Should I retake the MCAT?

[ipressurexd]

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I took the MCAT back in Sept 1 and got 515 (130/128/129/128). I am considering if I should retake in February/March before I apply.

GPA: 3.6

sGPA: 3.64

My EC by the time I apply in May will be:

Undergrad research 512 hours no pubs

Research Assistant 336 hours >= 2 pubs (2 pubs confirmed atm,, hopefully more?)

Work study lab assistant 12-14 hours per week for 2.5 years

Cardiologist shadow 224 hours

Volunteering: 150 hours

I am not too ambitious about going to really high ranking schools, and I would much prefer MD over DO. I prefer California medical schools, but do not mind~


Thanks!


EDIT: From California and Asian

 

[yogglo]

no

 

[GreaterGood]

I took the MCAT back in Sept 1 and got 515 (130/128/129/128). I am considering if I should retake in February/March before I apply.

GPA: 3.6

sGPA: 3.64

My EC by the time I apply in May will be:

Undergrad research 512 hours no pubs

Research Assistant 336 hours >= 2 pubs (2 pubs confirmed atm,, hopefully more?)

Work study lab assistant 12-14 hours per week for 2.5 years

Cardiologist shadow 224 hours

Volunteering: 150 hours

I am not too ambitious about going to really high ranking schools, and I would much prefer MD over DO. I prefer California medical schools, but do not mind~


Thanks!


EDIT: From California and Asian

515 is stellar man and I think it's greater than 90th percentile. Congrats! I personally wouldn't want to risk getting a lower score, but if 515 was on the lower end of all your practice exams, I don't see why not. I can't tell if your volunteering is clinical or not, but definitely increase the hours in both.

Sent from my SM-G955U using SDN mobile

 

[westsidestoryz]

If you can guarantee a significant jump (like a 520+). But that is already a good score, in the 92nd percentile. So even a higher retake would not have a dramatic effect on the overall app.

Instead of studying, I would invest those times into volunteer, as 150 hours isnt that much tbh.

 

[Gurby]

 

[GreaterGood]

If you can guarantee a significant jump (like a 520+). But that is already a good score, in the 92nd percentile. So even a higher retake would not have a dramatic effect on the overall app.

Instead of studying, I would invest those times into volunteer, as 150 hours isnt that much tbh.

Similar advice at the same time lol

Sent from my SM-G955U using SDN mobile

 

[Catalystik]

Should I retake the MCAT?
I took the MCAT back in Sept 1 and got 515 (130/128/129/128). I am considering if I should retake in February/March before I apply.

GPA: 3.6
sGPA: 3.64

My EC by the time I apply in May will be:

Undergrad research 512 hours no pubs
Research Assistant 336 hours >= 2 pubs (2 pubs confirmed atm,, hopefully more?)
Work study lab assistant 12-14 hours per week for 2.5 years

Cardiologist shadow 224 hours

Volunteering: 150 hours

EDIT: From California and Asian

Don't retake the MCAT. Do consider adding some office-based primary care shadowing. It's not clear how those "Volunteering" hours break down, but if it's all going to be clinical volunteering, add some robust nonmedical community service to those in need, in addition. Peer leadership also strengthens an application.

 

[ipressurexd]

Don't retake the MCAT. Do consider adding some office-based primary care shadowing. It's not clear how those "Volunteering" hours break down, but if it's all going to be clinical volunteering, add some robust nonmedical community service to those in need, in addition. Peer leadership also strengthens an application.

I don't know how this will appear on my resume, but I help out at my parents' clinic as a front desk/billing position. My volunteering experience will mostly be nonmedical - after school programs, holiday celebration for those in need, etc. I am not sure about peer leadership, but I did was an undergraduate student instructor for the biology lab course at my university.

 

[ciestar]

Lol no do not retake

 

[Catalystik]

I don't know how this will appear on my resume, but I help out at my parents' clinic as a front desk/billing position. My volunteering experience will mostly be nonmedical - after school programs, holiday celebration for those in need, etc. I am not sure about peer leadership, but I did was an undergraduate student instructor for the biology lab course at my university.

Working in a family business would be looked at as Employment. Even if you don't get a salary, you have been compensated in other ways, like room, board, and help with educational expenses.

In your front desk position are you interacting with patients as they arrive for their appointments, talking to them on the phone, and perhaps rooming them? Then it would be Employment-Medical/Clinical. If you are primarily doing paperwork, working with files, and billing, then it would be Employment-Not Medical/Clinical on AMCAS,

Student Instructor for a Bio Lab would be considered in the Teaching category. Your students are not your peers in this situation. If you were the coordinator for a group of student Instructors, recruiting, training, scheduling, and monitoring them, then it would be considered peer leadership.

