Ask AdmissionsConsultants

[abro]

Two years ago I decided to change careers. I worked as a pharmaceutical sales rep (3 years) and decided that I really had more interest in medicine than sales . I graduated with a degree in Biology from a military school with a poor GPA (2.7) in 2001. Over the last two years I have been working full-time (~45hrs/wk) as a research coordinator in cardiac imaging (CT and MR) at a medical school, while simultaneously completing a Master’s in Biology. My current GPA with 3 hours left is a 4.0 and I have also had several publications. One of these publications received a young investigator’s award from the American Heart Association and two of them were presented at annual society meetings. I have taken the MCAT several times and have not scored well at all (20). After paying for college and a Master’s degree combined with working as a research assistant, I can not afford to take more classes (as if a 4.0 is not high enough). Clearly, I am motivated and willing to do whatever it takes to get accepted. With the understanding that my MCAT score has to improve by at least 8 points, what more can I do to get into medical school?

JAA

[wshelton]

quote:

---

Originally posted by abro

Two years ago I decided to change careers. I worked as a pharmaceutical sales rep (3 years) and decided that I really had more interest in medicine than sales . I graduated with a degree in Biology from a military school with a poor GPA (2.7) in 2001. Over the last two years I have been working full-time (~45hrs/wk) as a research coordinator in cardiac imaging (CT and MR) at a medical school, while simultaneously completing a Master’s in Biology. My current GPA with 3 hours left is a 4.0 and I have also had several publications. One of these publications received a young investigator’s award from the American Heart Association and two of them were presented at annual society meetings. I have taken the MCAT several times and have not scored well at all (20). After paying for college and a Master’s degree combined with working as a research assistant, I can not afford to take more classes (as if a 4.0 is not high enough). Clearly, I am motivated and willing to do whatever it takes to get accepted. With the understanding that my MCAT score has to improve by at least 8 points, what more can I do to get into medical school?

JAA

---

Dear JAA,
Thanks for your question. At this point, your task is to improve your MCAT score. Unfortunately, until you do that, nothing else will likely matter. So all I can say is to keep trying to prepare for the MCAT. And I suggest not taking it again until you are pretty sure you are ready to significantly improve your score.
Best,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Join us on Facebook to receive a 5% discount on all services!

[ach3n]

Hello,

I just received a 33 on my MCAT (13PS/8VR/12BS). I know that the 8 in VR will hurt me. I also know that I can do better, as I was averaging about a 37 on my practice tests. I am 99.9% sure on a retake right now because I feel like this test was a fluke and unrepresentative of my abilities. I am aiming for a top tier school (my grades are 3.9+ and I have excellent ECs and the rest of my application is pretty solid).

IF I were to score in the 36-38 range as I did in my practice tests, would this renew my chances at a top tier school? Basically, I wanted to know what kind of an impact this first score would have (especially the VR) if I raise my score upon a retake. I am really confident that the score will increase, as I never scored below a 34 on ANY of my practice tests, and no lower than a 36 on my last 8 practice tests. Is it possible for me to still have a good chance at a top school? Thank you for your time!

[OhPleaseJustLetMeIn]

Hello All,

Thanks for such a great site, it’s very informative.

I am planning on applying to med school this summer and I have a couple questions. My GPA is low (3.1) and I have not yet taken the MCAT. I had a really bad freshman year of college and and the bad GPA I got then has followed me ever since. The rest of my grades have been ok since then. I’ve taken science pre-reqs since graduating from undergrad and received A’s in all but one class (Orgo…B)Do you think med schools take this into account, or will the 3.1 be a scarlet letter? Should I make mention of my bad freshman year in personal statements, etc or should I just ignore it? Also…are there any U.S. schools that are more open to accepting lower GPA’s than others? Any other advice you could give me would be great. Sorry for all the questions, but I’m sort of freaking out about this now and I know there’s not much I can really do about it.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Patrick

[wshelton]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ach3n

Hello,

I just received a 33 on my MCAT (13PS/8VR/12BS). I know that the 8 in VR will hurt me. I also know that I can do better, as I was averaging about a 37 on my practice tests. I am 99.9% sure on a retake right now because I feel like this test was a fluke and unrepresentative of my abilities. I am aiming for a top tier school (my grades are 3.9+ and I have excellent ECs and the rest of my application is pretty solid).

IF I were to score in the 36-38 range as I did in my practice tests, would this renew my chances at a top tier school? Basically, I wanted to know what kind of an impact this first score would have (especially the VR) if I raise my score upon a retake. I am really confident that the score will increase, as I never scored below a 34 on ANY of my practice tests, and no lower than a 36 on my last 8 practice tests. Is it possible for me to still have a good chance at a top school? Thank you for your time!

