terrible mcat score...what should I do?

[GOLDenKatie]

I just got my 2nd mcat score back and I increased in PS and BS but got a terrible verbal score. My total..a whopping 16. I have been interested in podiatry for 3 years now, took all the required courses, excellent LORs.. I just can't do well on the mcat. My highest score is 19 between the two tests. Would I have a chance at any schools? I just get so nervous when I took it. I need some advice...should I just pass on podiatry as a career and look elsewhere or retake? I only increased by two points this time..I have no idea what to do

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[Jamesmadison14]

Podiatry school entails multiple board exams, and from what I have read, MCAT scores are a measure of how you could possibly fare on (insert type of school) board exams... If you are going to score that low on all of your boards, you run the risk of throwing away a couple hundred thousand dollars in tuition money. You need to assess why you are scoring that low (besides nervousness).
Did you graduate UG yet? if so:
what was your major?, how long have you been out?, what was you sci and cGPA?

How long have you been studying for the MCAT, what materials did you use, frequency of studying, any areas that you know that you don't have a handle on, taken a prep-course, any private tutoring, scores on practice exams?

Might give a better understanding on why you are struggling on the MCAT and help reassess your ability to score higher next time or scrap it and search for an alternate career (many still available in healthcare). Podiatry school, although different from MD/DO school, is still rigorous- and scoring that low on the MCAT may indicate that you are not (at least not yet) ready for the rigors of a professional doctorate program. Podiatry applications and admission standards are slowly on the rise- I'd argue that anything under 23 is too low unless you have superb grades or a parent who is a podiatrist.

 

[Ntran1986]

I agree that you need to access what is wrong with your study habits. I believe that podiatry school take the latest MCAT just like MD/DO schools. With a 16 MCAT score, there is little chance of gaining acceptance. If this is something you truly love I think you should just study smarter and take the MCAT again. If your GPA is ok and you kill the MCAT, you could then be well on your way to becoming the podiatrist you always wanted to be. Good luck!

 

[GOLDenKatie]

I started studying in September full time (quit job) for the January test, took a Kaplan course and will be getting my money back because I scored lower than my diagnostic. I also used examkrackers. It's really frustrating because my verbal was always the highest. I graduated from college in 2010 economics major..3.0 s.gpa and 3.4 cgpa

 

[FiveOVicryl]

I started studying in September full time (quit job) for the January test, took a Kaplan course and will be getting my money back because I scored lower than my diagnostic. I also used examkrackers. It's really frustrating because my verbal was always the highest. I graduated from college in 2010 economics major..3.0 s.gpa and 3.4 cgpa

I'm sorry but It's time to move on. 16 MCAT (2nd attempt) almost guarantees a failure on boards. Best of luck in your next career choice.

 

[Jamesmadison14]

I started studying in September full time (quit job) for the January test, took a Kaplan course and will be getting my money back because I scored lower than my diagnostic. I also used examkrackers. It's really frustrating because my verbal was always the highest. I graduated from college in 2010 economics major..3.0 s.gpa and 3.4 cgpa

based on your sGPA and the fact that you're a couple years out of UG, it may be that you just don't have a good enough handle on your pre-med sciences (the kaplan course assumes that you already have a solid foundation in the sciences). If you still don't have a full time job, I would consider contacting a local university/college/community college and asking what their policy is on auditing bio, inorganic, organic and physics (and choose which course(s) you could benefit from sitting through again). If that is not possible, dig out your old UG notes and read over them a couple times; consider buying cheap used (and old edition) undergrad texts in the subjects that you are weakest in from your local college textbook store/online.

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

I just got my 2nd mcat score back and I increased in PS and BS but got a terrible verbal score. My total..a whopping 16. I have been interested in podiatry for 3 years now, took all the required courses, excellent LORs.. I just can't do well on the mcat. My highest score is 19 between the two tests. Would I have a chance at any schools? I just get so nervous when I took it. I need some advice...should I just pass on podiatry as a career and look elsewhere or retake? I only increased by two points this time..I have no idea what to do

If I were you, and I studied full time for 4 months and could only garner a 19, I would find a different career choice. This immense amount of studying with that result means you will fail in podiatry school if your current habits continue. Hands down, no exceptions. That being said, I find it incredibly difficult to believe that you quit your job and devoted your very being to something and could only garner a 16.... How badly do you want podiatry as your career?!

