MCAT timing & retaking classes

[kelli]

I'm a nontrad. applicant (26 years old) and am planning to apply to medical school for the 2009 matriculation cycle. I'm currently working to save money and am waiting until my daughter is a bit older so she can better handle crazy family life with me being a busy med student.

I'm wondering when is the best time to take the MCAT? I have a relatively easy schedule this summer and could take the August 2006 MCAT if I started studying now. I figure that since MCAT scores are good for 3 years this should be fine. But I'm wondering if medical schools look down on scores that are a few years old? Problem is that I forsee being extremely busy in the next couple of years and don't know when I'd have a large chunk of quality time to study again. I suppose I could start gradually studying in bits & pieces now and take the MCAT a few years later, but I'd prefer just to get it all done now. Any advice?

Also I have a 3.4ish GPA but am hoping to get into a CA school which I hear is ridiculously hard. I have 2 C's on my undergrad transcript (both in Ochem). I naturally struggle with Ochem and I was young and stupid then and never asked for tutoring. Although oddly enough I earned A+'s in the lab components of both classes. Should I retake my Ochem classes? I'd have to retake them through extension or community college courses. Still worth it?

Oh I guess I should say that I've taken some recent coursework like biochem and such and did well. But 2 Cs on my undergrad transcript just make me cringe.

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[kelli]

shameless bump.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

I'm a nontrad. applicant (26 years old) and am planning to apply to medical school for the 2009 matriculation cycle. I'm currently working to save money and am waiting until my daughter is a bit older so she can better handle crazy family life with me being a busy med student.

I'm wondering when is the best time to take the MCAT? I have a relatively easy schedule this summer and could take the August 2006 MCAT if I started studying now. I figure that since MCAT scores are good for 3 years this should be fine. But I'm wondering if medical schools look down on scores that are a few years old? Problem is that I forsee being extremely busy in the next couple of years and don't know when I'd have a large chunk of quality time to study again. I suppose I could start gradually studying in bits & pieces now and take the MCAT a few years later, but I'd prefer just to get it all done now. Any advice?

Also I have a 3.4ish GPA but am hoping to get into a CA school which I hear is ridiculously hard. I have 2 C's on my undergrad transcript (both in Ochem). I naturally struggle with Ochem and I was young and stupid then and never asked for tutoring. Although oddly enough I earned A+'s in the lab components of both classes. Should I retake my Ochem classes? I'd have to retake them through extension or community college courses. Still worth it?

Oh I guess I should say that I've taken some recent coursework like biochem and such and did well. But 2 Cs on my undergrad transcript just make me cringe.

RE: MCAT -- Why don't you call up one or more of the admissions offices of schools that you are planning on applying to and see what they say?

RE: Retaking the classes -- What is your overall science GPA. If it is lower than your overall GPA of 3.4, I would consider retaking your Ochem classes.

Good Luck,

Jota

 

[blee]

Your GPA isn't so bad. I have a question, though -- why are you planning to apply in a few years, as opposed to next year?

Either way, if you believe you will be prepared to achieve your highest MCAT score sooner, then you might as well take it. Just KEEP IN MIND the "expiration date" on those scores. If, for whatever reason, you end up pushing your application date, you may end up having to re-take the test. Not fun.

 

[kelli]

RE: MCAT -- Why don't you call up one or more of the admissions offices of schools that you are planning on applying to and see what they say?

RE: Retaking the classes -- What is your overall science GPA. If it is lower than your overall GPA of 3.4, I would consider retaking your Ochem classes.

I'm planning on giving a few schools a call, but wanted to get a feeling for what the board thought first. And my overall science GPA is about a 3.4 as well. I guess generally it's not considered *that* bad. I think I have a good chance of being accepted if apply widely, but I'd really prefer to stay in-state... and in-state is CA.

Your GPA isn't so bad. I have a question, though -- why are you planning to apply in a few years, as opposed to next year?

Either way, if you believe you will be prepared to achieve your highest MCAT score sooner, then you might as well take it. Just KEEP IN MIND the "expiration date" on those scores. If, for whatever reason, you end up pushing your application date, you may end up having to re-take the test. Not fun.

I'm waiting to apply so that my daughter will be a bit older before I have to take away time from her to devote to my classes. She's over a year old at the moment, and will be old enough to enter kindergarten or first grade if I wait a few years. I'm more eager than anyone to start applying and getting into med school, but for my daughter's sake, I'm willing to wait a bit longer.

And that's a good point that you brought up about the expiration date. I would hate to be rejected entirely and have to retake the MCATs because I need to reapply. I'll have to think about it a bit more.

Thanks much for the thoughtful replies.

 

[kelli]

I think I've decided to hold off on taking the MCAT until next year so in case anything goes wrong, my scores will be valid for another year. But I've started reviewing materials now like EK and Kaplan books. Hopefully changing the MCAT from written to the computer version in 2007 won't screw me up too much.

I'm going to go ahead and retake the chemistry classes in the summer as well. I actually went ahead and calculated my BCPM & AO scores using http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/conversionguide2006.pdf#search='amcas%20grade%20conversion%20guide' . My BCPM from strictly undergrad ended up being a 3.349 with an AO of 3.54. But including the few post-bacc courses that I've taken, my BCPM raises to a 3.527 -- which makes me extremely happy. This is assuming I categorized all the classes correctly -- classes like Psych and Oceanography would be in AO I assume? Anyways I figure that retaking my classes wouldn't hurt as long as I did well, and it would be good brush up for the MCAT.

SDN.