Reapplying to medical school with same MCAT score on retake

[umnpremed]

I need some input! I applied to 18 medical schools in 2013, was interviewed at two, rejected post interview at the first, waitlisted and rejected at the second. Four of the main reasons I think I was rejected in the first place were that I had scored a 30 (11P 11B 8VR) on the MCAT, poor personal statement and essays, lacking enough volunteering/shadowing experience, and the age at which I applied (20). I have strong research experience (including clinical and international), and a decent GPA (3.68 cum, 3.75 S) (although GPA shows a declining trend from start of undergrad to the end). I decided to retake the MCAT as I was consistently scoring around a 34 on the AMCAS practice exams and around 10 in verbal (my lowest subsection), after doing EK verbal and using MD-Hero MCAT review. I retook the exam in October and got exactly the same score (a 30, 11P 11B 8VR). Even if I wanted to retake this exam, I'm heavily discouraged by the new exam that is currently out as I don't have coursework in the psychology/sociology section of the exam. In my gap year, I am working at a biotechnology company as a protein chemist and volunteering at a local assisted living center, in addition to physician shadowing. What should I be doing at this point, in regards to furthering my experiences and preparing my application? I'd like to reapply this cycle, perhaps to lower-tier schools and more broadly, but this whole MCAT thing is tripping me up.

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[chizledfrmstone]

Would you be willing to apply to both MD and DO?

 

[umnpremed]

Would you be willing to apply to both MD and DO?

I would be applying strictly MD, MD/PhD, PhD, or a combination of these. Although I suspect MD/PhD is out of my reach with those stats.

 

[umnpremed]

bump.

 

[Jagon]

I would be applying strictly MD, MD/PhD, PhD, or a combination of these. Although I suspect MD/PhD is out of my reach with those stats.

This is reason you're not going to get accepted. Look into DO/PhD programs. You'd have a better chance with those stats. If you're heavily against DO than you will have better success going Carib.

 

[W19]

I would be applying strictly MD, MD/PhD, PhD, or a combination of these. Although I suspect MD/PhD is out of my reach with those stats.

Do yourself a favor! Apply to DO as well if being a physician is what you really want...

 

[JackyLin]

while I agree with others that you should set your expectations straight, I do have some good news for you. I have a close friend who applied with me in the 2013-2014 cycle, and did not get a single interview for MD. He had maybe 3.4 GPA, a 32 first time, and 31 when he retook for the 2014-2015 cycle, limited clinical exp (probably less than 100 hours in hospital), but significant research exp. He did a graduate degree like me but finished in one year, and for the next 2 years he went over to Baltimore and worked with various labs in NIH and whatnot since he did internships during summers there before. so he is somewhat similar to you, albeit lower gpa and slightly higher mcat.

He started targetting MD/PHD programs this year, on top of MDs, and he got 3 MD/PhD interviews and one MD. He got accepted to one of the MD/PhD, waitlisted at the other two, and rejected at the MD.

I guess my example is how you package yourself matters. if you are really keen on academic medicine and expressed a strong track record of that inclination, showing it through your app may work. However, I would still echo others that if time is a factor (which it always is), I would set my expectations realistic and have DO as safeties. DO/PHD is something another friend of mine had contemplated, but you need to watch out for the research strength of the school you are applying for. good luck.

 

[DrMidlife]

Public service announcement: don't get excited about anecdata. Watch the trend. For any possibility in med school admissions that you can think up, yes, there's somebody who did it. That has nothing to do with what will happen to you. You have no way to see the intangibles with an apparently normal story, and SDN posters pathologically leave out salient details such as being 1/32 Cherokee or incredibly attractive in a suit or a kickass writer who could sell snow in Alaska.

It's natural to be inspired by stories on SDN. When I got on here, just seeing ONE person who had made it over 40 served as permission to go for it over 40. And then my numbers killed me until I accepted the same rules the kiddoes have to play by.

Generally, the thing that is difficult and expensive and is the last thing you want to have to do, that's probably the thing that makes the difference in getting accepted or not.

Best of luck to you.

 

[JackyLin]

Public service announcement: don't get excited about anecdata. Watch the trend. For any possibility in med school admissions that you can think up, yes, there's somebody who did it. That has nothing to do with what will happen to you. You have no way to see the intangibles with an apparently normal story, and SDN posters pathologically leave out salient details such as being 1/32 Cherokee or incredibly attractive in a suit or a kickass writer who could sell snow in Alaska.

It's natural to be inspired by stories on SDN. When I got on here, just seeing ONE person who had made it over 40 served as permission to go for it over 40. And then my numbers killed me until I accepted the same rules the kiddoes have to play by.

Generally, the thing that is difficult and expensive and is the last thing you want to have to do, that's probably the thing that makes the difference in getting accepted or not.

Best of luck to you.

DrMidlife is right, and as I have commented the common sense thing here is to play it safe. I was by no means trying to give you delusions, but simply a possibility of how MD/PhD may be considered differently from MD applicants. Apologies if it came across wrongly. The question here is that had he still applied to MD schools only this cycle, would he be accepted this year? It's just a curious case to me as he did much better applying to MD/PhD than just MD. Hoping someone in those programs can chime in on how they weigh research in the overall app compared to MDs.

 

[umnpremed]

Hmmm, I still haven't made up my mind about MD/PhD, and if my motivations would be there for that. Interesting case though, and definitely something to think about.

 

[Goro]

MD/PhDs come from the very top of the pile, so stick with MD.

 

[gyngyn]

We expect MD/PhD's to be as good or better in every way (not just research). We are paying them.
If they lack grades, scores or interpersonal skills it is a non-starter.