MCAT thread

[IamTheINDUSTRY]

has anyone here taken the mcat?

[smogs]

I will be next year.

Sorry, not helpful. haha

[Ryan Mills]

I took it a couple years ago (and am in medical school now). I got a 34T.

I pretty much used a review book for reviewing physics, general chemistry and biology. Didn't study at all for organic chemistry as I was taking it at the time. It really isn't that bad. You do need to know some basic formulas, but for the vast majority of questions, the answer is somewhere in the question. It's as much about your critical reading skills and it is about your knowledge. If you have any specific questions, I'll try to answer them.

[John JD Dorian]

i'm gonna study this year and take it in april/may.

[PaulsRightNut]

Don't Do It

Get Out While You Can

[John JD Dorian]

Don't Do It

Get Out While You Can


where are you in med school?

[smogs]

i'm gonna study this year and take it in april/may.

Haha your username is very fitting.

[John JD Dorian]

Haha your username is very fitting.

why yes.

[MarsEatWorld]

I'll be taking it in like 3 years. Eeek.

[John JD Dorian]

I'll be taking it in like 3 years. Eeek.

starting college?

[MarsEatWorld]

starting college?
Yepp.

[John JD Dorian]

Yepp.

keep your options open. where are you starting?

[MarsEatWorld]

keep your options open. where are you starting?
Aug.28th
Aghh. But I know exactly what I want to do. I did an internship at Duke my senior year of highschool and fell in love with cardiothoracic surgery.

[John JD Dorian]

Aug.28th
Aghh. But I know exactly what I want to do. I did an internship at Duke my senior year of highschool and fell in love with cardiothoracic surgery.

it's hard to get into med school.

[MarsEatWorld]

it's hard to get into med school.
I understand. I will work my ass off to do so. If I don't, I'll consider myself a failure forever.

[desiguerilla]

im studyin for them now takin them in january haha

i did kaplan which was ok, the books are helpful the kaplan method is alright

im in the combined med program at uconn so i get a lil leeway with my mcat score (gotta score above a 28 with at least a 7 in each section), im tryin to crack the 30s hopefully ive been gettin like 24s on the practice

[John JD Dorian]

I understand. I will work my ass off to do so. If I don't, I'll consider myself a failure forever.

haha good luck. do yourself a favor and don't major in bio.

[smogs]

haha good luck. do yourself a favor and don't major in bio.

why do you say not to major in bio?

[MarsEatWorld]

haha good luck. do yourself a favor and don't major in bio.
I'm actually a double major in art anddd engineering on the pre-med route. hahaha.

[John JD Dorian]

I'm actually a double major in art anddd engineering on the pre-med route. hahaha.

cool. what type of engineering?

[John JD Dorian]

why do you say not to major in bio?


over half the people that apply to med school are bio majors.

[MarsEatWorld]

cool. what type of engineering?
I haven't decided yet but possibly bio, electrical or mechanical

[IamTheINDUSTRY]

I took it a couple years ago (and am in medical school now). I got a 34T.

I pretty much used a review book for reviewing physics, general chemistry and biology. Didn't study at all for organic chemistry as I was taking it at the time. It really isn't that bad. You do need to know some basic formulas, but for the vast majority of questions, the answer is somewhere in the question. It's as much about your critical reading skills and it is about your knowledge. If you have any specific questions, I'll try to answer them.

i'm currently taking kaplan and am signed up for the sept. 10 date for the mcat. just kind of stressed about it. physics is my worst of the subjects. i don't know, i guess i could use a pep talk or something.

[MarsEatWorld]

i'm currently taking kaplan and am signed up for the sept. 10 date for the mcat. just kind of stressed about it. physics is my worst of the subjects. i don't know, i guess i could use a pep talk or something.
you got this
:strong::overhead::excited::bounce: :drew::celebrate::hug::party:
I suck at peptalks but I hope everything goes well!!

[smogs]

over half the people that apply to med school are bio majors.

Yeah but they dont really care about majors. They just look at your requirements.

[Ryan Mills]

i'm currently taking kaplan and am signed up for the sept. 10 date for the mcat. just kind of stressed about it. physics is my worst of the subjects. i don't know, i guess i could use a pep talk or something.

