Question about MCAT score in personal statement

[Roo2]

Hello,

I'm planning to send my preliminary AAMC application this week, and I'm definitely late to the game. I've been on the PhD track since my freshman year of college, been doing research since then, etc. I had an internship at a biotech company over this past summer where I spoke to several employees, did some research, and became convinced that an MD/PhD would best enable me to pursue my medical research goals. As such, I only had about four weeks to study for the MCAT before I took it (I had to take it the week prior to the last test date; there was nothing on the last Saturday in my area).

I ended up with a 39T, which seems to be a pretty solid score. Should I mention this in my personal statement? On one hand, I know a lot of people that took MCAT classes and studied loads of material for months in advance, whereas I just studied out of the Princeton Review book for a few weeks before the exam. I feel that this reflects positively on my ability to assimilate information quickly, and also on the quality of my undergrad education. On the other hand, reading these message boards makes it seem like medical schools want to hear about your desire to be a doctor since about gastrulation.

Would you mention the recent decision/short preparation time in your personal statement?

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[StIGMA]

No, don't mention your score or your preparation, which actually sounds like a very typical preparation. The reason not to include your score is that you will sound like an ignorant douchebag, and the point of a PS is to make yourself sound like the opposite of an ignorant douchebag, the informed interesting curious non-haughty junior medical student. You could try to mention a lot of scientific words in your PS- mitosis, actin, parasympathetic, neonatal, neural crest, syncytia, etc. -you know- to show you really really have a quality undergrad education, but you couldn't do this and not sound like the ignorant douchebag, so don't.

Your PS should speak for your desire/reasons/goals to becoming a medical doctor. It should not be a research statement, although it can include information about how your research experiences shaped your desire to become a physician. Have a focus on why you want to work with people, because that is what doctors do. A lot of people will reference their volunteering and shadowing experiences- NOT in name only like a resume would- but rather tell a story about life experiences that happened during the shadowing/volunteering experience that convey you have an understanding of what medicine is about/why you are dedicated to this profession.

Your "Why MD-PhD" statement will be your essay about specifically you want to pursue the MD-PhD. This will be your research-heavy essay, including your desires/goals for both the MD and the PhD, and you can include the evidence in your life that support your preparation, desires, and goals for these degrees. For instance, in one of my paragraphs I documented what I had done to become educated about the MD/PhD program including my research experiences and in depth communications with various research faculty & physicians/residents, emphasizing that this is the direction I wanted my career to head.

I wrote the last two paragraphs because you seemed slightly off-target in your interpretation of the PS, and hopefully others will benefit. Best of luck!

 

[Roo2]

StIGMA,

Thanks a lot for the reply. I definitely don't want to come off as a douche in my PS, and I didn't mean to on this forum either. I think I had a wrong impression of the MCAT preparation... every pre-med I've ever talked to freaked out about the exam and started studying for it months (or in a couple cases, over a year) in advance, so I inferred that to be a common process. Looks like that's not the case.

Thanks a lot for all of your advice.

Edit: Another question, since I don't want to start a whole new thread all for myself. I'm given the option in my AAMC application to submit my GRE score. I scored 760 math and 640 verbal, both of which are good but neither of which are really stellar. Would you include them?

 

[K31]

Edit: Another question, since I don't want to start a whole new thread all for myself. I'm given the option in my AAMC application to submit my GRE score. I scored 760 math and 640 verbal, both of which are good but neither of which are really stellar. Would you include them?

Nobody cares about GRE scores for MD/PhD admissions.

 

[StIGMA]

Some engineering programs may require GRE scores and perhaps the odd graduate program, but it is of no real consequence to include your GRE scores in the application. Your MCAT is much better than your GRE score, so I wouldn't include it (& I am assuming you are not in engineering based on your GRE score). If you need it for a particular program/department, their secondary application would have a place for it. The vast majority of applicants don't have/need a GRE score.

 

[Fencer]

Nobody cares about GRE scores for MD/PhD admissions.

Not true. They are still considered, but UG Science GPA and MCAT are the most important for cut-offs for interviews. The other major criteria for invitating to interviews is "meaningful research experience", which is demonstrated by lab time, LORs, and publications.

At interview time, what matters is "Motivation and Passion" for research, and likelihood of doing well in the academic program.

 

[K31]

Let me clarify my response about GRE scores:

As a student interviewer for my program, I can't think of a situation where GRE scores would make a difference in my decision. If you have the GPA and MCAT to get an interview, your letters and research experience are the primary factors in getting an offer. I can't recall interviewing anyone with an MCAT score of less than a 35, and most applicants who do that well would have done well on the GRE as well.

I vaguely recall one or two applicants who had taken the GRE but don't have to foggiest idea what the scores were. Programs like ways to compare applicants to each other, but so few have taken the GRE that it is useless for that in the context of MD/PhD admissions.

 

[ablavar]

Let me clarify my response about GRE scores:

As a student interviewer for my program, I can't think of a situation where GRE scores would make a difference in my decision. If you have the GPA and MCAT to get an interview, your letters and research experience are the primary factors in getting an offer. I can't recall interviewing anyone with an MCAT score of less than a 35, and most applicants who do that well would have done well on the GRE as well.

I vaguely recall one or two applicants who had taken the GRE but don't have to foggiest idea what the scores were. Programs like ways to compare applicants to each other, but so few have taken the GRE that it is useless for that in the context of MD/PhD admissions.

About how much do essays matter in your opinion?

 

[K31]

About how much do essays matter in your opinion?

I can't ever recall the essays changing my opinion one way or the other about whether someone should get an offer--that's usually pretty clear coming out of the interview.

Mainly I use them to get a feel for the applicant and guide what we talk about in the interview itself--your research, your motivations for MD/PhD, etc. I'll also use the research descriptions to refresh my memory about the area they study (eg look at the Wikipedia page about the signalling cascade they've worked on) so I'm not completely clueless going into the interview.

We also use the research descriptions from the essays to decide which students will interview which applicants--I'm a molecular bio PhD student; I'd be completely lost with someone who has all neuroimaging or bioengineering research.

 

[Fencer]

As I said earlier, I agree that Admission Committees use MCAT (potential) and GPA (sustained excellence) as primary drivers of who to interview, but I can assure you that GRE and/or SAT/ACT have an impact to some Program Directors. The impact is primarily to help dissociate between threshold applicants (i.e.: those close to MCAT or GPA cut-offs of the program). Essays, LORs and publications are also very helpful but these measure something different (i.e.: motivation and sustained research interest) than these academic achievement tests.