# I wrote about the Dope on my MCAT essay... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 27, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407 "2008-02-27T20:20:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/1 "2008-02-27T20:20:02Z")
and I got a 32 on the MCAT! Coincidence? I think not… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/2 "2008-02-27T20:21:02Z")
Depends what you said about us … (congrats!) ---
**Author:** ![IrreverentTone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@IrreverentTone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IrreverentTone)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/3 "2008-02-27T20:42:32Z")
Congratulations! Where do you plan on applying? ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/4 "2008-02-27T20:59:17Z")
[QUOTE=IrreverentTone] Congratulations! Where do you plan on applying? [/QUOTE] Anywhere and everywhere! Seriously, Colorado, the Michigan schools, the Minnesota schools, and I don’t know where else yet. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/5 "2008-02-27T21:01:38Z")
I don’t know what MCAT is or what the scoring is. I assume you did well. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/6 "2008-02-27T21:09:42Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] I don’t know what MCAT is [/QUOTE] [Here you go.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MCAT) It’s a standardized test that people who want to get into med school take. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/7 "2008-02-27T21:17:36Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] I don’t know what MCAT is or what the scoring is. I assume you did well. 🙂 [/QUOTE] According to the AAMC, I’m in the 84.1-87.9th percentile of test-takers. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/8 "2008-02-27T21:25:07Z")
Just for more context, 32 is a very good score and about the median for accepted applicants. Basically, it can get you in the door of the admissions process (secondary application) at any decent school and given what we know of **St. Urho’s** career in EMS, I think it’s more likely than not that he’ll experience success in the admissions process. Ironically, though, the essay section of the test is complete crap and widely discounted. So don’t give the Dope _too_ much credit. If I can give you some more advice: apply early, apply widely, and keep your nose up. I’ve got a few Pit threads on the subject if you want to look them up, but again I really think you’ll do fine. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you want more advice. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/9 "2008-02-27T21:35:54Z")
Thanks, **threemae**! I’ll definitely be in touch as I start applying. A couple paramedics I used to work with are in their first year at Colorado, and they tell me the med school is looking for more older applicants with actual health care experience, so hopefully that will help me, too. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/10 "2008-02-27T23:08:42Z")
[QUOTE=St. Urho] According to the AAMC, I’m in the 84.1-87.9th percentile of test-takers. [/QUOTE] That’s great. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/11 "2008-02-28T03:34:04Z")
W00t! ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/12 "2008-02-28T03:36:25Z")
Congratulations! ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/13 "2008-02-28T03:51:06Z")
Congrats! ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/14 "2008-02-28T05:16:22Z")
Wait wait wait… the essay section doesn’t account for any of the numerical score… I want to know what your essay score was, J through T I believe it was in my day. Also, I sat on the admissions committee at my medical school during my forth year. If you have any questions please feel free to ask them here or in PM. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/15 "2008-02-28T05:25:02Z")
That’s exciting! I wrote the MCAT last May, so I’m doing the admissions thing, too. I can’t even remember my essay questions anymore… although I do remember there was a whole section on yeast genetics in the Biological Sciences bit, which threw me off. ---
**Author:** ![Hirundo82](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/919ad9/32.png) [@Hirundo82](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirundo82)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/16 "2008-02-28T05:26:38Z")
Congrats on the good score. Ditto on the essay not counting toward the numerical score, but I’m sure **St. Urho** already knew that. I think most med schools completely ignore the score on the written section. I’ve heard they lobbied hard to have it not included in the numerical score (like it is on the new SAT) when the written section was added a number of years back. I actually did have one interviewer comment on my written score, saying it was the highest written score he remembered seeing–certainly more a comment on his recall than my score as my score was a P (right arount the 50th percentile IIRC). ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wrote-about-the-dope-on-my-mcat-essay/439407/17 "2008-02-28T17:19:03Z")
[QUOTE=USCDiver] Wait wait wait… the essay section doesn’t account for any of the numerical score… I want to know what your essay score was, J through T I believe it was in my day. Also, I sat on the admissions committee at my medical school during my forth year. If you have any questions please feel free to ask them here or in PM. [/QUOTE] Heh. I actually got an N on the writing section, which was mildly irritating. I certainly think I’m a better writer than that. On the other hand, a good friend got into medical school with an X on the writing section (and she has an English degree!), which makes it easier to ignore.