Well there's a couple things I would recommend. Firstly, do you have a review book yourself? If not, I'd grab one, especially one that has practice questions/tests in it. Spend a little time with it whenever you can reviewing the stuff you're uncomfortable with. I think it's really helpful to take practice tests. I think that's really important for you to do, as soon as possible to get a feel for how prepared you are or not. They offer one free test online at the MCAT site if I remember correctly and they didn't change it--take it. Also check your PM.

Hopefully this will give you a realistic idea of where you are which you need now if you're taking it in September. Your goal should be at least a 30, otherwise it may negatively impact your application process (but not necessarily kill your chances, mind you). Based on how you do on their free practice test, assess what you need to study most, and start going through that stuff in the book you buy. I am not a fan of classes, but it sounds like you already spent your money, so hopefully that will help some, too. Just go through stuff an hour here and an hour there, and take all practice questions your book gives you in that sections you're studying. The one thing you really should pay attention to when taking your practice test is how important critical reading is. Knowledge is needed, but you could get a lot right without remembering things.

So:

1. Buy a review book and start studying everyday now (an hour, two, whatever you can give).

2. Take the practice MCAT (https://services.aamc.org/publications/index.cfm?fuseaction=Product.displa yForm&prd_id=179&cfid=1&cftoken=F5AB9F30-B992-F696-E07A4C935054179A) and any other practice tests you have until you're comfortable with the format and how it works.

3. Practice the writing, seriously. Part of the reason I got a T was because I spent some time grading standardized test responses in college and I know how it works. Practice typing out responses in the time frame, because it goes faster than you think if you don't. Don't try to be a grammatical wizard on the test, you'll just get into trouble and lose points. Simple sentences with correct grammar that convey your point concisely are better than long run-on sentences or pointless ones. They always ask for the same three things, answer those, period. Nothing else. Give good examples, that is key. I think I used one in-depth example for one of mine and 2 shorter examples for the others (I remember one of my questions had to do with whether corporate executives were responsible to their shareholders, or the public or something; the other was about education, but I don't remember much about that one).

4. Relax. It's only a test, and if you do go to medical school there are much worse things to come (Step 1, for example). If you work now, take practice tests, assess yourself, study and then take your class, you'll be fine.

[Ryan Mills]

Yeah but they dont really care about majors. They just look at your requirements.

True, I was an economics major. Also, let me point out, I'm in much better shape than my classmates because of my major. Many of them were biochemistry majors (completely worthless), Bio majors (which gave them no advantage), or something similar. These things might help you with the first semester (and even that is minimal because medical biochemistry is going to be different than anything you took in college), but then everyone is on even ground. They, however, do not have any background in finance, markets, or economics in general, stuff that becomes important in the, you know, real world.

[John JD Dorian]

Yeah but they dont really care about majors. They just look at your requirements.

they do care about majors. if you were a bio major, you're not as "well-rounded" as, say, a linguistics major. they want people who were into humanities also.

[smogs]

they do care about majors. if you were a bio major, you're not as "well-rounded" as, say, a linguistics major. they want people who were into humanities also.

I've heard that, but I didn't think it was that being of an impact. I thought the stat was only around 15% were non science majors.


True, I was an economics major. Also, let me point out, I'm in much better shape than my classmates because of my major. Many of them were biochemistry majors (completely worthless), Bio majors (which gave them no advantage), or something similar. These things might help you with the first semester, but then everyone is on even ground. They, however, do not have any background in finance, markets, or economics in general, stuff that becomes important in the, you know, real world.

I totally understand that. And for that reason, I'm thankful my GEs are requiring to take a whole bunch of humanities and social science classes that will teach me other set of skills that I know I'll need. I'm actually interested in doing a MD/MBA program but I know I probably won't get in. hahaha.

[Ryan Mills]

I totally understand that. And for that reason, I'm thankful my GEs are requiring to take a whole bunch of humanities and social science classes that will teach me other set of skills that I know I'll need. I'm actually interested in doing a MD/MBA program but I know I probably won't get in. hahaha.

I wouldn't worry about it, you can probably get in after you start at a school anyway. Or, you can just do a 1-year MBA later, you'd probably be able to get in pretty easily.

