3 bad MCAT scores - what now?

[tygrwds]

Hi all,

I was bummed to find that I had gotten my 3rd straight 25 and
6V on the August exam (this time: V-6, P-10, B-9, WS-P). I have a history of doing poorly on the verbal section of standardized tests that goes back to grade school.

I proceeded to apply to about 12 schools anyway, including Univ. of Hawaii (my state school), and a fair mix of low and mid-tier allopathic schools. I stand a good chance of earning an interview at UH. Do I have a shot of scoring an interview on the mainland? Should I consider taking the exam a 4th time next April?

Mahalo Plenty!

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[sacrament]

You should apply to more schools, if you can afford it.

 

[tygrwds]

BTW: I went to a small, relatively unknown liberal arts college in Oregon (although it still has strong programs), where I double-majored in biochemistry and biology.

Here are some of my ECs, for what it's worth:

-Cancer research in Seattle, WA, for a summer
-Trombone player - wind ensemble and jazz band
-Captain - varsity men's golf team
-AmeriCorps volunteer as a sophomore
-TA for a high school summer chemistry class, 2 summers
-Currently, a medical assistant

Thanks again.

 

[thackl]

I met two residents at the Children's hospital in Austin who got into UTH with 25's. The first had a 3.9 from some no-name north-east TX school and the the other had a 3.5 from Houston. The one with the 3.9 got her 25 on the second try and the other took two yrs to get in (did some strange psych hospital work in the yr off). Just in case you were wondering, UTH is a very good md school with matriculant stat's slightly above the nat'l avg and it's located right next to the famous MD Anderson center.

You have hope.

 

[Jsscales05]

Ever seen Ronin. . .I suggest sepeku!

 

[rgporter]

My suggestion is to research DO schools. You may find that you like their philosophy, their education is certainly equivilent to allopathic schools. My friend took this route after scoring 24 for the third time and he was accepted to multiple schools his first year applying.

 

[HawkeyeBFP]

I think you have a good shot at a lot of schools. I'm applying U of H in reverse (my husband grew up in Hawaii, but I didn't, so I haven't got a real good chance).

Impress them with your individuality and the numbers become less important.

Good luck and lots of aloha,
Susan

 

[Froze006]

DO


(or RN)

 

[Echinoidea]

yeah, apply DO. After all, the only reasons those schools exist is to absorb wanna-be MD's with less than stellar scores on the MCAT. In fact, I think they mention that on each osteopathic school's mission statement.

Or be an RN. You'll get more respect than a DO. And that's what matters, right?

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by Echinoidea
yeah, apply DO. After all, the only reasons those schools exist is to absorb wanna-be MD's with less than stellar scores on the MCAT. In fact, I think they mention that on each osteopathic school's mission statement.

Or be an RN. You'll get more respect than a DO. And that's what matters, right?

haha harsh......

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

Originally posted by Echinoidea
yeah, apply DO. After all, the only reasons those schools exist is to absorb wanna-be MD's with less than stellar scores on the MCAT. In fact, I think they mention that on each osteopathic school's mission statement.

Or be an RN. You'll get more respect than a DO. And that's what matters, right?

File that comment under "verbal b*tchslap."

 

[commy-superman]

If DO and MD school teach the same things and an DO can join any speciality that an MD can why is it harder to get into medical school

 

[Megalofyia]

Originally posted by commy-superman
If DO and MD school teach the same things and an DO can join any speciality that an MD can why is it harder to get into medical school

Um.. they are both concidered medical schools..

 

[lattimer13]

Originally posted by Echinoidea
yeah, apply DO. After all, the only reasons those schools exist is to absorb wanna-be MD's with less than stellar scores on the MCAT. In fact, I think they mention that on each osteopathic school's mission statement.

Or be an RN. You'll get more respect than a DO. And that's what matters, right?

tool

 

[supersunny]

Originally posted by lattimer13
tool

i think she was being sarcastic.

 

[lattimer13]

Originally posted by t733nu5
i think she was being sarcastic.

doesn't matter. either way it's an ignorant thing to say

 

[OB1🤙]

Aloha, pehea 'oe?

Definitely shine on the UH interview, and do what you can to charm Izutsu's socks off (which I was apparently unable to do). But with your good all-around experiences, you definitely still have a shot on the mainland. And you still have plenty of time to see what happens with interviews before committing to another MCAT. You never know what'll happen- I never thought I'd end up at med school in New Orleans, far, far away from home, but I love it here and I found a school that matches me perfectly (Tulane). Can't wait to get back home for X-mas though...

Pomaika'i! (Good luck!)

