Reapplicant: 4.0 GPA, 29Q MCAT

[Lowkey]

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I am reapplying this year with a 4.0 GPA and 29Q on the MCAT. The first application cycle I got three interviews: University of Missouri (I'm Missouri resident), University of West Virginia, and University of Central Florida. I have average extracurriculars I would say and my letter of recommendations should be strong this year.

100 Hours of Hospital Volunteer Work
Organized Food Drive at University
Internship at Washington University School of Medicine
Poster Presentation at National Research Conference
Multicultural Student Scholar at my University
Resident Assistant for three semesters
Research for four semesters
Student Ambassador in Diversity Summit

Please let me know what my chances are thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

I am reapplying this year with a 4.0 GPA and 29Q on the MCAT. The first application cycle I got three interviews: University of Missouri (I'm Missouri resident), University of West Virginia, and University of Central Florida. I have average extracurriculars I would say and my letter of recommendations should be strong this year.

100 Hours of Hospital Volunteer Work
Organized Food Drive at University
Internship at Washington University School of Medicine
Poster Presentation at National Research Conference
Multicultural Student Scholar at my University
Resident Assistant for three semesters
Research for four semesters
Student Ambassador in Diversity Summit

Please let me know what my chances are thanks!

What has changed since you last applied? Why do you feel you did not get accepted? How many schools did you apply to last year? Did you call any schools for feedback?

You can find the historical chances of those who applied with your stats in the past here:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=888650

 

[Lowkey]

I added the national poster presentation and more research to this year. I feel like I didn't get accepted because my interviews didn't go as well as I planned and my mcat was low. I applied to 9 schools total and received those three interviews. I called the schools for feedback and they said the same thing about the interviews and mcat.

 

[Catalystik]

Many schools expect to see physician shadowing. Regular nonmedical community service would also benefit an application. Have you done volunteering of any kind over this last year?

Had you done some mock interviews to prepare? Did you have difficulty answering the questions? You might take a look at SDN's Interview Feedback section to help prepare for specific content for each school that offers interviews. Even if you had terrific numbers, a poor interview can sabotage your chances. OTOH, a great interview can pull you out of the basket of mediocrity.

Did you plan to address the MCAT issue, or prehaps add some DO med schools to your application list this year?

 

[Lowkey]

I have done physician shadowing and volunteer work. I think my biggest goal is to improve on my interviews by preparing more extensively. My practice scores on my MCAT are about the same as a 29 so I don't think I'll be retaking it. I will definitely add some DO schools this year.

Thanks for your insight!

 

[pasiley]

I have done physician shadowing and volunteer work. I think my biggest goal is to improve on my interviews by preparing more extensively. My practice scores on my MCAT are about the same as a 29 so I don't think I'll be retaking it. I will definitely add some DO schools this year.

Thanks for your insight!

How are you studying for the MCAT? I highly recommend retaking.

From people I know with a GPA similar to yours, a 29 is very uncommon. Was it just a low verbal? If you scored below 10 on any of the sciences with a 4.0, I doubt that looks very good and might have raised a red flag.

I would re-examine how you study for the MCAT. To have a 4.0, you must be a good test taker and have the work ethic. I would start from scratch and check out this forum's MCAT section.

The MCAT seems like the easiest way to bump up your application and make yourself more competitive at private schools. Even a 2 to 3 point increase should make you an extremely competitive applicant for private schools.

 

[1289]

How are you studying for the MCAT? I highly recommend retaking.

From people I know with a GPA similar to yours, a 29 is very uncommon. Was it just a low verbal? If you scored below 10 on any of the sciences with a 4.0, I doubt that looks very good and might have raised a red flag.

I would re-examine how you study for the MCAT. To have a 4.0, you must be a good test taker and have the work ethic. I would start from scratch and check out this forum's MCAT section.

The MCAT seems like the easiest way to bump up your application and make yourself more competitive at private schools. Even a 2 to 3 point increase should make you an extremely competitive applicant for private schools.

i've actually heard that there's a very weak/virtually no correlation between gpa and mcat.

op what sort of schools did you apply to last year? OOS publics? just apply more broadly and (hopefully) you've already got some of your applications in for this year. west virginia seems really random to me unless you had some sort of connection there that you didn't mention, so if that's indicative of your other school choices that may have been the biggest problem for you.