Medical WAMC with 3 MCAT attempts, but significant increases with each attempt?

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MusicDOc124

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Hello!
I have 3 MCAT attempts. My first time I got a 486. I know it's really bad. Turned out I had appendicitis and got my appendix taken out the next day. It still doesn't excuse me for not voiding it.
2nd attempt 505
3rd attempt 513
3.98 cGPA
4.00 sGPA
4.00 Graduate GPA -> currently in a Master's program and graduating in May.
1,000 clinical hours as a medical assistant with experience in family medicine, neurosurgery, cardiology, orthopedics, pain management, and PM&R.
~750 hours in wet lab research no publications but should have a poster by May.
~200 hours hospice volunteering.
~25 hours reading to and teaching disadvantaged kids.
~150 hours in feeding disadvantaged families in a religious setting.
FL Resident

WAMC for this upcoming cycle? I appreciate all feedback.


Do you have any shadowing? Any experience outside of med assistant by any chance?

You have a pretty solid app.

I wouldn't worry about the 3 MCATs in this case as each subsequent MCAT had significant improvement.

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I have no shadowing experience, I thought that medical assistant would cover that.

It can cover it for the most part, but because it's work and often with duties at the front desk, taking vitals, and working closely with nurses in many cases depending on where you're working and setting, thus it some times doesnt have much interaction with physicians, whereas shadowing is 1:1 with the physician observing, able to ask questions etc. There are plenty of MA jobs/positions out there that allow for this, but it seems to be the only thing not listed here, so I wanted to ask about it.

I personally wouldn't fault it with the rest of your app. Others may be curious about.

I think you're fine even without it.
 
On the three MCAT concern:
I generally agree, especially with the improvements in your scores between each retake. That said, I will caution you that some schools will still screen based on the average of all attempts in the first screen triage. You need to be sure how your schools really evaluate your MCAT with most recent attempt, superscoring (best of all attempts), or plain average. I know my conversations with various medical school admissions deans and directors that some schools find confirmation bias in the way they select their applicants using the MCAT in their own way.
 
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