Very Low MCAT (23O)....need advice!

[binna04]

I'm a non-trad applying for the entering class of 2010. Took the MCAT June 2008 and got a 21M (8VR, 6PS, 7BS), then took it again July 2009 and got a 23O (PS, 8VR, 9BS). My GPA is a 3.4 cum, and a 3.2 science. Submitted my primary app. a week ago and received 2 secondaries already. What to do?????

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[GoSpursGo]

Moving to What are my Chances.

Honestly, you need to sit this application season out, study hard and take the MCAT again in January or April of next year. With that GPA, you need a good MCAT to help balance it out.

 

[NotSur]

I'm a non-trad applying for the entering class of 2010. Took the MCAT June 2008 and got a 21M (8VR, 6PS, 7BS), then took it again July 2009 and got a 23O (PS, 8VR, 9BS). My GPA is a 3.4 cum, and a 3.2 science. Submitted my primary app. a week ago and received 2 secondaries already. What to do?????

Since you've already taken the MCAT twice, your score is unlikely to improve if you take it a third time. I'd go ahead and apply to foreign medical schools if I were you.

 

[TopSecret]

I'm a non-trad applying for the entering class of 2010. Took the MCAT June 2008 and got a 21M (8VR, 6PS, 7BS), then took it again July 2009 and got a 23O (PS, 8VR, 9BS). My GPA is a 3.4 cum, and a 3.2 science. Submitted my primary app. a week ago and received 2 secondaries already. What to do?????

That's tough. I would consider another career choice.

Your GPA is at the bottom 20% of applicants and your MCAT is in the bottom third.

 

[binna04]

If a receive secondaries from schools that screen, do you think I should go ahead and fill them out? I received a fee waiver for my apps, so I feel I have nothing to lose in trying.

 

[binna04]

That's tough. I would consider another career choice.

Your GPA is at the bottom 20% of applicants and your MCAT is in the bottom third.

If a receive secondaries from schools that screen, do you think I should go ahead and fill them out? I received a fee waiver for my apps, so I feel I have nothing to lose in trying.

 

[map37692]

I would go ahead and feel them out. You have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

 

[Perrotfish]

I would go ahead and feel them out. You have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

Things to lose:

1) Thousands of dollars in secondary fees

2) Hours and hours of your time

3) Motivation (it sucks getting rejected from everywhere)

4) A chance at admission: For whatever reason ADCOMs tend to hold reapplicants to a slightly higher standard.

Things to gain:

Nothing, no chance of getting accepted with those stats. Not to a US school, anyway.

Options:

1) Retake the MCAT and get a higher score. How did you prepare for it the last two times?

2) Apply to the Caribbean. You might get into a top 4 island school with those stats. Keep in mind that these schools have rediculously high fail out rates, and the majority of their graduates to not match into US residencies, so this is a very expensive longshot even if you get accepted.

3) Another career.

 

[binna04]

Things to lose:

1) Thousands of dollars in secondary fees

2) Hours and hours of your time

3) Motivation (it sucks getting rejected from everywhere)

4) A chance at admission: For whatever reason ADCOMs tend to hold reapplicants to a slightly higher standard.

Things to gain:

Nothing, no chance of getting accepted with those stats. Not to a US school, anyway.

Options:

1) Retake the MCAT and get a higher score. How did you prepare for it the last two times?

2) Apply to the Caribbean. You might get into a top 4 island school with those stats. Keep in mind that these schools have rediculously high fail out rates, and the majority of their graduates to not match into US residencies, so this is a very expensive longshot even if you get accepted.

3) Another career.

I got approved for a fee waiver for my primary and secondary apps, so I feel I have nothing to lose.

 

[binna04]

Exactly. Go for it.

Have you ever considered applying DO as well?

No, but I wish I did. The only thing now that's keeping me from applying to any DO schools is the letter of recomm. they require.

 

[TopSecret]

You should do an extensive search of your family tree to see if you have any Native American ancestry.

A URM has a 43% chance of acceptance with your stats.

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2008/mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt-raceeth.htm

However, only 16% of total applicants are accepted with your stats because a large percentage of them are URM's.

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2008/mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt.htm

The numbers indicate that 303 of the 378 acceptees with your numbers were URM's.

This means that the acceptance rate for non-URM's with your stats is 4.6% (75 non-URM's were accepted and a total of 1639 non-URM's applied with your stats).

