Brief Profile:
Usual honors/Volunteering. Medical nonprofit work, v. little medical research but lots of humanities/econ research. Attended ugrad on a full tuition scholarship. Study abroad for 1.5 years. Dancer (13+ years) and vocalist. Worked in finance for 2 years after graduating.
Moral of the story: don't be intimidated if you don't have any scientific/lab research on your resume - research in any field carries transferable skills! Nontraditional, unique research also helps you stand out big-time.
// Applications //
Application Cycle One: 2003
Undergraduate college: Southern Methodist University
Undergraduate Area of study: Foreign Language/International Studies
Institution: London School of Economics/Oxford U
Area of Study: Other
Degree Obtained: BS/BA
Institution: University of Texas at Dallas - Post Bac
Area of Study: Other
Degree Obtained: none
Total MCAT SCORE: 514
MCAT Section Scores:
B/B 130,
C/P 129,
CARS 126
Overall GPA: 4.00
Science GPA: 4.00
Summary of Application Experience
I'm very happy and feel v. fortunate to have been accepted so early in the cycle, esp at my top choice.
Finances were a big deal for me. Once I got accepted w/great deals at my top choices, I withdrew/declined interviews pretty much everywhere else except Duke, the only school I'd have considered attending over the other choices. (Once I visited Duke though, I realized Durham wasn't for me. Columbia was pretty much the same way -- I couldn't 'see' myself there for some reason.) This saved me tons of $$ and time, and I still had the hardest, most agonizing time deciding between Michigan and Baylor. So moral of the story: Save yourself the $$ and agony of applying to too many schools, and narrow it down early on.
I was tremendously worried coming into this process as a nontrad lacking basic science research experience and a single digit verbal score (something i really had to grapple with...as i've always considered verbal reasoning my greatest strength). So for all of you who didn't do so well on verbal and are stressing, fear not - it can be done.
Basic tips: 1) apply very early. You can never apply too early (unless you send in an incomplete/sub-par application)!! 2) Apply to fewer schools than you think you need to. It's a very expensive process. Only apply at places where you seriously will consider attending. It's not worth it to apply to 40+ schools 'just to get in' - you risk being unhappy at a place where you don't belong. 3) Avoid being the 'cookie-cutter' applicant. Go for uniqueness, honesty, and originality - no other gimmicks needed. 4) Just because you get a high MCAT score doesn't mean you're going to get in, so don't be smug. Conversely, even as a NON-URM with an average MCAT score, you *can* still get amazing deals - like a full scholarship (still can't believe it myself). Have confidence and don't let this agonizing process wear you down.
Applying is a most grueling process but once you succeed, the feeling can't be beat. Good luck to all!
User #953 took the old MCAT and scored a 33 which is in the 91th percentile of all old scores.
We converted this to a 514 on the updated scale which is in the 91th percentile of the updated MCAT. We also converted User #953’s section scores as follows:
User #953 scored a 12 on the Biological Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 130 on the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems.
User #953 scored a 12 on the Physical Science section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 129 on the Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems.
User #953 scored a 9 on the Verbal Reasoning section of the old MCAT which is approximately equal to a 126 on the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.
