The 4/4/09 MCAT Club

[DMSbound]

So, we've got the 3/28 and the 4/18, but no 4/4/08 yet. Anyone else taking it on this date?

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[SiR99]

Whooooa I just came across these posts and had to say something.

DO NOT, and I mean DO NOT under ANY circumstances talk about things like GPA or MCAT or GRE on your PS. Absolutely not. Your PS is there for you to emphasize the non-numerical, the stuff about you they can't get from your basic AMCAS app.You never want to talk about your numbers, and you never want to actually TALK about your weaknesses. If they find them to be weaknesses and can't figure out why, oh well. Do not point them out. Do not draw attention to them and try to explain them away. Do talk about your background extensively, maybe even how hard it was to learn english or how much you appreciate speaking 3 languages, or whatever. That you should embrace. But please do not write about your verbal score or your GRE. UGA is incorrect to note that PS is about spinning your negatives. It's not. It's about explaining why you want to go into medicine and how you came about making that decision. Please PM me if you have any other questions.

Are you 100% sure about this? I read somewhere that it is good to include a weakness you may have had and how you overcame it. But now im confused as to whether or not to do this.

It was one of those websites that is supposed to tell you what a good PS is made of and it said something like "a good PS not only highlights your good traits, but also a weakness you may have had and how you learned to overcome it".

Now im not sure though

 

[Knights]

Are you 100% sure about this? I read somewhere that it is good to include a weakness you may have had and how you overcame it. But now im confused as to whether or not to do this.

It was one of those websites that is supposed to tell you what a good PS is made of and it said something like "a good PS not only highlights your good traits, but also a weakness you may have had and how you learned to overcome it".

Now im not sure though

I think that they just wanted to get the point across that you should not use your PS to rant about your weaknesses and make excuses for them. You should use it to talk about your motivation to pursue medicine and what have you done and learned to test this motivation.

To the person who was talking about their low VR score, I think that it would be appropriate to state how English is your 3rd language and how you have overcome this obstacle to succeed. But, do not bring up your GRE VR scores or other test scores as a validation to this. Just mention how you are not a native speaker of English and how you have overcome this obstacle. There is a fine line of how to approach this issue/bring it up, so I would recommend that you let a lot of people edit it. Best of luck!

 

[Longshanks]

Are you 100% sure about this? I read somewhere that it is good to include a weakness you may have had and how you overcame it. But now im confused as to whether or not to do this.

It was one of those websites that is supposed to tell you what a good PS is made of and it said something like "a good PS not only highlights your good traits, but also a weakness you may have had and how you learned to overcome it".

Now im not sure though

It depends how go about it IMHO. If you're a good writer, and can use it to your advantage as part of the experience as to how you came about wanting to be a physician and what makes you who you are as a person, and can do this without being explicit that it is a fault of yours, and can manipulate it into a new strength then or an experience you've grown from then I think it is something to write about. However, most people are not that articulate to reconcile their faults without garnering attention to them.

 

[vegousc]

Dear everyone,

I am the original poster with a low vr score of 7 and am so sorry for my late reply as I was not expecting it to turn into such a hot topic of discussion. I do appreciate your input profoundly.

The fault is on my side in that I forgot to disclose that I hold a BA in English besides a BS in Chemical engineering. I got both degrees in China. I have two Master of sciences in the U.S. and have been in the U.S. for seven years, so it is really hard for me to spin my low VR into anything positive, despite that English is my third language. I was thinking "objective" high GRE scores may save some grace for me but after "sticking it" into my ps, I feel it actually detracts from my strengths. Right now, I am leaving it out of my ps and leave my vr as it is.

I do have a question though. Are there any schools that explicitly or are rumored to automatically cut off students with some sort of computer program set as " if score in (VR or BS or PS) <8, then reject"? I am asking because I am really low on finances and it might not be wise for me to waste money on such schools. I am really hesitant in retaking the MCAT, as I tend to underperform when it really counts, and if I get hit by some obscure humanity passages, I will be doomed.

Thank you again for your valuable input. I appreciate them deeply. I would also like to congratulate those who have scored so wonderfully!

 

[Longshanks]

I would hope that from the rest of your application, and in your PS if you mention you're an immigrant who's done well here, that adcoms would realize you're situation and not penalize you, but think what you've achieved thus far is great and noble. If they can't ascertain that information from the rest of your application, then we're all in poor shape.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Regarding weaknesses in the PS, it's okay to mention them, but minimize them as much as possible. I had a serious disaster of a sophomore year, but it got a grand total of 1 sentence's worth of direct treatment. You do not want to sound whiny or like a victim. You also don't want to come off as making excuses. If you plan on trying to explain a weakness, make sure you get your PS edited by lots of people so you don't go overboard.

 

[millepora]

Straight up the last passage, so 6 q's then?. Pacing wasn't the problem on practice tests with PS, it was normally dumb errors, and on the 4/4 PS I felt like I grasped the concepts rather well I was like "wow I can make a huge jump here" and spent too much time making sure I did everything right, and not forget anything, rather than just going with instinct. I noticed on these PS passages there was a lot of extra junk, so I felt ok, just moved too slow on the questions.

I should have listened to my gut and voided. That's all I could think about the rest of the test, how I blew a great opportunity, but then I calmed down after VR and BS since those are my two strongest sections normally, scoring 11-14 on each practice test for those sections, and I said ehh... one time on a Kaplan I thought I did terrible, and went 9/13/14 so I decided not to void.

I'm not mad about the 9 in PS, its an improvement over 7 and PS isn't my strong suit. I'm disappointed that I couldn't score in my range or avg for BS and VR and break 30. Even if it was a 30 or 31 I would be grateful for what I got and not retake.

