Some encouragement for future doctors

[NearbyLab]

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I’m a non-trad recently got admitted to a MD. Seeing all the geniuses on here, I thought I had no chance. I feel SDNers need to hear more from the average pre-med. I remember putting lots of stress on myself for the MCAT. I studied 7 days a week with 10+ hours every day. I felt defeated when I saw my score, which I thought I wasn’t good enough. I started treating myself like crap and not prioritizing my mental health. I was so depressed.

Med school application is stressful. Yes, the MCAT is important. Higher MCAT/GPA will open more doors for sure. But at the end of the day, what sets you apart from other is you - your interviews & experiences. A 528 will only get you to the door of top-tier schools. You have to convince them in your essays as well as in person. Nothing is guaranteed. If you’re putting a lot of stress on yourself to get a high MCAT, don’t forget to take care of your mental and physician health. Now, when I look back, I wish I had taken it easy and treated myself better. Medicine is a long road, we are here for the long haul. Don’t burn yourself out on the MCAT. A low MCAT/GPA is not the end. You will be fine. You will be a doctor.

For those curious, 1st MCAT: 505 (128/123/126/128). 2nd MCAT: 505 (127/121/128/129). 3rd MCAT: 510 (128/128/127/127).
Undergrad (Econ '10. I’m old af): cGPA = 3.06. Post-Bacc (Local state school): cGPA=3.97, sGPA=3.97
1 year Dr office shadowing. 10 months research at a micro lab. Not URM. No military. 26 schools, 16 secondaries, 2 interviews (1 acceptance, 1 awaiting)

Good luck future doctors.

 

[curious_frosting]

Congrats on your success. Thank you for your kind words. What did you do to improve your CARS from 121 to 128? What materials would you recommend?

 

[NearbyLab]

After my 1st MCAT, I did almost everything under the sky. I did NS 108 and EK 101. I even took the JW course. Maybe I’m just stupid, I felt jack’s strategies became a distraction and hurt me in my 2nd MCAT. I did worse on CARS (121). I thought I will never be a doctor and I was so close to giving up. I get very depressed at that point.
I took a break and I kept working on my CARS. I also enrolled in Twain Reasoning to improve my reading skills. They forced me to read critically, and my hard work finally pays off. CARS is about reading critically and answer the questions with clear head. For practice questions, I mostly do and redo the official AAMC section banks. It is a marathon. Low MCAT is not the end of the world. You will be fine.