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- Jul 16, 2014
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Hello guys, I need some outside professional pre-med advice. (Doesn't get any better than SDN). Here are my brief stats:
My problem is the MCAT. I rescheduled twice because I could not get enough studying. My current test date is July 25th. I work ~55-60 hours a week and I am completely mentally exhausted from trying to juggle my application, MCAT, work, and issues at home.
I took AAMC 3 a few months ago, and scored a 26: 8,8, 10
Took AAMC 4 late May, scored a 29: 9, 10, 10
Took AAMC 5 early June, scored a 27: 7, 9, 11
Took AAMC 7 last night after a full day at work and scored a 28: 8, 9, 11
If it matters, 2-3 questions in PS and BS are careless mistakes, and I had a misclick accident on the VR.
What do I do now? Do I buckle up, replace my blood with caffeine, and try to punch up my PS by 2 to get a 10 and bump up VR to a stable 10 and hope for a 31? Bear in mind that my MCAT will be graded August 26th and I anticipate that I will be complete at most schools at the end of August or very early September. Not to sound neurotic but is this gamble even worth it? Better yet, is it possible? Should I postpone it?
I have two main questions:
If I flunk the MCAT, how badly will this set me back as a re-applicant next year?
What happens if I score a 28 or a 29, do I have a legitimate chance of getting in somewhere this cycle (northeast ~20 schools) given the rest of my application and the timing of it? This is the question that has been bothering me. I feel like I can definitely shoot for a 29, hope for a 30, and reach for a 31.
I am extremely reluctant to wait a cycle and apply next year due to my situation at home. If that will end up being the case, then I know I have enough potential to score past a 34. My issue all along has been allotting enough time for study.
What do I do?
1. Cancel my exam, study, take it in the late Fall, apply next cycle?
2. Postpone my exam?
3. Go for it, given everything you just read?
Please help me make up my mind.
- I submitted my primary late June, awaiting verification
- Not URM
- 3.72 overall GPA, BCPM is somewhere around there as well.
- Mid-tier small(ish) University in the Northeast, rising senior
- Very strong LORs
- Unique background story (so a strong ps that is not very cliche)
- Strong EC's: lots of surgical and primary care shadowing, long time research at two top institutions (writing two papers for publication now, one is co-author, one is going to be first author. Aim to submit by late Fall), healthy amount of volunteering at an acute care clinic, public outreach, nonclinical volunteering, a few awards but nothing special. I feel like my only red flag concerning my ECs is the fact that I don't have a poster or a pub after doing (now) 3 summers of research, and research throughout the academic year. If this topic comes up, I can explain it more thoroughly and I can back up my work 100%.
- SO of 5 years is applying to grad schools at similar institutions/cities/states
My problem is the MCAT. I rescheduled twice because I could not get enough studying. My current test date is July 25th. I work ~55-60 hours a week and I am completely mentally exhausted from trying to juggle my application, MCAT, work, and issues at home.
I took AAMC 3 a few months ago, and scored a 26: 8,8, 10
Took AAMC 4 late May, scored a 29: 9, 10, 10
Took AAMC 5 early June, scored a 27: 7, 9, 11
Took AAMC 7 last night after a full day at work and scored a 28: 8, 9, 11
If it matters, 2-3 questions in PS and BS are careless mistakes, and I had a misclick accident on the VR.
What do I do now? Do I buckle up, replace my blood with caffeine, and try to punch up my PS by 2 to get a 10 and bump up VR to a stable 10 and hope for a 31? Bear in mind that my MCAT will be graded August 26th and I anticipate that I will be complete at most schools at the end of August or very early September. Not to sound neurotic but is this gamble even worth it? Better yet, is it possible? Should I postpone it?
I have two main questions:
If I flunk the MCAT, how badly will this set me back as a re-applicant next year?
What happens if I score a 28 or a 29, do I have a legitimate chance of getting in somewhere this cycle (northeast ~20 schools) given the rest of my application and the timing of it? This is the question that has been bothering me. I feel like I can definitely shoot for a 29, hope for a 30, and reach for a 31.
I am extremely reluctant to wait a cycle and apply next year due to my situation at home. If that will end up being the case, then I know I have enough potential to score past a 34. My issue all along has been allotting enough time for study.
What do I do?
1. Cancel my exam, study, take it in the late Fall, apply next cycle?
2. Postpone my exam?
3. Go for it, given everything you just read?
Please help me make up my mind.
