What Should I do?

[littlegreen88]

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Hello All,
I have recently retaken my MCAT. The first time around i got PS-6 VR-7 BS-10 (23Q). After studying for 4.5 months I got PS-10 VR-8 BS-8 (26Q). Not sure what happened there I gave it 110%, quit my job and all, but I suppose it is what it is. What should I do? I am a year out of college, have good LOR and a 3.5 GPA. If this was you, what would you do?😕

 

[tide11189]

Apply broadly to DO and toss in a few MD schools if you can afford it. Your numbers are pretty competitive for DO programs. Good luck.

 

[littlegreen88]

I don't have any DO experience. I know for most DO schools they want DO recommendations, I feel like that would too hard to get for this round of application. Do you think I should try retaking the MCAT again? Three times may seem like too much and who knows if I can improve since 4.5 months only gave me 3 points, what if I do worse the third time LOL.

 

[qwerty2012]

Someone is going to move this thread.

But you will be in good shape for DO. But for MD it will be a stretch because of MCAT. It has to be at least a 30(ideally 10 in each section).

I say apply broadly and you never know what will happen. If you don't think you can improve you scores then grab any chances that come along the way and make the best of it.

 

[theseeker4]

Apply to broadly to DO and toss in a few MD schools if you can afford it. Your numbers are pretty competitive for DO programs. Good luck.

This. Re-taking probably won't help, and your scores are low to count on an admission to MD schools, so go DO. Congrats, your scores and GPA are high enough for you to become a physician!

 

[ronathan]

Hello All,
I have recently retaken my MCAT. The first time around i got PS-6 VR-7 BS-10 (23Q). After studying for 4.5 months I got PS-10 VR-8 BS-8 (26Q). Not sure what happened there I gave it 110%, quit my job and all, but I suppose it is what it is. What should I do? I am a year out of college, have good LOR and a 3.5 GPA. If this was you, what would you do?😕

In addition to the above suggestions, have you considered applying to an international program?

 

[littlegreen88]

yeah maybe this wasn't the right place to post this, thank you all for your responses. So if this were you, you wouldn't retake? Even if I improved. Its so frustrating because I got a 10 in each of the sciences but unfortunatly not in the same exam..I knew my stuff, I really don't know what happened. I guess its a luck of the draw.

 

[littlegreen88]

In addition to the above suggestions, have you considered applying to an international program?

I don't think going out of the US is the right path for me due to family reasons. 🙁

 

[ronathan]

Oh believe me, we've all been there. Remember, because of the way that the MCAT is standardized, the score you get doesn't really reflect how well you did, per se. It is simply a measure of how well you did compared to everyone else. So for example, you might have actually done better the second time in terms of the number of correct answers per section. The problem was, so did most everyone else, so your score didn't change much.

 

[theseeker4]

In addition to the above suggestions, have you considered applying to an international program?

Why consider international, a path that makes matching for residency extremely difficult, when OP has a good shot at US schools?

 

[littlegreen88]

Oh believe me, we've all been there. Remember, because of the way that the MCAT is standardized, the score you get doesn't really reflect how well you did, per se. It is simply a measure of how well you did compared to everyone else. So for example, you might have actually done better the second time in terms of the number of correct answers per section. The problem was, so did most everyone else, so your score didn't change much.

That is very true. I gave this exam everything i had so i was really hoping for a miraculous improvement, too bad its not how it works! The scary part is that a part of me is happy i went from a 6-10 in PS. even if i barely improved in the overall score and i prob wont get into any MD schools. Cause me and this exam, its personal now LOL.

 

[rubisco88]

I think you should apply broadly to DO schools and all your state schools. If you live in Florida or Texas or any other state that is less competitive you may get an interview somewhere. I think a lot of DO schools will accept an MD letter in lieu of a DO letter. In the mean time try to find a DO to shadow, so they can write you a letter after a couple weeks. You still have time. You can either update schools with the letter or submit your application in August. I don't think it's too late for DO schools. I wouldn't apply to foreign schools. DO is so much better if you want a good residency in the states.