I noticed that you took the MCAT back in June 2007, did you redo the AAMC tests and post those scores? If that was the case, that might have been why you got a false sense of scoring. I took a Kaplan test again that I had taken a year ago, and even though I didn't remember 95% of it, I did considerably better. Since I troubleshooted my wrong questions in the past, I better understood the basis of the passage. I think even though our minds forgot facts, they never forgot hard concepts.

 

[Longshanks]

I noticed that you took the MCAT back in June 2007, did you redo the AAMC tests and post those scores? If that was the case, that might have been why you got a false sense of scoring. I took a Kaplan test again that I had taken a year ago, and even though I didn't remember 95% of it, I did considerably better. Since I troubleshooted my wrong questions in the past, I better understood the basis of the passage. I think even though our minds forgot facts, they never forgot hard concepts.

That is partially true, but the first time I studied for the mcat, I didn't establish a good study plan, but rather inconsistent throughout the semester and then crammed after finals.

I couldn't remember which aamc's i took in the past. The only one that seemed familiar was aamc 9.. and oddly enough got 36 on that both times if that is the one that got repeated.

Yes though, that's why I'm trying to find new FLs. Maybe I did have a false sense of scoring, but it was more consistent this time around, in '07 I was scoring from 25-36, since PS was fluctuating between 7-12. The first time around I didn't do kaplan's extra topic/subject tests/passages, and this time I did and did quite well on them, so I know at least those were new and not repeated. I just ordered some material from TBR.

 

[UGA2010]

Yeah when I said to talk about your weaknesses in your PS I meant that you should BRIEFLY touch on it. The majority of your PS should be used to tell why your interested in medicine and anything that you want to put in it to help ad coms to get to you know more personally. Don't dwell too long on your weaknesses but it would be naive to not briefly explain them. No more than 75 words about it though. It would be naive not to address anything in your weaknesses. Hope that clears things up.

ButImLETired is right that you should emphasize the fact that your multilingual and talk more about the non-numerical stuff like your shadowing and clinical experiences. Sorry if I caused any confusion.

 

[Alvarez13]

Wow, there are some amazing scores on this thread! Congrats. I'm just hoping for a 30.

 

[tjluke25]

I got a 39P.
PS: 14
VR: 11
BS: 14

Buttt...I got my gpa for this semester and it was really bad (3.3333)...and it brought my gpa down from a 3.75 to a 3.68. I am really worried about this, so I was wondering how much you guys think this is going to affect my chances.

Also, this is my first post on SDN.

 

[Longshanks]

I got a 39P.
PS: 14
VR: 11
BS: 14

Buttt...I got my gpa for this semester and it was really bad (3.3333)...and it brought my gpa down from a 3.75 to a 3.68. I am really worried about this, so I was wondering how much you guys think this is going to affect my chances.

Also, this is my first post on SDN.

Carribean. Its your last hope.


Really, you're going to complain about getting a 39 and having a 3.68? Those are a top flight numbers. Congrats on your achievement, but seriously, cut loose the self-pity about a success.

 

[SteinUmStein]

Sorry the post is so delayed, I just got back from the Bahamas.

Practice averages on AAMC tests:

PS: 12-13
VR: 13
BS:12-13
Total: 37-39ish

Actual:

PS: 14
VR: 13
BS: 11
WS: Q

Total: 38Q

I'm way excited, I can't wait to get this whole process over with forever!


Good luck everybody!

 

[olemissbabydoc]

Sorry the post is so delayed, I just got back from the Bahamas.

Practice averages on AAMC tests:

PS: 12-13
VR: 13
BS:12-13
Total: 37-39ish

Actual:

PS: 14
VR: 13
BS: 11
WS: Q

Total: 38Q

I'm way excited, I can't wait to get this whole process over with forever!


Good luck everybody!

Sounds like you celebrated appropriately
Congrats!

 

[olemissbabydoc]

I got a 39P.
PS: 14
VR: 11
BS: 14

Buttt...I got my gpa for this semester and it was really bad (3.3333)...and it brought my gpa down from a 3.75 to a 3.68. I am really worried about this, so I was wondering how much you guys think this is going to affect my chances.

Also, this is my first post on SDN.

You'll be fine. Really. And welcome to SDN!

 

[tjluke25]

Carribean. Its your last hope.


Really, you're going to complain about getting a 39 and having a 3.68? Those are a top flight numbers. Congrats on your achievement, but seriously, cut loose the self-pity about a success.

Sorry mate, I didn't mean to sound like a prick...I left out the part where I was trying to go to UPenn...does the test score outweigh my GPA? Assume that I have everything else that a competitive applicant would (minus a publication or ridiculous hook).

 

[Longshanks]

Sorry mate, I didn't mean to sound like a prick...I left out the part where I was trying to go to UPenn...does the test score outweigh my GPA? Assume that I have everything else that a competitive applicant would (minus a publication or ridiculous hook).

No, I understand. I was just teasing you. And with you being a new poster, I felt it was better to get the Caribean remark from me in a sarcastic manner , than one of the gunners that sometimes can be mean to people here. I'm normally a very positive person here, but last week was just madness between apartment issues and getting my application ready.. if someone looked through my posts they would find that week I was a bit snippy.

Hey, in all honesty I think you have a great shot for UPenn, or any med school for that matter. Just remember, most people don't get in their first choice or their 'dream school', but with you stats and if you got some good EC experiences, and write a solid letter it just comes down to getting invited to an interview. Then its all up to you and how you present yourself. I wish you the best of luck, and I bet you'll pull through. Just don't bum yourself out if you don't got into UPenn for some odd reason, with those numbers I don't see why they wouldn't at least interview you or why some other Ivy wouldn't want to snatch you up.