SMP or Carribean or PA?

[erica007]

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First of all, I'm not sure if this is an appropriate forum to ask my questions.
Here is my situation:
sGPA=3.9 cGPA=3.8 from a small private university
MCAT took three times but the highest is 20.
EC=decent but not superb
I understand that my MCAT is the huge flag red for me to apply MD/DO. I suffered depression from abusive environment while I was taking the test. I couldn't move out from that place right away so it ended me taking the test three times with the highest of 20. Now I have recovered from depression and have been moved to different place. I'm 24 now. I really want to be a physician. But I'm not sure if I'm not qualified enough to be a doctor according to my MCAT scores. Is it time for me to give up on my dream and go to PA school instead (which I think I can handle their coursework)? or Give myself one last chance to go to SMP? or should I even consider Caribbean as one of the option? Can anyone give an advice please?
Thanks

 

[NurWollen]

First of all, I'm not sure if this is an appropriate forum to ask my questions.
Here is my situation:
sGPA=3.9 cGPA=3.8 from a small private university
MCAT took three times but the highest is 20.
EC=decent but not superb
I understand that my MCAT is the huge flag red for me to apply MD/DO. I suffered depression from abusive environment while I was taking the test. I couldn't move out from that place right away so it ended me taking the test three times with the highest of 20. Now I have recovered from depression and have been moved to different place. I'm 24 now. I really want to be a physician. But I'm not sure if I'm not qualified enough to be a doctor according to my MCAT scores. Is it time for me to give up on my dream and go to PA school instead (which I think I can handle their coursework)? or Give myself one last chance to go to SMP? or should I even consider Caribbean as one of the option? Can anyone give an advice please?
Thanks

Your best option is to retake the MCAT, but not until you are for sure ready and not until your personal life has stabilized to the point that it's not going to hold you back. I don't know how the new MCAT scoring system works but if you can get the equivalent of a 25+ I think you'd have a great shot at quite a few DO schools. DO is a better option than Carribbean, x1000.

Oh and don't worry about your age. 24 is probably below average age for a lot of DO schools. Trust me, you've got all the time in the world.

 

[erica007]

Thank you for your response.
My question is even if I get higher score this time, will my previous scores still hurt my application? My concern is if I didn't get into any DO school, I end up going to PA school and I just wasted a couple more years. Still, english is my second language and I have my parents in my home country to take care. Timing is really important for me 🙁

 

[AM508]

I do think that a history of 3 attempts and not hitting above 20 is going to be detrimental. The schools will see all of your scores. I don't want to rain on your parade as it sounds like you had some rough circumstances, but I do think the history of 3 bad scores will hurt. I am not an authority on the topic though. Hopefully, an adcom will come by this thread and give you definitive answer. With that being said, the Caribbean is a terrible gamble, and is not worth the risk of being in major debt with nothing to show for it.

 

[SpicyFalafel]

In general, DO schools reward the reinventing. I think you will be taking the new MCAT which is a new version( harder/new score scale). so, if you do really well on the test, your old score would not matter that much anyway. I am assuming that at least 2 of your scores would not count anyway/soon to expire/ not acceptable by any school. do not give up on your dream! age/language should be the last things you could be concerned about in this process.

 

[NurWollen]

Thank you for your response.
My question is even if I get higher score this time, will my previous scores still hurt my application? My concern is if I didn't get into any DO school, I end up going to PA school and I just wasted a couple more years. Still, english is my second language and I have my parents in my home country to take care. Timing is really important for me 🙁

Yeah, it will hurt you but I think you can overcome it because of your strong gpa, assuming you can improve your MCAT score.

 

[BorntobeDO?]

I agree with the above posters. Don't take the MCAT till your practice exams are consistently way above your goal. I am not sure with your situation, but I suspect that you might be having more of a content deficit rather than a test taking ability. Have you taken a course like Kaplan or TPR? If so, then you got to study differently. The MCAT doesn't have a great amount of corralations with medical school performance, but the one thing I consistently hear is a score below 24 is actually correlated with lack of success in medical school. That being said LUCOM might consider you if you have an exceptional app in the volunteering and service department.