 

[Echinoidea]

doesn't matter. either way it's an ignorant thing to say

It's toolbox to you.

Please enlighten me as to my ignorance. I fail to see it. That is, I presume, indicative of my ignorance, but alas....nevermind

 

[tygrwds]

I just wanted to thank you for your feedback. I especially want to thank those who posted supportive comments, which have given me some hope.

 

[indo]

Originally posted by tygrwds
BTW: I went to a small, relatively unknown liberal arts college in Oregon (although it still has strong programs), where I double-majored in biochemistry and biology.

Here are some of my ECs, for what it's worth:

-Cancer research in Seattle, WA, for a summer
-Trombone player - wind ensemble and jazz band
-Captain - varsity men's golf team
-AmeriCorps volunteer as a sophomore
-TA for a high school summer chemistry class, 2 summers
-Currently, a medical assistant

Thanks again.

did you go to Linfield or Reed? or is there another small liberal arts college in oregon?

Isn't it going to be expensive flying to interviews from hawaii?
You'll get into med school one way or another if you keep at it.

 

[tygrwds]

Originally posted by indo
did you go to Linfield or Reed? or is there another small liberal arts college in oregon?

Isn't it going to be expensive flying to interviews from hawaii?
You'll get into med school one way or another if you keep at it.

Actually, I went to Pacific (about 1/2 hour west of downtown Portland). And yes, it's gonna be *hella* expensive to fly to interviews from Hawaii - if only I should be so lucky to land at least one interview! Fortunately, I have family and friends on the mainland, so I might be able to fly out of their cities.

Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[pinfeathers6]

If you really want to be a doctor, then you will apply to DO schools where you have a chance. If you don't, then you will have almost no chance of making an MD school with that MCAT score.

THAT is such total BS. I just came back from a premedical advisory conference with deans from all of the med schools in cali and medical students attending those schools. Out of 6 of the students, only 1 had an MCAT over 30 (and whats more, only 1 had a GPA above 3.5)! If you go on the generalization that one thing makes or breaks your app, you're wrong. Work with your strengths, and filter out the closed-minded advice of ANYONE who tells you that you have "no chance"!

Just curious because this is important in your score as well -- what was your writing score? Differences between the writing and verbal scores are acknowledged and investigated by committees, so a low verbal isnt so bad if you have a good writing score and EC's that demonstrate ability to communite well.

 

[gary5]

Search here:
http://www.mdapplicants.com/
for schools that have accepected MCAT <=25. Apply to them.

Apply to DO schools. I know someone who got a 24 and got accepted to a DO.

 

[pinfeathers6]

MDapplicants is your source of information, huh? Be careful where you get your stats...and be careful what you do with them!

True, nothing wrong with DO schools, but you are flat out wrong to tell him he doesnt have a chance at MD institutions!

SO here's realistic for you, tygrwds: purchase an MSAR, read up on schools that statisitically reflect some lower MCAT scores and build your app around those that appeal to you -- what their mission statement says and how you fit their bill. This message comes straight from the adcomms! Beyond numbers, they are looking for how you will fit into their mission and their campus. Keep an open mind and apply to DO schools too, because Slickness is right in that if you want it bad enough you will do whatever it takes to get there and DO is another path to take to that end. But dont shy away from applying to allopathic schools -- there is a lot of biased info out there (a LOT of skewed stats on MDapplicants.com because you dont have a fully representative population contributing to the stats), so just be practical. If there is someplace you REALLY want to go, apply there. But keep an open mind and apply to as many allo and osteo schools as you see fit.

 

[tygrwds]

Originally posted by pinfeathers6

Just curious because this is important in your score as well -- what was your writing score? Differences between the writing and verbal scores are acknowledged and investigated by committees, so a low verbal isnt so bad if you have a good writing score and EC's that demonstrate ability to communite well.

I had a P - not great, but not bad, either. I suppose my experience as a chem tutor for high school and college students helps my cause.

 

[tygrwds]

I suppose this additional piece of info might help: I am a URM - at least partially (25% Native Hawaiian). How substantially will this affect my chances of at least landing an interview at a mainland allo?

(I think I'll be getting a UH interview - they use a point system to determine which applicants are offered interviews, and I should have enough points, from what I've heard from other intervewees.)

I am open to applying to DO schools, and their holistic approach does, at the very least, intrigue me. However, there are very few DOs in Hawaii, and since I'd love to remain near my family, I worry a bit about my ability to establish a patient base here. I'm open to moving to the mainland for good, but that would be difficult for me and my family.

I'm just going to give this application cycle (and the 12 allopathic schools) everything I've got, and just hope for the best.


Thanks again for the feedback.