Need a little advice

[cfdavid]

Hey everyone. I hope all is well.

I'll cut to the chase.

I have an overall 3.63 GPA, BCPM GPM 3.81
I just received my April MCAT scores back, with a 28R (PS8, VR9, BS11)

I knew I bombed the PS, and almost voided after that section. The timing was WAY off and I had to fill in many answers right at the end.

I have good EC's, and feel that other than the 8 in PS, that my application is pretty solid. I'm confident that my LOR's will come through as well.

***All I want to do is to get into a state school (I live in Michigan).

I still work full time, and though I have some flexibility, my job is very demanding in terms of time and focus.

In lieu of this, I've had my house for sale for the last 6 months, with little activity. I just don't want to give it away.

The question is, should I retake the MCAT this August? I checked that I would be retaking it when I submitted my AAMCAS application last week.

BUT, I'm so busy right now that I'm worried about being able to study enough for the MCAT in order to ASSURE a better score.

I'm not looking for approval, but some sound advice. For me, in order to assure myself a better MCAT (I'm confident I can bring it up 2 points) score, I would have to really focus back into the material. Which means that my evenings would need to be dedicated to it, rather than job related stuff.

I also have many other things going on that I have not mentioned. The point is that something will have to give.

Any input? Should I suck it up? I'm kind of feeling burned out right now, though.

I appreciate the time. Any advice is welcome.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[venez]

28 R is above average, why not apply and see what happens? if you dont get in, retake next april. i am in the same boat. i can't squeeze in enough time to study for the august mcat with my job and family. so if i dont get in this year, i will retake next april. good luck!

 

[ntmed]

The question is, should I retake the MCAT this August? I checked that I would be retaking it when I submitted my AAMCAS application last week.

If you checked the August MCAT box, it may mean that you application will not be processed until the August MCAT scores are released in October. Can someone verify if this is true? And if so, hopefully you can change this on your application.

Back to your original question, I would retake the August MCAT if I felt I could do better, and if I felt very strongly that I didn't want to wait another year to reapply.

If not, I think it's okay to apply with what you have, and reapply next year if needed. But if you do this, make plans now to reapply next year. Some people make the mistake of waiting until June or July to decide whether to reapply. It might be better to assume you will have to reapply, and set aside time now for the April MCAT.

 

[Celiac Plexus]

Hey everyone. I hope all is well.

I'll cut to the chase.

I have an overall 3.63 GPA, BCPM GPM 3.81
I just received my April MCAT scores back, with a 28R (PS8, VR9, BS11)

I knew I bombed the PS, and almost voided after that section. The timing was WAY off and I had to fill in many answers right at the end.

I have good EC's, and feel that other than the 8 in PS, that my application is pretty solid. I'm confident that my LOR's will come through as well.

***All I want to do is to get into a state school (I live in Michigan).

I still work full time, and though I have some flexibility, my job is very demanding in terms of time and focus.

In lieu of this, I've had my house for sale for the last 6 months, with little activity. I just don't want to give it away.

The question is, should I retake the MCAT this August? I checked that I would be retaking it when I submitted my AAMCAS application last week.

BUT, I'm so busy right now that I'm worried about being able to study enough for the MCAT in order to ASSURE a better score.

I'm not looking for approval, but some sound advice. For me, in order to assure myself a better MCAT (I'm confident I can bring it up 2 points) score, I would have to really focus back into the material. Which means that my evenings would need to be dedicated to it, rather than job related stuff.

I also have many other things going on that I have not mentioned. The point is that something will have to give.

Any input? Should I suck it up? I'm kind of feeling burned out right now, though.

I appreciate the time. Any advice is welcome.

it doesn't really sound like you have your priorities set, and you seem to be asking for sdners to do that for you.

if getting in to medical school is really what you want to do, then dedicate yourself to achieving that goal. a 28 mcat is not that good. it's barely average for all test takers, and significantly below average for all accepted applicants. then again, you have good grades, so maybe you will squeak in somewhere. but if you really want to maximize your chances, and really want to be a doctor, then perhaps you should adjust your schedule accordingly.

i think that if you are having trouble motivating yourself to study for the mcat which is a fairly basic, straightforward exam, then if i were you i would reexamine my motives/drive for becoming a physician.

best of luck.