If you are a junior now, anticipating an application next June 2019, you might consider increasing your GPA for an additional year first, and applying after your senior year. Or, are the GPAs mentioned current and not taking into account this coming year's grades?

 

[HomeSkool]

If you retake a 515, I'll print your original score report and staple it to your face.

@Catalystik is right, you need to address your volunteerism a bit. Ideally, you'll have at least 150 hours each in the nonclinical and clinical volunteering realms. You've gone way overboard with the shadowing but some primary care-based shadowing would still be beneficial. Just don't overdo it. Ten hours tops. Beyond that, I'll defer to Catalystik since she's way smarter than I am.

Seriously. To your face.

 

[Goro]

I took the MCAT back in Sept 1 and got 515 (130/128/129/128). I am considering if I should retake in February/March before I apply.

GPA: 3.6

sGPA: 3.64

My EC by the time I apply in May will be:

Undergrad research 512 hours no pubs

Research Assistant 336 hours >= 2 pubs (2 pubs confirmed atm,, hopefully more?)

Work study lab assistant 12-14 hours per week for 2.5 years

Cardiologist shadow 224 hours

Volunteering: 150 hours

I am not too ambitious about going to really high ranking schools, and I would much prefer MD over DO. I prefer California medical schools, but do not mind~


Thanks!


EDIT: From California and Asian

Retake that great score? Sure, but only if you want me to reach through your screen and smack you upside the head.

Too much shadowing, and too specialized. Get in more volunteering or patient experience. No non-clinical volunteering? If not, get some. In fact, stop with the research.

I suggest the following:
ALL UCs, but UCR ONLY IF you're from the Inland Empire
Case (maybe)
U VM
U Toledo
Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Creighton
Tulane
USC/Keck
Dartmouth
Seton Hall
MCW
Loyola
Emory
BU
Hofstra
Tufts
Oakland-B
Western MI
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Nova MD
CUSM

 

[ipressurexd]

Retake that great score? Sure, but only if you want me to reach through your screen and smack you upside the head.

Too much shadowing, and too specialized. Get in more volunteering or patient experience. No non-clinical volunteering? If not, get some. In fact, stop with the research.

I suggest the following:
ALL UCs, but UCR ONLY IF you're from the Inland Empire
Case (maybe)
U VM
U Toledo
Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Creighton
Tulane
USC/Keck
Dartmouth
Seton Hall
MCW
Loyola
Emory
BU
Hofstra
Tufts
Oakland-B
Western MI
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Nova MD
CUSM

Wow this is amazing advice! Thank you! My research hours (the 336) is prospective and will be done by May 2019. I also will be volunteering at the Unity Center, which caters to those less fortunate and in poverty. By more non-clinical volunteering, do you mean I should pursue more hours like the ones spent in the Unity Center? Or do you mean in a hospital setting: interacting with patients, etc?
Thank you so much for the list and I will definitely use it as a template for my final list 😀

 

[ipressurexd]

Working in a family business would be looked at as Employment. Even if you don't get a salary, you have been compensated in other ways, like room, board, and help with educational expenses.

In your front desk position are you interacting with patients as they arrive for their appointments, talking to them on the phone, and perhaps rooming them? Then it would be Employment-Medical/Clinical. If you are primarily doing paperwork, working with files, and billing, then it would be Employment-Not Medical/Clinical on AMCAS,

Student Instructor for a Bio Lab would be considered in the Teaching category. Your students are not your peers in this situation. If you were the coordinator for a group of student Instructors, recruiting, training, scheduling, and monitoring them, then it would be considered peer leadership.

If you are a junior now, anticipating an application next June 2019, you might consider increasing your GPA for an additional year first, and applying after your senior year. Or, are the GPAs mentioned current and not taking into account this coming year's grades?

I see. Then I would qualify under the Employment-Medical/Clinical. I graduated in May sadly, so I will not have an opportunity to improve the GPA. Would training volunteers (whatever age they may be) at the organization I volunteer qualify as peer leadership?

 

[ipressurexd]

If you retake a 515, I'll print your original score report and staple it to your face.

@Catalystik is right, you need to address your volunteerism a bit. Ideally, you'll have at least 150 hours each in the nonclinical and clinical volunteering realms. You've gone way overboard with the shadowing but some primary care-based shadowing would still be beneficial. Just don't overdo it. Ten hours tops. Beyond that, I'll defer to Catalystik since she's way smarter than I am.