 

[ronathan]

Why consider international, a path that makes matching for residency extremely difficult, when OP has a good shot at US schools?

This is one of those urban myths about medical school that keeps getting spread no matter how much evidence their is to the contrary. Depending on which school you're talking about, going to an international program is a perfectly acceptable alternative. And there are many that out there that have no problem whatsoever in placing students in US residency programs.

 

[theseeker4]

This is one of those urban myths about medical school that keeps getting spread no matter how much evidence their is to the contrary. Depending on which school you're talking about, going to an international program is a perfectly acceptable alternative. And there are many that out there that have no problem whatsoever in placing students in US residency programs.

Even if that is true for some schools right now (doubtful, but I won't argue that for the sake of brevity) the fact that US MD schools and US DO schools are adding more and more seats every year means the likelihood of matching for an IMG will go down every year. US residency spots are stagnant, and med school spots keep increasing. Unless you believe these certain programs have and will continue to have a reputation equivalent to or greater than accredited US MD schools, past years matching success from international programs is a very, very poor predictor for future success.

IMG's will be the first to be forced out of US MD residency programs (other than the elite of the elite applicants) about the time the OP would graduate from one. I wouldn't wish an international MD on anyone I like who will be hoping to match in the middle of this decade or later......

 

[V5RED]

This is one of those urban myths about medical school that keeps getting spread no matter how much evidence their is to the contrary. Depending on which school you're talking about, going to an international program is a perfectly acceptable alternative. And there are many that out there that have no problem whatsoever in placing students in US residency programs.

NRMP match rates this year:

MD: 95.1%
DO: 74.7%(this number is skewed down since DOs can match into the AOA match which would not be included in this data)
Canadian: 70.6%
International(US Citizens): 49.1%
International(Non-US Citizens): 40.6%

The numbers disagree with you.

http://www.nrmp.org/data/resultsanddata2012.pdf

 

[ronathan]

NRMP match rates this year:

MD: 95.1%
DO: 74.7%(this number is skewed down since DOs can match into the AOA match which would not be included in this data)
Canadian: 70.6%
International(US Citizens): 49.1%
International(Non-US Citizens): 40.6%

The numbers disagree with you.

http://www.nrmp.org/data/resultsanddata2012.pdf

Those statistivs get skewed because, like I said, there are some international programs that have bad reputations, and some that have good reputations. To pick one of the ones that has a relatively good reputation, Ross University for example placed over 800 residents last year:

http://www.rossu.edu/medical-school/residencyappointments.cfm

Also keep in mind that one of the major provisions of the Health Care Reform law was increased federal funding for residency training. . .

 

[V5RED]

Those statistivs get skewed because, like I said, there are some international programs that have bad reputations, and some that have good reputations. To pick one of the ones that has a relatively good reputation, Ross University for example placed over 800 residents last year:

http://www.rossu.edu/medical-school/residencyappointments.cfm

Also keep in mind that one of the major provisions of the Health Care Reform law was increased federal funding for residency training. . .

Your link does not state that Ross placed 800+ residents, and even if it did you would need to know how many people applied to the match from Ross for that number to be meaningful. For example, if 5000 apply and 800 match, that 800 is a pretty lousy number.

 

[Ironmandoc]

Please stop arguing that international schools have equal placements to US schools. You're arguing against the statistics.

 

[tide11189]

OP: International programs are a dead end in most cases. Don't listen to people on here who tell you that international schools are are good alternative to US MD/DO schools because bottom line is, they are wrong.

 

[Xiao]

OP, have your reconsidered you approach to MCAT prep? your score not improving may be due to you not hitting the right type of material. i believe you may have studied hard, but you may not have hit the proper materials and test taking techniques.

 

[littlegreen88]

OP, have your reconsidered you approach to MCAT prep? your score not improving may be due to you not hitting the right type of material. i believe you may have studied hard, but you may not have hit the proper materials and test taking techniques.

