what are my chances low mcat and hispanic

[Emerica6066]

Okay, Ive been doing a lot of reading on SDN and Ive finally decided its time that I asked the notorious "question what are my chances"? I am a senior at a small private school in NY state (21 years of age). My GPA situation is kind of different than others. My overall GPA according to amcas is a 3.38 and my science GPA is a 3.51. It would be higher, however, I took several high school classes for college credit that I received C's in (they were community college credits). I'm hoping schools will look past this because without them I would have an overall of 3.48 and I think still a 3.51 science GPA. My major is Biochemistry with a math minor. I have many extra curricular activities under my belt. For example, I am a student athlete and I am the president of several honor societies on campus. I have had some volunteer work most of which included in campus activities. I have no clinical volunteer work though. I did some research at my school for 2 semesters, it was considered as independent study at my school.

Finally I have really struggled with the MCAT. I have taken it 3 times already. 1st time and 2nd time I shouldn't have taken it because I felt as I was not ready. I received a 15 the first time and a 16 the second time. Finally the 3rd time I felt more prepared and only received a 19. This was all over the past summer and my most recent MCAT was taken in September. I might be able to do better, I took several Kaplan prep courses and for the most part my scores ranged from 21-28 on my kaplan and aamc practice tests by the time my third MCAT came around. I think what happened was that my nerves got the best of me. Although, I have no clue when I could take it again and only focus on the MCAT because I have classes the rest of this year until I graduate.

Just this summer I have finished applying to 20 or so MD schools (many of which were NY) and 10 DO schools (including lower tier schools like NYIT and CSOM). I also applied as a minority because I am hispanic (half cuban) but I am not sure if this will help my chances at all.

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[Emerica6066]

Oh and I almost forgot, I have also had internships with several different types of physicians a neurosurgeon, general surgeon, and a psychiatrist if it helps.

 

[qwertyqwert]

Your only chance might be carib with a residency in a Spanish speaking area. That said, I would be concerned about borrowing all that money knowing that you might not test well enough to pass step 1....

 

[deleted480308]

Your only chance might be carib with a residency in a Spanish speaking area. That said, I would be concerned about borrowing all that money knowing that you might not test well enough to pass step 1....

+1...you have a significant problem with the type of standardized testing required to get licensed....think it through before dropping 200k on carrib school

 

[gyngyn]

There are 4 schools in Puerto Rico where you might have a chance if you are a native Spanish speaker. Did you apply?

 

[Emerica6066]

no i did not apply to any puerto rico schools because I was told that they dont like to bring in people from outside puerto rico

 

[Emerica6066]

Ok so then if I dont get in, which it sounds like it is very likely, what what be your advice for me to do? I want to become a Doctor so career change is not an option. Should I take a year off after I graduate to retake the MCAT? Should I apply for some postbacc programs? I found some post bacc programs that assist with the MCAT and also do lots of other things to help you become more competitive, is this something I should look into?

 

[235009]

1. don't waste your money applying to US MD schools ever again. 3 MCAT scores under 20 puts you out of the running.

2. take an MCAT prep course then retake the MCAT if you are consistently scoring > 25 on practice tests

3. if you score > 25 on the real thing apply to every DO school in the country.

4. while you're doing all this come to terms with reality and start exploring other careers ....there are many other careers in medicine other than being a doctor....nurse, PA, NP, CRNA, nutritionist, etc etc. saying that career change is not an option isn't a sign of determination, it's a sign of ignorance.

 

[deleted480308]

4. while you're doing all this come to terms with reality and start exploring other careers ....there are many other careers in medicine other than being a doctor....nurse, PA, NP, CRNA, nutritionist, etc etc. saying that career change is not an option isn't a sign of determination, it's a sign of ignorance.

I'm all for plucky determination but realsim is also important, I love triathlons but I'm a crap swimmer...guess who isn't a pro triathlete?

 

[NYCNative]

4. while you're doing all this come to terms with reality and start exploring other careers ....there are many other careers in medicine other than being a doctor....nurse, PA, NP, CRNA, nutritionist, etc etc. saying that career change is not an option isn't a sign of determination, it's a sign of ignorance.

If you want to become a doctor because you are interested in the patient care aspect of the job, you should seriously consider the PA route, or go back to school for a BA to BSN nursing degree, or even look into podiatry, for that matter. You may feel like you'll regret not giving the MCAT one last shot, and you can't be faulted for that. Go ahead and give it your all. But my biggest concern would be the fact that they don't allow you to retake the licensing exams like the MCAT. The tests are all curved, and as a result of that, people who, for whatever reason, don't test well will always receive low scores since people who test better than they do will continue to test well in comparison to them. This is a physician focused board, but once you get outside of it, you'll see that the other medical fields are huge, have tons of options, and have plenty of happy, successful professionals.

 

[candbgirl]

Have you worked with an advisor on your campus? If so I can't imagine why you even applied to any med school-MD or DO. Your GPAs are low and your MCATs are abysmal. And you have no clinical experience. What makes you think you even want to be a doctor and how will you convey those desires to the ADCOMs? You may think a change in career options is out of the question but you really need to get a grip on reality.