Taking a year off...

[DrPharaohX]

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Hey all. It's already end of January. I'm on interview hold (haven't had any interview invitations to date) at all the FL schools I applied to. I'm frustrated, distressed, and psychologically tested.

I have a friend with a lower GPA (I'm 3.84, he's 3.76), not half of the research experience I have, but two points higher on MCAT (I'm 28, he's 30) who's been interviewing and accepted all over (FL and other state schools).

This leads me to believe that what people say about extracurriculars and involvements is bull**** since apparently MCAT pretty much is one of the only things to matter, even with a small difference like in my case.

So anyway, I'm considering taking a year off and retaking MCAT of course, for the third time, in August. I just wanted to know if anyone here plans on taking a year off too, or knows of any people who have. How have they improved their application?

I'm currently working as a clerk in a hospital O.R. I plan to continue that and just volunteer and do some community service during my year off. I don't want to take any classes or any special one year programs. This, combined with a hopefully improved MCAT, should be enough I think.

Any opinions/advice?

 

[hilikus]

apply to more schools, open up your options

 

[shadow]

dr pharoah

there is still time for invites to fl schools. i think fsu is just getting started.

when did you get your secondaries in? that can be a deciding factor at the fl schools.

of course the mcat is important, but i know lots of people who scored in the 20's and got in. (of the fl schools, i think uf looks most at numbers, less at experiences.) if you are reapplying next year, i'd retake the mcat. i don't know what your mcat breakdown is, but i've heard that the fl schools care just as much about verbal as the science sections...

i think taking time off improves your chances because you are a more mature applicant, have more life experience, etc.

but don't give up hope for this year just yet! it's not over.

 

[surfsup]

Don't overlook the importance of your personal statement. Since your grades are pretty similar to your friends, and he got in and you haven't yet, perhaps his essay "spoke" to the adcoms more than yours? Just a thought. Good luck!

 

[jlee9531]

Ecs are not bull.

you can test it out by not putting down any at all and just going with your gpa and new mcat score.

if you get accepted then i was wrong. if you dont. oh well.


anyways...like hilk said you should have applied to more schools and opened up your options a little bit more.
tho he may not had the research you had maybe he had better volunteering experiences and was able to express what he got out of them better than you did on the secondaries.

did he have more life experiences than you? personal statement better?

not sure...

but on your year off...keep busy helping out like you are planning to do. the application cycle isnt over yet. you might hear something soon.

and its never good to compare to another applicant cause you dont know what is exactly on their app.

 

[exmike]

two points on the MCAT is not BS. I'm sure you can look up the distribution but you'll find out there is a big diff between a say a 28 and a 30. Anyhow, you have the stats to get in med school. A year off will probalby help you if you spend it doing somethign worthwhile. Heck, why dont you take the april MCAT? Apply to more schools next year and you should be fine.

 

[DrPharaohX]

Well, I know that extracurriculars aren't bull, I was just trying to vent 😀

Personally, I thought I had a stellar personal statement (not only my opinion either) and a good amount of involvements and healthcare volunteering that I related to in my secondaries. Applications were in a bit late, beginning of November for UF and end of October for USF and U Miami.

I just can't get my mind around it: several people I've spoken to, including my pre-med advisor, believe that my MCAT is the weakest part of my application.

All I can do is wait I suppose. Doesn't hurt to think about what I need to do though, in case I do take a year off.

 

[DrPharaohX]

"Heck, why dont you take the april MCAT?"

Not enough time to physically and mentally prepare right now.

 

[g3pro]

although i wouldn't call ECs BS, i would say that they are hardly considered in the process of looking at which candidates to choose from.


if you have a 28 MCAT (below the national average), you're not going to get in anywhere. there IS a cutoff for the scores (30, sometimes 29). GPA and MCAT matter a ton in the process, probably 90%. if they need to choose between 2 people with identical stats, who do you think they're going to choose? the person with the better personality or whatever.