To be honest, i really did everything in my power. The first time I took it I used the Kaplan course and the materials. I barely studied PS because I was very intimidated and focused primarily on biology and verbal which resulted in a PS6 VR7 BS10. The second time around i knew i was very weak in PS and needed to get over myself and dive right into it. I used princeton instead. First i read the large princeton prepbook. Then i went back to each chapter and took notes and did the problems in the back for physics and chemistry and organic chemistry. Then I purchased the small books for chemistry (subject books). I took notes and read then then there are problems within the chapter and I covered the answers and did them out. Then I did the 2 quizzes in the back of the chapter. I did this for gen chem physics and organic chem. For bio i used the kaplan book since i did well on it last time and figured I would be ok..... I bought Berkely Review tests and did 6 of them. I got the AAMC and did all of them 8 in total timed including #6. I did 4 princeton review exams. For half of the tests i wrote out why i got each problem right/wrong. I bought EK and did the 30 minute practice exams for physics and gen chem. For verbal i did EK 101 and wrote out why i did each question right/wrong. I did the 30 min EK 3 exams. I read philosophy (Plato and Aristotle). I made my boyfriend race with me in reading passages and discuss why each question is right/wrong. I did about 200+ problems in EK1001 books for each subject and looked what i got wrong/right. I tried everything I could possibly think of. Im sorry i just needed to vent and let it out, i am so upset... This took 4.5 months. Two of those months I had quit my job and did MCAT 7 days a week, 5-10 hours a day.

 

[majahops]

A year out really isn't much at all. Look, if you knew your stuff as well as you say you did, then it's likely a matter of test-taking skills. Perhaps you have test-taking anxiety? How did you do on your practice MCAT's?

"If it were me," I would stay out another year and try once more at the MCAT. I would be very systematic about how I studied (using Examkrackers, of course, anything else is just a huge step down in quality in my opinion) and I would use the practice exams to gauge my performance.

As a side point, I don't like the idea of DO schools being "fall back" options. They should be for people who want to do osteopathic medicine...

Hello All,
I have recently retaken my MCAT. The first time around i got PS-6 VR-7 BS-10 (23Q). After studying for 4.5 months I got PS-10 VR-8 BS-8 (26Q). Not sure what happened there I gave it 110%, quit my job and all, but I suppose it is what it is. What should I do? I am a year out of college, have good LOR and a 3.5 GPA. If this was you, what would you do?😕

 

[Xiao]

To be honest, i really did everything in my power. The first time I took it I used the Kaplan course and the materials. I barely studied PS because I was very intimidated and focused primarily on biology and verbal which resulted in a PS6 VR7 BS10. The second time around i knew i was very weak in PS and needed to get over myself and dive right into it. I used princeton instead. First i read the large princeton prepbook. Then i went back to each chapter and took notes and did the problems in the back for physics and chemistry and organic chemistry. Then I purchased the small books for chemistry (subject books). I took notes and read then then there are problems within the chapter and I covered the answers and did them out. Then I did the 2 quizzes in the back of the chapter. I did this for gen chem physics and organic chem. For bio i used the kaplan book since i did well on it last time and figured I would be ok..... I bought Berkely Review tests and did 6 of them. I got the AAMC and did all of them 8 in total timed including #6. I did 4 princeton review exams. For half of the tests i wrote out why i got each problem right/wrong. I bought EK and did the 30 minute practice exams for physics and gen chem. For verbal i did EK 101 and wrote out why i did each question right/wrong. I did the 30 min EK 3 exams. I read philosophy (Plato and Aristotle). I made my boyfriend race with me in reading passages and discuss why each question is right/wrong. I did about 200+ problems in EK1001 books for each subject and looked what i got wrong/right. I tried everything I could possibly think of. Im sorry i just needed to vent and let it out, i am so upset... This took 4.5 months. Two of those months I had quit my job and did MCAT 7 days a week, 5-10 hours a day.

Wow, that must be frustrating. Yeah EK+Berkely Review+Princeton+Kaplan covers pretty much everything. Sorry to hear.

Yeah, like others suggested, I would apply broadly to DO schools at this point.