Minimum MCAT Score. Should I take the MCAT again?

[TheVirg]

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I feel that I am in somewhat of a unique situation after looking through most of the threads about minimum MCAT scores.

MCAT scores: 10 (VR), 14 (PS), 13(BS) with a 3.92 GPA

However, one medical school I was really hoping to apply to has a MCAT minimum of 11(VR). I do not meet this one minimum, and the website says that applicants must meet each MCAT requirement individually. I therefore have two questions:

1) Should I retake the MCAT in search of a higher VR score? I feel like I hurt myself by not studying a ton for this section.

2) Are the requirements actually that strict? If I applied and was clearly competitive, would the school dismiss the application based on a single point on one MCAT section?

*On a side note, any recommendations for medical schools to look into?

Thanks for any help!

 

[samac]

I wouldn't take retake a 37. You'd have to take the new MCAT and there's a lot of uncertainty there. I don't know what program you're looking at so I can't comment on strict cutoffs, but if I were you I'd open up to other programs that can get into. If you have good ECs I'd say you stand a chance at top 30.

 

[Lucca]

Could you please link the requirement for us? It would be helpful to read what the actual wording of the requirement is. It might not be a requirement at all and I suspect that it might be a median or average.

However, regardless of the above, please do not retake a 37 it will be the worst decision you could make, especially since there are no more old MCAT seating.

 

[TheVirg]

http://www.schulich.uwo.ca/medicine/undergraduate/future_students/admission/requirements.html

^I am an American student with ties to UWO (family ties, but obvious the cost considerations are significant. And yes, I am a Canadian citizen). The wording sounds pretty unambiguous to me.

Also, taking the new MCAT could definitely be problematic with the new sections. Do you think a 10 VR would prevent me from getting into any upper-level medical schools?

 

[AspiringERMD]

I really wouldn't retake a 37. You'd be jeopardizing your chances everywhere else by doing so. You have nothing to lose by applying anyway and seeing if they make an exception given how high your other two subsection scores were.

 

[medic86]

TIL: Schulich has harsher MCAT minimums than US top 20 schools.

 

[NeuResurgens]

37?! I absolutely would not retake with a fantastic score like that. How attached to that one school are you? Because unless you'd not be happy anywhere else, you will have plenty of other options. That is a competitive score for a top ten.

 

[wegotthis14]

Do not retake the mcat. You earned an excellent score. Try calling that school's admissions office and explaining the situation. The school will likely make an exception in your case. If not, plenty of other excellent schools would be glad to have you.

 

[NickNaylor]

You have an excellent score. I wouldn't retake it just for the sake of one school. I say either apply to that school and see just how stringent that "requirement" is or don't apply there at all. You will have no problem getting into a school from a numbers perspective.

 

[TheVirg]

Thanks guys. Your reassurances have definitely helped put me at ease. I guess I will definitely not retake the MCAT and I will email the admissions office to see what they say.

Not sure if people do this, but I have a totally separate question..

Basically, I have 2 summers of research (1 in a biochem lab, 1 in a chem lab for a REU with a published paper and a convention invitation that I had to decline). This summer I believe I will have a position at a cancer research lab. Would it be better to work in a lab even though I know that lab work is not for me, or would it be better to try to find employment in a hospital or working at a doctor's office? I know those jobs are hard to find, but it is always a possibility.

Thanks again.

 

[Lucca]

http://www.schulich.uwo.ca/medicine/undergraduate/future_students/admission/requirements.html

^I am an American student with ties to UWO (family ties, but obvious the cost considerations are significant. And yes, I am a Canadian citizen). The wording sounds pretty unambiguous to me.

Also, taking the new MCAT could definitely be problematic with the new sections. Do you think a 10 VR would prevent me from getting into any upper-level medical schools?

I'm guessing you didn't do high school in Southern Ontario, because in that case you could have the minimum lowered to an 8 on the VR as long as the MCAT is 32+, which yours is. Otherwise, it seems that it is some sort of minimum but it doesn't hurt to ask the admissions office. Pretty steep minimum but I can appreciate their transparency.

As for your lab question, I would definitely not continue doing lab work if you know it isn't for you. I don't know how it works in Canada but the AAMC's literature states that clinical volunteering and exposure along with your MCAT and GPA are far more important than research at most schools. You already have some amount of research so I don't even think you would be lacking in that category either for MD-only purposes.