Please Help!!!! Need advice!

[Beagles]

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[LeoGer]

If waiting a year is not an option, applying to DO schools is a great idea. But for future financial security, do NOT apply to Caribbean schools! You have decent stats and already one interview. You have a good shot this year.

If you approach a retake seriously and are consistently scoring 33 or higher, I don't think that is a bad idea, either. A 34 or 35 is a big jump in percentile rankings from a 30.

 

[CW 2010]

You said, you applied broadly and have many more schools to hear from, so just wait, maybe something will turn out of this.

Don't re-take the MCAT yet. Maybe you'll get in.

You could apply to DO schools as well (I don't know what the deadlines are).
It's better to get into a DO school, than to get nowhere at all, right?

 

[TriagePreMed]

Given my age (40) with financial considerations, applying next year is not possible. Without starting a MD vs. DO war, I would really prefer MD. But at the end, I just want to be a physician.

Sorry to say this, but at 40, you know you have your age against you. Stay tight and hope that maybe some school will open their doors for you. Otherwise, you should be considering the DO route since they are much more friendly toward 2nd career students.

 

[Beagles]

I used to think 40 was old when I was 25, but 40 is the new 30! Thanks for the advice. Although still on the fence, I am thinking about taking my chances with the 30 score and will likely also apply DO.

 

[TriagePreMed]

40 is young if we speak on life expectancy. If we speak on medical school terms, it means a doctor that will work for 10 years less.

I used to think 40 was old when I was 25, but 40 is the new 30! Thanks for the advice. Although still on the fence, I am thinking about taking my chances with the 30 score and will likely also apply DO.

 

[student1799]

I used to think 40 was old when I was 25, but 40 is the new 30! Thanks for the advice. Although still on the fence, I am thinking about taking my chances with the 30 score and will likely also apply DO.

I have to disagree with TPM somewhat on the age thing. I applied to med school at 45 and started at 46, so clearly 40 is not the kiss of death. I just think you have to put together a strong application that makes a convincing case for why you want to be a doctor. I do agree that there are some schools out there which aren't too friendly to non-trads (I got interviews at a couple, but don't think I got a completely fair shake at those places). But by and large, I think older students are treated very fairly. As with younger people, it's all about your stats and the strength of your application.

As to your MCAT, I think the 8 in VR is a bigger problem than the total score. I applied with a 31 with 7 in PS [blew the section because of bad nerves], and I had to work my butt off to get interviews and get into med school. 8 is still a lot better than 7, however, because a lot of schools will auto-reject anyone who scores below 8 on any section of the MCAT.

I don't know your state of residence or where you applied, so I don't know how competitive you are for those schools. But if you're afraid that your MCAT score isn't competitive for the places you applied to, there is still time to add schools to your app. I added 12 schools to my app on October 10th, got interviews at 6 of them (vs. 2 of my original 15 schools), and got into 2 of them plus 4 WLs. So you can improve your odds if you get moving on it.

Another thing that will really help you to get interviews is an aggressive LOI campaign. Send ALL of your schools an email as soon as you're complete, stating your interest in the school, making a case for yourself as an applicant (and briefly explaining the low VR score) and DIRECTLY ASKING FOR AN INTERVIEW. Trust me, it can really help.

Good luck.

 

[TriagePreMed]

I have to disagree with TPM somewhat on the age thing. I applied to med school at 45 and started at 46, so clearly 40 is not the kiss of death.

You're exaggerating my words. I never said it is a kiss of death, but it definitely is harder for an older student to be accepted into a regular MD program compared to DO.