 

[cfdavid]

it doesn't really sound like you have your priorities set, and you seem to be asking for sdners to do that for you.

if getting in to medical school is really what you want to do, then dedicate yourself to achieving that goal. a 28 mcat is not that good. it's barely average for all test takers, and significantly below average for all accepted applicants. then again, you have good grades, so maybe you will squeak in somewhere. but if you really want to maximize your chances, and really want to be a doctor, then perhaps you should adjust your schedule accordingly.

i think that if you are having trouble motivating yourself to study for the mcat which is a fairly basic, straightforward exam, then if i were you i would reexamine my motives/drive for becoming a physician.

best of luck.

There's more to it than that. My priorities are in order.
However, I appreciate your candor.

The reason I listed my house in the first place was to be proactive and be able to quit my job. My plan was to then take on a more 9-5 job, with less responsiblity. But, I've had trouble selling my home.

I'm just gonna have to time manage like crazy, and try not to burn any bridges.

I know the MCAT is "straightforward" but, personally, I need to really be in a focused "zone" to do well, and that's been tough with everything going on at work etc.

Anyway, I'm registering for the August exam right now. Thanks everyone for the advice. I know it's best to try really hard to bump the MCAT up as much as possible, so that's what I'm gonna do.

 

[ShyRem]

a 28 mcat is not that good. it's barely average for all test takers, and significantly below average for all accepted applicants.

Sorry Celiac, but on the AMCAS MCAT site itself, there are provided data tables that show the test is graded on a bell curve, with approximately 24 being the mean (the average for all test takers). And if you look at the latest MSAR, it appears that a 30 is the average for accepted applicants.

 

[cfdavid]

Actually, yesterday I spoke to one of my state's adcom people. She indicated that it would be better to leave my application as complete, rather than try for a few point improvement and lose out on the rolling admissions nature of the process.

She said it would be better to leave the app. provided the rest of it where strong. So, I don't think I'll be retaking this year. If necessary, and I don't get in anywhere, then I will next year.

 

[QofQuimica]

I don't think I'd retake in Aug. if I were you, cfdavid. I agree with the posters who said that 28 is a reasonable score to get into medical school. A few of my students have gotten into allopathic schools with MCAT scores in the mid twenties if everything else on their app was stellar. So I say go for it. You might not get into U of Michigan with a 28, but you still have Wayne St. and Mich. State. Heck, you might as well apply to U. Mich. too, because you never know, right? 30-31 is the average matriculant score, so that means some people must have scored lower, because they have to balance out the people with high 30s and low 40s. Good luck to you; I hope you get in.

 

[QofQuimica]

it doesn't really sound like you have your priorities set, and you seem to be asking for sdners to do that for you.

if getting in to medical school is really what you want to do, then dedicate yourself to achieving that goal. a 28 mcat is not that good. it's barely average for all test takers, and significantly below average for all accepted applicants. then again, you have good grades, so maybe you will squeak in somewhere. but if you really want to maximize your chances, and really want to be a doctor, then perhaps you should adjust your schedule accordingly.

i think that if you are having trouble motivating yourself to study for the mcat which is a fairly basic, straightforward exam, then if i were you i would reexamine my motives/drive for becoming a physician.

best of luck.

This is a pretty mean-spirited post. The MCAT is anything BUT "fairly basic and straightforward," and people don't live in a vacuum. We all have other things going on in our lives, and as hard as this whole application process is for everyone, it's much harder for older people who have families, mortgages, and jobs compared with college students who have relatively no responsibilities. I don't agree that a shortage of time over the summer means that the OP isn't dedicated to becoming a doctor, or doesn't have his priorities straight. He wanted some advice about whether to re-take the MCAT this summer or not. That's hardly asking for us to decide about what he should do with his life.