 

[Doc Foot]

Did you complete all of the assigned daily homework from your MCAT course? Did you take diagnostic tests about every other week to track your progress?

If you feel that you may have slacked off on studying and not completed the prep course material, then all you have to do is start over. If you studied to the best of your ability for 10 hours a day and still could not improve, then this is not the best career for you. Best of luck

 

[SuperFeisty]

One of the biggest factors in the MCAT isn't just knowledge of the material. Given enough time, anyone can "learn" the material. MCAT tests whether you can apply the information learned to new areas correctly. While I hate to say this, but sometimes people's brains are wired a little differently, where you might be amazing at economics but have a hard time grasping or conceptualizing science information.

 

[GOLDenKatie]

Thanks for the help... I think I am going to retake one more time because I feel like I didn't take enough practice tests and focus on content. If I don't improve significantly, I'm moving on..maybe third time is a charm?

 

[Ferocity]

Give the MCAT one more shot before you give up. Go to the MCAT section here and follow SN2ed's guide thoroughly.

 

[PADPM]

I hope your next MCAT score improves. I don't like to discourage anyone from pursuing the career of his/her choice. But reality is reality, and track records would confirm that those who have trouble taking standardized tests such as the MCAT and consistently score low, would most likely have similar problems in the future taking required board exams, etc. So if you don't improve, you may want to chalk it up to experience and understand that this field may not be for you.

 

[GOLDenKatie]

I feel if I just give up now I will have regrets in the future so..good bye Sdn...I am going to try my best with TBR material and back to mcat study life for a few months. Thank you all for your honest opinions...

 

[AmArIe]

I feel if I just give up now I will have regrets in the future so..good bye Sdn...I am going to try my best with TBR material and back to mcat study life for a few months. Thank you all for your honest opinions...

Ok found the post i was talking about ...
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=774396
She took it 5 freaking times and is now in DO school .... I still cant get over how many times it took but hey she got where she wanted to be

 

[flyhi]

I say apply now. I think you may get a bite with the 19

 

[Jamesmadison14]

I say apply now. I think you may get a bite with the 19

aaaand that's the problem with podiatry. that has been the suggestion for decades... horrible GPA? oddly low MCAT? just apply to podiatry school, someone will take you!

We should be discouraging low scoring applicants from applying. There's already a residency shortage, its not like we need students... and like I said before, with a score that low (and a 16 on the most recent take) , the odds are that the poster is not academically equipped to pass first year, let alone national boards. We should be striving to have entrance GPA and MCAT scores be on par with at least D.O. schools.

 

[Ferocity]

I say apply now. I think you may get a bite with the 19

Maybe if she got the 19 last, but her last score is a 16. I don't think it's gonna happen.

 

[Ntran1986]

Maybe if she got the 19 last, but her last score is a 16. I don't think it's gonna happen.

Agreed. Doing poorly the first time is already a red flag. Doing even worse is an application killer. I also agree that admission standards need to come up.

 

[fivescrew]

Look for a post tittled Hope for those trying to get past an MCAT score in the teens or low 20's in the mcat subforum
She took it 5 freaking times and is now in DO school .... I still cant get over how many times it took but hey she got where she wanted to be

Never give up. I had to take an entrance exam..well a lot of times... before I got a decent grade... Call me overly positive but I believe anything is possible if you try hard and long enough. Sometimes you have to toss the rulebook out the window and try a totally new approach to get where you want to be.

GOLDenKatie, I hope you find a way to make it all work out.

 

[Ferocity]

Never give up. I had to take an entrance exam..well a lot of times... before I got a decent grade... Call me overly positive but I believe anything is possible if you try hard and long enough. Sometimes you have to toss the rulebook out the window and try a totally new approach to get where you want to be.

GOLDenKatie, I hope you find a way to make it all work out.

Bad advice, IMO.

If it takes more than 3 tries to crack a 20+, there is no way that somebody will successfully complete the boards. I'm hesitant to even say that TWO tries to crack a 20+ puts you in decent shape.

This isn't a low blow. Some people just cannot take standardized tests. Everybody has their own forte - this advice could save somebody years of grief and debt...