 

[jlee9531]

turning it in late can have a lot to do it with it as well.

many people can easily attest to this

 

[Tiki]

Originally posted by g3pro

if you have a 28 MCAT (below the national average), you're not going to get in anywhere. there IS a cutoff for the scores (30, sometimes 29). GPA and MCAT matter a ton in the process, probably 90%. if they need to choose between 2 people with identical stats, who do you think they're going to choose? the person with the better personality or whatever. [/B]

I have a 28 MCAT and I've gotten interviews at every allopathic school I've applied too, (Granted I've only applied to five) so I don't think what you're saying is accurate that someone with a 28 isn't going to get in anywhere.

There is a cutoff for schools and depending which ones you apply to a 28 may or may not get you through the initial screening. It depends on the school.

 

[g3pro]

have you been accepted yet? (i'm not being mean. 🙂 )

 

[Tiki]

I've been accepted to two of those schools. I'm still waiting to hear from the other three.

 

[Zweihander]

Originally posted by g3pro
although i wouldn't call ECs BS, i would say that they are hardly considered in the process of looking at which candidates to choose from.


if you have a 28 MCAT (below the national average), you're not going to get in anywhere. there IS a cutoff for the scores (30, sometimes 29). GPA and MCAT matter a ton in the process, probably 90%. if they need to choose between 2 people with identical stats, who do you think they're going to choose? the person with the better personality or whatever.

So untrue...
Where in the world are you getting all of this from?
😕

 

[Chirurgien]

Originally posted by DrPharaohX

This leads me to believe that what people say about extracurriculars and involvements is bull**** since apparently MCAT pretty much is one of the only things to matter, even with a small difference like in my case.

Any opinions/advice?

Here's my take on the admissions process: I think good GPA and MCAT scores open doors for you in the sense that you'll get invited to an interview based on these qualifications. Then, once the door is open, it's up to your ECs, your personality, your life experiences, etc. to get you through the door via your interview experience. There are 2 steps: 1. opening the door and 2. walking through the door. MCATS and GPA will accomplish #1 but only ECs, etc. will grant you #2. So, don't give up on those ECs of yours - they are very important.

 

[DrPharaohX]

Originally posted by Tiki
I have a 28 MCAT and I've gotten interviews at every allopathic school I've applied too, (Granted I've only applied to five) so I don't think what you're saying is accurate that someone with a 28 isn't going to get in anywhere.

What were the schools and what was your MCAT breakdown and GPA? (just curious)

 

[DrPharaohX]

Originally posted by Chirurgien
Here's my take on the admissions process: I think good GPA and MCAT scores open doors for you in the sense that you'll get invited to an interview based on these qualifications. Then, once the door is open, it's up to your ECs, your personality, your life experiences, etc. to get you through the door via your interview experience. There are 2 steps: 1. opening the door and 2. walking through the door. MCATS and GPA will accomplish #1 but only ECs, etc. will grant you #2. So, don't give up on those ECs of yours - they are very important.

Hmm....good point.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

What g3pro stated above really isn't true...the process is not solely numbers driven. If that were case, people with 3.9 GPAs and 37 MCATs would not be getting rejection letters from Stanford roughly one week after they submitted their secondaries. And trust me...TONS of applicants get rejected (at least from the top tier med schools) with very impressive stats (3.6+ GPAs and 30+ MCATs).

The process is definitely more "human" than most people think. After combing through the brochures and websites of many top tier med schools, I've noticed how med schools LOVE to brag about the incoming students in their entering class. This boasting will usually sound like..."In our incoming class of 2004, we have a former firefighter, a stand-up comedian, a former investment banker from JP Morgan, and an Olympic gold medalist in sacrinized swimming!" The info on the websites constantly stress how important it is to make yourself "unique" among the applicant pool. Having a 3.6 GPA and a 30 MCAT does NOT make you unique at all...it just proves that you can probably handle the rigor of a medical school curriculum. However, those stats will not differentiate you from the legions of other folks with equal or better stats that are also applying.

