reapplying with new mcat scores, but everything else old

[burfule]

Hi all, I am new on SDN but I have found lots of useful advice so here goes my first post. I recently submitted an amcas application this cycle with no luck (but I only applied to one school, my state school). I was wondering if it would help at all if I retook the mcat and scored above the 30, would I have a chance if nothing else in my application has changed? I guess I'm a little unclear about how much change med schools want in application from year to year, I have an above average gpa with somewhat of a downward trend, I had some problems my last three semesters of college. Should I enroll myself in a postbac program and retake the mcat and set myself back a year or two or just retake the mcat and hopefully score better and apply with everything else the same? Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[RySerr21]

Hi all, I am new on SDN but I have found lots of useful advice so here goes my first post. I recently submitted an amcas application this cycle with no luck (but I only applied to one school, my state school). I was wondering if it would help at all if I retook the mcat and scored above the 30, would I have a chance if nothing else in my application has changed? I guess I'm a little unclear about how much change med schools want in application from year to year, I have an above average gpa with somewhat of a downward trend, I had some problems my last three semesters of college. Should I enroll myself in a postbac program and retake the mcat and set myself back a year or two or just retake the mcat and hopefully score better and apply with everything else the same? Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated.

If your GPA is above average, then a post bac program would be kind of pointless. You need to identify all of your weaknesses and fix them. If the only glaring weakness is your MCAT, then realistically thats all you need to change. Of course, you should keep doing the things you have been doing, whether it be volunteering, or working, or researching, or whatever.

 

[justdoit31]

I can't say much without more info... you said with MCAT over 30- how low is yours now??? I got a 27 and got in...

Also- things to consider- how much volunteer work and clinical experience do you have? was your personal statement well written (if you reapply you should at least tweak this)... you said enroll in a post bac- have you already graduated??? If so you might want to because downwards trends aren't good... or find a job that is clinical or research based for more experience

I think anyone would need considerably more info to give you very accurate feedback because this process is more than numbers...

Also applying to only 1 school is not smart- you will want to apply to more than that- use MSAR... and how do you know it is done for you this cycle??? Do you already have the rejection- if so contact that school and ask for feedback!

 

[burfule]

Well, I did contact the school, but they told me I have to wait until May when they're done doing interviews to get feedback. My mcat was 24... My academic advisor told me that I had more than sufficient EC's-they're the usual-I did shadowing for about 4 months with different docs, volunteering in OR waiting room for 2+ years, working the whole time assisting low income people receive legal help (at some point I wanted to be an attorney) and others. I also have a lot of research. Many people told me my PS was great. I'll be graduating MAy 09, so that's why I said post bac. I got into an internship working on health policy in DC for 2009-'10.but I don't know if that will help me...versus the post bac...

 

[RySerr21]

Well, I did contact the school, but they told me I have to wait until May when they're done doing interviews to get feedback. My mcat was 24... My academic advisor told me that I had more than sufficient EC's-they're the usual-I did shadowing for about 4 months with different docs, volunteering in OR waiting room for 2+ years, working the whole time assisting low income people receive legal help (at some point I wanted to be an attorney) and others. I also have a lot of research. Many people told me my PS was great. I'll be graduating MAy 09, so that's why I said post bac. I got into an internship working on health policy in DC for 2009-'10.but I don't know if that will help me...versus the post bac...

If you GPA is high, the post bac won't do much. Its clear that your MCAT score is what did you in. I suggest studying hard for the MCAT retake (try bringing it up to as close to 30 as possible, but obviously the higher the better). If your options are post bac or health policy internship, i'd go with the internshihp hands downs. It sounds like itd be a great experience and would add something unique to your application. Combine that with a good GPA and MCAT, and you should have better luck next year if you apply early (sounds like you just recently applied, which is really late) and broadly. Only applying to one school didnt' help your case either. Theres a reason that the average is around 13-15 schools per applicant. You never konw what schools will do. Best to maximize your chances. Oh, and if you do reatke the MCAT and dont do as well as you'd hoped, you'd benefit from applying to DO schools as well.

 

[justdoit31]

Good luck- sounds like your EC's are great. Study hard for the MCAT retake and you should be good... I again will suggest applying to more schools- I haven't even been offered an interview at my state school but hold an acceptance from a school that is OOS (and public)... so who knows what is going on in the adcoms minds!

 

[burfule]

Thanks a lot for both of your comments. I will study for the mcat again and retake (fingers crossed for a better score) and go for the internship for my gap year.

 

[Rabbit36]

I guess you're really set on your state school, but I would say definitely apply to more schools to improve your chances. I couldn't imagine spending a whole year with everything riding on only 1 school.

 

[ucladoc2b]

Hi all, I am new on SDN but I have found lots of useful advice so here goes my first post. I recently submitted an amcas application this cycle with no luck (but I only applied to one school, my state school). I was wondering if it would help at all if I retook the mcat and scored above the 30, would I have a chance if nothing else in my application has changed? I guess I'm a little unclear about how much change med schools want in application from year to year, I have an above average gpa with somewhat of a downward trend, I had some problems my last three semesters of college. Should I enroll myself in a postbac program and retake the mcat and set myself back a year or two or just retake the mcat and hopefully score better and apply with everything else the same? Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Generally, a higher MCAT score will never hurt you.

However, as has been beaten to death numerous times on this board, it is only one part of the equation. To give you a better idea, it would be helpful to know what your MCAT currently is, your GPA is now, as well as your ECs, state of residency, et cetera, before being able to answer this question.