WAMC Top 20 3.70 cGPA 516 MCAT

[neuro?]

Thanks for the feedback. Thread closed.

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[Gurby]

Take your lumps like a man, Private Twinkletoes. I think you should stay the course and focus on mid-tier schools. Retaking a 516 might turn off a lot of people at those mid-tier schools, and even if you score like 524+ it'll be pretty late to be sending applications in to higher ranked schools.

 

[Ad2b]

Guy the other night in discord from Kaplan wanted to retake a 518 saying basically, "his ego couldn't handle..." am pretty sure everyone tuned out and it didn't end well for him. I doubt it would end well for you either.

Hubris is not welcomed from what I've heard even at the top 10 and that 516 is plenty fine coupled with everything else you have.

 

[neuro?]

Guy the other night in discord from Kaplan wanted to retake a 518 saying basically, "his ego couldn't handle..." am pretty sure everyone tuned out and it didn't end well for him. I doubt it would end well for you either.

Hubris is not welcomed from what I've heard even at the top 10 and that 516 is plenty fine coupled with everything else you have.

Just to clarify, do you mean for Top 20 or mid tier?

 

[Ad2b]

Just to clarify, do you mean for Top 20 or mid tier?

I don't believe arrogance at any of the medical schools is welcomed no matter the tier. FYI: arrogance is not confidence, there is a difference.

 

[neuro?]

My bad, I actually meant whether you thought my application was competitive enough for Top 20. But yeah, I agree.

 

[Ad2b]

My bad, I actually meant whether you thought my application was competitive enough for Top 20. But yeah, I agree.

I don't think you're going to get much love from Top 10, maybe a few from Top 20 but GPA/MCAT are not everything anymore...

Do I think you have a shot at the middle tiers like the rest of us? Yes. Absolutely. And you have to realize what middle tier looks like...

 

[Goro]

Hey guys,

Currently applying; have submitted all secondaries I intend to. I would like advice for Top 20, WAMC.

Undergrad Top 10
cGPA 3.70 (3.95, 3.88, approximately 3.5, approximately 3.5) (got lazy...)
sGPA 3.68
MCAT 516 ...

Clinical Volunteering 520
Clinical Shadowing 115
Research 1000
Regular Volunteering 150

I'm asking because I'm considering whether to retake the MCAT September. I am pretty confident that I can get a significantly higher score. But, because many schools seem to take primary consideration for the most recent score, it comes at a risk.

Thanks.

Retaking a 516 would get you rejected at a lot of schools (like gyngyn's) for poor both hubris and poor choice making.

Your MCAT isn't going to save a downward GPA trend. Adcoms will get worried that you'll just get lazy in med school, which will be a lot harder than UG.

I suggest the following:
U VM
U Toledo
Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Rochester
Rush
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Creighton
Tulane
Tufts
U WV
MCW
Loyola
Hofstra
Oakland-B
Western MI
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Your state school(s).
Any DO school.

 

[Ad2b]

Tulane

They do CASPer now, right?!

 

[Cigar]

They do CASPer now, right?!

Yes


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[neuro?]

Thanks a ton for the feedback!

 

[Walter Raleigh]

Suppose our hero retook his 516 - and raised his score ten points, earning a 526. Would his retake still be seen as an act of hubris, even if he had a dramatic performance increase to back it up? Is the only thing that can justify retaking a strong score like that expiration because you decided on the Peace Corps or military service?

 

[neuro?]

Suppose our hero retook his 516 - and raised his score ten points, earning a 526. Would his retake still be seen as an act of hubris, even if he had a dramatic performance increase to back it up? Is the only thing that can justify retaking a strong score like that expiration because you decided on the Peace Corps or military service?

Interesting question, but I would appreciate if you could start a different thread if you have your own question. Thread's closed, thanks.

 

[Walter Raleigh]

Retaking a 516 would get you rejected at a lot of schools (like gyngyn's) for poor both hubris and poor choice making.

Your MCAT isn't going to save a downward GPA trend. Adcoms will get worried that you'll just get lazy in med school, which will be a lot harder than UG.

I suggest the following:
U VM
U Toledo
Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Rochester
Rush
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Creighton
Tulane
Tufts
U WV
MCW
Loyola
Hofstra
Oakland-B
Western MI
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Your state school(s).
Any DO school.

Suppose he throws on a year of postbacc to show he's serious, earns a 4.0, and retakes the MCAT for a 523+ score...Might he then have good chances at top 20s?

 

[chinesedude]

Suppose he throws on a year of postbacc to show he's serious, earns a 4.0, and retakes the MCAT for a 523+ score...Might he then have good chances at top 20s?

No, the MSAR shows that plenty of students with OP's stats get in to, say, Harvard. At that level, there are intangibles and unique experiences that set them apart from the pack. Some of these experiences were begun in childhood (a friend at Harvard played for the Cleveland Philharmonic starting from age 15) and some of these experiences are simply one in thousands (Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, etc). These experiences and credentials are in limited quantity, hence sought after by top schools. Most people that apply to med school already have a 3.8+ (it's not special) and most people have a great MCAT (again, this is not special). Those things simply place you in line for A medical school, not the creme de la creme

 

[Walter Raleigh]

No, the MSAR shows that plenty of students with OP's stats get in to, say, Harvard. At that level, there are intangibles and unique experiences that set them apart from the pack. Some of these experiences were begun in childhood (a friend at Harvard played for the Cleveland Philharmonic starting from age 15) and some of these experiences are simply one in thousands (Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, etc). These experiences and credentials are in limited quantity, hence sought after by top schools. Most people that apply to med school already have a 3.8+ (it's not special) and most people have a great MCAT (again, this is not special). Those things simply place you in line for A medical school, not the creme de la creme

Yeah - our guy might have better luck if he did Peace Corps or Teach for America after his 4.0 postbacc and stellar MCAT.