Less than 1 percent of applicants taking the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) are able to earn a perfect score, and Tech High School graduate Tyler Benning just joined the privileged ranks.
Benning wasn’t expecting to receive a perfect score. He’d been taking practice tests that were going well, “but not that well.”
In fact, Benning had to check his score several times to convince himself that he really had received the elusive perfect score.
Benning has always known he wanted to be in the medical field. He’d wanted to do medical research until eighth grade when he went through major reconstructive surgery of his femur. His doctor, Denis Clohisy, left an indelible impression on Benning and his family. Having spent so much time with Dr. Clohisy, he was inspired to become a doctor who interacts with patients in the same manner he’d been treated.
During high school Benning took as many AP science and math classes as he could. He fondly remembers his science teacher, Kerry Kopp’s classes.
“Mr. Kopp’s classes were the most rigorous classes I’ve ever had, even more so than my college courses,” explains Benning. “The AP classes at Tech really laid a good foundation for my college courses.”
In addition, Benning job shadowed doctors at the St. Cloud Hospital during high school. It gave him the hands-on experience of what being a doctor would be like.
“Shadow doctors as much as you can,” advises Benning to up-coming students. “You’re not going to get it from watching ‘Grey’s Anatomy.'”
Now a senior St. Olaf College, Benning will be graduating this May. He’s currently taking time during his break to review his medical school options. His top choices so far are the Univerity of Minnesota, Stanford University, Duke University, Mayo and the University of Michigan. Although with a perfect score, he will be looking at other schools he may not have considered in the past.
Post graduation will be a gap year for Benning. He will be taking the time to get all of his applications submitted to start medical school in the fall of 2018.
Looking toward the future, Benning is keeping an open mind as to what kind of medical practice he’d like to learn. He knows he wants to stay away from surgical; however, right now he is leaning toward being a hospitalist, a new breed of doctor: one that is the point person for a patient during an entire stay in the hospital. It helps give continuity to patient care.
Wherever Benning goes, doors will definitely be wide open to a perfect MCAT score.
