<p>On the Columbia secondary application, there is a section that allows me to tell them anything about me. In this section, should I include a justification as to why I did not do as well on my MCAT as I should have?</p>
<p>Unless you did only sort of “not well” on the MCAT- or have the insane GPA/ECs to back it up, I would advise against even applying to Columbia at all since thir MCAT averages are VERY high.</p>
<p>If you have a LEGIT reason for doing poorly (again, not TOO poorly), then yes go ahead.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Well I’ve been getting around 34 on the practice but on the real mcat i got a 28P. But I do have a valid reason for not doing as well.</p>
<p>I don’t understand…
What are you going to say… Take me because I did better on my practice exam?</p>
<p>Don’t be a ******. Perhaps he means that he might retake it.</p>
<p>Don’t waste your money on a columbia app with a 28P</p>
<p>I think you’re directing this question to the wrong place. No one on this board knows your personal situation well enough to give you the tailored advice you need–all anyone can do, without knowing you better, is speculate and look at Columbia S&P’s record in the past. But the fact of the matter that the 2011 cycle is not the same as the 2009 cycle or even the 2010 cycle, and that you aren’t necessarily an average applicant who happens to have a lower MCAT than expected. We just don’t know your stats. </p>
<p>If I were in your shoes (and I sort of am–I expected to do better on the MCAT and was surprised that the one I took on 5/27 was much different than expected), I would start by talking to an advisor who knows me and my med school desires (bonus points if they’re familiar with Ivys). Hopefully that person would know my situation best. I’d also talk with a general academic advisor or pre-med advisor to see what other students have done in similar situations–how common is it to explain MCAT scores away? Is it even possible? I bet someone at your school has that answer. Maybe you could call an adcom at a different school (probably one you didn’t apply to) to get their opinion too. By then I bet you’ll know what to do.</p>
<p>If I were in your shoes and I had to decide right now what to do, I probably wouldn’t include it. You have a 28–no amount of explaining is going to change that. Explanation might put it in context, but can’t change the hard fact. I’d likely find something cool and unique about myself to talk about there so that I might really standout against other applicants–something to give myself an edge over people with 4.0s and 40s. Other posters have said that Columbia’s stats are way higher than yours–but those are their averages. Averages mean that there’s a reasonable chance that half the people they accept have lower scores than that anyway, and I’m sure SOMEONE has gone to Columbia with a 28. You just have to find a way to make sure that one of the people with a 28 is you–and I think the best way to do that would be to talk yourself up, not explain away your MCATs.</p>
<p>I would not. There is an explanation for everybody for everything that they do in their life. In this particular situation, my question would be if you were unhappy with your score, why you did not retake MCAT? Put yourself into somebody else’s feet. Say, somebody else got in with 30 and you (just for the sake of example) did not get in with 33. Would it make you feel good? Would you say that person with 30 might deserve it better than you? Back to your situation, you are saying that your 28 deserves spot that might be somebody else’s with 36. How that person with 36 would feel about it?</p>
<p>OP:</p>
<p>Coming from a State Uni, you will need higher than average other ‘stuff’ (incl. MCAT) to gain entrance to Ivy med schools. If you have a legit reason for that low score, you are better off retaking and then you easily explain your low score in a short addendum.</p>
<p>The advice on SDN would be for you to retake since you were doing significantly better on your practice MCATs. I assume these were the AAMC practice exams?</p>
<p>
Just curious, in what aspects do you think the one on 5/27 was very different from AAMC tests 3-10 or Kaplan practice tests 1-5 (the non-optional ones in order to satisfy the HSG requirements)?</p>
<p>Whats your excuse for not doing well?</p>
<p>Something like a death of a family member the night before is worth noting.</p>
<p>Being nervous for the test… not worth noting.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes and no. IMO, it is only worth noting AFTER a retake with a much higher score. At that point an adcom-reviewer will know to immediately discount/ignore the previous score. Otherwise, it is pure speculation that the family tragedy had any impact; no adcom is gonna guess what a score might have been, particularly at Columbia (which has thousands of highly qualified applicants from top schools). </p>
<p>The fact that practice tests were xx is totally worthless ‘data’.</p>
<p>MCAT2: I thought physics section, especially discretes, was easier than expected, and that physics passages were much less involved than I’d seen in my practice tests. I also thought bio passages were much harder than expected, I was surprised at the lack of organic chem, and I was expecting a wider range of topics to be covered (seemed like practice test passages covered like, an entire body system, whereas real test passage covered like, limited portions of a body system). Thought verbal was spot-on in terms of content, but it seemed like about half the passages were longer than I was accustomed to. And almost as an afterthought, I thought the writing prompts were bizarre.</p>
<p>But! Hard to complain. Didn’t do as well as I had on practice tests, but my score starts with a 3 and that’s “all” I was shooting for 
I’m just sooooo beyond glad it’s over and done with!</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your replies, especially krisitin</p>
<p>A couple of hours before I left to take my MCAT exam, we got a phone call saying that my aunt was going in for surgery because she was diagnosed with breast cancer. </p>
<p>I also took the 5/27 MCAT. I didn’t think the passages were that hard either. I agree, definitely not a lot of orgo on it at all. I think there were a couple of passagse on orgo, but that’s about it.</p>
<p>Agree with Blue and I refer you to the current Columbia forum on SDN where a question like this has already been asked. The fact of the matter is if you have a really good excuse you should have voided your score or at least retaken when the excuse was no longer valid. If you truly think that the score is below your ability you should retake now. Schools will look at new scores even after the cycle begins.</p>
<p>OP and kristin, DS was on 5/27 also. I heard from him that BS was much more difficult than usual while PS was somewhat easier. (compared to AAMC 3, 6(?), 10 and Kaplan 1-5.) He thought VR was a little bit more difficult than usual.</p>
<p>He recently heard that one girl in his lab last year got into only one medical school with a 40, even though she had about 10 interview invites. The only good news for the rest of “typical” premeds is she is from California. (The applicants from that state are apparently cursed by this system.) It is still quite depressing to hear that. No wonder DS tried to avoid being too close to any premeds while he could (It was not easy for him to do this in his environment), in order to keep himself from insanity.</p>
<p>mcat2 and All,</p>
<p>Quote : (The applicants from that state are apparently cursed by this system.)</p>
<p>Would you please elaborate a little more on this? Thanks</p>
<p>My DD was hoping/expecting los to mid 30s but got a 29. Any attempt to explain that would have smacked of whining in my book.</p>
<p>Ignore the MCAT score, make the rest of your app amazing and interesting and hope at least one school will also ignore the MCAT score.</p>
<p>What is your state of residence? That greatly affects your viability with a 28 for MD- TX okay, CA, forget it.</p>
<p>Appliacants in CA are cursed with a large population base of high scoring people. The averages for the UCs are much higher than most other states. CA has a huge number of applicants which has likely also led to the fact that WA/NV/UT/NM do not take OOS and AZ only this year opened up to take 25% OOS. CO takes OOS, but has very high numbers,</p>
<p>Most CA kids who do not get into a UC are faced with trekking back east to find a school.</p>