The J-TAC

Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Rebecca Hoeffner Senior Kim Fehlis scored a 37 out of 45 on her MCAT, surpassing the previous Tarleton record of 34

A Tarleton student who took the Medical College Admission Test on Aug. 20, received her scores last Wednesday, and she has been ranked in the top 2 percent of the nation. The MCAT is graded on a 45 point scale, and until this year, the Tarleton record for the highest score on the MCAT was a 34.

Kim Fehlis not only scored high nationally, but also holds the new university record with a 37.

Anyone who knows about the process of getting into medical school knows that the MCAT is a great source of stress for aspiring medical doctors. The score a student earns on this five-hour test can determine the outcome of their future, no matter how hard or how long they may have worked in the classes required for an undergraduate degree.

You may have noticed Fehlis around campus, especially if you frequent the science building on Mondays. Fehlis wears a hat every Monday without fail.

"I wear hats on Mondays because Mondays are depressing and they need some livening up," said Fehlis. She has over 70 hats, including one shaped like a moose and one like a lobster.

"If you show up the first day of class with a lobster on your head it's a little startling for people, so I start off tame and work up to the good hats. But people who aren't accustomed to Monday hat day and pass me on campus are pretty amusing to watch."

Fehlis credits her high score on the MCAT to practice and attentiveness. "I took practice test after practice test to get comfortable with the format, and I paid attention during class so I was comfortable with the material covered."

Upon telling her professors and fellow biomedical science majors her score, Fehlis said she has "gotten a lot of good facial expressions."

Fehlis is a 20-year-old senior from Round Rock, Texas, who's double majoring in Spanish and biomedical science.

"My goal is to be a bilingual pediatrician," said Fehlis. "I'd like to be able to communicate directly with all of my patients and their families." She's taken several trips to Spanish-speaking countries with The Study Abroad and on medical mission trips. She also translates for Hispanic patients at Harris Methodist Erath County Hospital.

Although Fehlis studied hard, she was expecting a lower score than she received.

"I was mentally prepared for anything from a 28 to a 34, 34 being extremely hopeful." Once Fehlis checked her score online, "there was a great deal of shock and enthusiasm," she said. "My mom had told me that if I made a 34 she'd buy me dinner at my choice of any restaurant in central Texas. I called her and told her I deserved more than dinner out."

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