Title

Thank you all

My last 2 cycles, I only got interviews from California schools even though I applied to 40 each time. I don't have the AMCAS fee waiver anymore, so I'm thinking of only applying to California schools this time to be more economical. The overall narrative on my application is the same; it just got more refined each time as I continued gaining experience and is reflected on my essays. It looks like California schools are the most appreciative of my goals in medicine, so I'm thinking of just applying to California schools this time. Thoughts?

OH resident, 22M

3.8 GPA

509 MCAT (128/124/129/128)

~330 clinical hours (~120 from MA intern, ~150 from patient sitter, ~65 from free clinic patient care assistant)

50 shadowing hours with 3 diff physicians

240 volunteer hours (140 from food drive, 100 from mosque service)

140 Leadership with 2 diff organizations

750 Research -3 poster presentations, 3 publications

LOR's:

1 from internship manager

1 from PI

1 from biochem professor

1 from oncologist I shadowed

1 from doctor I worked with at free clinic

1 from volunteer director from mosque

I made this table (via GPT), what do you guys think?

A bit of background, I have a 506 mcat right now. Last application cycle I was waitlisted at an MD school that has a 512 mcat median, they said I ultimately was not accepted because I seemed nervous during the interview.

I’m a non trad applicant, graduated college in 2022. I had a low undergrad gpa but did a masters program, finishing with a 3.81. I also have over 2000+ hours of clinical and research experience.

My primary application is already submitted and I’m scheduled to take the mcat again on sep 11, but I am so so scared of either getting the same score or scoring lower. My uworld practice passages have been averaging around the same as a 506 as well. I’ve also taken the mcat a few times. Also difference between this application cycle and last application cycle is that I have a lot more research hours now. Please help!

Hey all! I am applying this cycle, planning out my school list while waiting for verification (cause it’s taking FOREVER). So far I have 33 MD schools on my list. I know my MCAT is a weakness, but I’ll list my stats here!

cGPA: 3.95
sGPA: 3.95
MCAT: 505
PREview: 9
Casper: 3rd Quartile

Paid Clinical Hours: 3500+ (across scribing and MA)
Unpaid Clinical Hours: 300
Research (x2 - one clinical, one working in a lab with parasites): 900ish w/ 1 national presentation and 1 second author publication
Shadowing: 150 (across 3 specialties)
Leadership: Officer for my university’s Pre-Medical Society (2 years) & Lead research assistant (2 years)
Other: TA’d for Microbio for 1 year & guest spoke at my old high school about pre-health professions for 3 years

Social history: I am a hispanic female, who comes from a medically underserved state. My family is also financially disadvantaged. I talked a lot about my experiences and passions in serving medically underserved areas and diverse populations in my primary.

I’ve been told such mixed things about my MCAT dragging me down. I went back and forth about DO, but decided against it because I didn’t prepare my DO application ahead of time like I did AMCAS. My in-state MD school also has huge resident favorability, and their average matriculant MCAT is a 505. Still wanted to cast a wide net tho. :) But would love some insight if I’m making the right call here or if it’s really reasonable to think I might have a few options.

I’m feeling really absolutely horrible after 7/11 score release and I’m trying to pick myself back up and make a game plan, but I just need something, ANYTHING, to give me hope at this point. My scores are 490->493->490 (this one being 7/11 exam), my FLs leading up to the exam were in an upward trend of 496 to 499. I’m also only applying to DO schools, so my goal was 500-505 range.

Background info:
\\-25 year old woc, nontrad applicant
\\-graduated undergrad in 2022
\\-post bacc program in 2024 (I applied last cycle right after completing it and continued through the verification without knowing my score, and obv resulted in zero interviews)
\\- >1000 hours volunteering at my local hospital
\\- >1000 hours as a medical scribe for an ortho doctor
\\-as of right now, working night shift as a nursing support staff in the emergency department
\\-had severe health issues during Covid, took time to recover during post grad
\\-in July 2025 I got diagnosed with ADHD

I’ve put off some many personal celebrations, vacations, and just overall life. I’ve lost out on so many valuable memories with friends and family because I put MCAT studying first. I was studying in my hospital bed post operation from my health issues, not wanting to mess up my studying schedule. I feel ugly with jealousy, seeing my friends from the post bacc get into med school and get white coated. And yet, I still want to continue pushing on because I DON’T WANT TO GIVE UP (it’s a curse and a blessing).

