live with it....Please help... •••••If you MUST apply this year just to know that you gave it a shot, so be it. I got a 26 last April and tried my hand with 13 schools just to see what would happen and I ended up with 5 interviews and 1 acceptance. Makes it really hard for me to say "Don't even try". Still, your stats are quite low. If you do apply to 2-3 schools, make SURE that you confirm that it will NOT affect your chances for next year. As one of the posters above said, this is a very likely scenario and varies from school to school. Some schools are OK with it (and will even let you use the same secondary from one year to the next). Others don't want reapplicants at all.

Also, be aware that schools sometimes have an essay question on the secondary asking whether you are a reapplicant and what you have done to change your application for the better. You will be required to say something meaningful about this next year.

Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[IOE]

hey pudgyp...i'd definately retake the test if i's in your shoes (In a way..i AM)...i scored a 26 and i have been advised by many not to apply...specially that most schools do look down on reapplicants whose scores do not improve significantly

 

[rxfudd]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by IOE:
•hey pudgyp...i'd definately retake the test if i's in your shoes (In a way..i AM)...i scored a 26 and i have been advised by many not to apply...specially that most schools do look down on reapplicants whose scores do not improve significantly•••••Was this your second time applying? Like I said above, I got 5 interviews and two acceptances with a 26. You may want to give it a shot...

 

[Bikini Princess]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by CaNEM:
[QB]With your MCAT score and GPA, you can get into osteopathic schools. QB]••••No offense, but even osteopathic schools will think twice about these numbers (22 w/ 3.3 gpa) You're only successful as a doctor if you can the certifying examinations, which is like bodyboarding at night compared to the mcat. Retake the MCAT, and look on the bright side. You can only improve.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I agree, osteopathic schools have MCAT averages slightly lower, but not much lower.