 

[347932]

this isn't a low blow. Some people just cannot take standardized tests. Everybody has their own forte - this advice could save somebody years of grief and debt...

this!

 

[flyhi]

aaaand that's the problem with podiatry. that has been the suggestion for decades... horrible GPA? oddly low MCAT? just apply to podiatry school, someone will take you!

We should be discouraging low scoring applicants from applying. There's already a residency shortage, its not like we need students... and like I said before, with a score that low (and a 16 on the most recent take) , the odds are that the poster is not academically equipped to pass first year, let alone national boards. We should be striving to have entrance GPA and MCAT scores be on par with at least D.O. schools.

OP does not have a low gpa.. It is competitive for podiatry and in a major that is not a cakewalk. Why be so judgemental? You don't know her entire application and there are plenty of pod students here who have admitted to not having the best stats going into pod school and then getting a 4.0. And yes, admitted with scores less than 20. So no, I don't agree.

Yes, podiatry school probably will take them. If they can get in with the current standards and succeed, then why not? Until something changes, I would not discourage someone from their dream. It is up to THEM to succeed once they are in.

If you are worried about the residency shortage, then you are in the bottom 05% and maybe you should not have been admitted.....

 

[flyhi]

Maybe if she got the 19 last, but her last score is a 16. I don't think it's gonna happen.

But, we aren't admissions, are we? I'll actually take that bet. A 16 may have been the last score, but they also did score a 19.... Trying a 3rd time, like you suggested, is fine, but with all things considered they will probably snag an interview somewhere. Taking it a 3rd time is not going to make them any smarter, or a better pod student. I don't see any reason to not apply now. Rejection = retake MCAT. Another rejection = Find new career path.

And, some previous posters tend to think that MCAT = Boards. I don't see why everyone insists that one standardized test is equal to the next?? The material is actually different and the style of the test is completely different!

If they can't hack it once they are in, that is their problem. I'm just not convinced that OP should give up on a dream without at least trying. And certainly not because a bunch of anonymous internet posters told them to.

 

[fivescrew]

Bad advice, IMO.

If it takes more than 3 tries to crack a 20+, there is no way that somebody will successfully complete the boards. I'm hesitant to even say that TWO tries to crack a 20+ puts you in decent shape.

This isn't a low blow. Some people just cannot take standardized tests. Everybody has their own forte - this advice could save somebody years of grief and debt...

I would disagree. You are right that some people just can't take standardized tests the way the majority can but that doesn't mean there isn't a way to succeed at them. I think if someone wants something bad enough they can make it happen but then again I am an eternal optimist. Just somebody telling you it ain't gonna happen is enough for some people to turn things around.

I don't think any body here knows enough about her or her situation to tell her to pack it up and go home after two bad instances. Maybe she's independently wealthy and cost isn't an issue? Maybe she has all the time in the world to get it right? Maybe she has undiagnosed dsylexia and that's why she is underperforming? Who knows? What is evident is that she has drive and the courage to keep trying and in my experience that can be half the battle. Plus, a little extra encouragement from her would be peers wouldn't hurt either.... Like an earlier poster said, it's too early to throw in the towel.

 

[Jamesmadison14]

OP does not have a low gpa.. It is competitive for podiatry and in a major that is not a cakewalk. Why be so judgemental? You don't know her entire application and there are plenty of pod students here who have admitted to not having the best stats going into pod school and then getting a 4.0. And yes, admitted with scores less than 20. So no, I don't agree.

Yes, podiatry school probably will take them. If they can get in with the current standards and succeed, then why not? Until something changes, I would not discourage someone from their dream. It is up to THEM to succeed once they are in.

If you are worried about the residency shortage, then you are in the bottom 05% and maybe you should not have been admitted.....

I wasn't commenting on the OP I was commenting on your suggestion to apply to podiatry school with a 16 MCAT.
I'm a 4th year who has seen a large chunk of my fellow classmates be dismissed from school because they shouldn't have been admitted in the first place and then couldn't hack it (and lost tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars). I blame my school for admitting people with subpar standards, knowing well that the attrition rate at the school is the same high number every year. I also blame undergrad advisers for telling pre-med students with poor scores (be it GPA or MCAT or whatever) to apply to podiatry school because it's not competitive.