---

Dear Ach3n,
Thanks for your question. You are asking a lot of “what if” questions. You have a pretty good MCAT score now. If you improve your score however, your chances of admission will improve, especially to the more competitive schools. Sounds like it’s worth retaking the MCAT and shooting for a higher score–but do so only if you are pretty sure all of your individual scores will rise. My bet is that you will be competitive, especially if you apply to a wide range of schools.
Best,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Join us on Facebook to receive a 5% discount on all services!

[wshelton]

quote:

---

Originally posted by OhPleaseJustLetMeIn

Hello All,

Thanks for such a great site, it’s very informative.

I am planning on applying to med school this summer and I have a couple questions. My GPA is low (3.1) and I have not yet taken the MCAT. I had a really bad freshman year of college and and the bad GPA I got then has followed me ever since. The rest of my grades have been ok since then. I’ve taken science pre-reqs since graduating from undergrad and received A’s in all but one class (Orgo…B)Do you think med schools take this into account, or will the 3.1 be a scarlet letter? Should I make mention of my bad freshman year in personal statements, etc or should I just ignore it? Also…are there any U.S. schools that are more open to accepting lower GPA’s than others? Any other advice you could give me would be great. Sorry for all the questions, but I’m sort of freaking out about this now and I know there’s not much I can really do about it.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Patrick

---

Hi Patrick,
Thanks for your question. Give yourself some breathing room. No need to freak out. It may take some time for you to get to the point of being ready to apply to medical school. You may need to take more advanced science courses to further demonstrate your readiness. This would also probably better prepare your to do better on the MCAT. If you need further help, please contact our office.
Best,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Join us on Facebook to receive a 5% discount on all services!

[aymst1]

Hello and thank you for this website. I’m not sure if I’m posting in the right section to please move if needed. I am a career changer with an undergraduate degree in Psychology. My GPA is 3.28 and I graduated 10 years ago. I am interested in graduate programs in allied health. Currently I am taking science pre-requisites at a community college. I have only taken Gen Chem I with a B+. I have 5 more classes to take after this semester. I was thinking of volunteering at a hospital to get some shadowing/volunteer experience to include as part of my application. Do you think this is enough to get accepted? What else should I be doing? I still need to take the GRE and am NOT a very good test taker.

[wshelton]

quote:

---

Originally posted by aymst1

Hello and thank you for this website. I’m not sure if I’m posting in the right section to please move if needed. I am a career changer with an undergraduate degree in Psychology. My GPA is 3.28 and I graduated 10 years ago. I am interested in graduate programs in allied health. Currently I am taking science pre-requisites at a community college. I have only taken Gen Chem I with a B+. I have 5 more classes to take after this semester. I was thinking of volunteering at a hospital to get some shadowing/volunteer experience to include as part of my application. Do you think this is enough to get accepted? What else should I be doing? I still need to take the GRE and am NOT a very good test taker.

---

Dear Aymst1,
Thanks for your question. You seem to be on the right track. All I can say is make sure you really have time to devote to your pre-req science courses so that you can get the best grades of capable of, esp. since you say you aren’t a good test taker. Getting some volunteer experience, esp. that involves contact with patients, is really important; and make sure you track the hours spent doing this.
Otherwise, keep working, and good luck.
Best,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Join us on Facebook to receive a 5% discount on all services!

[gg010]

Hi,

I am a junior in college, have a 3.94 GPA, but somehow messed up the verbal reasoning of my MCAT, thus giving me a 23Q . My scores were Verb-5, Phys-8, Bio-10. I honestly don’t know what happened, but I plan on retaking it again. During my years of school I have done research (nothing published), TA’ed for a Microbiology laboratory course, lived in Moscow for ~3 months in which I took three medical oriented classes (received A’s), have done over 1000+ volunteer hours at clinics from Moscow to Mexico, 500+ hours of shadowing, currently tutor in Ochem I/II, microbio, ChemI/II, Phys I/II and am part of several honor organizations. I am also of Hispanic decent, so I am fluent in English & Spanish. I also live in the south texas area, just to give you an idea of what medical schools are close to me. What are your thoughts on my chances of getting in this year? Also, in your opinion how high of an MCAT score would I need? Could I possibly get in with the score that I have? I am not looking to go to any Ivy league schools, ill go to any school that will let me treat patients, despite if they are considered “low-tiered”. I am not picky, and right now don’t have the luxury to be.

Thanks so much!