Seriously. To your face.

Should I cut the shadowing hours to 112? These hours are still prospective since those will be the total when I apply in May.

I'm curious about "clinical volunteering realms". I'm not too sure what falls under this category.

 

[ipressurexd]

Retake that great score? Sure, but only if you want me to reach through your screen and smack you upside the head.

Too much shadowing, and too specialized. Get in more volunteering or patient experience. No non-clinical volunteering? If not, get some. In fact, stop with the research.

I suggest the following:
ALL UCs, but UCR ONLY IF you're from the Inland Empire
Case (maybe)
U VM
U Toledo
Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Creighton
Tulane
USC/Keck
Dartmouth
Seton Hall
MCW
Loyola
Emory
BU
Hofstra
Tufts
Oakland-B
Western MI
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Nova MD
CUSM

Sorry I realize I replied to you earlier, but I do have another question. I was always under the impression research is good for medical school, and publications are even better. Am I making a mistake in this assumption? Also, isn't a school like UCSF a really really far reach for my gpa and mcat?

 

[Goro]

Wow this is amazing advice! Thank you! My research hours (the 336) is prospective and will be done by May 2019. I also will be volunteering at the Unity Center, which caters to those less fortunate and in poverty. By more non-clinical volunteering, do you mean I should pursue more hours like the ones spent in the Unity Center? Or do you mean in a hospital setting: interacting with patients, etc?
Thank you so much for the list and I will definitely use it as a template for my final list 😀

Non-clinical = NON-clinical.

 

[Redpancreas]

Retake that great score? Sure, but only if you want me to reach through your screen and smack you upside the head.

Too much shadowing, and too specialized. Get in more volunteering or patient experience. No non-clinical volunteering? If not, get some. In fact, stop with the research.

I suggest the following:
ALL UCs, but UCR ONLY IF you're from the Inland Empire
Case (maybe)
U VM
U Toledo
Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Creighton
Tulane
USC/Keck
Dartmouth
Seton Hall
MCW
Loyola
Emory
BU
Hofstra
Tufts
Oakland-B
Western MI
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Nova MD
CUSM

Goro, I know it's not verifiable but do you collect the data on your interview yield?

 

[Goro]

Sorry I realize I replied to you earlier, but I do have another question. I was always under the impression research is good for medical school, and publications are even better. Am I making a mistake in this assumption? Also, isn't a school like UCSF a really really far reach for my gpa and mcat?

Research is overrated by premeds. It's important for the Powerhouses like Stanford and the Ivies, but if ask most Adcoms at most schools, it's not that important.

Publications are always good, but these are rare.

keep in mind that med schools don't want graduate students, they want people who will be good doctors.

Your MCAT is only 2 points below their median. Your GPA is ~25th %ile. Thus, you're in striking distance. But if you want to wow them, engage in service to others less fortunate than yourself.

 

[HomeSkool]

Should I cut the shadowing hours to 112? These hours are still prospective since those will be the total when I apply in May.

If those hours are still prospective, you should cut them to something like 50. Anything more than that is serious overkill and your time could be better spent in volunteering activities.

 

[ipressurexd]

If those hours are still prospective, you should cut them to something like 50. Anything more than that is serious overkill and your time could be better spent in volunteering activities.

Wow that's a serious cut. Most of the hours I listed except the undergrad research is prospective to beginning of May. I will definitely work on my volunteer hours. I am currently waiting for my applications to the YMCA and the Unity center. I am still struggling to understand clinical volunteering. This is different from hospital volunteering right?

 

[ipressurexd]

Research is overrated by premeds. It's important for the Powerhouses like Stanford and the Ivies, but if ask most Adcoms at most schools, it's not that important.

Publications are always good, but these are rare.

keep in mind that med schools don't want graduate students, they want people who will be good doctors.

Your MCAT is only 2 points below their median. Your GPA is ~25th %ile. Thus, you're in striking distance. But if you want to wow them, engage in service to others less fortunate than yourself.

Yes definitely planned to volunteer to help children from disadvantageous neighborhoods. Thank you!

 

[Catalystik]

Would training volunteers (whatever age they may be) at the organization I volunteer qualify as peer leadership?

Yes.

 

[Catalystik]

I am still struggling to understand clinical volunteering. This is different from hospital volunteering right?

If the hospital volunteering role allows you to interact with current patients, then it falls under medical/clinical volunteering.