Weird question but what MCAT score (theoretically) would give me a shot at a school like Harvard? It's the last part of my application.

[Passionseeking]

Ok so I will keep this as short as possible, I plan on applying this upcoming cycle and I am testing in May. I have my first FL scheduled for the 21st of this month (which is when I should be done with all content) and then I will spend the next 2 months with FLs every Sunday and Uworld in between. I have no clue how I will score on it but I have medium hopes. I feel like a strong MCAT score would give me a pretty competitive application, the thing is I am fairly new to this whole process and I am not sure if I should waste money even applying to the top schools.
So basically what I am asking is, with my current application (which will be below this), what MCAT score would I need to get to even consider applying to a top 5/10 school, and/or what MCAT score would reallllly give me a decent shot. Obviously I know the higher the score the better but I can't really tell how strong my application is so even with a top MCAT score it's possible that it still may not be worth applying. I have a few Cs and Ws so that might alone just end my chances.
My application in short-
3.61 cGPA, 3.51 sGPA (both with an upward trend but I got 2 Cs in gen chem 1 and 2 which were replaced with As later, so I averaged the Cs and the As, Ws in like 3 classes cause I was a terrible early on college student and didn't feel like doing extra work)
MCAT- x
URM- AA
Clinical experience- worked as a medical assistant (still am) for about 400+ hours, do stuff like covid tests pcr, rapid tests, vitals, bloodwork, etc
Volunteer clinical experience- 105 hours volunteering at a physical therapy clinic,100 hours (ongoing) volunteering as an EMT
Nonclinical Volunteer experience- 100+ hours cleaning up campus as part of environmental club, made sandwiches for the homeless my freshman year of college (maybe like 20 hours in total), and other random stuff
Research- this is def my most concerning part of my application because finding research was basically impossible, however, one of my teachers who liked me let me do research with her but it was online and honestly I probably put like 10 actual hours of work into that over the span of like 3-4 weeks. I completely understand the research that we did and I just joined on late (after a lot of it was done) so I am not sure what I will do about that or if its even worth mentioning, it was honestly fun and would love to find more.
LOR- strong
ECs- Was on the school track team and set 6 school records that to this day have yet to be broken, won a handful of awards, played other sports such as soccer, XC, volleyball, etc. When track team got canceled founded my own and was the president of it, was in other random clubs like environmental club, drama club, video game club, etc.
Was very into the drama club and was the lead role in several plays, one of the plays was so good I even performed it in Harlem (lead role) during some city event.
Shadowing- honestly none due to covid, the only shadowing I was able to find was a terrible experience lol, the doctor just bragged to me about being a winner and showed me photos of himself with celebrities, then after bragging about his car he tried to convince me to go to Caribbean school. I think I can get more before application time tho after I take the MCAT.
Miscellaneous- def went through some stuff that I could write about, being evicted and working during some parts of college, being hospitalized due to covid, etc. Also this might be weird to include but my sister is an up and coming singer that is picking up, one of her songs was the #1 trending song for like 4 days and many record labels have given her offers, I've read that being related to someone famous can for some reason actually affect someone getting into a top medical school, she's by no means famous but has a large following and is recognized in public every now and then. Also I'm working on a business with my dad that he wants to rival uber, the app is coming to playstores in April and will be advertised. I am no owner or anything but he wants me to help him with the app, idk if that's even worth mentioning.

Sorry, this got a bit long, but yea basically what MCAT score do you guys think I need to consider applying to a top school/ what score would give me a strong chance? I have 3 Cs ( 2 were replaced) and like 3 Ws so I won't be surprised if that alone gets my app tossed out without even reading through it.

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[MongutheDoggy]

Given your URM status, but tad-lower GPA, a 516+ would suffice

 

[drducky.]

Don’t sell yourself short just because of a few C’s. Your URM status will help a lot.

 

[Rogue42]

I am going to disagree with the people above me.

You are going to want a 520+ to have a realistic shot at a school like Harvard; if your record was clean, then a 516ish URM would give you a chance.

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

522+ imho. Lack of research, lower then average GPA is a tough sell for schools like HMS even with URM.

 

[LizzyM]

Frankly, even with a 522, Harvard might be a reach given your below average experience with research (Harvard is a top research school), no shadowing to speak of, and your minimal community service.