Just trying to let her know that a lot of the schools don't have her best interest in mind, and just want her tuition check.

As far as my comment about residency shortage... it wasn't a warning to her that she might fall into the shortage, it was directed at your comment and pointed to the fact that the schools could stand to admit a lower number of students in order to get the stats up, since they are currently admitting more students than there are res positions available.

 

[347932]

...who has seen a large chunk of my fellow classmates be dismissed from school because they shouldn't have been admitted in the first place and then couldn't hack it (and lost tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars).

Please quantify "a large chunk". What percentage of the class?

And how do you know these people's admission stats?

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

I think people need to step back and look at this question fundamentally:

Could the OP potentially apply and get in. Maybe.

Is admission to Pod school relevant here? No.

The subject of this thread is "Terrible MCAT score... What should I do?" - this isn't a "what are my chances" thread. The OP asks if she should pass on podiatry as a field, the truth is that if you quit your job to study for the MCAT for 3.5 months and can only garner a 16, you WILL FAIL at podiatry school regardless of admission status.

From an advice standpoint, it is our responsibility to tell her she will fail (if her habits continue). Our advice should not be to tell her to apply and hope for the best. This is the best advice for HER.

The best advice for ourselves would be to hope she applies, gets in, and then drops out before year 3 so the school gets her money. Without huge resource costs.

 

[frankcfromny]

I wasn't commenting on the OP I was commenting on your suggestion to apply to podiatry school with a 16 MCAT.
I'm a 4th year who has seen a large chunk of my fellow classmates be dismissed from school because they shouldn't have been admitted in the first place and then couldn't hack it (and lost tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars). I blame my school for admitting people with subpar standards, knowing well that the attrition rate at the school is the same high number every year. I also blame undergrad advisers for telling pre-med students with poor scores (be it GPA or MCAT or whatever) to apply to podiatry school because it's not competitive.

Just trying to let her know that a lot of the schools don't have her best interest in mind, and just want her tuition check.

As far as my comment about residency shortage... it wasn't a warning to her that she might fall into the shortage, it was directed at your comment and pointed to the fact that the schools could stand to admit a lower number of students in order to get the stats up, since they are currently admitting more students than there are res positions available.

I feel like undergraduate performance is not ALWAYS indicative of success in graduate school. I for one know that when a particular subject really interests me, I do infinitely better in that subject compared to one that I don't have as much interest in.

My premed advisor did caution me that the only reason podiatry school is easier to get into than med school is because its significantly less popular. The rigor of classes is generally the same.

He also told me that an alumni from my institution graduated with a 2.79 GPA, 26 MCAT, knew he wanted to be a doctor, went to a Caribbean MD program, and is now the #1 cardiologist in the greater pittsburgh area. Maybe science didn't click very well with him and subsequently his first year of med school was rough, but everything directly medicine related really made sense to him.

 

[347932]

The best advice for ourselves would be to hope she applies, gets in, and then drops out before year 3 so the school gets her money. Without huge resource costs.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not so sorry, but NO!

The last thing this economy needs is someone defaulting on their student loans.

 

[fivescrew]

...the truth is that if you quit your job to study for the MCAT for 3.5 months and can only garner a 16, you WILL FAIL at podiatry school...
.

Opinion ≠ fact.

 

[FiveOVicryl]

I think people need to step back and look at this question fundamentally:

Could the OP potentially apply and get in. Maybe.

Is admission to Pod school relevant here? No.

The subject of this thread is "Terrible MCAT score... What should I do?" - this isn't a "what are my chances" thread. The OP asks if she should pass on podiatry as a field, the truth is that if you quit your job to study for the MCAT for 3.5 months and can only garner a 16, you WILL FAIL at podiatry school regardless of admission status.

From an advice standpoint, it is our responsibility to tell her she will fail (if her habits continue). Our advice should not be to tell her to apply and hope for the best. This is the best advice for HER.

The best advice for ourselves would be to hope she applies, gets in, and then drops out before year 3 so the school gets her money. Without huge resource costs.

Excellent post.

 

[FiveOVicryl]

And, some previous posters tend to think that MCAT = Boards. I don't see why everyone insists that one standardized test is equal to the next?? The material is actually different and the style of the test is completely different!

Studies has shown that performance on the MCAT has a strong correlation with performance on boards.