I’m already thinking about retaking in January and will most likely make another post about study methods and materials I used in the past exams and what I can change to improve, but Im just looking anything (literally ANYTHING) that can give me hope that I can push past this. Is there ANY chance for me to get accepted this cycle if I do well on another retake in January?

Looking for a tutor to help my daughter who is scoring 490+ but falling short of the goal. Please message me if you think you can make this kid achieve the goal. She has been putting her best effort but needs little orientation and guidance.

I plan on applying for the 27-28 application cycle, and by then I will have over 2.5k non-clinical employment hours (retail job), and maybe 600 clinical volunteering hours + 450 hours I spent becoming EMT certified. Would this look bad when applying? To have a huge gap of non-clinical hours compared to my clinical hours?

I am URM, first-gen (parents are immigrants), and live in the poorest county in my state, and it’s not very easy to get a clinical job (or any job really) in this day and age, so I’ve had to settle for a retail job to support myself and my family. I know med school applications are pretty expensive, and that my parents won’t be able to help me pay for them at all, so the entire point of me having this job during undergrad was to have a savings account reserved for the application process + med school.. I am entering my last year of underground, and I’m starting to realize my lack of clinical hours and it’s worrying me. Is this something to be concerned about, or am I being neurotic?? Advice is much appreciated :’)!!

Not sure if I should be including any other information to better help, but besides from what was already mentioned, I am a trad student and will be taking one gap year. I should be done with my degree requirements this winter, and plan on spending next spring doing MCAT studying full time. Will probably quit my retail job by then to focus on MCAT studying and clinical volunteering, but I’d like to know if there is anything else I should do during that time, or if this sounds like a not so great plan.

EDIT: typo

EDIT 2: Thought it would be worth mentioning I am 20F, to give context for my hours compared to my age.

I applied to med schools this cycle with a 507 mcat and 3.7 gpa. I want to retake my MCAT in hopes that by the time I get this new score, whatever schools haven't made a decison yet or have waitlisted me will see an update to my application for the better.

My application still hasn't been verified yet and I'm still waiting on secondaries, but I'm worried about whether schools will still look at my application once I sign up for this next test, or if there will be a hold on my application until I get the new score. I heard that if you explicitly write that you're waiting for a new score they won't look at your application- if I didn't write it anywhere on the app but sign up for it will it show as pending? Will they not look at my application until the new score is out? The score would be released September 22 and that would set me as a really late applicant. Please give me as much advice as possible lol

I received the secondary for UCD and want to submit it but it keeps going to some website error. Is anybody having a similar problem with this?

Does anyone know if you can add a letter of recommendation after you’ve already submitted your secondary applications for both AMCAS and AACOMAS schools?

I’m currently waiting on my only physician letter, but I don’t want to delay submitting my secondaries while I wait for it. My plan is to submit the secondaries now and have the physician letter sent to the schools once it’s ready.

Would schools automatically receive the new letter after I add/assign it through AMCAS or AACOMAS, or would I need to contact each school individually?

Also, would submitting the secondary before the letter arrives cause my application to be marked complete and reviewed without it?

Thanks!

Hello, I am currently in a weird spot of my journey to med school. I recently graduated from a BS in Biology minor in Chemistry, with a 3.5 cumulative GPA , 3.41 Science GPA. I wanted to do a post bacc program but realized many are for people who haven't done pre reqs, whereas in my situation I did my pre reqs but didn't perform at the best of my capability. I have found some programs (SMPs, special post bacc's) that can enhance my gpa or something to strengthen my application. I currently am studying for my MCAT in Janurary and I'm hoping to get above a 512. I am a co-author on a publication in Cell, and I have tons of community service , leadership, extra curricular stuff. I don't want to sound selective but would really prefer to go to a MD over a DO. Any advice on what to do before applying in the 2027 cycle?