In other words, being a URM is 10 times more likely of receiving an acceptance than a non-URM is.

 

[Mporemba]

Apply and see what happens. Don't listen to anyone. If you want to be a doctor then go and be a doctor.

 

[binna04]

Thanks! I definitely will.

 

[binna04]

You should do an extensive search of your family tree to see if you have any Native American ancestry.

A URM has a 43% chance of acceptance with your stats.

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2008/mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt-raceeth.htm

However, only 16% of total applicants are accepted with your stats because a large percentage of them are URM's.

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2008/mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt.htm

The numbers indicate that 303 of the 378 acceptees with your numbers were URM's.

This means that the acceptance rate for non-URM's with your stats is 4.6% (75 non-URM's were accepted and a total of 1639 non-URM's applied with your stats).

In other words, being a URM is 10 times more likely of receiving an acceptance than a non-URM is.

My great-great-grandmother is Native American, from the Cherokee tribe in South Carolina. How would this benefit me???

 

[NotAsking4Much]

You should do an extensive search of your family tree to see if you have any Native American ancestry.

A URM has a 43% chance of acceptance with your stats.

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2008/mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt-raceeth.htm

However, only 16% of total applicants are accepted with your stats because a large percentage of them are URM's.

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2008/mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt.htm

The numbers indicate that 303 of the 378 acceptees with your numbers were URM's.

This means that the acceptance rate for non-URM's with your stats is 4.6% (75 non-URM's were accepted and a total of 1639 non-URM's applied with your stats).

In other words, being a URM is 10 times more likely of receiving an acceptance than a non-URM is.

You're kidding right?.....

I guess if you follow that logic, if you trace our lineage enough back, we all came from the Mid-Arabian peninsula which is a URM region.

Don't fake your URM status if you don't have it. If you look perfectly white or Asian or something and you claim you're Hispanic, they can tell at the interview. Then you're screwed.

 

[GoSpursGo]

You're kidding right?.....

I guess if you follow that logic, if you trace our lineage enough back, we all came from the Mid-Arabian peninsula which is a URM region.

Don't fake your URM status if you don't have it. If you look perfectly white or Asian or something and you claim you're Hispanic, they can tell at the interview. Then you're screwed.

I'm half-Hispanic, but look very white; didn't get any flak about it at the interview stage. Honestly, you can't blame people for trying to get every edge they can in this process.

Not sure if 1/16 is enough to claim that you're Native American or not, but I'd look into it. Unfortunately, it sounds like you already completed your AMCAS making it impossible to change your ethnicity for this application cycle. But yeah, you might as well go ahead and fill out those secondaries if it doesn't cost you anything. Definitely look into DO schools.

 

[Stratego]

From what I understand, if you claim to be of native American decent, med schools ask to see your tribe registration card. Each tribe is different for the rules of registration. You'd have to contact the tribe administration to get more information on the process.

 

[TopSecret]

You're kidding right?.....

I guess if you follow that logic, if you trace our lineage enough back, we all came from the Mid-Arabian peninsula which is a URM region.

Don't fake your URM status if you don't have it. If you look perfectly white or Asian or something and you claim you're Hispanic, they can tell at the interview. Then you're screwed.

She was simply asking for advice. If there is Native American ancestry then it will probably increase her chances ten-fold.

Some people who look Caucasian actually are part Native American (e.g., Johnny Depp and Demi Moore).

 

[Perrotfish]

...

 

[TopSecret]

Even if she were to be accepted, she would still need to pass the USMLE's. It's a requirement for graduating from medical school and low scorers on the MCAT tend to fare poorly on the licensing exam. So after two years of medical school and failing the USMLE Step 1, she could find herself deeply in debt and have no chance of finishing medical school.

 

[apumic]

OP, would something else like podiatry be an option? Unfortunately, if you've taken the MCAT twice and your highest score was a 23, there really isn't much chance of getting in anywhere. DO schools really aren't even a viable option. Furthermore, add'l retakes aren't going to help you much since you've already shown twice that you're at the bottom of the 20s. My suggestion would be to consider a different career. Alternatives such as podiatry frequently take applicants with MCAT scores in the 20-25 range as I understand.

 

[apumic]

Eh. I wouldn't listen to this. There are plenty of DO schools that accept people with a 23 MCAT (ie. the schools that have a 24 average). Don't lose hope my friend, you'll get in somewhere if you try.

