Mcat Scores For Us Schools

[victorias]

What is considered a competitive score for US MD schools? I have a masters degree and been working for a year or so since graduation. I know that masters degrees don't count for much in the US admission system but still, it gives me life experience and research/publications. Undergrad GPA is 3.74 with strong upward trend and Grad GPA is 4.0. BCMP GPA is a bit lower than overall. Mostly good grades with a couple of bad ones in the first 2 years which are bringing down the average.

 

I can't seem to get over the CARS section requirements to be competitive in Ontario so looking to apply to the US. 

 

I would love to apply for MD/PhD since I have a passion for both medicine and research but I don't think my stats are competitive enough so I might just do PhD later rather than on a joint program.

 

Any suggestions?

[bearpuppy]

I'd say probably 510+. But I don't know how the new MCAT is being viewed.

 

It's kinda odd but I'd say that some places are more lenient on MD/PhD candidates than they are on MD candidates.. but I don't have hard evidence to back this up. Your bigger challenge is making sure that wherever you apply for a MD/PhD, that they accept international students, specifically into the MD/PhD program. The MSTP funding is federal and can not be given to someone who is not a citizen or permanent resident. Some schools find money elsewhere for international candidates, some schools just don't take any because of that issue.

[Rovereign]

The MD-PhD programs in the US are competitive. I haven't looked into too much detail into them but I think a major incentive for people applying to them is the fact that some (if not many/all?) cover your entire tuition, but I'm not sure if that would apply to Canadians applying. I believe having a masters degree here would help. You can apply to both MD/PhD and regular MD programs at each school. On AMCAS they ask which program you are interested in applying to because there are others besides MD and MD/PhD (e.g. MD/MBA, MD/JD, MD/MDiv, etc.).

 

Although at one point I did email the program administrator for a school I interviewed at. I had already interviewed for the MD program and asked how I could apply for the MD/PhD if I wanted and he said that if I were to matriculate to their school, I could apply for entry into the MD/PhD program in my first year. So you could gain entry into an MD program and try and apply for the MD/PhD once you're in. In fact, he told me a majority of students followed this route in the previous year. 

 

Have your written the MCAT? The higher your score the better, but they of course don't have strict cutoffs like schools in Canada. They do like to see a well-rounded score overall, though. 

[victorias]

I wrote the old MCAT a few years ago and will be writing the new one soon. I didn't do well on verbal last time.

I am not sure how they will look at rewrites and with the new scoring, what is competitive. What do they consider in terms of each section score? Do they flag a low section? Will my rewrites be really badly looked upon?

 

I have hesitated to apply in the past with poor MCAT score because I heard that reapplicants are looked at negatively too.

 

I believe I have strong EC's, research and clinical experiences and valuable work experiences. I have worked in some top labs with well known people and have publications, international conferences etc. In fact, I have worked with one prof from the states whose university accepts Canadians so I would definitely love to apply there. My goal is MD/PhD for sure but I do understand that I am not the perfect 4.0, top MCAT scorer.

[bearpuppy]

The MD-PhD programs in the US are competitive. I haven't looked into too much detail into them but I think a major incentive for people applying to them is the fact that some (if not many/all?) cover your entire tuition, but I'm not sure if that would apply to Canadians applying. I believe having a masters degree here would help. You can apply to both MD/PhD and regular MD programs at each school. On AMCAS they ask which program you are interested in applying to because there are others besides MD and MD/PhD (e.g. MD/MBA, MD/JD, MD/MDiv, etc.).

 

Although at one point I did email the program administrator for a school I interviewed at. I had already interviewed for the MD program and asked how I could apply for the MD/PhD if I wanted and he said that if I were to matriculate to their school, I could apply for entry into the MD/PhD program in my first year. So you could gain entry into an MD program and try and apply for the MD/PhD once you're in. In fact, he told me a majority of students followed this route in the previous year. 

 

Have your written the MCAT? The higher your score the better, but they of course don't have strict cutoffs like schools in Canada. They do like to see a well-rounded score overall, though. 

 

as an aside: congrats on your acceptance. Mind if I ask where it is at?

[Rovereign]

I wrote the old MCAT a few years ago and will be writing the new one soon. I didn't do well on verbal last time.

I am not sure how they will look at rewrites and with the new scoring, what is competitive. What do they consider in terms of each section score? Do they flag a low section? Will my rewrites be really badly looked upon?

 

I have hesitated to apply in the past with poor MCAT score because I heard that reapplicants are looked at negatively too.

 

I believe I have strong EC's, research and clinical experiences and valuable work experiences. I have worked in some top labs with well known people and have publications, international conferences etc. In fact, I have worked with one prof from the states whose university accepts Canadians so I would definitely love to apply there. My goal is MD/PhD for sure but I do understand that I am not the perfect 4.0, top MCAT scorer.

