Needing help deciding whether to apply or not

[ems1243]

Hello. I am just trying to make a decision and am needing some recommendations. I really want to go to an osteopathic medical school but with my previous MCAT score that is seeming unlikely. If there are any schools that you think I would still have a chance at I would appreciate that or if you have any recommendations on other careers I should look into that would also be helpful. I have only ever wanted to be a doctor so I am kind of lost on what to do now.

Stats:
Bachelors of Health Science with an Emphasis in Pre-Professional Studies
Minor in Biology and Psychology with a Multicultural Certificate
cGPA: 3.3 (big upward trend)
sGPA: 3.04 (I retook classes due to a bad start in college)
MCAT: 2020: 489; 2021: 491
Clinical: I have worked at a hospital for 3.5 years with over 3500 hours
Volunteer: probably around 750-1000 hours
Shadowing: 75 hours

EC:
-Cancer Research Lab for 2 years and will be 2nd author on the paper that we are working on
-Global Brigades (went on a medical trip to a rural area in Honduras)
-Service Sorority (4 years)- Leader position for a semester
-Help run a Father Daughter Ball event back in my hometown for the last 6 years (this is a charity event and all funds go back to the community in some way each year)
-volunteered to serve food in the community during COVID
-Helped put on an outdoor graduation parade for preschool children for the past two years during COVID (It really helped boost kids motivation in school because they had something to work for and I think it also helped the parents mentally because it gave them the opportunity to see how many people are there to support them)
-Internship helping women get the proper care during pregnancy and making sure children between the ages of 0-3 are receiving the proper care to ensure healthy development


LOR: Research professor, DO, science professor, psychology professor and someone who I have done volunteering with for several years

Not sure if this is really relevant, but I have also traveled abroad several times to experience different cultures because I thought it would help make me a better doctor and help me connect with patients better. (I really enjoy traveling so that obviously played a part but I really wanted to make myself a well rounded candidate in all aspects.)

MO resident, white female, 23 years old

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[Faha]

You will need to increase your MCAT score to 498 or higher to have a chance for DO interviews. What were your practice scores prior to taking your 2 exams ?

 

[ems1243]

You will need to increase your MCAT score to 498 or higher to have a chance for DO interviews. What were your practice scores prior to taking your 2 exams ?

My practice exams were in the range of 500-505 which is why I’m so confused on how I scored so poorly.

 

[Faha]

You will need to retake the MCAT before you apply. There is a section on SDN devoted to the MCAT and you should be able to find advice on how to improve your score.

 

[ems1243]

You will need to retake the MCAT before you apply. There is a section on SDN devoted to the MCAT and you should be able to find advice on how to improve your score.

Thank you!

 

[deleted1100659]

I have no idea how good/bad your mcat score is because in my day Mcats we’re two digit scores (lol).

but the rest of your application looks great. Experience and gpa are both hard to improve because they take a lot of time and effort, but sometimes the right changes can really improve an mcat score

personally in my experience I took mcat twice and had drastic improvement second time just from improving how I study. Also using the Berkeley review

 

[deleted1100659]

OPs MCAT is equivalent to an 18 which was the average for weaker schools like UP-KYCOM, DCOM about a decade ago. However, even these schools are now in the 500-502 (25-26) average

oh well that is unfortunate, 18 definitely needs a little improvement.

On a positive note, improving on the mcat is doable and that seems to be the only glaring deficiency, so don’t give up op!

 

[ems1243]

oh well that is unfortunate, 18 definitely needs a little improvement.

On a positive note, improving on the mcat is doable and that seems to be the only glaring deficiency, so don’t give up op!

Thank you for being so encouraging!! I guess right now I’m trying to decide between two routes if you have any opinions on them. I’ve been offered an ophthalmic tech position so I could accept that and take my mcat again next spring or I could start a 2 yr masters program in fall 22, take my mcat spring 23, and apply during my last year of the program. I’ve just heard so many things about giving yourself more time between retesting can look better in school’s eyes so I just wanted to see if you had any opinions on that.

 

[ems1243]

With two low MCATs your third would need to be >505 for any real shot even at DO schools.

If you still want to be called doctor then podiatry can help you do that. Your stats are very competitive for it and should even get you a scholarship or two

Thank you for your advice! Do you have any opinions on at what point I should stop retaking the mcat? (Ex. 4th or 5th time or just when I stop improving?)

 

[deleted1100659]

Honestly before you commit to adding on loans before medical school, maybe taking some time to really focus on your mcat and knocking it out of the park may be best. It’s hard to see the effects of loans before med school now, but when you finish med school you won’t want to have massive debt. Your ecs arent bad at all and I would guess you’d get at least one do acceptance with the right mcat.

 

[ems1243]

Honestly before you commit to adding on loans before medical school, maybe taking some time to really focus on your mcat and knocking it out of the park may be best. It’s hard to see the effects of loans before med school now, but when you finish med school you won’t want to have massive debt. Your ecs arent bad at all and I would guess you’d get at least one do acceptance with the right mcat.

I definitely hadn’t thought about it that way so thank you!

 

[ems1243]

Ideally one only takes the MCAT once. Moving forward you need to really review your FLs and figure out why you got questions wrong (turn every choice into a question).
Do uworld, and use third party FLs since you’ve probably exhausted AAMC material. So altius, next prep etc. once your scoring 505> on those redo the AAMC FLs and do not retake your MCAT unless you get >508 on those (since you’ve already seen the material before your score will be inflated)

Thank you that’s great advice!

 

[Goro]

Hello. I am just trying to make a decision and am needing some recommendations. I really want to go to an osteopathic medical school but with my previous MCAT score that is seeming unlikely. If there are any schools that you think I would still have a chance at I would appreciate that or if you have any recommendations on other careers I should look into that would also be helpful. I have only ever wanted to be a doctor so I am kind of lost on what to do now.

Stats:
Bachelors of Health Science with an Emphasis in Pre-Professional Studies
Minor in Biology and Psychology with a Multicultural Certificate
cGPA: 3.3 (big upward trend)
sGPA: 3.04 (I retook classes due to a bad start in college)
MCAT: 2020: 489; 2021: 491
Clinical: I have worked at a hospital for 3.5 years with over 3500 hours
Volunteer: probably around 750-1000 hours
Shadowing: 75 hours

EC:
-Cancer Research Lab for 2 years and will be 2nd author on the paper that we are working on
-Global Brigades (went on a medical trip to a rural area in Honduras)
-Service Sorority (4 years)- Leader position for a semester
-Help run a Father Daughter Ball event back in my hometown for the last 6 years (this is a charity event and all funds go back to the community in some way each year)
-volunteered to serve food in the community during COVID
-Helped put on an outdoor graduation parade for preschool children for the past two years during COVID (It really helped boost kids motivation in school because they had something to work for and I think it also helped the parents mentally because it gave them the opportunity to see how many people are there to support them)
-Internship helping women get the proper care during pregnancy and making sure children between the ages of 0-3 are receiving the proper care to ensure healthy development


LOR: Research professor, DO, science professor, psychology professor and someone who I have done volunteering with for several years

Not sure if this is really relevant, but I have also traveled abroad several times to experience different cultures because I thought it would help make me a better doctor and help me connect with patients better. (I really enjoy traveling so that obviously played a part but I really wanted to make myself a well rounded candidate in all aspects.)

MO resident, white female, 23 years old

With those MCAT scores, I can't recommend applying. You're in the risk zone for failing out of med school and/or failing Boards.

If test taking anxiety issues are the root of the problem, those need to be fixed before you can even think about applying. And as Faha points out, you need to score a good 10 points higher on a retest.