should i mention my 8

[AbujaMan]

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I have my last interview coming up at a top school. Thing is, I got an 8 in verbal on my mcat (im a regular non urm app). Should i mention the 8 to my interviewer or should i only do so if they ask me. I know that they mustve acknowledged the 8 if they offered me an interview and dont want to give my interviewer any bias or anything like that over it

I've done it at an interview before but my interviewer seemed disinterested. maybe it was just his personality though. if you think i should mention it, any idea how to go about doing so?

thanks

 

[Myuu]

I have my last interview coming up at a top school. Thing is, I got an 8 in verbal on my mcat (im a regular non urm app). Should i mention the 8 to my interviewer or should i only do so if they ask me. I know that they mustve acknowledged the 8 if they offered me an interview and dont want to give my interviewer any bias or anything like that over it

I've done it at an interview before but my interviewer seemed disinterested. maybe it was just his personality though. if you think i should mention it, any idea how to go about doing so?

thanks

I would only bring it up if he or she mentions it. If you bring it up, chances are you will present it as a negative--the last thing you want is to leave the interviewer with another point against you.

 

[VincentAdultman]

I have my last interview coming up at a top school. Thing is, I got an 8 in verbal on my mcat (im a regular non urm app). Should i mention the 8 to my interviewer or should i only do so if they ask me. I know that they mustve acknowledged the 8 if they offered me an interview and dont want to give my interviewer any bias or anything like that over it

I've done it at an interview before but my interviewer seemed disinterested. maybe it was just his personality though. if you think i should mention it, any idea how to go about doing so?

thanks

If you have an interview, then I imagine the adcoms have looked at your numbers and deemed them acceptable. I wouldn't mention it unless it's asked about.

 

[linguini]

Why bring up your shortcomings? Focus on why they should accept you.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

Why would you mention something negative in your interview? It's your last chance to sell yourself and convince them you're a good fit and excited about that school. Don't remind them of something they're already aware. Even if it's a closed-file interview. It would be very foolish, IMO, to voluntarily mention something you perceive as a weakness in your application.

What's your rationale behind even considering this, anyway???

 

[245399]

I have my last interview coming up at a top school. Thing is, I got an 8 in verbal on my mcat (im a regular non urm app). Should i mention the 8 to my interviewer or should i only do so if they ask me. I know that they mustve acknowledged the 8 if they offered me an interview and dont want to give my interviewer any bias or anything like that over it

I've done it at an interview before but my interviewer seemed disinterested. maybe it was just his personality though. if you think i should mention it, any idea how to go about doing so?

thanks

Do not bring it up unless they do.
The schools knows exactly what your score was and you still have an interview.
If it is brought up, which is doubtful, address it concisely, keep it positive, and move on.
Always be closing.

 

[AbujaMan]

Why would you mention something negative in your interview? It's your last chance to sell yourself and convince them you're a good fit and excited about that school. Don't remind them of something they're already aware. Even if it's a closed-file interview. It would be very foolish, IMO, to voluntarily mention something you perceive as a weakness in your application.

What's your rationale behind even considering this, anyway???

heres my thinking: A lot of schools still care about your numbers after the interview. If I were to somehow address it to my interviewer, maybe he/she could have something to say at the admissions committee if they were to bring it up.

But generally, i think you all are right- its best to keep my mouth shut and let them realize that im strong regardless of the 8

 

[chewsnuffles]

8 in VR = no big deal.

A 3.0 GPA = big deal

re-applicant = big deal

bottom two are fair game to bring up if the discussion leads towards it, since the interviewer might care about these two but does not want to "grill you" about it.

an 8 in VR, well, who gives a flying **** if everything else is solid

 

[dkb86]

I also vote for you not bringing it up. You don't want to draw unnecessary attention to something that might not have even been noticed or considered a big deal otherwise. That being said, be prepared for them to bring it up. They might or might not, but it doesn't hurt to have a great answer in the back of your head just in case.

 

[bluesmd]

are your other scores ok. an 8 is not bad, only slightly below average. they might not even have remembered.

 

[funkymunkytoes]

Out of curiosity, where are you interviewing? Some schools are MCAT ******, while others aren't, so it could make a difference in your decision to bring up the 8.

 

[SBK]

I was asked about a 9 in VR; and, if the fact that english not being my parents 1st language played a factor in it. ( I also had 13 BS and 12 PS)

I told the interviewer that it wasnt any excuse, and I probably guessed wrong on a couple quetions that screwed up a possible 10/11. Whatever, I got in.

 

[yanzitommy]

I agree with everyone here, dont talk about it unless they ask about it..
do prepare a proper response just in case they ask you though, and try not to come across as making excuses...

since each interview has limited time, i would spend time selling myself, rather than explaining a test score (an 8 isnt even that bad, i got a 7 😛 )

if u think about it, would spending 5 minutes talking about your verbal test score help the interviewer evaluate you, or would spending 5 minutes talking about a research exp or EC help the interviewer present you to the medical committee..?

 

[pathophys17]

Another vote for-I wouldn't bring up a negative aspect of your application. They *may* not even have your MCAT scores/have looked at them, and they definitely won't have them if it's a closed-file interview. You want them to get the overall best impression of you possible. Although if they ask what part of your app you'd improve upon if not accepted, you can mention your MCAT.

 

[anoncurious]

No need to bring it up, but it will probably put more pressure on your interview since you need to prove to them that you can articulate yourself well / have good communications skills / etc.