People need to realize the MCAT is there for a reason. We will be taking boards (standarized exams) for the rest of our careers.

 

[frankcfromny]

I haven't taken the boards or the MCAT, but several doctors have told me that if you make it through med school then there is an extremely high chance of passing the boards. In other words, you can't fudge your way through med school like you may have been able to do in undergrad.

The same, however, cannot be said of the MCAT. There are tens of thousands of kids who have 3.5+ GPAs who get sub 30 on their MCAT after several attempts

 

[frankcfromny]

Studies has shown that performance on the MCAT has a strong correlation with performance on boards.

People need to realize the MCAT is there for a reason. We will be taking boards (standarized exams) for the rest of our careers.

Yeah, and that reason is to make sure student A who went to a college with insane grade inflation doesn't necessarily get a spot over student B who went to a college with grade deflation.

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

Opinion ≠ fact.

That is true, but a sixteen puts you at the 9% mark - or 91% of people do better than you. Podiatry schools already have terrible attrition rates because they accept a sub-qualified candidate class, accepting someone this low will fail, statistically. The fact is that the OP quit her job to study for the MCAT so presumably she studied full-time for 3.5 months. In pod school, you do not get 3.5 months to study full time to achieve so little.

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not so sorry, but NO!

The last thing this economy needs is someone defaulting on their student loans.

Eh a little of each. I was trying to prove a point that there is no positive outcome if goldenkatie applies.

 

[347932]

Eh a little of each. I was trying to prove a point that there is no positive outcome if goldenkatie applies.

Gotcha.

 

[sunyplatt]

Well, I think you should study for literally 6 months prepping for only the MCAT...make it a job basically. But the bigger question is: Do you think you will succeed finishing podiatry school. This is medical school and is clearly very difficult. Part of the mcat is to simply determine who will likely make it through and who would not. This is a question only you can answer.

 

[dyk343]

Im not quick to discourage anyone, as I believe if there is solid desire and hard work a person can make anything happen...

But with that said I know several people who are financially screwed because they couldn't make it and dropped out w debt >100K.

But if you have rich parents....

 

[bobdolerson]

I studied for 2 months off and on for my MCAT and got a 31.

I am a first year in his second semester.

I routinely made top scores on exams throughout undergrad.

This school is harder beyond what words can describe. I have literally adjusted my understanding of what the human mind is capable of because of what I've learned here. I study a lot, probably more than most at my school, and while I consistently beat the average by a few points, As are still unbelievably tough to come by when comparing it to undergrad.

This idea of "you can dream it, you can do it!" is stupid, irrelevant, and harmful to both prospective students and to our profession.

Does anyone really need to be on an admissions board to see a 16 on the MCAT and think number 1, you won't make it in; number 2, if you do you'll probably fail out...

Yeah, people can accomplish a lot if they just put their minds to it. This person put their mind to it, and accomplished an incredibly low score. Why would you think something magical would happen that would allow them to learn more material in less time?

The MCAT may not be a literal representation of pod school, but come on, people...really? You're not a life coach or a hired motivator, so quit the elementary school talk. Some people can hack it and some people can't. THIS IS WHY WE MAKE MONEY! If everyone could do it, a lot more people would.

If you're really thinking that any person anywhere could be a pod if they wanted, I think you're forgetting that the average IQ is 100. With normal distribution,let's go ahead and assume there are about half of the population that's below average, and success in a medical field requires more than that. Agree, disagree, whatever....but no, not everyone can do everything.

To the OP:
Here are the facts. You probably won't get in with those scores. If that score represented your max effort, you likely won't increase your score with more attempts. With these being the case, you should seriously consider looking into other fields. Beyond the effort of the MCAT, after obtaining admission you would find yourself surrounded by more efficient learners in a sea of information you've already demonstrated a difficulty in grasping.

Everyone has abilities that they thrive with, and things they can do better than most. I would wholeheartedly recommend you search yourself for other things you would enjoy doing that wouldn't land you in such massive debt if you faced the very real possibility of failing out.

 

[sunyplatt]

I agree completely, It is less a matter of merit as someone with a high gpa and has studied diligently deserves a place in medical school, but rather whether or not a student will likely make it through. Everyone has seperate strengths and weaknesses. In a sense a low score is also protection from getting 100k in debt and failing out. The admissions committee knows this and it is for both the schools and applicants protection.

