9 Months till applications due...what can I do in the interim?

[joshto]

I will be applying broadly (thanks to my 27s MCAT), and I want to know if there is anything specific that I can start doing now so that I will be able to submit my primaries as early as possible??

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[scg]

If you have so much time why don't you just retake the mcat? It'll probably have the most impact.

 

[armybound]

start building relationships so you can get quality LORs. focus on your grades. consider studying and retaking the MCAT.

 

[airplanes]

draft and redraft your personal statement until its perfect, get your Letters of rec squared away and ready to be sent out. Get more clinical experience. Research your list of schools. Think about retaking the MCAT maybe?

 

[Isis24]

Start drafting your PS in the spring. Hmm. retake the MCAT?

 

[flip26]

Retake unless you think the 27 reflects your best.

 

[flipz]

I agree that the best thing you can do for yourself is to improve your MCAT score. Otherwise, fill areas of deficiency: service, clinical experience, etc.

 

[p30doc]

9 months? clearly you should have a baby..

 

[airplanes]

I also heard they still need someone to cure cancer, if you're up for it

 

[searun]

Man up, and retake the MCAT. That 27 is going to kill you. Forget the applying broadly crap, you need to improve your MCAT, which, giving you the benefit of the doubt, I am assuming you can do, if you buckle down and work your butt off, and do not have a brain freeze in a pressure situation.

Oh, your nervous and neurotic self description is not encouraging....get less nervous and less neurotic and get your bloody MCAT score up so you are competitive.

 

[pianola]

9 months? clearly you should have a baby..

Finally! Someone with a *unique* suggestion! I like it!

(yeah, I'd retake that MCAT unless you feel that the 27 is representative of your best efforts).

EDIT: unless other parts of your application are even weaker than your MCAT...in which case, focus on those...

 

[stixx]

Gonna have to agree with everyone else here. Retaking the MCAT should be a no-brainer. A 27 couldn't possibly be reflective of anyone's potential (especially if you have almost a year to improve) unless English isn't your first language. You already have a huge advantage because you've taken before (as opposed to most people who take it in the summer they apply).

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

I applied broadly with a 27 & got shot down broadly last year (with higher than average matriculant GPA). Depending on your section breakdowns, if you're at 9 per section you've got a shot, an uneven breakdown (anything less than 8 anywhere) & not so much.

 

[joshto]

9 months? clearly you should have a baby..

haha

 

[joshto]

gpa is 4.0

i'll attempt not to embarrass myself further, but that 27s was on my 2nd attempt

aug/07
bs 10
ps 10
vr 6
26s

so i decided to spend most of my time focused on VR, and i was pleased with the result, but that was offset by my lowered bs score:

aug/08
bs 8
ps 10
vr 9
27s

this is the basic lowdown. i am a bio major (biological science to be specific, basically more freedom than bio major). VR was always tough for me, so the 9 i cant definitely be content with. interestingly enough, i had never scored below a 10 in BS on any practice test (last year and this year), even when I felt the practice test didnt go 'great'. needles to say, i was very surprised that i got an 8 this time around. As a matter of fact, I had never scored below a 10 on BS or PS on any practice test ever, which is why the 8 puzzles me. But I knew on test day that BS didn't go well.

I would be happy with a 10 on BS, and a 29s overall (which is my composite score, which I'm hoping schools will look at). I dont want to take the MCAT again because I'm not confident that I will improve. I have this problem that seems to creep up on test day where the information in my head that would readily come up during all my practice tests is simply not there on test day. Looking back 3/4 years ago, I never imagined that I would have issues with my MCAT score. I thought I would score a comfortable 31-33 and be on my way. But things have changed. Not to mention that I am in my senior year now and wouldnt have ample time to stay up to date with my normal semester's work while studying for the MCAT. If I took the MCAT again next summer I would be looking at applying for Sept 2011 and I would rather use that time to start school in the Caribbean (or wherever else).

 

[eman53007]

I first had a 27S (10PS 7VR 10BS). Then I crammed for a retake over my winter break, and ended up with a 31S (11PS 9VR 11BS). You can do it too, just gotta remain dedicated and make that extra push.

 

[scg]

You have ample time to study for and do well on the mcat.

 

[joshto]

So I have been persuaded to re-re-take the MCAT, and I think its the best decision. I was looking at my application and saw that the MCAT is the only thing holding me back, which is a bad feeling. If I write the June 18th MCAT, can I still submit my primaries on June 1? If my scores dont come out until late july, how will that effect how early my application is 'received' in their rolling cycle? When people talk about being 'complete', are they referring to having submitted primaries and secondaries or just primaries?