 

[chiz2kul]

Everyone here seems to be saying dont bring it up, but i seem to think otherwise.
I was in a similar position....I had a C in a stupid bioresearch class that I felt I didnt deserve (my grade was docked cos I was late/tardy to class a couple times), and I felt that I needed to bring it up in 1 or 2 of my interviews. At 1 or both of them (cant remember), during the 'do you have any questions/comments for me' time, I brought it up n told her why I got the C (cos I had a good reason for it).
One or both of my interviewers were really grateful that I brought it up, bcos it was an issue of concern for them...They were like 'oh thanks a lot for saying that, I was wondering that myself. I'll make sure the adcom knows...'
I got accepted to both schools.
So ya, IDK if this is applicable per MCAT scores, as idk how you can explain getting an 8, but its something to consider...

 

[Jolie South]

Why would you mention something negative in your interview? It's your last chance to sell yourself and convince them you're a good fit and excited about that school. Don't remind them of something they're already aware. Even if it's a closed-file interview. It would be very foolish, IMO, to voluntarily mention something you perceive as a weakness in your application.

What's your rationale behind even considering this, anyway???

yes

 

[fizzle]

Do you want to be known as the 8 guy?

Interviewer: Hey Abujaman, nice to meet you!

Abujaman: Hey Dr. Interviewer. By the way, I got an 8 on verbal.

 

[Medstudent85]

Do you want to be known as the 8 guy?

Interviewer: Hey Abujaman, nice to meet you!

Abujaman: Hey Dr. Interviewer. By the way, I got an 8 on verbal.

 

[moto_za]

Well, I had an interview at my state school and already knew two of the admissions committee members and asked them if I should bring up my mcat score during the interview. The answer believe it or not from one of them was that she thought I should address it and her reasoning was that it will show that you didn't just ignore it and addressed an important part of my application. On the other hand, the other admissions committee member I asked at the SAME school said no and the reasoning behind it was that it will draw unnecessary attention and just sound like an excuse (whatever I say).

Well, I did decide to address it during the closed interview and my interviewer seemed pretty neutral about it and just asked if I could retake it or not. He might have looked at my application after the interview to see what I got, but not sure. And oh one other thing I said in a nice way was that I felt my gpa is a better representation of my academic abilities. I am still waiting to hear back from this school!

 

[pietachok]

I would say it depends on the school and the type of interview. Since you have not disclosed which school it is, you cannot get specific feedback on this forum. Certain schools actually don't look at your grades and MCATs again once they have offered you an interview. They only look at the "numbers" when deciding whether or not to offer you an interview and then when they take you to committee they decide that the social factors, interviews, extra curriculars, and letter of rec are more important--so that's all the adcom sees.

In those sitautions, you wouldn't want to bring up your 8.

At some schools, however, you will be asked, point blank, about your 8.

In fact, the MCAT verbal score is the one most strongly correlated to ranking/success in medical school--not the Bio or the Physical Science...so some schools are going to really know what that 8 is about if you aren't ESL, born to foreign parents, URM, etc. If you're just a really slow reader, fess up to that if this comes up. I think that's a sore point for a lot of people. Heck, even if that's not true, it's something that's going to sound better than "I suck at analysis" if you don't have something better going for you.

 

[diosa428]

In general I would say don't bring it up. Some interviewers don't know your GPA/MCAT, so letting them know that you got an 8 might change their perception of your application. How do you plan on explaining it anyway?

 

[What up doc]

what non-URM has a screenname that is the capitol of Nigeria? cmon dawg...


neway, i sware u are PRESSED on your 8. i would think that one would have gotten over their mcat score right now. you have a great GPA and a 30+ mcat. your academics will not keep you out of a school my friend. how many times i gotta say it?

 

[redlight]

^wow, good call.

now i feel silly..why did i connect abuja w/ afghanistan in my mind..(?)

neways, as others have said, [medschoolx] wouldn't waste an interview on you if they were not willing to overlook the VR score. relax, don't draw any negative attention to ANY part of your application if you can avoid it- but of course do prepare to answer questions on areas you might see as trouble spots.

 

[BlueElmo]

In a smiliar vein as 8 in VR, I have a C+ in my genetics class, you guys agree I shouldn't bring this up unless they specifically ask about it?

 

[anoncurious]

you wouldn't have gotten an interview if they couldn't get passed the low mcat score or the C in genetics or whatever..at this point they want to know more about you, not about your scores. Forget the scores and focus on what's important.

 

[fizzle]

In a smiliar vein as 8 in VR, I have a C+ in my genetics class, you guys agree I shouldn't bring this up unless they specifically ask about it?

As I implied earlier in this topic, exactly how do you plan to bring this up if they don't ask for it?

Interviewer: You had a great interview, BlueElmo! So, to wrap things up, do you have any questions about this school for me?

BlueElmo: Yes, I got a C+ in genetics, a D in Physics for Future Presidents, ten withdraws, and I punched my TA in the face during class--which, by the way, is already mentioned on my application under the "past convictions" section. What do you think are my odds of getting accepted to your school?

 

[BlueElmo]

As I implied earlier in this topic, exactly how do you plan to bring this up if they don't ask for it?

Interviewer: You had a great interview, BlueElmo! So, to wrap things up, do you have any questions about this school for me?

BlueElmo: Yes, I got a C+ in genetics, a D in Physics for Future Presidents, ten withdraws, and I punched my TA in the face during class--which, by the way, is already mentioned on my application under the "past convictions" section. What do you think are my odds of getting accepted to your school?

LOL. Thanks fizzle, that pretty much answered my question.