Ok so based on what you’ve said, I recommend canceling your MCAT. If you’re scoring 490s and take your exam in one month, I wouldn’t feel comfortable proceeding. Also, you haven’t had biochem, so you’re really setting yourself up for failure. If I were you, I would take the fall semester to do well in Biochemistry and really hit the volunteering hours and shadowing hours hard. I would then study for the MCAT January-April and take it one and done at the end of April. You need a strong biochem background for the MCAT and your practice scores are indicative of that.
Here is what I did. I left my full time job in 2016 to move back home across the country to complete my pre reqs. I luckily had enough money saved up to pay for almost two years of pre reqs without loans and my parents were nice enough to let me live with them for free. From June 2016-June 2017, I focused solely on pre reqs as I had never taken a collegiate level science class. Once I finished Ochem I and II that summer, I picked up volunteering and shadowing. I also have a photography business that paid for the remainder of my pre reqs, so I was “working.” Once I finished my pre reqs last fall semester, I picked up scribing while taking relevant science classes part time. I originally had planned to take the mcat in April 2018 and apply this cycle, however I did not feel like my app was strong enough, and applying only once was important to me.
I understand financially wanting to rush and I’m very fortunate to now have a fiancé since moving home who I live with and who has a good job, so finances aren’t as strained. I also make good money scribing because it’s a private practice and I’m the only scribe there. Remember that applying to medical school is expensive, and while you feel rushed, you really want to only apply once. Even taking the mcat twice is expensive. I personally would cancel before you don’t get any money back (unfortunately you cannot reschedule for September test dates because the 2019 dates haven’t been released. You’ll eat about $150 of what you paid, but that’s better than 300$).
Your extracurriculars sound good! Just focus on getting more hours. Also, if you’re strapped for cash I do highly recommend scribing part time. Don’t go through a scribing company if you can avoid it, the pay is crap. If you can get lucky with a private practice, the experience is worth taking a little pay cut. I cannot stress enough how incredible it has been for me. I might’ve gotten lucky, but if you search enough, you might be able to find yourself in a good practice with decent pay.
eta: oh also... I haven’t taken the MCAT. I actually was studying to take it in September but have had 3 surgical procedures and some unforeseen illnesses in the last few months. I was upset as I had spent a lot of time studying, but since I’m not applying until 2019, there’s no reason for me to rush to take it in September. I’m not interested in gambling my future with medical school just because I want the exam to be over with. I gave myself 4 months to study while working part time, and I felt that was sufficient enough with the 2.5 months I spent studying. I was doing well with UWorld and felt like I had enough time to cover the matierial sufficiently.
