MCAT for competitive MD/PhD programs?

[Chuanle]

Hello everyone,

I am planning to apply MD/PhD this coming 2018 cycle and I was wondering if I could ask for some thoughts on how a 517 MCAT (CP: 130, CARS: 128, BC: 129, PS: 130) might fair as far as being competitive enough for top-tier programs (Penn, Johns Hopkins, etc.)? I'm sorry for putting out another "chances" post, but I have been working myself up quite a bit recently trying to gauge whether my application would be competitive enough at all. I've looked through the sticky posts but am a little confused what the situation would be with the new MCAT.

My main concern is, in terms of the numbers part of the application, whether my MCAT of 517 (paired with a GPA of 3.98 from a state school) would be less competitive at programs like Penn where it is just near their average for those matriculated 2016-2017 (from the preliminary data I saw on MSAR I think)? Would this GPA/MCAT be sufficient to at least get a 'foot in the door'? I'm mainly hoping to get in a MSTP program in the Northeast, since my SO is in school there.

I know a lot of other factors are involved, but I guess my main reason for asking is to figure out whether I should retake the exam if my score might be too borderline to be competitive at these programs, but I'd of course prefer not to have to dive back into another round of MCAT..!

Also, just wondering if awards like the Goldwater scholarship reasonably improves my application in any way?

Thanks very much for your time and any input is greatly appreciated!

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[Neuronix]

I've looked through the sticky posts but am a little confused what the situation would be with the new MCAT.

Why?

You've got a 3.98 and a 517 (equivalent to on the order of 36-37 by the old scoring system) and you're wondering if you're competitive? What exactly is your concern here?

whether my MCAT of 517 (paired with a GPA of 3.98 from a state school) would be less competitive at programs like Penn where it is just near their average for those matriculated 2016-2017 (from the preliminary data I saw on MSAR I think)? Would this GPA/MCAT be sufficient to at least get a 'foot in the door'? I'm mainly hoping to get in a MSTP program in the Northeast, since my SO is in school there.

So if your GPA and MCAT are "near average" for their matriculating students, what makes you think your score is not competitive?

I know a lot of other factors are involved, but I guess my main reason for asking is to figure out whether I should retake the exam if my score might be too borderline to be competitive at these programs, but I'd of course prefer not to have to dive back into another round of MCAT..!

Your MCAT score is not going to be what holds you back from interviews at "top tier" programs.

Also, just wondering if awards like the Goldwater scholarship reasonably improves my application in any way?

Wouldn't hurt.

 

[eteshoe]

How's your research experience?

 

[Chuanle]

Thanks a lot for the responses. I'm sorry I meant to say applicants instead of matriculants for the MSAR info about the new MCAT percentiles. And for why I was concerned, the MCAT conversion (the new LizzieM tool on SDN?) I used was telling me 517 was something like a 35 on the old MCAT, so I thought that was toward the lower end for competitive programs? I guess I wanted to clarify if I am in a reasonable place on the MCAT front to justify applying with my current score, or if I should commit financially/emotionally to retaking the MCAT for a try at a higher score.

As far as my research experience, I am currently on my first year of the 2-year post-bac program at the NIH. During my undergrad, I worked in a cell bio lab for something like 2.5 years, and did a separate semester/summer research internship in cell bio also. These experiences really convinced me that I want to be in science because I love the lab environment/benchwork and the intellectual nature of it all, but I also want to be involved in patient care in the long-term. I was feeling very burnt out during my senior year, so I thought it'd be better in the long-run if I took 2 years off for personal growth, and to also learn more about different areas of science/medicine, before committing to the 7-8 years path.

I don't know how much of that is relevant but I guess I'm just seeking some reassurances, at the end of the day...

 

[eteshoe]

Your plan sounds solid. Relax and be productive.

 

[Chuanle]

Thanks a lot @eteshoe , I appreciate it.

 

[Fencer]

You should be fine and have a shot at competitive MSTPs. However, you must understand that your academic numbers are a match for the average MSTP not the dream MSTP. Every one of the top MSTPs has students with numbers stretching to the national average numbers, because their research experiences and intangibles are stronger than an applicant with higher number but lesser overall application. That is why we do interviews and not just accept people based on AMCAS applications. Bottomline, you need to cast a wide net of applications including 10 dream, 5-10 match, and 5 safety programs.

Check out this resource to give you an idea of the number of applicants per slot: https://www.aamc.org/download/321544/data/factstableb8.pdf

 

[Chuanle]

Thank you @Fencer for the perspectives; I will definitely keep that in mind.