[smogs]

I wouldn't worry about it, you can probably get in after you start at a school anyway. Or, you can just do a 1-year MBA later, you'd probably be able to get in pretty easily.

Yeah, I'm not stressed about it. I just want to get into a medical school, haha. I just think it would be cool and very practical to have. I kinda feel that for most things you want to do in life, you should have an MBA too.

What school do you go to?

[MarsEatWorld]

I wouldn't worry about it, you can probably get in after you start at a school anyway. Or, you can just do a 1-year MBA later, you'd probably be able to get in pretty easily.
How do art majors play into the whole getting into med-school thing?

[MarsEatWorld]

Yeah, I'm not stressed about it. I just want to get into a medical school, haha. I just think it would be cool and very practical to have. I kinda feel that for most things you want to do in life, you should have an MBA too.

What school do you go to?
and for everything else there's mastercard.

jk.

[IamTheINDUSTRY]

The one thing you really should pay attention to when taking your practice test is how important critical reading is. Knowledge is needed, but you could get a lot right without remembering thing.

this is something i have found to be the TRUEST thing while taking practice tests. it's really about mapping a passage correctly and reading critically as opposed to memorizing.

[Ryan Mills]

How do art majors play into the whole getting into med-school thing?

Well, I go to a large medical school, so our class is broken up on several sites for the first two years. But even with my small class size at my area, there is one who was an art major. Honestly, your major doesn't matter as long as you have what you need and have the test scores/recommendations.

[MarsEatWorld]

Well, I go to a large medical school, so our class is broken up on several sites for the first two years. But even with my small class size at my area, there is one who was an art major. Honestly, your major doesn't matter as long as you have what you need and have the test scores/recommendations.
Thanks :D

[Ryan Mills]

Yeah, I'm not stressed about it. I just want to get into a medical school, haha. I just think it would be cool and very practical to have. I kinda feel that for most things you want to do in life, you should have an MBA too.

What school do you go to?

I very much agree. I am still considering getting an MBA afterward, but I'm not sure it's necessary given my particular interests. I applied to some MD/Ph.D. programs back when I applied, but it's tough convincing a bunch of MDs why you want to get a Ph.D. in economics too.

I go to IU School of Medicine.

[Ryan Mills]

this is something i have found to be the TRUEST thing while taking practice tests. it's really about mapping a passage correctly and reading critically as opposed to memorizing.

I wish that were true about the Step 1.

[smogs]

I very much agree. I am still considering getting an MBA afterward, but I'm not sure it's necessary given my particular interests. I applied to some MD/Ph.D. programs back when I applied, but it's tough convincing a bunch of MDs why you want to get a Ph.D. in economics too.

I go to IU School of Medicine.

Haha, yeah I can imagine a lot of MDs would be confused by that. But that's great if that's what you want. Medicine is very much a business to, so I'm sure having a Ph.D. in economics can only be a plus.

That's cool! Do you like it there? I'm from California, but I want to go out of state for medical school and Indiana never even crossed my mind.

[Ryan Mills]

Haha, yeah I can imagine a lot of MDs would be confused by that. But that's great if that's what you want. Medicine is very much a business to, so I'm sure having a Ph.D. in economics can only be a plus.

That's cool! Do you like it there? I'm from California, but I want to go out of state for medical school and Indiana never even crossed my mind.

I'm from New Hampshire, and IU was actually the last school I chose to apply to, but sometimes things just work out a certain way. I actually applied to UCLA, but that didn't work out. It's nice, but I really miss the ocean. Although I ended up at a public medical school, I made the mistake of applying to too many state schools. There are a lot of nice schools in New England if you're that adventurous, although I don't recommend Harvard. When I interviewed there, the students seemed to have serious complexes.

[smogs]

I'm from New Hampshire, and IU was actually the last school I chose to apply to, but sometimes things just work out a certain way. I actually applied to UCLA, but that didn't work out. It's nice, but I really miss the ocean. Although I ended up at a public medical school, I made the mistake of applying to too many state schools. There are a lot of nice schools in New England if you're that adventurous, although I don't recommend Harvard. When I interviewed there, the students seemed to have serious complexes.