 

[Frigidcold]

Agree with the 522+. Think some people are overestimating URM advantage. Low GPA and nothing really stands out (unless that's D1 sports) and doesn't look like a real disadvantaged story given the family stuff.

 

[deleted1025488]

Just put in your best work and you'll end up with your best score. Asking questions like this implies you're trying to moderate your score somehow. The only ceiling is your own, and anything but your best effort won't get you there. After you get your score then you can make decisions and see what works and doesnt. 😀

 

[Flareicus]

If you're aiming for the top schools like Harvard, you're going to need to pack on a lot more research hours.

At your current point, it most likely doesn't matter what you score on the MCAT; you would still be a fringe candidate without the research experience.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

I have n=1 for this also, an ORM with 517 but 3.9+ GPA from YPSM and no gap year. Social justice ECs will compensate for lower score.

 

[Passionseeking]

I appreciate all the honest advice, I also agree that people are overestimating my URM status. So based on the replies I take it that my best bet would be to find a way to get more research hours and to just inhale and exhale the MCAT and do as good as possible on it. I thought doing good in sports (the records) + the other ECs would be out of the ordinary for a premed but I guess it's not enough. I didn't know I was so basic lol

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

I appreciate all the honest advice, I also agree that people are overestimating my URM status. So based on the replies I take it that my best bet would be to find a way to get more research hours and to just inhale and exhale the MCAT and do as good as possible on it. I thought doing good in sports (the records) + the other ECs would be out of the ordinary for a premed but I guess it's not enough. I didn't know I was so basic lol

No one knows with 100% certainty. My kid got conflicting advice on this site. If you have good premed advice office, check with them.

 

[Orims]

I appreciate all the honest advice, I also agree that people are overestimating my URM status. So based on the replies I take it that my best bet would be to find a way to get more research hours and to just inhale and exhale the MCAT and do as good as possible on it. I thought doing good in sports (the records) + the other ECs would be out of the ordinary for a premed but I guess it's not enough. I didn't know I was so basic lol

Your ECs are definitely interesting and the sports will help a lot (gives you something to write about and demonstrates you have good discipline). If you are aiming for T10s like Harvard, my main concerns would be lack of research (look at MSAR, research is present in ~90% of all T10 acceptances), "low" GPA (again MSAR), and needing to get a really good MCAT score (I'd say 518+ if you can get good research, 522+ without).

Being URM definitely helps. I thought my MCAT (513) and international status would make this cycle difficult but I ended up with three T10 acceptances, Harvard among them. I think being URM might've helped a little, however a majority of my activities were devoted to helping my immigrant community and I think this further supported my URM status (giving back to my community). What I think really helped me was having a great GPA (3.9+), TONS of research experience (PhD), and very cohesive narrative that was reflected on my ECs and essays/LoR. Of course you don't need research to get into these schools, what I've seen from some accepted students I've talked with is that many are passionate about one or a few cohesive things and their applications reflect that: social justice, public health, global health, arts and medicine, etc.

Best of luck!

 

[Passionseeking]

Your ECs are definitely interesting and the sports will help a lot (gives you something to write about and demonstrates you have good discipline). If you are aiming for T10s like Harvard, my main concerns would be lack of research (look at MSAR, research is present in ~90% of all T10 acceptances), "low" GPA (again MSAR), and needing to get a really good MCAT score (I'd say 518+ if you can get good research, 522+ without).

Being URM definitely helps. I thought my MCAT (513) and international status would make this cycle difficult but I ended up with three T10 acceptances, Harvard among them. I think being URM might've helped a little, however a majority of my activities were devoted to helping my immigrant community and I think this further supported my URM status (giving back to my community). What I think really helped me was having a great GPA (3.9+), TONS of research experience (PhD), and very cohesive narrative that was reflected on my ECs and essays/LoR. Of course you don't need research to get into these schools, what I've seen from some accepted students I've talked with is that many are passionate about one or a few cohesive things and their applications reflect that: social justice, public health, global health, arts and medicine, etc.

Best of luck!

Wow thank you so much and congratulations on your very successful cycle! Will try to kill the mcat and will look into finding research opportunities