non traditional - high gpa, eh mcat

[Engineer2med]

I have been working as an engineer for 5 years. Graduated with a 3.9 GPA in engineering. I also have my masters in engineering, 3.9 GPA as well. I took the mcat "just for fun" 4 years ago and got a 27Q. I just took it for real after loads of studying in march 27th and left feeling defeated. I doubt i even hit my 27Q that "just for fun" pulled 4 years ago. Let's say that I get a 27Q, with my 3.9 cum GPA (4.0 science), some volunteering experience, some community service, do I have a chance at a MD midwest state school? I don't know how to get my mcat up anymore? It's the timing that's the issue. perhaps I'll get my score back in April and actually have done well, but I really don't think so.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[aztri]

Which engineering are you trained in/haved worked in? Generally, bioengineering (same as biomedical engineering) and chemical engineering are considered most closely related to medicine. With these, it is easier to relate your experiences to medicine and may be easier to show your reasoning on your path from industry to medical school.

Have you taken all of your pre-reqs for med school? If so, what is your science gpa. Please note that engineering courses are not considered science courses and so they do not factor into your sci gpa.

With your mcat, you will likely have a hard time getting into a MD program. However, for DO programs your score would be pretty competitive. It depends on what you want to do. My advice would be to apply to both if you really want to go MD, even if you only consider DO your 'back-up.' Very few people walk out of the mcat feeling as if they rocked it so you'll really just have to hang tight and wait until your score is released next month. Then you will have a better understanding how positively or negatively your mcat will weigh into you application as a whole. As you old mcat has expired already (they're only good for 3 years), it should not impact your application.

How are your ECs? Do you have clinical, volunteering, leadership and research experiences?

 

[Engineer2med]

Thanks for the reply. I am currently finishing up my pre-reqs while working full time(orgo chems, biology). I am expecting A's this semester in 2 of my classes. Apparently my strength is in doing well in classes, but not well on standardized test. Same thing happened with SATs, GREs, and now, MCAT =(
What do you think admissions will weigh more? That I've applied myself for 5+ years to get 3.9 cumGPA and 4.0 science? Or that I can't take a standardized test to save my life and get a 27? I'm currently volunteering at hospitals, have research experience, TAed a bunch of classes in the past, and do outreach programs.

 

[aztri]

Haha sadly that one standardized test, the dreaded mcat, weighs in A LOT in your application. You need both a good gpa and good mcat to be solid. Even if you got a 40 on the mcat and you had a 2.9 gpa, the adcoms would wonder why the huge descrepancy. Like I said before, you don't know your current mcat, so spend your time now focusing on writing a stellar personal statement and very detailed and interesting EC essays and on your courses. If you are really concerned about your mcat, you can keep studying just in case you need to retake it this summer. Most importantly, you MUST submit your application as early as possible. The week amcas opens (end of May/early June), your application should be in. You don't even need to know for sure all the schools you want to apply to - you can add them after your app has been verified. Your ECs sound pretty solid. Do you have any that are simply hobbies to show that you are a real, well-rounded person? If anything, it could make your interviews more conversational and less stressful.

 

[Bernoull]

I have been working as an engineer for 5 years. Graduated with a 3.9 GPA in engineering. I also have my masters in engineering, 3.9 GPA as well. I took the mcat "just for fun" 4 years ago and got a 27Q. I just took it for real after loads of studying in march 27th and left feeling defeated. I doubt i even hit my 27Q that "just for fun" pulled 4 years ago. Let's say that I get a 27Q, with my 3.9 cum GPA (4.0 science), some volunteering experience, some community service, do I have a chance at a MD midwest state school? I don't know how to get my mcat up anymore? It's the timing that's the issue. perhaps I'll get my score back in April and actually have done well, but I really don't think so.

i'll say don't sweat ur mcat until u get the score, people always feel railroaded after taking it and as time goes, the nerves calm and ur feeling about how well u did may improve. How were ur AAMC practice exams? These r very predictive.

Ur chances are best at ur state schools, but even though u're aiming for MW states, do apply broadly bcos nothing's guaranteed.

GL..

 

[MBHockey]

Just out of curiosity, what kind of engineering did you do?

 

[Naijaboiler]

dude relax. I am sure you will get at least a 30 on the MCAT. That with your gpa and others things, will get you in somewhere. It doesn't hurt to apply to DO schools as well. Please do do apply to your states medical school, get great LOR's and you will be fine in the end.

 

[Catalystik]

do I have a chance at a MD midwest state school?

It depends on the state school. In my midwest state of Illinois, with your cGPA and a masters degree and good ECs you'd get accepted to UIllinois (assuming an early application, good LORs, intriguing PS, and adequate interview skills). I've even seen some 25s get accepted.

Would you want to be more specific about your Activities? They may be what makes or breaks you.

 

[Engineer2med]

I did my degree in electrical engineering. I have always sucked at standardized tests, even though I study and study. I've realized why I do well in classes is because I can explain myself, show tons of work, and and give detailed answers (which is important in Engineering, but doesn't help for standardize tests!) I am applying to state schools in Wisconsin, and I plan to apply as early as possible to give me some edge. Thanks for your inputs!

 

[EverythingBagel]

.

 

[Engineer2med]

Here are my EC's.

Volunteering in ER in hospital 4 hrs a week (just started)
Community chair organizer for social group (2 years, did fundraisers, organized drives, worked with BBBS)
Previous research assistant for total of 4 years (1 pub, NSF funded)
Teaching assistant for total of 3 years
full time work experience as EE for 3.5 years

The thing is....with only 5300 character limit, how do you focus on all? Is it better to choose 1 thing (ie, community outreach) and really elaborate, rather than to say, "i did this, then researched, then TAed, all while working, and also rescued a puppy" Because they can see all your ECs, so I'm thinking it would be a waste to restate everything on the Personal statement. What do you guys think?

 

[Catalystik]

The Personal Statement should be about what events in your life influenced your decision to go into medicine and how you tested your fitness for that vocation. It should not be a minibiography. I agree you do not want to reiterate all your ECs.

Your clinical experience is very limited. You haven't shadowed any docs. I'm curious as to what you'd say about Why you want to be a physician.

The average applicant has 1.5 years of clinical experience and 50+ hours of shadowing. Everything else you mentioned looks terrific, but you're seriously lacking in two of the esentials. To me, that means even if you got a MCAT of 40, you'd have trouble in the application process.

 

[naijaboi]

Wait till you get your MCAT scores back. That GPA is awesome, and your non-trad background/life experiences could also go a long way if you talk about it in your PS. Goodluck!!

 

[drizzt3117]

Anyways to answer your question, even with a 27 you'll be reasonably competitive for MCW. With UWs point system, having a sub 30 MCAT isn't ideal, but having a high GPA is pretty helpful, classes range a little bit in GPA and MCAT but in my experience we tend to take higher GPA than MCAT people in a relative sense. My class was a slight exception as a subset of matriculants with very high scores skewed the average upwards.

Uw is extremely non-trad friendly, almost 50% of matriculants take at least one year off.

 

[aztri]

Make sure that you have multiple people read your PS. The more the merrier! Have professors, family members, fellow students, friends, etc. read it. Also, your EC essays should be read over by other people as well. There is no room for minor errors in this. Also, everyone will have a different perspective on the story you weave and your writing style so be open to constructive criticism. It will be a nice way see your work from all angles.