Ah, UCLA. It's really nice there, but I personally do not like the city of LA. The only California school I'm going to apply to is probably UCSD, where I'm at right now. I'm planning on applying to a whole range of public and private, so we'll see what happens. Why do you say you applied to too many state schools? Even though I'm a Cali girl born and breed, my hope is to end up in New England area for med school. It'll be cold, but I think it'll be worth it. Except I'll miss the avocados.

[Ryan Mills]

Ah, UCLA. It's really nice there, but I personally do not like the city of LA. The only California school I'm going to apply to is probably UCSD, where I'm at right now. I'm planning on applying to a whole range of public and private, so we'll see what happens. Why do you say you applied to too many state schools? Even though I'm a Cali girl born and breed, my hope is to end up in New England area for med school. It'll be cold, but I think it'll be worth it. Except I'll miss the avocados.

Well since I was in New Hampshire, I had no state-school. Many other state schools have really, really high percentages of in-state students, which can make it really difficult to get in if you're not in-state. That's just not a problem you have to deal with at private schools.

[smogs]

Well since I was in New Hampshire, I had no state-school. Many other state schools have really, really high percentages of in-state students, which can make it really difficult to get in if you're not in-state. That's just not a problem you have to deal with at private schools.

Yeah that's what I was talking to my advisor about. There are some state schools that have a high percentage (like 50%+) of out of state students but I'm mostly looking at privates. I'm already going to be taking out loans, so whats an extra couple thousand? haha.

[Ryan Mills]

Yeah that's what I was talking to my advisor about. There are some state schools that have a high percentage (like 50%+) of out of state students but I'm mostly looking at privates. I'm already going to be taking out loans, so whats an extra couple thousand? haha.

If you want my honest opinion, you really should consider a state school, especially since you are in California and there are some very good state medical schools. Do not underestimate how quickly the loans add up and how that could impact you. I have to take out over $60,000 a year (even after a small scholarship). I don't mind, but that's only because my interest is clearly within neuroradiology where I can pay off a huge $350,000 bill. Someone in pediatrics is not going to look at that so casually, and you don't want to pick some specialty because of your debt load. So, just don't ignore the state schools you're lucky enough to have. Great NH had none, so I didn't have a chance to look.

[smogs]

If you want my honest opinion, you really should consider a state school, especially since you are in California and there are some very good state medical schools. Do not underestimate how quickly the loans add up and how that could impact you. I have to take out over $60,000 a year (even after a small scholarship). I don't mind, but that's only because my interest is clearly within neuroradiology where I can pay off a huge $350,000 bill. Someone in pediatrics is not going to look at that so casually, and you don't want to pick some specialty because of your debt load. So, just don't ignore the state schools you're lucky enough to have. Great NH had none, so I didn't have a chance to look.

I understand that and do appreciate your opinion, but I have a whole bunch of reasons for wanting to go out of state. I know it's gonna cost a lot and all that jazz, but it's just something I've always wanted to do and thankfully my parents said they'd help as much as they could. And even though it's early to decide, I'm right now interested in getting into cardiology or maybe sports medicine/orthopedic surgery, so hopefully I won't have to worry too much.

[John JD Dorian]

ryan-- did you use examkrackers?

[Ryan Mills]

ryan-- did you use examkrackers?

No, I did not, but I would assume that would be a good book as well. I looked at it on Amazon and it's like 1100 pages which sounds similar to mine. I think I used McGraw-Hill's one, but it seems the ExamKrackers is the most popular so I'm sure it's good stuff.

[spriltsc]

Well since I was in New Hampshire, I had no state-school. Many other state schools have really, really high percentages of in-state students, which can make it really difficult to get in if you're not in-state. That's just not a problem you have to deal with at private schools.
wussup ryan, i was wondering how much you study a day? do u do ok in med school

[Ryan Mills]

wussup ryan, i was wondering how much you study a day? do u do ok in med school

Well, pretty much all day everyday. I'd say between class time, hospital time, office time and studying I generally work an average of a 100 hours a week. Not everyone works quite that much, but pretty close. It's a lot of work and a major sacrifice, but that's just how it goes. And doing that, yes, I do well.