<p>So, son got a 32 M.....I'm happy with that since he wouldn't take a Kaplan test. lol
He's annoyed because he thinks he could have done better with some studying and maybe a Kaplan class.</p>
<p>Verbal 11
Physical 11
Bio 10</p>
<p>32</p>
<p>Writing M (have no idea what this means? I'm guessing this is ok???)</p>
<p>So, his score is balanced, he has a 4.0 BCMP, a 3.9 overall GPA. </p>
<p>Now, to finalize "the list". :)</p>
<p>lol…just saw that his Writing score is low. I wonder why? Although he’s not a fabulous writer, he’s a strong writer and has had EXCELLENT composition instructors. </p>
<p>Hopefully, SOMs don’t care much about that.</p>
<p>Congratulations! Very balanced scores and it is definitely good for the majority of med schools. I think he has overcome the very last hurdle.</p>
<p>I heard that the writing score does not matter much. I heard that many testers “sleep” through the writing test session – Well, I exaggerate it here, but you get my point. (If only all doctors can write the prescription in a way that the patients/pharmacists can read it without guessing, I think it is good enough! LOL.)</p>
<p>I could not help with the list of schools. I believe during DS’s application year, he mostly just copied the list of schools another CCer kindly provided to us, with a minor change on it. All the additional ones I suggested to him were “aborted” in the middle of application cycle so my track record is as poor as it can get 
However, my biggest contribution was to convince him not to apply to TMDSAS schools + BCM only. Hopefully, he would be thankful to me for this. (At least for the part of having no grades during the preclinical years, as these southern schools do not play that “grading game” that is good for the student’s mental health.)</p>
<p>With a 32/4.0 and a balanced extracurricular profile, I’d be comfortable applying to a mix of schools that included my state schools, private schools from a variety of “tiers,” and some elite schools too. While his MCAT score isn’t in the stratosphere, it’s definitely good enough that I personally wouldn’t wouldn’t worry about it.</p>
<p>Any idea what kind of school he’s looking for? Location? Size? Curriculum? Focus? Having a good grasp on those elements would be helpful!</p>
<p>He’s really open to anything…lol.</p>
<p>For sure he’ll apply to UAB and USA instate. I don’t know if a 32 is good enough to apply to Tulane or Emory. Vandy would probably a super reach.</p>
<p>The only school that would surprise me if he got an interview would be Washu. Otherwise, apply broadly and early.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son m2ck. Your son has made it past the last hurdle as someone just said! Good luck with the admissions process.</p>
<p>The writing section is not weighted heavily and the reason he did poorly is probably because he didn’t take a class. MCAT writing is a particular style that takes practice and is more about ones ability to come up with real world examples of a problem than it is about actual writing skill.</p>
<p>m2ck - Not to worry. He just needs one admission and as an instate with great GPA, research, and assumedly stellar recommendations, MCAT is just a necessary evil to fill in the blanks to get into the Alabama schools.</p>
<p>UAB is pretty high in rankings (12 in primary care and 31 in research). Not sure he should worry about other schools if he gets in there.</p>
<p>MCAT writing is a particular style that takes practice and is more about ones ability to come up with real world examples of a problem than it is about actual writing skill</p>
<p>Ahh…that explains it. If he had known to approach the essays from that perspective, he probably would have done better. He just thought that he had to write the typical essays with thesis, supporting points (including a historical or literature reference, etc), and ending with a conclusion…using proper grammar, syntax, tense, subject/verb agreement, and so forth. </p>
<p>I know that he’s annoyed that he thinks he could have done better, but in reality, he’s not a super test taker (got an ACT 33 and SAT around 2280). And, he insisted that he didn’t have time for a Kaplan prep class…grrrrr. </p>
<p>Yes, if he gets into UAB, we’ll be quite happy…only about 75 minutes away…but then again, so is Vandy. So, either up or down I65. </p>
<p>UAB
USA
Tulane
Vandy
Emory
Duke??? (probably toooo much of a reach)
SLU
GWU
Loyola Chicago
Tufts
?
?
?
?</p>
<p>IU School of Medicine? Very nice medical program in Indianapolis.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>I think it’s the biggest SOM. Don’t know if they take OOS students.</p>
<p>UNC
Baylor
Case Western</p>
<p>Does Baylor have a Texas admissions bias? </p>
<p>Case is a good idea.</p>
<p>Wake Forest?? </p>
<p>University of Miami? (does it have an instate bias?)</p>
<p>From what I know the "average MCAT at Wash U is around 30, so, I don’t know it it’s out of the question.</p>
<p>^Latest USN&WR has it at about 37, highest in the country I think.</p>
<p>Just got home and saw your son’s score—congrats to him, Mom2!</p>
<p>He now has plenty of options.</p>
<p>M2CK, Does your son have any advice for those taking the exam in June or July? Was there anything he would have done differently knowing what he knows now after taking the test?</p>
<p>Re: MCAT writing section. I improved from something low-ish (M? N?) to my actual score (S, and the highest possible is T) after spending a few hours learning Kaplan’s strategy for the writing section. It really is about giving them the content they want and not about how well or how creatively one writes. I wouldn’t give it a second thought in terms of how it may affect the admissions process.</p>