Post Bacc Scheduling Question

[SMIGuy]

So a couple of quick questions. Finishing up a master's in social work right now while I work doing emergency psych assessment at our local hospital. Started the chem series last semester with Chem I at a 4 year university and nailed it. It actually wasn't that difficult (not an indication of university quality as we have a fairly strong college of science and math), which was promising considering word on the street is that organic is the real weed out course. That being said, did anyone find that they excelled at inorganic but had difficulty with organic, or is success in one generally indicative of success in the other?

This summer I am definitely taking Organic I and Physics I. I'll be finished with my master's at that point and am transitioning to focusing on these courses. However, I've considered adding an upper level bio course this summer. As a caveat, I will hopefully be volunteering in a lab this summer to get some research experience relating to biochem. This fall I'll take the final org and physics plus an advanced bio and maybe stats. I'll be prepared to take the last of the current MCAT in January, but if I don't take an advanced bio this summer I'll only have one bio beyond the prereqs under my belt. Thoughts on 3 courses with labs in a summer semester plus research and part time work? Too much? Or is the extra course worth it?

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[SN12357]

So a couple of quick questions. Finishing up a master's in social work right now while I work doing emergency psych assessment at our local hospital. Started the chem series last semester with Chem I at a 4 year university and nailed it. It actually wasn't that difficult (not an indication of university quality as we have a fairly strong college of science and math), which was promising considering word on the street is that organic is the real weed out course. That being said, did anyone find that they excelled at inorganic but had difficulty with organic, or is success in one generally indicative of success in the other?

This summer I am definitely taking Organic I and Physics I. I'll be finished with my master's at that point and am transitioning to focusing on these courses. However, I've considered adding an upper level bio course this summer. As a caveat, I will hopefully be volunteering in a lab this summer to get some research experience relating to biochem. This fall I'll take the final org and physics plus an advanced bio and maybe stats. I'll be prepared to take the last of the current MCAT in January, but if I don't take an advanced bio this summer I'll only have one bio beyond the prereqs under my belt. Thoughts on 3 courses with labs in a summer semester plus research and part time work? Too much? Or is the extra course worth it?

That sounds like too much for a summer session. Condensed Orgo and Physics are no joke. The fact you did well in Gen Chem is a good sign for orgo but no guarantee; gen chem leans more on math and orgo leans more on...itself. And some things like three dimensional visualization, which gives some people a really, really hard time.

You don't need upper level bio courses to get into medical school. I'd stick to just orgo and physics this summer as classes if they are faster-paced in the summer session.

Also, do you have specific time dedicated to MCAT preparation? You can't count on your classes preparing you for that on their own; you need to set aside time to specifically practice the test itself. Taking it in January with your proposed schedule looks very tight.

 

[SMIGuy]

My intention is to start some light review towards the end of the fall semester. I'll finish in the first week of December then start studying full time for the test. That will give me 4 to 6 weeks of prep time, which seems to be adequate to me. It is plenty of time to take a bunch of practice tests and get an idea of how well I am grasping the particular structure and rhythm of the MCAT. Also, this way I can take a known entity. Taking the new test is fine, everyone is on the same page, but it's more difficult to prepare for and practice problems will be sparse. Worst case scenario, if I am struggling with the structure of the MCAT I can just take biochem in the spring and push the test back to April. Psych and sociology shouldn't be a problem with my background.

 

[SN12357]

My intention is to start some light review towards the end of the fall semester. I'll finish in the first week of December then start studying full time for the test. That will give me 4 to 6 weeks of prep time, which seems to be adequate to me. It is plenty of time to take a bunch of practice tests and get an idea of how well I am grasping the particular structure and rhythm of the MCAT. Also, this way I can take a known entity. Taking the new test is fine, everyone is on the same page, but it's more difficult to prepare for and practice problems will be sparse. Worst case scenario, if I am struggling with the structure of the MCAT I can just take biochem in the spring and push the test back to April. Psych and sociology shouldn't be a problem with my background.

Ok, yeah. 4-6 weeks of full time prep is enough if you are a strong standardized test taker and need minimal prep time for verbal (those are fairly significant caveats, but not impossible ones). I'd still say stick to just orgo and physics this summer; your ECs are likely to give you more value added than a third course.

 

[MedPhys2MD]

If you can, I'd take a practice full length (not an AAMC one - perhaps gold Standard) sometime during the fall semester to get a gauge on your content mastery since leaving 4-6 weeks for MCAT focused studying won't leave much time for content review if there's a deficit. Taking the practice test earlier will let you know if you need to focus further on any topics - which you can start lightly before the end of December

Also you can see how you are with verbal reasoning. If you see that you need extra work on that section you can start doing 1 or 2 passages a day until the exam to enhance your comprehension

Just a thought...