New 2015 MCAT format

[NonTrad Prospective]

Hello everyone,
I am currently completing pre-reqs at a community college and will be taking the last class next Fall. Should I wait to take the MCAT in 2016 and then apply for 2017 school cycle? I would not have taken BioChem until Fall 2015 semester because I still need to take OChem I and II over next Spring and Summer.

I have heard taking Biochem before the MCAT is key since the test has full section on that material. I am very concerned about the age factor too, I am already 34 years old which means by the time I am ready to take the MCAT and apply for med school I'll be almost 36 and starting school perhaps at 37. also, I am super concerned with my science class grades. I graduated Suma Cum Laude from University of FL during my undergraduate in Industrial & Systems Engineering. I also got a high 3.8 GPA in my MS degree.

But this time around, I am taking classes as a divorced and older individual with much less faith in my abilities. So far the classes I am taking seem to be going well but I get very depressed if I do badly even in a single quiz because it shatters my confidence. Does the admission committee for medical school look at your science class grades more than the MCAT score, which factor is the key determinant?

I've heard there's new psychology section being added to the MCAT starting next year so I'm wondering even with a prep class if I should attempt it next Aug/Sept or just wait until 2016 when I'm completely done with all the required pre-requisites. Thank you for any feedback/suggestions and support.

Becoming an MD and going back to serve my country and work with Doctors Without Borders is a dream of mine that i haven't been able to quash even after working for 10 years making pretty reasonable money and now not having any family support. In fact it's the only thing I have to look forward to is how I feel at times!

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[kraskadva]

You will need Biochem.
Period.
Paragraph.

One more year is not the end of the world.

But this time around, I am taking classes as a divorced and older individual with much less faith in my abilities. So far the classes I am taking seem to be going well but I get very depressed if I do badly even in a single quiz because it shatters my confidence. Does the admission committee for medical school look at your science class grades more than the MCAT score, which factor is the key determinant?

And you need to work on this ^ . Unbridled hubris isn't a good thing, but crippling self-doubt will prevent you from getting anywhere.
See if your school has tutoring services to help you prepare for tests.
Also see if they have counseling services and have someone help you deal with this. If your school doesn't offer counselling, look into finding a professional.

GPA and MCAT are both important variables in med school admissions, but they only get you to the door. The other aspects of your application (your story, LORs, clinical and volunteer experiences, etc.) are what will make or break your application.

Best of luck!

 

[NonTrad Prospective]

You will need Biochem.
Period.
Paragraph.

One more year is not the end of the world.


And you need to work on this ^ . Unbridled hubris isn't a good thing, but crippling self-doubt will prevent you from getting anywhere.
See if your school has tutoring services to help you prepare for tests.
Also see if they have counseling services and have someone help you deal with this. If your school doesn't offer counselling, look into finding a professional.

GPA and MCAT are both important variables in med school admissions, but they only get you to the door. The other aspects of your application (your story, LORs, clinical and volunteer experiences, etc.) are what will make or break your application.

Best of luck!

Thank you so much for your response. I have my bouts of self-doubt here n there but I'm persevering because at this point i cannot afford to lose my dreams on top of my sanity
Plus i have told myself it's not the end of the world if I don't do well in ALL quizzes and tests since it's not only natural considering my situation. After this initial semester of returning to school, I will have less of a load and plan on continuing to volunteer, shadow etc. Hopefully I can also buy some study material for MCAT and start preparing on my own. eventually around almost finishing up the pre-reqs I am thinking about taking one of those KAPLAN classes since I can use all the help I can get to prepare for that dreaded exam!

Any suggestions on MCAT prep books? Which one is the best you've heard for the new format starting 2015?

Thank you so much for saying, "one more year is not the end of the world". I know that but its hard to convince my family who think i'm throwing away my life not to mention my OWN money to chase this cumbersome dream of mine!

 

[kraskadva]

Thank you so much for your response. I have my bouts of self-doubt here n there but I'm persevering because at this point i cannot afford to lose my dreams on top of my sanity

I think you mean this a joke, but sanity is really the more important of the two. You'll have a hard time reaching your goals if you're breaking down.

Plus i have told myself it's not the end of the world if I don't do well in ALL quizzes and tests since it's not only natural considering my situation. After this initial semester of returning to school, I will have less of a load and plan on continuing to volunteer, shadow etc.

Nobody's perfect and sometimes things don't go as well as you hoped. But so long as the overall result is good, small glitches along the way are not really an issue. Maybe one way to alleviate this stress is to learn how to calculate your grades. That way you can really see what the impact of less than perfect does (often it's not irrecoverable). It's also important not to overload yourself... much better to to really well with slightly less than do poorly with slightly more.

Hopefully I can also buy some study material for MCAT and start preparing on my own. eventually around almost finishing up the pre-reqs I am thinking about taking one of those KAPLAN classes since I can use all the help I can get to prepare for that dreaded exam! Any suggestions on MCAT prep books? Which one is the best you've heard for the new format starting 2015?

Personally I think Kaplan is cr@p, but that's my 1 opinion. Some people swear by it. I couldn't afford their course, but I did get some of their materials from friends who did, though I stopped using them pretty quickly. I mostly relied on AAMC materials and free resources.
As for the new format, I can't help you there. 1) not all the materials are out and 2) none of them have been field tested.
But there will be more info on this available when you get to that point. (and there's a whole MCAT forum here where you can get more info on that)

But I wouldn't worry about this just yet. You have more than a year before you would even need to start that study process. Focus more on getting your classes and personal issues in order.

Thank you so much for saying, "one more year is not the end of the world". I know that but its hard to convince my family who think i'm throwing away my life not to mention my OWN money to chase this cumbersome dream of mine!

If you're spending your own money to do this then it's none of their business.