Should I still apply or wait till next year?

[ihatethemcat21]

Hello,

So I just finished my mcat and got my scores a few weeks ago. Not so great.. this is my second time taking it, last year 484 (yes I know, horrible, took the worst approach), this year 496 (125,121,126,124) :/ My grades went from a sGPA (Bioengineering) of 2.8 after freshmen year to now a 3.673, so good upward trend and in the ballpark now. Just graduated a few months ago. EC: Very solid, done many hours of volunteer/clinic work, co-facilitate support groups, tutor in math, scribe, crisis counselor, clinical research, 1 publication as first author, and now during my gap years I have a job as an ophthalmic assistant and basically doing the same work as the technicians at the clinic. LOR: Very solid, physics, tissue engineering, math, Ophthalmologist, DO, read/edited the physics/tissue/MD LOR and they are superb and I know that the other two are very strong as well.

So my question is, should I apply now and most likely have to reapply, or wait to get a better mcat score and then apply for my first time? The doctor I work with was on the admission committee for his medical school, and he told me to wait to get a better mcat score and make my 1st application the strongest. But I was thinking, wouldn't medical schools think highly of someone who first applies with an okay mcat score, then comes back the next year with an even better score which shows great commitment into this career? I'm seriously at a loss, any input would be great!!

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[Dr. Stalker]

Hello,

So I just finished my mcat and got my scores a few weeks ago. Not so great.. this is my second time taking it, last year 484 (yes I know, horrible, took the worst approach), this year 496 (125,121,126,124) :/ My grades went from a sGPA (Bioengineering) of 2.8 after freshmen year to now a 3.673, so good upward trend and in the ballpark now. Just graduated a few months ago. EC: Very solid, done many hours of volunteer, co-facilitate support groups, tutor in math, scribe, crisis counselor, clinical research, 1 publication as first author, and now during my gap years I have a job as an ophthalmic assistant and basically doing the same work as the technicians at the clinic. LOR: Very solid, physics, tissue engineering, math, Ophthalmologist, DO, read/edited the physics/tissue/MD LOR and they are superb and I know that the other two are very strong as well.

So my question is, should I apply now and most likely reapply, or wait to get a better mcat score and then apply for my first time? The doctor I work with was on the admission committee for his medical school, and he told me to wait to get a better mcat score and make my 1st application the strongest. But I was thinking, wouldn't medical schools think highly of someone who first applies with an okay mcat score, then comes back the next year with an even better score which shows great commitment into this career? I'm seriously at a loss, any input would be great!!

Wait to get a better MCAT score. Congratulations on the massive improvement from 484 to 496. While I know your 496 isn't ideal, it shows me you're doing this right and will certainly earn a higher score in the future.

The best advice is to apply ONCE with your BEST application. The issue with reapplying is every single medical school (md and do) will compare you to your prior application. While certain schools claim they'll look at a reapp favorably, if you've applied once before, they have all your information, and they will certainly officially or unofficially take a glance at your prior application. Unless you've increased your academic metrics drastically, gotten incredible new achievements, or a phenomenal new job, when they compare your two applications, you'll be viewed as negatively, solely because you've applied twice.

Medical schools aren't going anywhere, give yourself another chance on your MCAT, boost your ECs, if you can crack 505-510, you'll be in better standing for DO.

 

[ihatethemcat21]

I was so close of voiding because 3 weeks out: AAMC FL 1 - 492. 5 days out: AAMC FL 2 - 493, I was absolutely destroyed afterwards, but my friends who took in multiple times and got in said to just submit it because I'll do better than last year no matter what, so I just F it and submitted lol. Okay I see your point, so if you are a reapplicant only showing that you improved your mcat score and that's it, this is not much of an impact in making your second application stronger unless you've done a ton of more stuff like what you listed. Thank you for your advise, I needed this because I was so 50/50 on whether I should be a reapplicant or just wait.

 

[Kingsmen2018]

I forbid you from applying with a 496. Try to get 506+ next year. With ur ECs you should be good for DO and state MD.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

wouldn't medical schools think highly of someone who first applies with an okay mcat score, then comes back the next year with an even better score which shows great commitment into this career? I'm seriously at a loss, any input would be great!!

Oh gawd, no!

Instead they're more likely to think, "this applicant showed foolishness applying last year with those MCAT scores, doubtful that all that foolishness has washed away."

 

[PreMedMissteps]

Oh, and your most recent MCAT score is not "an okay MCAT score."

Stop taking the MCAT until you're able to get at least a 507

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Oh, and your most recent MCAT score is not "an okay MCAT score."

Don't be unnecessarily harsh; OP is well aware of where his/her score stands. Additionally, I can see why OP may think he/she has a chance with that score, new DO schools certainly have a 496 if not lower as the lowest 10th%ile admitted.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

Don't be unnecessarily harsh; OP is well aware of where his/her score stands.

I'm hoping that my strong words will pull him away from the submit button.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

I hoping that my strong words will pull him away from the submit button.

Perhaps I'm overly sensitive on that topic as I'm a multi time MCAT taker and multi time low scorer, I never got anything out of people attacking me/myscore lol. However, I do see your point. We're both trying to steer OP towards a perhaps better pathway than applying rn.

 

[ihatethemcat21]

Lol sorry I should be more careful with my words. Of course I know where 496 stands, that it's not an "okay score". Be as cut throat as possible to me, I need it and take it all the time from people so it's nothing new. But what you said makes sense about foolishness. And my finger has been pulled away from the submit button after talking to the doctor that I work with, I guess I just wanted some more clarification is all. Thanks for the input, I needed it!

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Lol sorry I should be more careful with my words. Of course I know where 496 stands, that it's not an "okay score". Be as cut throat as possible to me, I need it and take it all the time from people so it's nothing new. But what you said makes sense about foolishness. And my finger has been pulled away from the submit button after talking to the doctor that I work with, I guess I just wanted some more clarification is all. Thanks for the input, I needed it!

If the only issue with applying and then reapplying was you losing your money, I wouldn't chime in at all. But, if you're studying and improving your stats that much coupled with your amazing BME gpa, awesome ECs, and amazing volunteer work, me, @PreMedMissteps, along with others, know you have a chance at something better than a 496. Unfortunately, the big issue with the reapplication is what I mentioned above, and that's why we're all concerned. If you weren't going to be compared to your prior app go crazy and apply lol. But, in this case, we can stop you before making a relatively bad decision lol.

 

[mellie0]

Why is it so bad to be a reapplicant?

Read this. People like Goro, gyngyn, LizzyM, Catalystik, gonnif have explained why it's so important to apply once and do it right. Being a re-applicant puts you at a disadvantage. Take the MCAT again, but PLEASE not before taking the time to figure out the flaws in your approach to the questions, your study methods, etc.

Edit: Congrats on the huge improvement!! But don't stop there. Go for more. We know you can!! You're clearly bright, as the other aspects of your app show.