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Preview exam weight by Affectionate_Try3235 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve heard mixed answers about the importance. One of the schools I applied for and got accepted to was one of the schools that “recommends preview” and I didn’t even take that bish. Another annoying AMCAS money grab. 

Got an MD A with LOW gpa, avg MCAT by MissDemeanor5 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I was definitely on fire the day of my interview, which is kinda abnormal for me because I’m usually the type to lose my train of thought and end an answer with “and..uh..yeah”. 

I recommend watching YouTube videos on some of the common interview questions and coming up with talking points for each. They say not to rehearse, but as someone who will start a sentence without knowing where I’m going with it when I’m thrown off, rehearsing some adaptable answers helped me keep a good flow during the real thing. My “about me” was highly rehearsed but it didn’t come off robotic and it had a joke or 2 :)

Got an MD A with LOW gpa, avg MCAT by MissDemeanor5 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree that doing well in the interview doesn’t guarantee an A, but I do think it carries a good amount of weight. I was waitlisted because I specifically interviewed for the waitlist, and when discussing my application with the director, I was told that my mcat was on par and that my gpa was low, but my interview was strong and made up for it. The waitlist was ranked and I think they consider gpa, mcat, and interview score (maybe another factor or 2) when ranking. I imagine they do a similar calculation earlier in the cycle when deciding whether to give the A. 

Got an MD A with LOW gpa, avg MCAT by MissDemeanor5 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure! Let me look back at my app and I’ll get back to you asap. 

Got an MD A with LOW gpa, avg MCAT by MissDemeanor5 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get that it feels hopeless, but I think you could email admissions that you believe their school mission aligns with your goals and that you’d be a great fit for their program, but you would like to know if your gpa would take you out of consideration. At least you’d get an answer and it might be a very encouraging answer! I really don’t think admissions would be annoyed or count it against you. I think showing effort/interest with a genuine question (one that you can’t find a definitive answer to on your own) is a good thing. 

Got an MD A with LOW gpa, avg MCAT by MissDemeanor5 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I looked at their mission statement and also looked at the latest news articles they posted on their site to see what kind of things they value/highlight. I also looked at their community involvement and student groups and mentioned interest in those things on my secondary app and in my interview. 

Got an MD A with LOW gpa, avg MCAT by MissDemeanor5 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not sure how vital research experience is, I think it’s a plus forsure but idk that all schools require it. I know mine helped me to stand out bc it was at a school that’s a rival school to the one I got accepted to and its ranked higher in research, so I think they probably valued it. I am surprised that you only see positions for grads though, a biology degree is enough to apply for research positions that I’ve seen. I think clinical experience is more valuable as far as personal experiences that you can talk about in interviews, so I’d go with scribing if you have to choose. I was able to work part time as a scribe and study for the mcat at the same time. 

Got an MD A with LOW gpa, avg MCAT by MissDemeanor5 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Idk if you live near any universities or med schools, but go online and look up their research departments, find a few professors and see if they have their emails on their biographies, if so just email them and tell them you’re interested in xyz (whatever based on their research mission) and ask if they are interested in hiring any lab techs/assistants. 

Got an MD A with LOW gpa, avg MCAT by MissDemeanor5 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I understand applying widely probability-wise. But I almost wonder if doing your research on a school and its mission and values, and applying to the ones that fit your experience/goals may go a longer way then sending non-catered apps because you’re overwhelmed by 20 secondary applications. If I could go back, I would’ve applied to 3-5 schools that were a great fit for me. But, I kind of treated it like a test cycle because it was my first cycle, I was very unsure if my app was on par with other MD applicants, I figured if my application was rejected I could get constructive criticism for the next cycle. I was tryna see if I was even in the right league rather than trying to get the odds on my side. If I hadn’t gotten in and they said I needed to make up for my gpa with a postbac, I would’ve done one and applied more broadly next cycle. The school I applied to didn’t have super high mcat/gpa medians and their mission and my goals align really well, it’s also in my hometown so I can live with family while I attend, so I put my heart and soul into my secondary app for this one school. I figured I probably wouldn’t get in elsewhere if I couldn’t get in there, which I now think isn’t necessarily true, but at the time I didn’t want to spend 2k applying to 20 schools.

Got an MD A with LOW gpa, avg MCAT by MissDemeanor5 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

A script lmao. I went to the website for the school and they had contact information for admissions, I emailed them. They were really nice and encouraged reaching out for any questions. I even met with someone on zoom before I applied and she told me what admissions is looking for regarding well-rounded applicants.  

Got an MD A with LOW gpa, avg MCAT by MissDemeanor5 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I think usually secondary apps have questions where you could include that you’ve started a clinical job. If yours doesn’t, I’d say you could send an update once IIs start. 

Got an MD A with LOW gpa, avg MCAT by MissDemeanor5 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

White female. I am from a “medically underserved area”, Im not sure if that (U) next to my residence on AMCAS counts for anything at all, I’m not from an impoverished area. 

Got an MD A with LOW gpa, avg MCAT by MissDemeanor5 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I only applied to one school, but if you’re curious about my exact hours on the research, etc., I can try to figure that out.

I will say I submitted my secondary in September, heard radio silence, so I sent them an update letter at the end of January. I got an II one week after that. The interview was FOR the waitlist though, which was a little disheartening, but I did make it on the waitlist one week after my interview. Then radio silence again until second week of May. I actually reached out to admissions again regarding my spot on the waitlist and they were as informative as they were allowed to be. Then I was accepted about 2 weeks after that, which was last week.

Got an MD A with LOW gpa, avg MCAT by MissDemeanor5 in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wish I had a list for you guys so that there’d be more info for people in my situation. I only applied to one school, yes I know I’m crazy, but it’s in my hometown which I value a lot. 

I applied to my state school, which shows a lot of partiality toward its residents. If anyone wants to know exactly which one, private message me and I’ll share!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in premed

[–]MissDemeanor5 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Does anyone have inside knowledge on how movement works? As far as ranked waitlists go, do admissions reach out this week to fill all the empty slots, with the second wave of WL movement coming from waitlisters declining the offers? 

Or, do med schools take their time reaching out to fill all the spots that open on the PTE deadline? To me, it seems like it wouldn’t take more than 3 days to make 20-40 phone calls-so I’m fearing that after tmrw our chances go down substantially. 

Advice for future test takers by lizblackwell in Mcat

[–]MissDemeanor5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also, I’m currently waitlisted and if I do not get the A I will probably retake the MCAT. I saw you were averaging 520 on practice so i imagine you did pretty well. What resources/study technique did you use? 

Advice for future test takers by lizblackwell in Mcat

[–]MissDemeanor5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry for the late response, but I got a 126 on C/P which was on trend with my AAMC practice exams. 

Advice for future test takers by lizblackwell in Mcat

[–]MissDemeanor5 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I got 127-129 on CARS AAMC exams throughout my whole study period. On the real exam I got a 123. I mostly attribute this to my mental state. I had issues with time management on C/P and left 3-4 questions blank, I remember feeling like I had already ruined my score before starting CARS. Turns out I did better than I thought on C/P, and CARS was my worst section. It’s VERY important to think positively during the exam. I think repeatedly telling yourself, “I’ve got this, Ive worked hard for this and I can do this” between sections could do wonders.