To retake or not to retake...

[Jacobean3]

So here it is, plain and simple. I got a letter yesterday stating my MCAT scores. To say the least, they were less than I expected. I emailed the dean I was talking to over the summer and he told me that I was not competitive enough for admissions, despite the fact that I was previously encouraged to take the MCAT by his suggestion, given my diagnostic scores! I also got a letter from Rush stating that my application has been put on hold. I am not excatly sure what to do at this point. Sure, Rush didnt send me a rejection, but I didnt get an interview either. Now what?

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[aquaboy]

You got your scores kind of late. Just because you aren't competitive at one school doesn't mean that you won't be competitive at another school. If it is below a 30 or strongly skewed then apply to some lower tier schools such as GWU or MCW. If you are comparing your scores to others on SDN then don't fret because those who post scores here are those who received high scores. Just see how it goes this cycle and if you are committed to medicine then consider retaking the MCAT. If you are doing it because a dean told you to then maybe mediciine isn't for you. It all depends on your commitment. Also awesome EC's can make up for a below par score! Good luck!

 

[*fatmike*]

What are you MCAT scores? I also got a letter from Rush yesterday saying I am on "Hold". My scores are:

9 9 8 S
I have a 3.48 sci GPA and majored in biochemistry.

I was also disappointed with them, but I really did not prepare well for the exam. I am going to take the april exam regardless of what happens this admissions cycle.

 

[Explosivo]

Well if we don't know what your MCAT score was there's no way we can advise you. I can infer a few things though from the information you've given:

If the dean at Rush told you that you were not competitive then I'm assuming you scored in the mid to low 20s. I'm basing this on people that I know who got into Rush and what their scores were like. (I know of one SDNer that got in with a 26) I'm also assuming that your diag scores were significantly higher. Therefore, I would suggest that you retake the MCAT again in April and prepare for the next application cycle. If it was the first time you took the MCAT then without question you should take it again.

As for the "Hold" letter, you should know that Rush doesn't reject people until the end of the cycle. Everyone not receiving an interview gets that letter at some point. It's actually one of the reasons I decided not to apply to Rush this time around. It sucks but that's how they and many other schools run their admissions process.

I was in your position a couple years ago. I applied with a poor MCAT score and got those same letters. Just study harder next time and retake. That's what I did and now I'm in.

Contrary to popular belief on SDN, ECs do not trump MCAT scores either. Every applicant needs a certain minimal MCAT score to be competitive. ECs make you stand out among people with similar scores. Certain schools may emphasize them more than others but I'm willing to bet that not a single school ranks ECs higher in importance than MCAT and GPA. Med schools just don't work that way.

Anyway, sorry to hear about what happened but we still probably need more info on your situation since I'm just speculating. You can PM me if you want and I may be able to give you some better advice.

Good Luck.

 

[ShortStuff]

Hey fatmike

I am in a similar situation Stat wise...have you gotten any interviews yet??

 

[*fatmike*]

I have only gotten one so far, at Southern Illinois Univ. most of my apps were complete near the end of september, so i figure i should be hearing from most of the schools in a couple of weeks. I have, however, been rejected from:

UChicago
UWisonsin-Madison
Wake Forest

besides my MCAT and GPA, I feel I have great EC's and LOR's....however, everyone should learn from me and others on this forum that EC's and LOR's will get you NOWHERE if you dont have the #'s!! If i would have known that my MCAT score would play THE dominant role in my application, I would have focused more on gettting a better score.

 

[PluckyDuk8]

I have just gotten my invitation to interview at Rush a week and a half ago. My MCAT is 8P, 9V, 11B (darned physical sciences). A previous interviewer said my LOR's were good, and I think my EC's are good too (my GPA is fine). Just to help u guys see where things are. I have gotten accepted to Loyola, and the only other school I have heard from is Rush (no UIC, I still find this strange). Hope it helps in this crazy process.

 

[Green912]

This may be a simplistic answer, but if you're not getting positive signs by early Janurary then I'd start warming up for the April MCAT. That's my plan.

 

[DarkChild]

well, if you dont get in anywhere this application cycle,
take kaplan (unless you did already?) and retake the test in april.
more importantly though, take half an hour and go through what you think affected your performance on the actual test.... where you more rushed than usual? did you not finish a section or did you rush through a section... did you prioritize the questions (answer the easy ones first), where the diags you were using too easy?
also think hard about your actual score breakdown vs. the diagnostics, did you do poorer than you expected on what you thought were your stronger subjects?
I think if you look back and try and pinpoint what went wrong, or what was different about the test from the diags, then it'll be a huge help when/if you prepare for the next one.
btw - I definately recommend kaplan (or princeton review - although kaplan offers more practice tests), it sure saved my butt