 

[cfdavid]

QofQuimica,
Thanks for the encouragement. Also, I've been following things on this forum, and I'd like to congratulate you on your GREAT MCAT score! It looks like you're well on your way. I wish you all the luck as well.

You have a ton of class and I know a lot of people on this forum appreciate your intelligent and tactfull approach to the issues. Good luck. From what I've seen, you're gonna make a great doc some day.

 

[QofQuimica]

QofQuimica,
Thanks for the encouragement. Also, I've been following things on this forum, and I'd like to congratulate you on your GREAT MCAT score! It looks like you're well on your way. I wish you all the luck as well.

You have a ton of class and I know a lot of people on this forum appreciate your intelligent and tactfull approach to the issues. Good luck. From what I've seen, you're gonna make a great doc some day.

Thanks. If only YOU were on the adcoms.

 

[Celiac Plexus]

to cfdavid,

i don't think my post was mean-spirited. i certainly didn't intend it that way, and i hope that you didn't take it that way. i was just giving an answer to what i think you were asking. if it's not what you wanted to hear, then simply disregard what i wrote.

best of luck to you.

 

[dknc75]

cf, a 28 is a solid score for the younger applicants at MSU-CHM and a better score for a nontraditional applicant (especially since you're instate). The adcom at msu seem to be friendly towards nontraditional applicants (one of the reasons why I applied, and recently got accepted there); I'm sure they realize that with a full time job / family obligations, you are not in the best position to do as well as you could have done on that exam.

This is the beginning of the new application cycle and I would apply as early as possible. Apply to as many schools as you can afford to and try to write a heck of an admissions essay.

Good Luck!

-dk

 

[jjmcentee@hotma]

I don't know if this is the right answer but I've research some different financial options with my home that may work for you.

6 months is a long time to be on the market in this atmosphere, so you may need to look at comps in your area and figure out if your overpriced. People tend to look in 10k increments. If they're looking for 120's, they wont even look at a house in the 130's.

Take out a home equity loan then refinance for one of those choice loans.

If you have equity, this will give you some cash options. Refinance into one of those new choice loans, where you can pay interest only, inter + principal, and then there are other options you have each month. What this does is lowers your mandatory payment on the home to a minimum, often half of what your normal payment. Usually you can propogate this for about 5 years. Just enough time.

Then maybe try to rent the home to cover that difference or for whatever you can. Hire someone to manage the property (usually 10% of rent fee).

This gives you some options with the home, and ensures you don't get stuck behind because you can't sell the house.

The other approach is just to look at why the house isn't selling, and fix those things, lower the price, and sell the beast. Its tough letting go, but set yourself a timetable and take the appropriate action.


Good luck.

jim

 

[cfdavid]

cf, a 28 is a solid score for the younger applicants at MSU-CHM and a better score for a nontraditional applicant (especially since you're instate). The adcom at msu seem to be friendly towards nontraditional applicants (one of the reasons why I applied, and recently got accepted there); I'm sure they realize that with a full time job / family obligations, you are not in the best position to do as well as you could have done on that exam.

This is the beginning of the new application cycle and I would apply as early as possible. Apply to as many schools as you can afford to and try to write a heck of an admissions essay.

Good Luck!

-dk

First, congratulations on the acceptance!! I wish you all the luck, and MSU seems like a really nice program.

Yeah, I hope they take all that stuff into consideration. We'll see. But thank you for the encouragement. Take care.

 

[cfdavid]

Jim,
Thanks for the input. What happened was I decided to sell my house early in order to be proactive (to allow more flexibility/options). So, my neighbor is a real estate agent, and I had her list it. I'm a bit overpriced, but really can't drop my price too much more with a broker involved. So, in 2 weeks, our 6 month contract is up, and I'll be able to drop the price and go for sale by owner. So, I'm not too worried now.
Thanks for the advice.