 

[flyhi]

Another thread turned into "admissions stats are too low, if you have a low (enter gpa, MCAT, grade in basket weaving) you will fail...and the attrition rates are too high."

The OP asked what she should do. Yes, she got a 16, but she also got a 19. I believe she will get admitted somewhere with her given stats. You can blame the schools all you want, but it's the state of admissions as of today. If she can get in and does well, she most likely will pass boards. It's P/F and what, 85% pass the first time? And, there is zero saying that she cannot accomplish all of this.

I think to come on a forum and ask random people what you should ultimately do with your life is foolish, as do I think a bunch of pre-pods and pod students telling her that she should give up.

If she can't hack it, she will fail and have no one to blame but herself. She is a big girl and can make the financial decision whether to give it a go or not. Whether she spends 50k or 250k getting there, is again, her decision. And the really cool thing about the US (as opposed to the UK), is that she has the option to put the money where her mouth is in trying to reach her goal. It is not the schools' fault students keep paying the tuition bill when they *should* know they are not going to hack it after a semester or a year.

No, it is not our "responsibility to tell her she will fail", especially as a pre-pod who has no clue what it takes to succeed in a podiatry program, nor of her real abilities.

The odds may be against her, but does that mean she gives up with an opportunity sitting right in front of her? As a podiatrist are you going to tell a diabetic you won't operate on his foot to try and save it from amputation just because the odds aren't exactly in his favor?

She seems to have a lot of determination and there is a lot to be said for someone who may not be the smartest, but will simply out work the rest. I would put my money on someone like her than some of these other 'what are my chances' folks that want to blame everyone else for their sub-par grades. She's a fighter.

 

[bobdolerson]

She seems to have a lot of determination and there is a lot to be said for someone who may not be the smartest, but will simply out work the rest. I would put my money on someone like her than some of these other 'what are my chances' folks that want to blame everyone else for their sub-par grades. She's a fighter.

This is more of the same of crap that keeps being fed to these people to give them some ridiculous false sense of hope.

Is there a chance of success? Well...yeah....duh....there's always a "chance".

But we're not talking about a somewhat lower score...these are a 19 and a 16. We're talking about the 10th percentile, here...

I swear, one day I'm going to come on here and see a "I have no arms and want to be a surgeon, what do I do?!!?" and there will no doubt be countless postings like in this thread. "If you will it, it will be true!" "You'll just have to work just a little bit harder, but I know you can do it if you put your mind to it!!"

I'm sorry, but in terms of wanting to be a practicing physician, a 16 is a joke. Any school that accepts this will instantly be placed lowest on my list.

 

[FiveOVicryl]

Another thread turned into "admissions stats are too low, if you have a low (enter gpa, MCAT, grade in basket weaving) you will fail...and the attrition rates are too high."

The OP asked what she should do. Yes, she got a 16, but she also got a 19. I believe she will get admitted somewhere with her given stats. You can blame the schools all you want, but it's the state of admissions as of today. If she can get in and does well, she most likely will pass boards. It's P/F and what, 85% pass the first time? And, there is zero saying that she cannot accomplish all of this.

I think to come on a forum and ask random people what you should ultimately do with your life is foolish, as do I think a bunch of pre-pods and pod students telling her that she should give up.

If she can't hack it, she will fail and have no one to blame but herself. She is a big girl and can make the financial decision whether to give it a go or not. Whether she spends 50k or 250k getting there, is again, her decision. And the really cool thing about the US (as opposed to the UK), is that she has the option to put the money where her mouth is in trying to reach her goal. It is not the schools' fault students keep paying the tuition bill when they *should* know they are not going to hack it after a semester or a year.

No, it is not our "responsibility to tell her she will fail", especially as a pre-pod who has no clue what it takes to succeed in a podiatry program, nor of her real abilities.

The odds may be against her, but does that mean she gives up with an opportunity sitting right in front of her? As a podiatrist are you going to tell a diabetic you won't operate on his foot to try and save it from amputation just because the odds aren't exactly in his favor?

She seems to have a lot of determination and there is a lot to be said for someone who may not be the smartest, but will simply out work the rest. I would put my money on someone like her than some of these other 'what are my chances' folks that want to blame everyone else for their sub-par grades. She's a fighter.