A couple of them will consider such a candidate, yes, but there had better be some other good points for them to consider. It's also important to consider what one is likely to get on the USMLE steps as the last thing we want to encourage someone to do is get $50-200k in debt and then flunk out end of 2nd year unable to pass the USMLE Step 1 (or by failing classes). Furthermore, even if the OP were to pass Step 1, what are the chances of someone getting into a decent residency (one in a specialty from which s/he can pay off his/her loans) with a Step 1 score <200? (Unless the OP wants to go into ob-gyn, psych, rehab, or family med, it's likely not going to happen with <200.) Using the current mean & sd values for Step 1 & the MCAT (matriculants' scores, since they are the ones who actually take the USMLE and therefore make up its population), you would expect between a 183 and 200. The minimum score to pass the USMLE is 185 and most students score between 200 and 242. Take it for what it's worth. I don't mean to be discouraging here but realistically I think you should strongly consider an alternative career in healthcare.

 

[BigD311]

I think you have no business telling anyone to look for another career as a premed student yourself.

My advice is to sit this application cycle out, evaluate how you studied for your MCAT, re-study and do not take the test until you rock your practice tests.

If you want it, you can get it.

Its amazing how quickly people look to push this poster away from the field but aren't even looking at possible problems that may be holding the OP back. If it is an issue of studying, then she can fix it and be quite successful. All it takes it proper identification of the problem and I for one do not think the OP is incapable of being a doctor.

 

[TopSecret]

I think you have no business telling anyone to look for another career as a premed student yourself.

My advice is to sit this application cycle out, evaluate how you studied for your MCAT, re-study and do not take the test until you rock your practice tests.

If you want it, you can get it.

Its amazing how quickly people look to push this poster away from the field but aren't even looking at possible problems that may be holding the OP back. If it is an issue of studying, then she can fix it and be quite successful. All it takes it proper identification of the problem and I for one do not think the OP is incapable of being a doctor.

There are many careers in health care where she could be a good fit. She could prepare for the MCAT (again) and work toward becoming a podiatrist, dentist, chiropractor, CRNA, RN, NP, physicians assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and so forth. They all pay very well, and if she so chooses, she could apply to medical school with more clinical experience with such work and maybe have a higher MCAT score, too. It would be a long shot, though.

 

[Cali Anteater]

I think you have no business telling anyone to look for another career as a premed student yourself.

My advice is to sit this application cycle out, evaluate how you studied for your MCAT, re-study and do not take the test until you rock your practice tests.

If you want it, you can get it.

Its amazing how quickly people look to push this poster away from the field but aren't even looking at possible problems that may be holding the OP back. If it is an issue of studying, then she can fix it and be quite successful. All it takes it proper identification of the problem and I for one do not think the OP is incapable of being a doctor.

I totally agree. I think it is ridiculous for people to suggest that MCAT scores are unlikely to improve after just 2 times and to give up and look for another career. If medicine is your passion, then keep going for it! It took me 4 times to finally land a decent score. OP, I had similar scores to you in the past and I applied and did not get in. It is unfortunate that your application will likely not be read just b/c a computer screens you out according to your MCAT score.

The thing that worked for me was doing a ton of verbal. Funny thing is that my verbal did not improve dramatically and it was the section that I had really bombed in the past (PS) that shot up dramatically. Just make sure you don't keep doing the same thing when studying. Assess what you did and try different strategies on practice tests (take a bunch!!!) - See what works. Also just look at some of the MCAT threads and the major score improvements that other posters have had. And there are many stories both posted and with people I know in which multiple MCATs have landed in both DO and MD (US) acceptances. The MCAT can be a terrible and frustrating experience but it can be beat with the right strategy.

 

[apumic]

I think you have no business telling anyone to look for another career as a premed student yourself.

My advice is to sit this application cycle out, evaluate how you studied for your MCAT, re-study and do not take the test until you rock your practice tests.

If you want it, you can get it.

Its amazing how quickly people look to push this poster away from the field but aren't even looking at possible problems that may be holding the OP back. If it is an issue of studying, then she can fix it and be quite successful. All it takes it proper identification of the problem and I for one do not think the OP is incapable of being a doctor.

