Retake the MCAt or go to a graduate program?

[Basil246]

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Hi! So I am an applicant for the 2018 cycle and have gotten waitlisted at a few schools and am trying to decide what to do next. I think part of what held me back this cycle is that I had an incomplete on my transcript for a 400 level research class (my advisor put up the grade late) and not every school let me send in updates. Also, my MCAT isn't terrible, its a 509 on the second attempt but it is unbalance favoring reading and psych. MY cGPA is a 3.7 and my sGPA is somewhere around a 3.4. I'm debating doing a graduate certificate program at FIU or retaking the MCAT again for third time. Advice?

 

[892002]

I think your MCAT is fine! AMCAS has a list of post-bac programs, which could help with the low science GPA. The Incomplete on your transcript will be gone by next cycle right? If that was indeed a red flag, then you application should be much stronger next cycle!

 

[Basil246]

I think your MCAT is fine! AMCAS has a list of post-bac programs, which could help with the low science GPA. The Incomplete on your transcript will be gone by next cycle right? If that was indeed a red flag, then you application should be much stronger next cycle!

Yeah it's already been changed! Thank you!

 

[Goro]

What was your list, Op?

 

[Dr. Meliodas]

I don't think the incomplete would have made a difference as long as you explained it on your AMCAS they give you a section to do that. What was your list? and what were your ECs? Are you a URM? What was your first MCAT?

 

[Basil246]

I don't think the incomplete would have made a difference as long as you explained it on your AMCAS they give you a section to do that. What was your list? and what were your ECs? Are you a URM? What was your first MCAT?

I didn’t explain it on my amcas because I didn’t realize it would be listed that way until after. I’m URM. My first Mcat was 503

 

[Dr. Meliodas]

A URM with a 509, 3.7 cGPA, and 3.4 sGPA assuming you have a decent number of shadowing, clinical volunteering, and non-clinical volunteering efforts and no red flags (IA or felonies) is pretty competitive for mid tier medical schools. I know a few with slightly lower stats accepted to Top 20 schools as well. This being said I think your list might have been the issue. Did you apply to top-heavy? How many schools have you been waitlisted at? There is probably still a decent chance of getting in. Maybe you didn't interview to well or well enough to set up apart from the other applicants.

 

[Basil246]

I’ve been waitlisted at a DO school and am MD and recently interviewed at a MD school that I have yet to hear back from. I ageee that my interview skills probably need work, I felt that they inproved through the cycle, but even still I don’t feel like I did my best. I applied to around 15 MD schools and 5 DOs. All mid to low tier and my stats were around their averages for almost all the schools I applied to.