So like I said in the title, 3.0 cGPA, around 2.8 sGPA, BS in Biochemistry, and:
6+ years as a CNA at a prominent hospital
a year of tutoring chemistry, physics, and calculus
1 year of science research
about 6 months of volunteer clinical research at a hospital's ER
Vice President of a chemistry club during my senior year of undergrad
Physician-shadowing experience
I took the MCAT my junior year and got a 13O (5P, 5B, 3V)
Retook last summer after my senior year and got a 17P (7P, 3B, 7V)
Took things very seriously and from January to late April I studied about 10 hrs/day using a study plan commonly found on these boards, and got my score back and I got a 21Q (7P, 6B, 8V)
Looking at my MCAT scores, there is definitly a general upward trend, but I just can't crack that 25 mark. I took every AAMC practice exam, TPR exam, and a few others. Although I don't think med schools give 2 craps about upward trends with the MCAT especially if I'm barely cracking the 20-mark.
I realize that I can't get into MD schools with those scores, so I am faced with some options:
1) Go back to school and get a MS in Chemistry, then apply to DO schools after working my butt off getting a 3.5+ GPA as a grad student. If that doesn't work out, then a PhD in chemistry isn't a bad option, since a 3.5+ graduate GPA (and ~1200 GRE that I took last year) should get me into a respectable PhD program, plus the professor whom I worked with during undergraduate is a very successful professor in the department, and her students are often very successful at getting published.
2) Apply to one of the big 4 Caribbean med schools, and I heard that with a score of 20+ on the MCAT I should be able to get in at least one of them. Though I was also discouraged by some people that went to the Caribbean for school, and I am also discouraged that I may not be able to perform well on the boards because of my history with the MCAT, and I think I read somewhere that I only have like 6 months to pass the boards because of I'd be from Caribbean schools.
3) Apply to podiatry schools. I hear that they are easy to get into. I have no problem working with feet, since I often have to change dressings and such for some of my patients that have sores on their feet/legs, or have had their feet amputated. I'd be able to do what an orthopedic surgeon would do if I go with the surgery route for residency. Though being a DPM isn't internationally recognized, and I hear getting a residency is very tough to do, even though there are only like 8 or 9 pod schools.
4) (I'm actually uncertain if this is possible due to my MCAT score) but go through the MS in chemistry route, and have that awesome GPA that I talked about, and then apply to DO schools. I'm just unsure how well a 21Q would fair, especially that by that time, the new MCAT exam will be rolling out, and even if I wanted to retake my MCAT exam for the 4th time, I'm probably going to be too late to the game.
I know by now you're all probably going but any advice would help me out here.
EDIT: sorry, I just realized that 1 and 4 are sort of the same thing.
6+ years as a CNA at a prominent hospital
a year of tutoring chemistry, physics, and calculus
1 year of science research
about 6 months of volunteer clinical research at a hospital's ER
Vice President of a chemistry club during my senior year of undergrad
Physician-shadowing experience
I took the MCAT my junior year and got a 13O (5P, 5B, 3V)
Retook last summer after my senior year and got a 17P (7P, 3B, 7V)
Took things very seriously and from January to late April I studied about 10 hrs/day using a study plan commonly found on these boards, and got my score back and I got a 21Q (7P, 6B, 8V)
Looking at my MCAT scores, there is definitly a general upward trend, but I just can't crack that 25 mark. I took every AAMC practice exam, TPR exam, and a few others. Although I don't think med schools give 2 craps about upward trends with the MCAT especially if I'm barely cracking the 20-mark.
I realize that I can't get into MD schools with those scores, so I am faced with some options:
1) Go back to school and get a MS in Chemistry, then apply to DO schools after working my butt off getting a 3.5+ GPA as a grad student. If that doesn't work out, then a PhD in chemistry isn't a bad option, since a 3.5+ graduate GPA (and ~1200 GRE that I took last year) should get me into a respectable PhD program, plus the professor whom I worked with during undergraduate is a very successful professor in the department, and her students are often very successful at getting published.
2) Apply to one of the big 4 Caribbean med schools, and I heard that with a score of 20+ on the MCAT I should be able to get in at least one of them. Though I was also discouraged by some people that went to the Caribbean for school, and I am also discouraged that I may not be able to perform well on the boards because of my history with the MCAT, and I think I read somewhere that I only have like 6 months to pass the boards because of I'd be from Caribbean schools.
3) Apply to podiatry schools. I hear that they are easy to get into. I have no problem working with feet, since I often have to change dressings and such for some of my patients that have sores on their feet/legs, or have had their feet amputated. I'd be able to do what an orthopedic surgeon would do if I go with the surgery route for residency. Though being a DPM isn't internationally recognized, and I hear getting a residency is very tough to do, even though there are only like 8 or 9 pod schools.
4) (I'm actually uncertain if this is possible due to my MCAT score) but go through the MS in chemistry route, and have that awesome GPA that I talked about, and then apply to DO schools. I'm just unsure how well a 21Q would fair, especially that by that time, the new MCAT exam will be rolling out, and even if I wanted to retake my MCAT exam for the 4th time, I'm probably going to be too late to the game.
I know by now you're all probably going but any advice would help me out here.
EDIT: sorry, I just realized that 1 and 4 are sort of the same thing.
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