You really need to just get that MCAT right, and do whatever it takes to make it right though. Seems like you have everything else. Don't go Caribbean, especially now its becoming an increasingly worse idea.

 

[MrLogan13]

You don't need an SMP. You need to kill the MCAT. Your three previous scores will hurt your application, but you can't do anything about that now. Focus your energies on killing the MCAT this time. Consider DO.

 

[deleted158872]

sGPA=3.9 cGPA=3.8 from a small private university

why the hell would you need an SMP?

 

[erica007]

Thanks for all the advice.
what about PA? Is it a better option than taking risk of my slim chance to get into DO cuz of my terrible MCAT scores? Can I always go back to MD/DO anytime after PA? Any suggestion? sorry about my confusion.

 

[BorntobeDO?]

Thanks for all the advice.
what about PA? Is it a better option than taking risk of my slim chance to get into DO cuz of my terrible MCAT scores? Can I always go back to MD/DO anytime after PA? Any suggestion? sorry about my confusion.

You can come back later, as others have. But I think you need to just do what it takes to do DO the first time. Don't set yourself up to want to come back later when you have already worked/got more debt/ paid debt off then try again. Its much better to take a year off now, study for the MCAT, and then rock it next year, than to go through a whole professional degree with the hope that you might come back later. PA school is a huge opportunity cost for someone who is really more interested in medicine. Yeah it would help you get in later (like in 7-8 years), but it requires similar amounts of effort to get in (minus the MCAT part), and you know its a second choice.

 

[akinetopsia]

Your GPA is outstanding, congratulations on that. The MCAT is used to normalize prospective applicants on a larger scale. GPAs vary from school to school and major to major. MCAT scores are more consistent comparatively. Also, consider that a large part of medical school and training is taking standardized tests. If you get into any medical school with an MCAT of 20, the COMLEX and/or USMLE will still be looming in your future.

Perhaps your circumstances change and you're in a more supportive environment in the future where you are better able to prepare yourself and perform better on the MCAT. As previous posters mentioned, schools will still be able to see the three scores that were subpar. In your applications, there is usually a spot on secondaries for (paraphrasing) "Anything else you'd like to add/have the admissions committee consider" and that would be a place where you could explain why you scored poorly the first three times. Some schools might not consider you, but some schools reward persistence and improvement. Good luck!

 

[Goro]

If you really want to be a doctor, then you'll need to re-take the MCAT and this time, ace it. A good number of schools take only the most recent, best score. However, some schools will also average, and your scores will always be there for app readers. Do NOT take the test unless you are fully ready or a career-deciding, high stakes exam. Adcoms are gun-shy of people who make poor choices.

Poor MCAT scores are risk factors for failing out of med school and/or failing Boards.
But I'm not sure if I'm not qualified enough to be a doctor according to my MCAT scores.


Only you can answer this.
Is it time for me to give up on my dream and go to PA school instead (which I think I can handle their coursework)?


Your MCAT is the problem, not the SMP.
Give myself one last chance to go to SMP?


Only if you like the idea of being unemployed and deeply in debt.
or should I even consider Caribbean as one of the option? Can anyone give an advice please?

 

[katiemaude]

Retake the MCAT after consistently scoring 30+ on practice exams. If you get over a 26, reapply to DO schools. If you come close, take it again and/or apply to DO school with masters in biomes sciences as linkages. My school has 30ish MBS students every year who had good grades but just could not for whatever reason do well on the MCAT. They take all the non-COM classes like biochem, anatomy, micro, physiology, and if they get over an 80 they get in as medical students the following year. If they get over a 90 they don't have to retake that class. They also get scheduled face time with instructors and they have their own little support network built in.

It's $$$ but they get to focus on the core science classes without the additional stuff the M1s have to do like OMM and physical diagnosis and clincical reasoning and .... Etc etc etc. Then if they do well and are accepted as M1s, they hopefully don't have to retake many of those classes if any, plus they get a whole year as M1s to kill it in just their COM classes, begin studying for boards early, and to beef up their resumes with research, volunteering, leadership opportunities, tutoring, and more. A few use the time to get an MPH at a huge discount. It's a pretty sweet deal.