This is why they have the essays, LORs, EC section, etc. It's very easy to look at other accepted applicants and rationalize your own rejection by saying, "Eh...maybe if my MCAT was just 1 or 2 points higher..I would've been admitted..I know my ECs were definitely better than Applicant X's..he just scored higher on the MCAT so that's why he got in." Ultimately, the rejection (and the reasons behind it) lie within us (the individual applicants). If I get rejected from Schools X, Y, and Z...it was because the adcom found that my application just was not as strong as the applications of others appying in the same year. Maybe it was because my EC involvement was too shallow..maybe my essays were not up to par...but I find it pretty unreasonable to think, "Well...if my GPA was .1 points higher...I would've been accepted..or if my MCAT was 1 point higher...that thin envelope from the Universidad de Guadalahara would've been a thick packet."

 

[lotanna]

Originally posted by g3pro
although i wouldn't call ECs BS, i would say that they are hardly considered in the process of looking at which candidates to choose from.


if you have a 28 MCAT (below the national average), you're not going to get in anywhere. there IS a cutoff for the scores (30, sometimes 29). GPA and MCAT matter a ton in the process, probably 90%. if they need to choose between 2 people with identical stats, who do you think they're going to choose? the person with the better personality or whatever.

BS, I've less than a 28 and i know several others who do, and we all have acceptances. Cracks me up that ur saying that with much confidence, spare me the laughter pleeeeeeeease 😴

 

[woolie]

DrPharoahX,

Don't be too down about all this. It's really a squishier, more subjective experience than we'd like to believe. Numbers are an easy way to find a reason for not hearing anything - and sometimes that's definitely true - but the EC stuff and your personal statement and life experience, etc. really do come through for you in the end.

Don't despair or give up, and trying to compare ourselves with others is a recipe for depression. Your experiences are what make you the applicant that you are, and they show the bigger picture. Late applications are sometimes a factor but not always (again, so darn subjective!).

A year off isn't the worst thing in the world, but then there is still time left to hear. Also, did you apply to alot of other schools? (Dude, I applied to 30 and am still waiting to hear from 16 !)

Keep the faith - 🙂

 

[lessismoe]

Just to add to the "taking a year off" idea, I took 2 years off and worked in a research lab. I was got some nice comments at interviews about my "extensive research experience" and it seemed like the interviewers were more inclined to think I was more mature. Taking a couple years off was one of the best decisions I ever made. Yes, I'm grossly underpaid for the grunt work I do, but it was enough for me to buy a new car and pay for myself to get Lasik.

Plus, the perspective I got from being in the work force was gold. When the interviewer asked me, "So why don't you want to go into research?" I could say "I've done that. I enjoy it, but I couldn't make a career out of it."

 

[Tiki]

Originally posted by DrPharaohX
What were the schools and what was your MCAT breakdown and GPA? (just curious)

My schools were RWJ, NJMS, Penn State, Drexel and Ohio State.
My cum gpa was 3.84, my science gpa was 3.74.
My MCAT was VR-10, BS-10, and PS-8, and an O on the writing sample.

I believe that your EC's make a world of difference. I don't believe I would have been accepted without them.

Don't give up hope. I know its late in the application process, but it could still happen.

And don't listen to someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. A 28 is not that bad. Don't get me wrong, its not a great score, but it is nothing to be ashamed of either.

If you have to reapply next year, just make sure your stuff is ready by June 1st. Apply to more schools, and I'm sure you will get in somewhere.

 

[DrBodacious]

Originally posted by DrPharaohX
"Heck, why dont you take the april MCAT?"

Not enough time to physically and mentally prepare right now.

Reconsidering this is my biggest advice. If you go through re-applying, you don't want to leave yourself any "what ifs" the second time around. Being an August MCATer is not as good. You still have almost ten weeks to prep. Alot can be done in ten weeks, I only studied extensively for four (summer weeks mind you).

 

[skypilot]

Take a year off. Teach English or work in a refugee camp in Thailand. Watch the acceptances roll in next year.

Skypilot
(Posting from Thailand)

🙂