Would You Rather....

[romealone]

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So,
Assuming all other things are equal (gpa, EC's, LOR's), would you rather
1-Apply to DO schools with a 25 MCAT and get your apps in on June 15th

2-Apply to DO schools with a 27 MCAT and get your apps in on Sept. 15th.

Lets assume for both of these cases the hypothetical applicant has a 3.6 gpa for both cumm and sgpa, solid EC's and LOR's.

I know this may be a silly hypothetical, but it sort of gets to the heart of how important it is (or isn't) to get your apps in early. So, do you guys think that if all other things remained equal, would you have a better chance of acceptance with a 25 in June, or would it be better to have 2 points higher (27) but not get your apps in until mid-september?

 

[judasreznor]

25 in June, in my opinion.

 

[blueflower]

the earlier 1

 

[romealone]

25 in June, in my opinion.

Yea, from what I have been seeing regarding interview invites, it seems like schools are MUCH more forgiving about lower mcat and gpa's early in the cycle. Seems crazy though that an applicant with a 25 is in better shape then an applicant with a 27 simply because they got their apps in a few months earlier.

 

[judasreznor]

It makes perfect sense to me that they prefer lower MCATs that get in earlier. There are fewer seats taken, so they aren't as selective about who they give interviews/acceptances to early in the cycle. Later in the cycle when they've accepted a large majority of the class, the remaining seats are much more competitive, so one needs a higher MCAT to get in.

 

[Hottpants89]

25 and 27 are both pretty average scores, so the extra two points definitely isn't worth the three month difference. 25 and 30 might be different.

 

[romealone]

25 and 27 are both pretty average scores, so the extra two points definitely isn't worth the three month difference. 25 and 30 might be different.

Well 27 is right about average for most DO schools and 25 is a bit below average. So I don't know, below average scores early or average scores in september..

 

[Everglide]

I would apply on the early date and then retake it and update my application later in the cycle.

But if I had to pick just one, I would probably go with scenario one (depending on the schools desired and the gpa)

 

[twocentnews]

I would apply on the early date and then retake it and update my application later in the cycle.

👍 This is what I did, so let's hope for some positive results! 😀

 

[CunningCaregivr]

+1 for the early application.

Unless you are pretty confident that you can do better, I would hesitate to re-take the MCAT. Doing worse on it doesn't look so good, and 25 gives you a pretty good shot if you apply broadly. I know this aspect could be debated.

My first attempt last cycle (with a 26M) yielded one interview when I applied late (September). This year I applied in June, and I have 3 interviews, with 4 more schools pending.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Well 27 is right about average for most DO schools and 25 is a bit below average. So I don't know, below average scores early or average scores in september..

For the record, I went to med school with a 24 MCAT but I applied June 1st. (And yes before someone attacks me, as someone once pointed out, I applied 10 years ago, but hey, I still got in) If you think about it those who get all their stuff in super early are viewed as being very organized and will probably be able to manage pretty well through all the rigor of everything medical school throws at you.

 

[JamesLMT]

So,
Assuming all other things are equal (gpa, EC's, LOR's), would you rather
1-Apply to DO schools with a 25 MCAT and get your apps in on June 15th

2-Apply to DO schools with a 27 MCAT and get your apps in on Sept. 15th.

Lets assume for both of these cases the hypothetical applicant has a 3.6 gpa for both cumm and sgpa, solid EC's and LOR's.

I know this may be a silly hypothetical, but it sort of gets to the heart of how important it is (or isn't) to get your apps in early. So, do you guys think that if all other things remained equal, would you have a better chance of acceptance with a 25 in June, or would it be better to have 2 points higher (27) but not get your apps in until mid-september?

I think this has been been said many times but I will join in stating that time is pretty important. I have seen many fair well in the interview season with a 24 MCAT so a 25 is fine. With your hypothetical situation however, the only difference is 2 MCAT points. If the rest of the applicant is absolutely outstanding I believe that the MCAT score will play less of a factor (although not be factored out completely.) In your hypothetical situation you would most likely notify the school that you would take the MCAT again anyways so really, just apply early.

 

[TriagePreMed]

A lot of people only take 2 points into account, but if your scores were kinda off the first time around like 10b 10p 5v, then it becomes 10-10-7, that 7 may get you past some cut-offs.

 

[angryazn88]

i was in a similar situation as the one you the made up lol. I had a 23L after taking the MCAT in may. I was going to apply in june but after i got my bad score back, i decided not to apply and i retook the MCAT in July. I got my score back during the end of August. I got a 28M. So I applied asap and got everything in by the middle of september. I think I made the right choice because my first score was so low. So far ive gotten 2 interview invites