Need Help ASAP - What are my chances?

[kimkim]

Hi, guys!

I am currently an undergraduate sutdent at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
And I am applying to medical schools this summer. In fact, I am ready to submit my AMCAS application right now except that I am not sure which schools I should apply to.
So I need you guys' help ASAP.

My cumulative GPA at the University of Illinois is 3.96/4.00.
However, I am really worried about my MCAT score.
I took MCAT on July, 2008, and I got a score of 26.(So I was disappointed.) In addition, if you take a look at my score section by section, it's not balanced well.
I got 12 on Physical Science Section, 9 on Biological Science Section, and 5 on Verbal Reasoning Section.(for total score of 26, and N on Writing Section.)

Yes, I scored really low on Verbal Reasoning Section.
However, as you can guess, English is my second language.

Anyway, with GPA of 3.96/4.00 and MCAT score of 26, I have no idea which schools I should apply to.
I am Illinois resident so I am planning to apply to just about every medical school in Illinois. However, I want to apply to few other out-of-state medical schools also.
COULD YOU GUYS SUGGEST ME ANY OUT-OF-STATE MEDICAL SCHOOLS THAT I SHOULD APPLY TO?(Of course, schools that you think I have chances of getting into.)

With my MCAT score of 26(and verbal reasoning score of 5), I am worried that I might not get into any medical school.
What do you guys think?

Also, do you guys think I should retake the MCAT on September?
I want to avoid taking MCAT again if I have good chances of getting into at least few medical schools in Illinois.
However, if I have no chance what-so-ever, I guess I should take it again.
What do you guys think?

Thank you very much for your help, guys!

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[Green Grass]

I would say even though English is your second language, that 5 in VR is going to hurt. You could try to apply this year and see what happens with your state schools and if you don't get in, I would retake the MCAT next year (or September of this year if you prefer). Good luck with the application cycle.

 

[Compass]

Your GPA is stellar. Your VR section is pretty low, though. Apply as you wish, but prepare to take an MCAT at a later point if applications don't work :-/

 

[hoya09]

Hey- Sorry about the MCAT disappointment It's not that bad though, especially if you're open minded. I've been doing a lot of DO research lately and if you're interested in DO programs, you'd probably be a great candidate. CCOM, the Chicago DO school, might be of particular interest. If you're not interested in DO you'll have a tough time with the 5 in VR. My suggestion would be to retake in Sept if you're serious about MD only/this cycle. With your GPA and an MCAT of 33+ you'd probably be ok applying late. Try using EK Verbal for prep. If you don't get comfortably into the 30's, you may want to try a few Virgina schools, Tulane, Drexel, and Temple. You may wish to call ahead and see if they screen verbal scores. Best of luck!

 

[Mobius1985]

Sorry to be brutally frank, but if I were you, I would not waste my money applying for this cycle, unless you have stellar research and clinical exposure, and even then, I think only the state schools of Illinois (my home state also) will consider you. No out-of-state MD school will consider you now due to automatic score cut-offs in their screening process. Don't waste an expensive application cycle to no purpose. Take an MCAT prep course and try again next year (you can't possibly adequately prepare yourself for the test in September). Even the Illinois DO school will not like that verbal score. CCOM is one of the more competitive among the DO schools.

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[jhysrrn20]

I think you have an awesome GPA, but if you're set on MD programs, you might want to retake your MCAT, however I dont think it would help you that much if you take it in September. If you were to retake your MCAT, you should do it for the next application cycle since a Sept MCAT will delay your application. Your chances of getting into medical school will be much higher with a higher verbal score. Good luck.