Should I apply/What are my chances/Should I retake MCAT

[Abbas012]

25 MCAT (7/8/10)
3.21 GPA from UCLA (3.0 science) Biological Psychology major
California Resident

Research Experience/Published research
100+ hours - Non-Medical EC (elementary school mentorship)

Winter 2015 Expected Graduation (will be my 5th year)

Should I apply to DO schools this cycle, or next? I have not started any work towards my applications, can i even apply without having graduated yet?

Either way...

Planning on heavy research/laboratory work during 2014-2015 school year, 20+ hours of physician shadowing, as well as 40+ hours of medically related volunteering, but not sure if i want to have another gap year after the 2014-15 year

Should I retake the MCAT in October 2014, or stick with this score (Practice test average 29)? Is it ok since my BS score is relatively higher (10)?

Which DO schools would i have a chance at with these stats, I would like to avoid leaving the country

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[Saxappeal1]

OP, if you think you can replicate your AAMC average and raise your score by >2 points, go for it. But, maybe the mental stress of preparing for the MCAT might take an unnecessary toll on your mental well-being. Your cGPA/sGPA is on the lower end of DO school averages, so maybe you should retake all C/D/F coursework and use the AACOMAS grade replacement policy, because if you can raise your c/s GPA, the 25 won't be too lethal at DO schools.

 

[SkipJunior]

The 25 won't be lethal at most DO schools. Some DO schools like AZCOM, CCOM, Touro-NY, Touro-CA, MSUCOM, TCOM etc will most likely waitlist or reject someone with a MCAT score of 25, unless they had stronger than average ECs.

 

[Faha]

Work on increasing your GPA this semester and retaking the MCAT is reasonable since you were scoring higher on your practice tests. If you apply next summer, apply early and apply to at least 15 DO schools with an emphasis on new and low tier schools.

 

[candbgirl]

I don't claim to know much about the DO admission requirements/process but I have seen several threads where the OP has few or almost no ECs. (Like this OP) Yet people come along and say "oh you are good to go" or "increase your GPA or MCAT and you'll have several IIs. Are ECs not important in the DO process?

 

[Abbas012]

Thanks a lot for the input!

I suppose my main concern at this point is whether or not to retake the MCAT. In all likelihood I will not score higher than a 27, as far as improving beyond that I have exhausted all of the AAMC study materials and am not sure how i would drastically improve my score (especially PS) since i don't want to spend another 3 months studying for it.

If I were to retake it, I would do that as late as October 21 and even then I am afraid I will have forgotten much of what I studied for my previous exam (July 24).

Would it be worth the retake? Or is it not worth risking a similar score, in other words does taking two MCATs look bad?
Maybe I should just retake it in two weeks (Sep 18 test date) with the backup plan of simply voiding my score?

As far as the AACOMAS grade replacement policy, I looked into it and that sounds like something that could help my case significantly, thanks a lot for mentioning that. Would courses I take at a community college qualify for such replacement?

 

[Goro]

As of right now you chances for MD schools are nil. For DO schools, apply broadly especially to the newest schools. Skip TUCOM-CA, CCOM, Touro-NY, AZCOM. I do suggest a retake, and if you can get into the high 20s, then all DO schools are feasible.

Should I retake the MCAT in October 2014, or stick with this score (Practice test average 29)? Is it ok since my BS score is relatively higher (10)?

Which DO schools would i have a chance at with these stats,