MD What are my Chances SOS

[stressedoutkatie]

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Hello,

I just graduated Cornell with a perfect 4.0 gpa. My mcat was a 501, yes i know my lowest practice mcat was 509. I have perfect letters of rec (can't even describe how amazing they are). Perfect Extra curricular with over 400 hours of hospital volunteering and great research. Did an honors thesis in a molecular biology lab that was an independent project. What are my chances for MD for any of the following: pls help

Jefferson
Medical College of Wisconsin
Georgetown
George Washington
Weill Cornell
Duke
Brown
UCSD (Im a resident)
University of Michigan
Tufts
Loma Linda
Quinnipiac

I was just rejected from USC which was devastating

 

[MareNostrummm]

With a 501 you're at the 10th percentile for matriculants at MCW, so you have a small chance there. The majority of the other schools that you applied to have a 10th percentile of 505 or higher which makes me want to say your chance is very very low. Your best bet is at MCW. Keep in mind though the matriculants at the 10th percentile usually are outstanding in other areas, are URM, have extenuating circumstances, etc.

With a 4.0 gpa I would assume that you were capable of a much higher MCAT score and that you should definitely retake if you reapply next cycle. You should add some DO schools which you probably have a decent chance at getting into this cycle especially with a 4.0.

 

[stressedoutkatie]

Thanks @MareNostrummm I am really hoping for George Washington. Do you think that coming from Cornell they will cut me some slack?

 

[MareNostrummm]

Thanks @MareNostrummm I am really hoping for George Washington. Do you think that coming from Cornell they will cut me some slack?

I don't think so unfortunately. Your MCAT is several points below the 10th percentile of a lot of the schools you applied to. Honestly if you retook the MCAT and scored a 508+ I think you would have a good shot coupled with your amazing 4.0 gpa. If you apply DO schools I think the 4.0 from Cornell will help a lot more there.

 

[stressedoutkatie]

Alright thank you so much @MareNostrummm Unfortunately I am not really interested in a DO so I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed this cycle and hope for the best

 

[DokterMom]

@stressedoutkatie - Congratulations on the top GPA from a top school that's a known grade deflator. Unfortunately your MCAT is kinda fatal... If you have not already submitted all of your secondaries, my best advice is STOP! for this year (it's too late in the cycle anyway) and retake that MCAT. You can almost certainly do much better next time and avoid the 'reapplicant penalty'.

If you've already applied, I'd suggest you start planning on another cycle anyway, since your odds just aren't encouraging. Start studying now for a retake and give yourself a good chance at a much better school.

As a likely re-applicant, you're in a better position than most though, since the "Why didn't you get in last cycle?" answer is pretty clear and also something they'll find out anyway... (Sorry)

 

[Goro]

Hello,

I just graduated Cornell with a perfect 4.0 gpa. My mcat was a 501, yes i know my lowest practice mcat was 509. I have perfect letters of rec (one from someone very high up in administration for all of cornell). Perfect Extra curricular with over 400 hours of hospital volunteering and great research. Did an honors thesis in a molecular biology lab that was an independent project. What are my chances for MD for any of the following: pls help

Jefferson
Medical College of Wisconsin
Georgetown
George Washington
Weill Cornell
Duke
Brown
UCSD (Im a resident)
Tufts

I was just rejected from USC which was devastating

Chance for MD = Zero
OK for DO if you apply broadly.
If boning for MD, retake MCAT, but not until you're 100% ready.

 

[stressedoutkatie]

@Goro How can you say zero tho. yes I know its slim but zero?

 

[Goro]

@Goro How can you say zero tho. yes I know its slim but zero?

OK, not zero, but so low as to not be realistic for MD. The disparity between the MCAT score and your GPA is always a concern. Yes, there are a number of MD schools whose 10th%iles are around 500, but those people being accepted have damn good reasons for their acceptances.

Weill Cornell, Duke, Brown, UCSD were all donations.

 

[stressedoutkatie]

Thanks @Goro I appreciate the input. Praying I get an interview at Cornell. I have a friend that got in with a 505 MCAT.

 

[PossibleDOC?]

505 is much different than a 501....I have seen many times people thinking their UG school, GPA, life story, etc will make a difference but truthfully the MCAT is really the deciding factor. It needs to be retaken if you want the MD. I am curious why DO doesn't interest you? I know its not for everyone but curiosity right?

 

[stressedoutkatie]

@PossibleDOC? Honestly, I've always envisioned having an MD and growing up I would see people talk about DOs like they were second grade. I have nothing against them but I just personally want an MD.

 

[Tchotchke]

@PossibleDOC? Honestly, I've always envisioned having an MD and growing up I would see people talk about DOs like they were second grade. I have nothing against them but I just personally want an MD.

Study for your mcat. Do practice exams and learn from the questions you got both correct or incorrect. Apply next year to more schools.
As far as DO, when you're in a long white coat, a patient isn't going to care if you're an MD or DO; they just want you to be good. Tons of people in DO were in your position but they swallowed their pride and applied DO. They learn the same thing MD schools learn with one extra class. So I would say reatake your mcat, apply next year if you're so gungho on MD but if the MCAT isnt around 507 then you need to cast a wide net, which will include DO.