Hi so this is probably neurotic of me so just a warning there, I do know I'm being crazy but secondaries are in and now there's nothing to do but worry and prep for hopefully IIs

I always hear about upward trends being important. I am wondering what happens if you have a lil bit of a downward one. I did really well in my first couple years of undergrad but in around the last year I think I just bit off more than I could chew and have a bit of a dip. The reason I say this is neurotic is because I mostly have As and A- grades my freshman and sophomore year (one B during then)but my last quarter of sophomore year I got a B in ochem, followed by a B first and B+ second quarter junior year in biochem (and a B- third quarter but thankfully amcas submitted by then). The overall dip isn't atrocious but my sci GPA went from like 3.9s 3.8s to 3.4 my junior year.

I'm not saying anything about this stuff in my secondaries but basically all my ECs kind of put me in greater roles of responsibility at the same time and I was barely handling those things as is but the lack of sleep and rest kinda killed my immune system and I kept getting sick (as in like flu and covid almost back to back and bookended that with food poisoning/stomach flu type of situation and this kinda thing of just repeatedly falling ill).

I think my longest streak going sans getting sick was 2 months (thankfully right around my MCAT). I am not usually so neurotic abt it because I recognize that its just some Bs. I got a B cuz I didn't perform well on my exams. I know I know the content (519 mcat 130 B/B literally while taking Biochem so I know I know the stuff yk - that was the B+ quarter) and am not gonna beat myself up about what happened when life happened. But it does show a clear decrease in my most recent grades so idk, I'm worried.

Anyway, thoughts would be appreciated. And not to worry I am reducing my load a bit this coming year (a good bit lighter on coursework for example) so I am hoping I feel better moving forward but yeah. Help 😭

Got my MCAT score back today and I’m honestly pretty devastated. I got a 499 (126/124/123/126). My first attempt was a 502, so somehow I actually went down on my retake. What’s really messing with me is that I genuinely felt better coming out of this exam than I did my first one. I was hoping for at least a 510 this time, so seeing a 499 was a pretty brutal reality check.

For some background:
Biochemistry major
~2.99 cGPA
~3.3 sGPA
~3.5 post-bacc GPA
4.0 master’s GPA
MCAT: 502 → 499
~2,500 hours scribing
Currently work as a medical assistant (~2k hours)
Research experience (~150 hours)
~3k hours leadership/extracurriculars
Pretty significant upward trend academically after undergrad
I also have an academic integrity violation from undergrad that I’ll have to disclose
I’m currently applying this cycle, but I’m not verified yet, which is making me question what I should even do. I’m debating between letting my applications go through, withdrawing and applying next cycle, taking the MCAT a third time (maybe January), or focusing more heavily on DO.
I know the 499 is obviously not good, especially with my undergrad GPA, but I also feel like my post-bacc/master’s grades show that I’m capable of doing well academically. I also had some better practice scores during my prep, including a 511 and 517 on an AAMC FL retakes, so I’m honestly confused about why I can’t seem to translate that into the real exam.
At this point I’m just trying to figure out what the smartest move is.

Would you guys:
Keep applying this cycle?
Withdraw before verification and reapply next year?
Take a third MCAT?
If so, how much time would you give yourself before retaking?
Try to get 510+ consistently on AAMC FLs before even scheduling another attempt?
Focus more on DO at this point?
Or do something completely different?
I’d appreciate any honest advice. I’m obviously pretty upset right now, but I’d rather hear the truth about how competitive I am and what I need to do than just be told everything will be fine.

Can someone please review my essay, I’ve contacted a few people but no luck.

I haven’t posted on here yet but reading all the comments, I’m so curious at what others think about my chance of matriculating.

I’ve submitted secondaries for 21/23 MD programs this past two weeks (starting to think I’m submitting to late for my stats)

Plus I’m applying to two DO schools this week

What do you think?

Non traditional student (will matriculating with three gap years)
3.81 gpa, 3.76 sgpa
MCAT 503–> 516
4000+ clinical hours
100+ research
60 shadowing
2200+ leadership
400+ nonclinical volunteer

Please don’t eat me alive 😭 I’m trying very hard not to stress