 

[erica007]

Thanks u so much for everyone gave suggestions. I really appreciate that I wasn't discouraged to give up my dream and change to another career.
However, I'm just too scared to waste time and money to retake MCAT or apply DO while knowing that I only have very slim chance of getting in. Sorry if I sounds whining.

 

[erica007]

Retake the MCAT after consistently scoring 30+ on practice exams. If you get over a 26, reapply to DO schools. If you come close, take it again and/or apply to DO school with masters in biomes sciences as linkages. My school has 30ish MBS students every year who had good grades but just could not for whatever reason do well on the MCAT. They take all the non-COM classes like biochem, anatomy, micro, physiology, and if they get over an 80 they get in as medical students the following year. If they get over a 90 they don't have to retake that class. They also get scheduled face time with instructors and they have their own little support network built in.

It's $$$ but they get to focus on the core science classes without the additional stuff the M1s have to do like OMM and physical diagnosis and clincical reasoning and .... Etc etc etc. Then if they do well and are accepted as M1s, they hopefully don't have to retake many of those classes if any, plus they get a whole year as M1s to kill it in just their COM classes, begin studying for boards early, and to beef up their resumes with research, volunteering, leadership opportunities, tutoring, and more. A few use the time to get an MPH at a huge discount. It's a pretty sweet deal.

Thanks for your info. I have a few questions. are you talking about SMP? How hard is it to get accepted? In the worst case, what if I still dont get into their med school after SMP?

 

[mspeedwagon]

I come across threads like this on SDN all the time and am always surprised by the advice given. You scored very low on the MCAT (albeit b/c of some secondary problems) and now, to get to medical school, you ONLY need to crush the MCAT. Yes, b/c doing so is so easy for someone whose highest score on three attempts is a 20. 🙄

I truly can't speak for what is best for you, but I'll tell you what I'd do in your situation.
1. Step away from this process for a year or two. Find a good old 9-5 job. If you can't step away from health care, then find one at a hospital. Research coordinators, administrators.... anything really.
2. After a few months of settling into your new job, purchase a set of MCAT books. Each evening use the AAMC outline and books to go over each concept that is tested. Make sure you thoroughly understand it. Use youtube, Chad's lecture of similar to boost understanding.
3. After several passes through the AAMC outline, start taking some MCAT style questions (PR Science Workbook or similar).
4. Take a practice exam and see where you stand. If you are still scoring low, rinse and repeat step 2.
5. At this point, think, do I still want to be a doctor and sign up for the MCAT (if you are scoring well on subsequent practice exams). If not, explore PA/NP. But, realize that many PAs and NPs who go to such schools just b/c they couldn't get into medical school regret the path. I know a few from my school that did poorly on the MCAT and rushed to apply NP and PA and now wish they had just studied more for the MCAT.
6. If you break whatever the new equivalent of 25, but less than 30 apply to DO and your state schools. If you score more than 30, apply to more schools. Be ready to explain at interviews why you had to take the MCAT four times to do well. The more you distance yourself from the immaturity to keep signing up for a test you weren't ready for, the better. Schools are VERY SCARED of admitting people that they think will fail Step 1. Make them realize you won't.
7. Work hard on your AMCAS and AACOMAS to make schools understand what your bring to the table. They have thousands of applications. Why should they give you a chance?
8. If you get into med school... great. Open champagne and celebrate. If not, call schools and ask for feedback and apply ONE more cycle showing improvement from your inital application.

Good luck!

 

[Dr.Tao]

The more you distance yourself from the immaturity to keep signing up for a test you weren't ready for, the better. Schools are VERY SCARED of admitting people that they think will fail Step 1. Make them realize you won't.

GREAT post overall, but especially THIS statement.

 

[Mad Jack]

Not being able to break 20 is a very bad sign in regard to your potential success in medical school. A score below 26, and particularly below 22, is a strong indicator of failure on both the boards and in medical school, as both require strong standardized test taking abilities. PA school would likely be a better option for you, as even if you were admitted to a school in the US or abroad, you would likely wash out or fail the boards, landing you in piles of debt with no good way to repay it. If you can retake the MCAT and do well, that bodes better for your future success, but I would still be highly concerned, both as someone reviewing applicants, and as an applicant myself, unless you scored a 26 or higher (or whatever the new equivalent of that is).