 

[Stagg737]

@PossibleDOC? Honestly, I've always envisioned having an MD and growing up I would see people talk about DOs like they were second grade. I have nothing against them but I just personally want an MD.

As a DO, I understand your concern with the letters (especially if you're hoping to enter a competitive field), but would encourage you in the future to keep an open mind when you encounter DO peers. I understand the bias still exists (far heavier in some areas than others), but it is becoming less and less common and will likely be irrelevant in the next few decades. It's also important to remember that while grades and board scores matter, they are in no way reflective of how good of a physician a student will become.

The bottom line for you is that you need a better MCAT if you want the MD. Retake it and aim for 510+. If you can improve your score enough, go for the MD. If not, be ready to apply very broadly including several DO schools. Either way, stop applying this year (like Doktermom said) as you're basically just hurting your chances at the schools you would apply to by becoming a re-applicant.

 

[DokterMom]

Nobody wants to be the poster child for "Don't do this", but unfortunately, this OP is the poster child for the SDN axiom: "Don't apply before you know your MCAT score." And the less-well-known but equally important: "Don't take your MCAT in June when it's too late to do anything about it if it's not what you expect."

She is a highly qualified applicant in every other way, but had this one unexpected hiccup. Because she didn't know her score before applying, she applied to a mix of schools that include (now) hopelessly out of reach (at which she is likely to be a reapplicant) and a few 'safeties' that she may not actually want to attend. (Are you deeply religious OP, and have you actually read Loma Linda's behavior code?)

An earlier MCAT would have enabled a quick rebound in this case since she was scoring well on practice exams, and the avoidance of all of the work and expense involved in an unsuccessful application cycle.

There's also a small collection of "My second MCAT score was so much better than my first -- so should I pass up my DO acceptance to gun for top tier MD next cycle?" posters that OP is not in -- which is probably for the best.

 

[bears1992]

According to AAMC data on white applicants from 2015, 33% of applicants with similar GPA and MCAT scores got in.
https://www.aamc.org/download/321518/data/factstablea24-4.pdf

A recent survey of adcoms found that undergrad institution was of low importance in the application process so I doubt your Cornell degree is going to help much.
https://www.aamc.org/download/462316/data/mcatguide.pdf#page=10

A poor MCAT is easier to fix than a poor GPA. Chances aren't great that you'll get in this cycle so I would prepare to retake the MCAT April next year.

As for the DO route, if you think you will feel inferior with DO letters instead of MD, don't go DO, but just know that the difference between DO and MD are all in your pride. Your colleagues, patients and staff are not going to care (or notice) and neither will your paycheck. Heck, when I tried asking nurses and techs at my hospital for DOs to shadow, half of them asked "what's a DO?" They had been working with DOs for years and didn't even know it.

 

[PossibleDOC?]

Ahh! pride always gets in the way with premeds....oh well I hope you retake the mcat and do well but as bears and others have said DON'T apply DO because many DO students would not like to hear that you feel you're better than them and only went to the school because you couldn't get into MD. Good Luck though because this next MCAT has to be pretty good 510+

 

[stressedoutkatie]

Thanks everyone, I think since I already applied to 27 schools I will start to slowly get back into studying for mcat while I wait for interviews, didn't realize I kinda was screwing myself and thought I'd be ok since my practice mcat scores were so good. @PossibleDOC? @bears1992 if I withdrew my application for this cycle would that help my chances in anyway next year or do you think I should just get the rejection. Also I have respect for DOs (my doctor is a DO and I wouldn't go to anyone else) I just think there is still a stigma and coming from Cornell I always thought I'd go to a top med school. Just going to a lesser med school is already kinda a blow for me. Does anyone know if the medical school you go to has any bearing as to how good of a residency program you get into, or is that just based on your step 1. My goal is to become a reproductive endocrinologist (which is a fairly competitive fellowship to get) after an OBGYN residency.

@DokterMom I am not religious but I would go there for an MD. A lot of loma linda lifestyle policies seem odd but hey at the end of the day its still an MD right.

I feel like this whole process is just such BS, like whatever happened to a "holistic" approach to admissions. Wish they wouldn't even say that.

 

[bears1992]

IIRC, AAMC has data that says a 500-503 score has an 90% USMLE pass rate which is not good. The MCAT is the best predictor for boards and there is no reason for an adcom to accept an applicant that is high risk for failing boards when there are 1000+ other applicants with 510+ MCATs that are not at high risk for failing boards. It has nothing to do with a holistic approach.


I wouldn't pull your apps. You've already applied which means you will be labeled a re-applicant for next cycle regardless. Plus, you still have a shot for MD with your GPA so I would keep your apps alive and see if a school will take a chance on you. I really wouldn't bring attention to your undergraduate institution, Ivy Leagues have a reputation for grade inflation. Adcoms on this site have said that Ivy League undergrad really only seems to attract top 20 and your current MCAT is not even in the same universe for those schools.

 

[efle]

4.0/25 passes Step1 90% on the first try

They eventually pass 99% of the time !

OP you need to apply DO, or retake.