I apologize if that came off more harsh than I meant it to. Rereading it, I thought I had focused a bit more on alternatives. Yes, it may seem "too soon" to say things won't improve after 2 tries but the MCAT does have fairly strong reliability as I recall (unsure of the exact value but it's above r=0.7, IIRC) and she would have a long ways to go. If it's staying within about a quarter of an SD over 2 tries, that seems pretty likely to remain. Being as, while theoretically an increase could occur (or she could be one of the 4.58% who get in with a 3.4/23), the likelihood of a positive outcome is quite low, I do not feel it would be prudent to push a person toward wasting valuable resources (her time, her money, etc.) if/when the outcome is extremely unlikely to be positive.

Because of that, I was merely suggesting it might be worthwhile for the OP to consider another option in healthcare. There are many others, some of which were mentioned by TopSecret. Certainly, PA or NP could be used to as a stepping stone to medical school. On the other hand, it's very possible the OP would find she enjoys the work of one of those other medical professions.

On the other hand, there is a chance of success here, albeit a small one, and I trust that if her passion for medicine is great enough to surmount this challenge, there is likely nothing I or anyone else on this forum could say that would prevent her from going for it. I, for one, would love to see the OP succeed in this, but I think it's crucial that she recognize the odds and what it would take to succeed. Perhaps, though, there are some remediable issues with her preparation for the MCAT the past two times. Perhaps a tutor would be helpful. None of us really knows for sure. Either way, best of luck with this!

(Btw, BigD, congrats on the improvement. The VR is usually the most resistant to change but your practice of the VR probably helped with your comprehension and, consequently, enabled you to be more successful on the PS. Good job solving the rut you were in!)

 

[njbmd]

I'm a non-trad applying for the entering class of 2010. Took the MCAT June 2008 and got a 21M (8VR, 6PS, 7BS), then took it again July 2009 and got a 23O (PS, 8VR, 9BS). My GPA is a 3.4 cum, and a 3.2 science. Submitted my primary app. a week ago and received 2 secondaries already. What to do?????

Stop taking the MCAT until you are thoroughly prepared. Your uGPA is low for medical school admissions and you also need some "damage-control" there. No MCAT score will offset a low uGPA. At this point, you might try to get into a SMP Special Masters Program (expensive and competitive) such as the one at Georgetown, and ace that coursework. If you have time and money, an SMP would make sense for you.

You have two very poor MCAT scores. If you add a third that is even mediocre, you will have likely "tanked" your chances of ever getting into medical school. Get some of the retired MCAT exams and figure out how to solve problems in the manner that the MCAT presents them. Figure out if you have a knowledge gap and get it corrected.

Right now, you are spinning your wheels and digging yourself into holes that you might not be able to climb out of. If you can't get your uGPA higher and a competitive MCAT score, you can't keep taking that exam and just hoping you will "luck out" and get a competitive score. If you scored 40 tomorrow on that test, you still have the low uGPA that is holding you back. Get yourself prepared for the MCAT and competitive for medical school admissions by any means out these. Beind a non-traditional applicant doesn't mean that you will get in with a non-competitive application. You have to jump thorough the same "hoops" that a traditonal student has to jump through.

 

[brooklynblunder]

how did you prepare for the MCAT?

 

[wait4me]

please DO NOT let a few jerk posters on SDN deter you from your dreams of becoming a doctor. A 23 MCAT score can definately be improved with a lot of practice. AND I dont think it is too late to apply either. My advice is for you to start studying NOW for the janurary MCAT. Do not retake the MCAT until you are getting around your target score on practice tests.

DO schools tend to have later interviews. My friend applied last cycle (her app was complete in Feb) and still got into 2 schools. (her MCAT scores were 29 and 27/ 3.5GPA)

 

[buffywannabe]

My great-great-grandmother is Native American, from the Cherokee tribe in South Carolina. How would this benefit me???

So I got super flamed for bringing this up before but I have this option too. My grandmother is part cherokee and I can get my CDIB. As a cherokee it doesn't matter what percentage you are, you just have to be able to trace someone back to the Dawes. Unfortunately the processing to get your CDIB takes about a year. You will need to trace death certificates and birth certificates from the person on the Dawes. Each of these in WI (where I am) is $20 so this may end up being pricey for you.

If I were you I would get on this now. Hate to say it but you will probably end up reapplying but this could really help you.

Good Luck!

 

[longhorn09]

please DO NOT let a few jerk posters on SDN deter you from your dreams of becoming a doctor. A 23 MCAT score can definately be improved with a lot of practice. AND I dont think it is too late to apply either. My advice is for you to start studying NOW for the janurary MCAT. Do not retake the MCAT until you are getting around your target score on practice tests.

