Nontrad MCAT question

[Concept21]

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Hey all,

I'm just curious whether or not Adcoms take into account subpar performances on the MCAT by nontraditional students due to lack of the appropriate courses. I didn't know I wanted to go to med school until second semester of my senior year in college (I was a psych major), and I have been working 2 jobs and supporting myself since then.

I think I may have done poorly on the MCAT (took it 2 weeks ago) because I just didn't have the time to fully teach myself Biology/Chemistry/Biochem (never took them in college). I think I did very well on the verbal section, I just couldn't fully prepare myself for the others.

I've put in my AMCAS profile that I intend to take these courses during the next year because I know they're prereqs for med school, but will anyone from an admissions committee look at my MCAT score and give me any sort of a break based on the information I've given you? Any and all advice appreciated, thanks in advance.

 

[SN12357]

No. Coursework + MCAT are supposed to prove that you can handle the academic side of medical school. If you don't have the coursework and you did poorly on the MCAT, why would they have any reason to give you admission over other people who did well at both of those things?

Why did you take the MCAT before taking so many of the prereqs? That's almost never a good idea. From what you wrote here I don't see any reason why you should continue this application cycle--you aren't going to get it in without the basic academic qualifiers, and you're late in the process. You are almost certainly better off withdrawing and trying again next year.

 

[wholeheartedly]

No I don't think it will work that way. I think they'll wonder why you didn't wait to take the MCAT until you were fully prepared. That would show poor planning.

Getting into medical school is a marathon not a sprint most people say. With as long as you'll be in training in this field there's no point to risk doing poorly trying to save yourself a year when medical school plus residency will take you at least 7 years before you can practic.

I don't know how much of a look you're going to get anywhere missing all of your prereqs. There's just too much of a risk that you won't actually finish all of them or do poorly.

 

[Concept21]

Dammit : (

 

[Dfbsny67]

Psych is not nontrad. IMO.

 

[wholeheartedly]

Psych is not nontrad. IMO.

It can be if you do it not originally planning on applying to medical school and having a post bacc to get in the science pre reqs, etc.

You're pretty new here, but once you've been around awhile you'll see that we're pretty flexible with the definition of nontrad as there are an endless number of paths to take that aren't typical.