Should I try again?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

rhino120

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2014
Messages
16
Reaction score
39
I just got accepted into a great osteopathic medical school, which I most probably will attend. My GPA is 3.7 and I got a 26 on the MCAT. However, I didn't really intensely study for the MCAT and I only took it once. My question is should I study harder (maybe take a class) and retake it and then apply to more schools (I only applied to 4 schools 2 DO, 1 MD, and 1 foreign MD but affiliated with the US)? Again, I like the DO school I got into and I don't put much thought into the MD vs DO thing. I just want to get the best possible shot to do whatever specialty I end up liking which is probably something like pathology or anesthesiology (which this school happens to have matched in). This is just stuff I think about, which I am now writing down and I would like some feedback from anyone that is willing to offer.
 
realistically, unless you can bring up your score by ~ 6 points i wouldnt risk it.
 
Yes, thats probably best. Thanks for confirming.
 
I would be happy to attend the fine institution that accepted me. I just like to hear if what I was proposing made practical sense. But thanks for helping.
 
I just got accepted into a great osteopathic medical school, which I most probably will attend. My GPA is 3.7 and I got a 26 on the MCAT. However, I didn't really intensely study for the MCAT and I only took it once. My question is should I study harder (maybe take a class) and retake it and then apply to more schools (I only applied to 4 schools 2 DO, 1 MD, and 1 foreign MD but affiliated with the US)? Again, I like the DO school I got into and I don't put much thought into the MD vs DO thing. I just want to get the best possible shot to do whatever specialty I end up liking which is probably something like pathology or anesthesiology (which this school happens to have matched in). This is just stuff I think about, which I am now writing down and I would like some feedback from anyone that is willing to offer.

this comes up a lot around here. the lesson is that you should always put your best foot forward. If you're going to take the MCAT then study your butt off the first time around. If you're going to apply to med school make sure that your application is the absolute best it can be the first time around. Being a DO closes some doors but there's no guarantee you're going to improve much (or even at all) on the MCAT score and even if you do you're not guaranteed a spot at a US MD school. Luckily your fields of interest at this point are very uncompetitive so you'll be fine going DO.
 
I just got accepted into a great osteopathic medical school, which I most probably will attend. My GPA is 3.7 and I got a 26 on the MCAT. However, I didn't really intensely study for the MCAT and I only took it once. My question is should I study harder (maybe take a class) and retake it and then apply to more schools (I only applied to 4 schools 2 DO, 1 MD, and 1 foreign MD but affiliated with the US)? Again, I like the DO school I got into and I don't put much thought into the MD vs DO thing. I just want to get the best possible shot to do whatever specialty I end up liking which is probably something like pathology or anesthesiology (which this school happens to have matched in). This is just stuff I think about, which I am now writing down and I would like some feedback from anyone that is willing to offer.


Go with the DO school. It may be slightly harder to match anesthesiology as a DO, but it's still possible. I don't think that being a DO will hinder you much in matching pathology. Good luck!
 
If you take the MCAT again you'll need to get a 34 to have an average of 30. Do you think you can pull that off realistically?

Actually, you'll have to take the new MCAT, and who knows how you would fare on that one. Take your acceptance, and work your hard in medical school instead of still trying to get by in the pre-med grind.
 
Top