Medical What are my chances at MD?

[TheBoneDoctah]

I am non-traditional international student (30 yo, ORM) with masters in computer engineering
i have 10 years experience in top 5 engineering company in NY.
My MCAT score is 507 (127/125/127/128) and GPA4.0 from post bacc at Columbia University
I have shadowing exp (10-15hrs), volunteering (2yr at local hospital) and a research publication in process
What are my chances at getting into MD in US?

What are your volunteering experiences?

What was your undergrad cGPA and sGPA?

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[TheBoneDoctah]

I have volunteered at local hospital in NY for over 2 years (100+ hours)
I have undergrad cGPA is 3.9 sGPA is 4.0
my undergrad is more than 10yo and from a different country.
I did my postbacc in US and have masters degree from US university

Your GPA is great including your post-bac. International applicants are usually rockstars. Your MCAT is what will hold you back for MD. I think you would have a great chance at DO. Have you thought about retaking your MCAT?


Something else I would add would be doing volunteering with the less fortunate (food kitchen, helping underprivileged children, etc).

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I thought about it but I work full time in a demanding engineering job. I hardly had any time to prep. 507 was the best I could do. Is MCAT score important even for older applicants?

...yes.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

what score should I target realistically?

For US students, we say 511+ to have a good shot at MD. An international applicant will most likely need higher.

 

[Goro]

For US students, we say 511+ to have a good shot at MD. An international applicant will most likely need higher.

The median for internationals is something like 513+

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

So there ya go:

If you want MD, retake MCAT and get 513+. You also would need to beef up your volunteering.
For DO, you would be okay applying now, but I highly recommend getting more volunteering as well.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I thought about it but I work full time in a demanding engineering job. I hardly had any time to prep. 507 was the best I could do. Is MCAT score important even for older applicants?

Just to expound on what others have said, the MCAT is probably the most important part of your application. Particularly as an international applicant, MCAT takes on an even greater importance--as you alluded to, they probably aren't familiar with your undergrad institution, so they don't really know what to make of your undergrad GPA. Conversely, grad schools generally inflate GPAs (ie "everybody gets an A"), so they don't really trust those numbers either. So that MCAT is the only objective measure they have to compare you to US applicants.

It's not impossible that you could get an acceptance with a 507, but a better score would definitely improve your odds.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Thanks all. Ill try this cycle with my score and see it how goes.
Thanks so much for taking time to respond. Really appreciate it.

Absolutely. Good luck.