DO schools tend to have later interviews. My friend applied last cycle (her app was complete in Feb) and still got into 2 schools. (her MCAT scores were 29 and 27/ 3.5GPA)

But these two bad scores have already left a bad mark on OP's record.

 

[apumic]

But these two bad scores have already left a bad mark on OP's record.

Do you think schools would look at a sudden jump to, say, 30 as more of fluke at this point or as legitimate improvement?

 

[mkat]

Caribbean?

 

[stacey]

Have you ever taken an MCAT prep class? Do that before trying again. There is no way someone with a 3.2 is getting a 23 on the MCAT.

 

[binna04]

how did you prepare for the MCAT?

I studied the Kaplan review books and did a few practice MCATs ( 3 Kaplan, 2 Princeton Review and 2 AAMC). Reviewed for about two months and did the exams for a month or so. I work full-time so it was pretty hard studying. My weakest sections is Physical science because I never understood physics, which is the main reason for my low GPA, got C's in all three classes which was about 10 credits. I was pretty comfortable with the Biology section and have a good understanding of concepts. I know can do better in verbal because I was getting 10's on the practice but somehow had only 5 min to tackle the last passage on test day so I panicked and had to guess. Any suggestions??

 

[binna04]

Have you ever taken an MCAT prep class? Do that before trying again. There is no way someone with a 3.2 is getting a 23 on the MCAT.

I cannot afford a prep course, wish I could though. The only strategy I have now is to do practice with more AAMC exams and hope my score improves.

 

[binna04]

Caribbean?

I really don't want to struggle for the rest of my life, so I'm going to try my luck and stick with applying to med schools here in the U.S.

 

[stacey]

I cannot afford a prep course, wish I could though. The only strategy I have now is to do practice with more AAMC exams and hope my score improves.

I think you should do whatever it takes to get into a prep course. From the looks of it, it doesn't seem like you know how to study very effectively for the MCAT.

EDIT: At the very least get a Physics tutor, and tutors in the subjects that you aren't strong in. Considering you haven't hit above 10 in a single section, you should at least seek for assistance of some sort in all the areas.

 

[binna04]

I think you should do whatever it takes to get into a prep course. From the looks of it, it doesn't seem like you know how to study very effectively for the MCAT.

EDIT: At the very least get a Physics tutor, and tutors in the subjects that you aren't strong in. Considering you haven't hit above 10 in a single section, you should at least seek for assistance of some sort in all the areas.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[DRMRL]

I made a 25M the third time and I feel fine. You're okay for D.O.don't worry

 

[utah3219]

.

 

[jakefsu]

Rather rude to tell someone to seek another career, especially someone that hasn't been rejected yet.

Obviously she knows her scores aren't great, read the topic title: very low mcat. And whoever posted numbers like you have a 4.8% chance (or whatever it was) of getting in. That serves no purpose. I think she already knows her chances aren't great. There is no need to fuel a fire.

If your fees are waved, than I'd suggest you apply. You never know. But you don't want to not apply and live thinking "what if". I don't think you can rise your gpa much, 3.4 isn't bad. I would suggest mcat again, but study prep books, if your getting a 23, you do not know the material well enough. Sure practice tests are helpful, but not much help if you don't know them. I'd suggest nova's physics. Exam krackers are most helpful, but probably not for you, they are very brief and require a strong science foundation. You can buy course material for the kaplan/princetonreview that they use for the couse. Search the buy/sell forums on here. But, it's up to you to be motivated enough. I'd save those aamc practice tests for the last 2-3 months. I wouldn't retake it unless you know you can do better. If you get high 20s or even low 30s, i am 100% positive you can get in somewhere.

If this is what you want to do, I think you just need to be motivated to be better on the mcat. read the 30+ mcat thread, there are plenty of people who started in low/mid 20s and had very high 30s. If med school doesn't work out, there is DO and other career paths that make 75k+ so there is no need to worry about "struggling the rest of your life".

And mcat scores are "predictors" of step scores. Just like act/sat scores are predictors of college success. I know someone with a 21 mcat that got into med school (she had a 4.00 or something close to it) and was in the top 10% of her step1. Is it common? No. Is it possible? yes

good luck!