PS Overall/Pre-Med GPA-4.0 Science GPA-3.94

Degree in Microbiology/Biochemistry

[wshelton]

quote:

---

Originally posted by gg010

Hi,

I am a junior in college, have a 3.94 GPA, but somehow messed up the verbal reasoning of my MCAT, thus giving me a 23Q . My scores were Verb-5, Phys-8, Bio-10. I honestly don’t know what happened, but I plan on retaking it again. During my years of school I have done research (nothing published), TA’ed for a Microbiology laboratory course, lived in Moscow for ~3 months in which I took three medical oriented classes (received A’s), have done over 1000+ volunteer hours at clinics from Moscow to Mexico, 500+ hours of shadowing, currently tutor in Ochem I/II, microbio, ChemI/II, Phys I/II and am part of several honor organizations. I am also of Hispanic decent, so I am fluent in English & Spanish. I also live in the south texas area, just to give you an idea of what medical schools are close to me. What are your thoughts on my chances of getting in this year? Also, in your opinion how high of an MCAT score would I need? Could I possibly get in with the score that I have? I am not looking to go to any Ivy league schools, ill go to any school that will let me treat patients, despite if they are considered “low-tiered”. I am not picky, and right now don’t have the luxury to be.

Thanks so much!

PS Overall/Pre-Med GPA-4.0 Science GPA-3.94

Degree in Microbiology/Biochemistry

---

Dear Gg010,
Thanks for your inquiry. You state you plan on retaking the MCAT exam. I suggest that you do so only if you are really pretty sure that your scores will increase significantly. This means consistently getting the scores you are shooting for on the practice exams, which you should take frequently. You really don’t want another low MCAT score. As it stands now, your MCAT will likely be a barrier to medical school admission. There may be some other remedies you need to consider before moving ahead with application.
In general, you might benefit from an overall detailed assessment of your situationw. Please contact our office if you would like to learn more.
Best,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Join us on Facebook to receive a 5% discount on all services!

[joe24]

I am a recent san diego state university graduate with a degree in finance with a 3.2 GPA. After much soul searching and some volunteering, I am returning to school to become a physician. I have applied to a pre-med postbac program, but if I don’t get in I will simply take the prereqs through extension at UCLA. I have several questions. First, with such a low GPA, can I still be competitive if I kick butt in my science courses over the next 2 years? How do med schools view students with non-science degrees doing postbac work like myself? And what can I do over the next 2 years to increase my chances of getting into med school? Thanks!

[wshelton]

quote:

---

Originally posted by joe24

I am a recent san diego state university graduate with a degree in finance with a 3.2 GPA. After much soul searching and some volunteering, I am returning to school to become a physician. I have applied to a pre-med postbac program, but if I don’t get in I will simply take the prereqs through extension at UCLA. I have several questions. First, with such a low GPA, can I still be competitive if I kick butt in my science courses over the next 2 years? How do med schools view students with non-science degrees doing postbac work like myself? And what can I do over the next 2 years to increase my chances of getting into med school? Thanks!

---

Dear Joe24,
Thanks for your question. All you can do now is to buckle down and make a lot of A’s. At this point, making top grades is the only thing that really matters. So devote yourself to that for the next year or so. Let us know how things turn out. Good luck.
Best,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Join us on Facebook to receive a 5% discount on all services!

[joe24]

Dr. Shelton,

Thanks for your help. One more question if you don’t mind. Would med schools prefer to see my prereqs done in a formal postbacc premed program rather than simply taking them through extension @ UCLA? or does it just matter how I do? I ask because I am waiting to hear back, and if I don’t get in I am debating whether to apply to a few more, or save time and money and start taking extension classes. Thank you again. Joe

[wshelton]

quote:

---

Originally posted by joe24

Dr. Shelton,

Thanks for your help. One more question if you don’t mind. Would med schools prefer to see my prereqs done in a formal postbacc premed program rather than simply taking them through extension @ UCLA? or does it just matter how I do? I ask because I am waiting to hear back, and if I don’t get in I am debating whether to apply to a few more, or save time and money and start taking extension classes. Thank you again. Joe

---

Dear Joe24,
Thanks for your follow up. As long as you are taking courses as full time student in a good quality program, you should be ok. The UCLA program should be fine.
Best,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Join us on Facebook to receive a 5% discount on all services!

[pb2288]

Hello,

I am current a third year student at UC Berkeley, and I am doing a double major in Neurobiology and Psychology. My current cumulative GPA is 3.425, while my science GPA is closer to 3.1. I have been working in various research/clinical research labs for about 3 years now, and am likely to produce a publication this year from one of those labs. I have no clinical/volunteering experience. Let’s say that I get around a 30-33 on my MCATS, what are my chances of getting into med school and what tier of medschools am I looking at as my best shot?

Thanks!

[Author]

Posts