Retake MCAT?

[GratefulDoc]

Hi SDN folks, it has been a while since I last posted. I have been quite removed from med school admissions and want to get your inputs re: my cousin. She is applying this year but no luck so far - no interviews at all which surprised me big time since she has a LOT better stats than I did. She has a 4.0 GPA (BCPM and overall) from a state school. Her MCAT is 514. She also has over 700 hrs of research and 400 hrs or so clinical experience (work + volunteer). I am shocked that she has no take at all - even at our state med schools. She is seriously considering retaking her MCAT and she is asking for my advice. I really don't know what to tell her since I have been so removed from med school admissions recently and as you all know, my stats were low. Thoughts? Has med school admissions been so much more competitive since my days?

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[Mr.Smile12]

Your cousin should not be afraid to post a WAMC. Her MCAT does not require a retake on face value.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Hi SDN folks, it has been a while since I last posted. I have been quite removed from med school admissions and want to get your inputs re: my cousin. She is applying this year but no luck so far - no interviews at all which surprised me big time since she has a LOT better stats than I did. She has a 4.0 GPA (BCPM and overall) from a state school. Her MCAT is 514. She also has over 700 hrs of research and 400 hrs or so clinical experience (work + volunteer). I am shocked that she has no take at all - even at our state med schools. She is seriously considering retaking her MCAT and she is asking for my advice. I really don't know what to tell her since I have been so removed from med school admissions recently and as you all know, my stats were low. Thoughts? Has med school admissions been so much more competitive since my days?

Possible causes:

1. She aimed too high.
2. She failed to present her experiences and qualifications effectively.

if #1 is the cause, and she really wants to aim high, a higher MCAT may help her. However, there are several med schools where a 514 is highly competitive. If #2 is the cause, even if #1 is a factor, she should have someone critique her primary and secondary applications.
Best,
Linda

 

[GratefulDoc]

Possible causes:

1. She aimed too high.
2. She failed to present her experiences and qualifications effectively.

if #1 is the cause, and she really wants to aim high, a higher MCAT may help her. However, there are several med schools where a 514 is highly competitive. If #2 is the cause, even if #1 is a factor, she should have someone critique her primary and secondary applications.
Best,
Linda

I don't think she aimed too high. None of the schools on her list is remotely close to top tier. All are within her MCAT range. Her list (~25 schools) consists of a lot of the same schools that I had when I applied (as you know, my stats were crappy, so I definitely aimed low - but I did have ~40 schools on my list). I was most shocked that she didn't even get invite from our state school (their average MCAT for accepted students last year is 510). I thought for sure she would at least get an invite from them. I am just so puzzled and feel really bad for her. She doesn't care about top schools, she would be beyond excited to go to our state school.

 

[Glassdyr]

What state? Does she have something like an IA on her record? I would also want to look at her PS/secondaries; maybe the quality wasn't quite up to par.