Would you like rainbows with your butterflies this morning?

 

[prentice25]

I just got my 2nd mcat score back and I increased in PS and BS but got a terrible verbal score. My total..a whopping 16. I have been interested in podiatry for 3 years now, took all the required courses, excellent LORs.. I just can't do well on the mcat. My highest score is 19 between the two tests.

This hasn't been mentioned yet, but it sounds to me like the OP might be confused about the scoring of the MCAT. By the way she worded it, using "between the two tests," I think that she might have combined her best scores from each section even though they came from different tests. From my understanding, the SAT works this way- not the MCAT. So I think that 19, might even be an inflated score. I could be wrong, this is speculation. Regardless though, I think it is terrible that schools even consider applicants with MCAT scores below 20. I realize that there is a shortage of podiatrists, but in my opinion that does not merit lowering admission standards to allow sub-par applicants. It is irresponsible for the schools to admit students with stats similar to these, knowing that they have relatively no possibility for success. A lot of you argue that the MCAT is not an indicator of success in med school, on boards, in practice, etc. I have no problem with this statement for someone who struggles on tests and scores @ 21-24 on the test. However, if you have taken all the req courses and can only manage a 16 on the test, you have absolutely no business applying to med school.

 

[flyhi]

But we're not talking about a somewhat lower score...these are a 19 and a 16. We're talking about the 10th percentile, here..

I agree, but there not only have been people accepted with those scores, they have become podiatrists. Call it what you will, but that is true.

Yes, a 16 is atrocious and a 19 is not anything to write home about, I agree.

Since when has an applicant been admitted on just one aspect of their application anyway? The MCAT is not the end-all-be-all and in addition to the MCAT, admissions weighs Organic Chemistry heavily as well, as an example. There are other factors in a person's academic career that can point to the ability of a student to be successful.

Let the buyer beware. Everyone is so upset about schools admitting sub-par students for the buck, but it's the student who must make the decision on their investment and who is ultimately responsible for it. No one signs the promissory note for them. We are all adults and in (or soon to be) a professional medical program. How long do you want the hand-holding to continue? Every decision has a consequence and to expect some authority to continue making those decisions for people is outrageous.

If you are ticked by the admissions standards, then get involved and do something about it. If admissions has made a gross error in judgement on a student, they simply won't make it and the onus is on the student, not admissions.

 

[ravin66]

To the OP, if podiatry is the field you see yourself in, please please please continue to work for it. Do not listen to what the other posters say. If subjects are getting harder then you must work harder and this is a fact.
You will probably want to retake the MCAT, since most schools see anything below 22 not competitive. Also if your sgpa is too low (sub 3.0), you might want to try a post bach program.

Once you brush up on your scores you can start applying. Your interviews will probably like you to adress your previous mcat and gpa scores.

You must understand the subjects tested on the MCAT are like prerequisite knowledge for medical school. There is alot of physics in biomechanics (PS), there is o-chem in biochemistry (BS), and you will be researching daily (VR). So your scores are good predictors of how well you can handle medical school. Show the schools you can do it and they will let you in.

Every person in college have the potential to become great physicians, it just takes time, effort, and determination.

 

[SuperFeisty]

I just figured out what OP meant... *facepalm*

 

[flyhi]

I just figured out what OP meant... *facepalm*

Nice!

 

[Ferocity]

To the OP, if podiatry is the field you see yourself in, please please please continue to work for it. Do not listen to what the other posters say. If subjects are getting harder then you must work harder and this is a fact.
You will probably want to retake the MCAT, since most schools see anything below 22 not competitive. Also if your sgpa is too low (sub 3.0), you might want to try a post bach program.

Once you brush up on your scores you can start applying. Your interviews will probably like you to adress your previous mcat and gpa scores.

You must understand the subjects tested on the MCAT are like prerequisite knowledge for medical school. There is alot of physics in biomechanics (PS), there is o-chem in biochemistry (BS), and you will be researching daily (VR). So your scores are good predictors of how well you can handle medical school. Show the schools you can do it and they will let you in.

Every person in college have the potential to become great physicians, it just takes time, effort, and determination.

Nope. Also grammar.