 

[rkaz]

If med school doesn't work out, there is DO and other career paths that make 75k+ so there is no need to worry about "struggling the rest of your life".
good luck!

DO = med school. DO physicians get the same pay as MD physicians. Just wanted to clarify, so no one gets wrong info.

 

[aggie08]

Rather rude to tell someone to seek another career, especially someone that hasn't been rejected yet.

Obviously she knows her scores aren't great, read the topic title: very low mcat. And whoever posted numbers like you have a 4.8% chance (or whatever it was) of getting in. That serves no purpose. I think she already knows her chances aren't great. There is no need to fuel a fire.

If your fees are waved, than I'd suggest you apply. You never know. But you don't want to not apply and live thinking "what if". I don't think you can rise your gpa much, 3.4 isn't bad. I would suggest mcat again, but study prep books, if your getting a 23, you do not know the material well enough. Sure practice tests are helpful, but not much help if you don't know them. I'd suggest nova's physics. Exam krackers are most helpful, but probably not for you, they are very brief and require a strong science foundation. You can buy course material for the kaplan/princetonreview that they use for the couse. Search the buy/sell forums on here. But, it's up to you to be motivated enough. I'd save those aamc practice tests for the last 2-3 months. I wouldn't retake it unless you know you can do better. If you get high 20s or even low 30s, i am 100% positive you can get in somewhere.

If this is what you want to do, I think you just need to be motivated to be better on the mcat. read the 30+ mcat thread, there are plenty of people who started in low/mid 20s and had very high 30s. If med school doesn't work out, there is DO and other career paths that make 75k+ so there is no need to worry about "struggling the rest of your life".

And mcat scores are "predictors" of step scores. Just like act/sat scores are predictors of college success. I know someone with a 21 mcat that got into med school (she had a 4.00 or something close to it) and was in the top 10% of her step1. Is it common? No. Is it possible? yes

good luck!

They were being realistic. She has a 21 and 23 MCAT, with a well-below average GPA for MD schools. It is HIGHLY unlikely that she will get into a US MD school, so they were preparing her to consider other options.

DO = Doctor. It's the same thing. If she really wants to be a doctor, this should be something she is looking into. There is absolutely no reason someone shouldn't be telling her to apply DO.

We appreciate that this is only your 4th post and you want to be encouraging, however the general attitude around here is to encourage (for some, others are just plain rude) while maintaining a realistic outlook. Yes, she could get lucky and get in somewhere....should she bank on that? Absolutely not.

 

[binna04]

Received two interview invites since starting this thread...one from PSU and Meharry. Still holding on to hope that I will get in somewhere this year. Waiting to hear from a few more schools. Hopefully an acceptance is waiting around the corner

 

[Claud05]

excellent news! good luck!

 

[BestDoctorEver]

I'm a non-trad applying for the entering class of 2010. Took the MCAT June 2008 and got a 21M (8VR, 6PS, 7BS), then took it again July 2009 and got a 23O (PS, 8VR, 9BS). My GPA is a 3.4 cum, and a 3.2 science. Submitted my primary app. a week ago and received 2 secondaries already. What to do?????

Stats are competitive for podiatry. Podiatrists are also physicians. Apply to low tiers DO school next cycle... and you might have a chance

 

[anfleisch]

Id say your stats would be in the bottom third or half even for DO (at least for MCAT and sGPA). But people have gotten in with those stats, if you have some special considerations you never know. As long as you understand the expectations for an acceptance (i.e. I am being very conservative with my own expectations with above average stats).

 

[Catalystik]

Received two interview invites since starting this thread...one from PSU and Meharry. Still holding on to hope that I will get in somewhere this year. Waiting to hear from a few more schools. Hopefully an acceptance is waiting around the corner

Binna, that's great news. I hope you WOW them at the interview. Meanwhile, it's always a good practice to continue to improve your ECs and strategize about how you'll answer the question, "How have you improved your application since you applied?" if it is an interview question. Those improvements are also useful for update letters after the interviews to try to sway any adcomm still on the cusp about your application, or, if worse comes to worst, if you need to reapply next season. Good Luck!

 

[Moose A Moose]

I really don't want to struggle for the rest of my life, so I'm going to try my luck and stick with applying to med schools here in the U.S.

More power to you, but you have an uphill fight going on. If you get accepted to MD or DO, you're going to have one hell of a constant struggle.

Good, luck, and congrats on the interview invites!