 

Each school will have its own consideration of a competitive MCAT score. You should check out MSAR for that kind of information which will give you a breakdown for each school and the average GPA and MCAT scores for their matriculating students. Hard to say what they think of re-writes. The fewer re-writes the better, obviously. Some say they don't like it and others say they don't care. But I can give you my situation: I wrote the test 3 times. First time my score was average. Second time I did very well and in hindsight I should not have re-written it, but I re-wrote it for a third time because I wanted to bring up my verbal score (I had a 10 and I wanted a higher score for Ontario schools). My overall score for my second and third re-writes were the same but my verbal section improved. The US school I interviewed at and have been accepted to phoned me for the acceptance and the doctor on the phone told me they were especially impressed by the fact that I decided to re-write the test a third time when my score was already great the second time. So they seemed to think it was fine. Overall, I would say re-writes are OK as long as you do not score lower than previous attempts and try to not write it more than 3 times.

 

I don't think re-applicants would be frowned upon if your application is better from the previous cycle. However, that might be different if you interviewed the previous cycle and were not accepted subsequently. You would certainly be flagged if you were interviewed and offered an acceptance but declined and are now applying to their school again. Your research experience will definitely help you out in US applications. They love it in their applicants.

 

as an aside: congrats on your acceptance. Mind if I ask where it is at?

 

Thank you, it's at Central Michigan. 

[victorias]

Congrats on the acceptance. Thanks for the valuable information.

 

What type of clinical experience did you have? And did you submit a reference letter from a healthcare provider?

I contacted Rosalind Franklin and they wanted a reference from a health care professional. 

I have volunteered in the hospital when I was an undergrad but they don't provide letters - all I can get from them is verification of the number of hours contributed.

[Rovereign]

Congrats on the acceptance. Thanks for the valuable information.

 

What type of clinical experience did you have? And did you submit a reference letter from a healthcare provider?

I contacted Rosalind Franklin and they wanted a reference from a health care professional. 

I have volunteered in the hospital when I was an undergrad but they don't provide letters - all I can get from them is verification of the number of hours contributed.

 

Thank you and no problem.

 

I worked as a pharmacy technician for a little over 6 years and I did a few months as a volunteer at a hospital. So yes, one of my reference letters was from a healthcare provider (pharmacist). Some schools do want one from a healthcare professional but there are others that don't. 

[victorias]

Thank you and no problem.

 

I worked as a pharmacy technician for a little over 6 years and I did a few months as a volunteer at a hospital. So yes, one of my reference letters was from a healthcare provider (pharmacist). Some schools do want one from a healthcare professional but there are others that don't. 

Thanks!

 

Do you mind sharing the list of schools you applied to and interviewed at? Did you apply super early?

[Rovereign]

Thanks!

 

Do you mind sharing the list of schools you applied to and interviewed at? Did you apply super early?

 

Anytime!

I applied to: Stony Brook, Saint Louis, Wayne, Central Michigan, SUNY Upstate, University of Kentucky, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth, Penn State, Oakland Beaumont, Case Western, Boston University, NYMC, and Michigan State. I interviewed at Stony Brook, Central Michigan, and University of Kentucky. I did apply very early; my primary app was in before the end of June and my secondary apps were done by mid-July.

[victorias]

Thanks Rovereign! You are awesome

 

I was talking to a pre-med advisor/evaluation committee member at a US school and she really told me that retaking the MCAT is going to be really BAD and a waste of my time since I have very small chance as an international applicant. So I am aiming to target schools that focus more on recent MCAT scores, so your list is really helpful. My GPA and EC's are good but I am have been struggling with the MCAT (verbal/CARS especially).

[Rovereign]

Thanks Rovereign! You are awesome

 

I was talking to a pre-med advisor/evaluation committee member at a US school and she really told me that retaking the MCAT is going to be really BAD and a waste of my time since I have very small chance as an international applicant. So I am aiming to target schools that focus more on recent MCAT scores, so your list is really helpful. My GPA and EC's are good but I am have been struggling with the MCAT (verbal/CARS especially).

 

Anytime! Glad to help

 

Just wanted to point out that for a number of US schools you are not considered as an international applicant. You would be considered as an out-of-state applicant, essentially on par with US students applying to a school outside their state. Good luck! 

[victorias]

Anytime! Glad to help

 

Just wanted to point out that for a number of US schools you are not considered as an international applicant. You would be considered as an out-of-state applicant, essentially on par with US students applying to a school outside their state. Good luck! 

 

Thanks! That's exactly what I thought but she kept referring to me as an "international applicant" and kept saying that the average for internationals is 514. I really want to give this another shot and I have no choice but to rewrite it since as my score stands right now, it is not competitive so all I can do is to try my best and hope for an improvement.