You are more than your MCAT score at Trinity
The MCAT has a goal, and one we (theoretically) support: It’s supposed to be a metric to determine future performance in medical school, a way to determine if a student can succeed in the intensive academic environment. However, we feel most medical schools over-apply that idea and use it to weed students out. Rather than a predictor, it’s used as an ever-changing barrier to entry, allowing top test performers to move on to the next round of admissions and leaving many qualified applicants out in the cold, in the middle of a physician shortage, no less. We wanted to change that, to provide a high quality medical education in a supportive environment with an admissions process that looks at the entire student. So we did.
Low MCAT Score? Don't Worry
First, as a disclosure: we do still require the MCAT, but we treat it as a student’s starting point (more on that, later), not an estimate of their potential. For the majority of applicants of any school, there’s relevant work experience, internships, letters of recommendation, strategic extracurriculars, shadowing, as well as intangibles like drive, focus, and dedication. We don’t think it’s fair that out of all that, getting into a medical school with a low MCAT score is such a challenge, leaving so many students out of the race before it starts and scrambling for a medical school that accepts a low MCAT score. Suddenly, students find themselves with a challenge above and beyond enrolling and then attending medical school itself: getting into medical school with a low MCAT score. The options were not always great, either, so we decided to change that and be the great option.
So, what did we mean by treating the exam as a starting point? As you know, the MCAT is a complex test made up of a number of subjects, refined regularly in the hopes of giving medical schools a better understanding of a student’s potential. We have found, though, that it is a better evaluation of what a student has already learned in their undergraduate institution, or even just how they were feeling on test day. In 2016, the average MCAT score was a 499. At the same time, the minimum threshold to be considered was the 60th and up. This means the average MCAT score for medical school admissions was 505. We simply do not agree that five points on a single exam, in light of every other factor that needs to be considered when evaluating admissions, should dictate the difference between consideration for medical school and being cast off.
High GPA and Low MCAT Score
We approach the admissions process from a more holistic standpoint. We understand how a student can feel lost despite all of their hard work and accomplishment, especially those in the frustrating position of having a high GPA and a low MCAT, or even more challenging, grades that have been deflated by circumstances beyond a student’s control, like working full time, supporting a family, untimely illness or the death of a loved one. We take those elements into account when we evaluate students and, so far, it hasn’t lead us astray. Trinity students with a (relatively) low GPA and MCAT score have gone on to earn top Step-1 scores and secure fiercely competitive residencies. So while we do require the MCAT, and the score is a factor, it’s one of the many aspects you can put into the proper context with the admissions team.
Why Trinity Is A Medical School That Accepts Low MCAT Scores
Trinity School of Medicine is the realization of many medical students’ dreams. We are a school that combines extensive early clinical experience in our basic sciences campus of St. Vincent and the Grenadines with organized, effective rotations in a unified program in Baltimore, MD. And if you consider your education an investment in your own future, our return on that investment is high: our tuition is in the mid-to-low range while we deliver top tier outcomes.
For more information about why Trinity School of medicine is the Caribbean's best kept secret contact one of our admissions specialists today. Or explore other options we offer including our admissions predictor or online medical school application form.