Studying for MCAT and have tough course load

[deleted600623]

Hi all,

I am currently studying for the MCAT while taking a light number of credits but difficult courses. I'm finding that it's just way too much to balance being effective in studying but also getting the A's that I need to get my GPA up to where I expect it to be. My first question is, is not being able to balance my MCAT studying with my course load indicative of my inability to potentially be successful in medical school? My second question is, if the answer to the first question is no, then should I postpone my studying until I can focus just on MCAT and getting the highest score possible? Will any of these factors be taken into account when ADCOMS look at my application?

Thanks for the help!

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[Lawpy]

1. No

2. Yes

3. Probably not (if doing well on MCAT on top of the heavy schedule, then yes; otherwise no, but it's better to do something else in the background)

 

[deleted600623]

@Lawper By doing something else in the background, do you mean working on other aspects like volunteering or research?

 

[Lawpy]

@Lawper By doing something else in the background, do you mean working on other aspects like volunteering or research?

A common problem faced by those preparing for just the MCAT is that if the score ends up worse than expected, all that time studying was wasted. So by doing something light in the background, like volunteering, you can at least be productive without spending all the time on the MCAT.

 

[deleted407021]

1. Nope.

2. Yes. Be sure you set aside ample time ( I recommend about 3-ish months ) for MCAT prep, if at all possible. I studied over the Summer of this year. You will need to take and analyze several practice exams to approximate your preparedness for taking the real thing. Look here for a wealth of information on prepping for the MCAT.

3. I don't guess so. They'll look at your scores, GPAs, etc., but I'm not certain they'll try and tease apart whether or not you took classes -- and how tough said classes were -- whilst prepping for the MCAT.

 

[deleted600623]

@Lawper I see. Thank you for the advice! @J Senpai Thank you! I'm just in a situation where I need A's to get my GPA back up to where I need it and so trying to prioritize MCAT studying and class studying (probably an overestimated amount) is proving to be more difficult especially because the prep program that I'm in is very demanding.

 

[deleted407021]

@Lawper I see. Thank you for the advice! @J Senpai Thank you! I'm just in a situation where I need A's to get my GPA back up to where I need it and so trying to prioritize MCAT studying and class studying (probably an overestimated amount) is proving to be more difficult especially because the prep program that I'm in is very demanding.

You're using an MCAT prep course?

 

[deleted600623]

@J Senpai Yes. I'm enrolled in the Altius program.

 

[deleted407021]

@J Senpai Yes. I'm enrolled in the Altius program.

I don't know anything about that or any other prep program. Could you tell me a bit about it? I'm curious.

 

[deleted600623]

@J Senpai Sure! It's just a prep course that is pretty different from the other (Kaplan, TPR etc..) programs in that they have different strategies that have proven to work. They conducted a 3rd party study and found that their students were averaging in the 90th percentile on the new MCAT as well as scoring on average a 36 on the old MCAT. Very demanding program but the strategies work. Hence why I'm starting to struggle with balancing course load with studying for the mcat.

 

[deleted407021]

@J Senpai Sure! It's just a prep course that is pretty different from the other (Kaplan, TPR etc..) programs in that they have different strategies that have proven to work. They conducted a 3rd party study and found that their students were averaging in the 90th percentile on the new MCAT as well as scoring on average a 36 on the old MCAT. Very demanding program but the strategies work. Hence why I'm starting to struggle with balancing course load with studying for the mcat.

Hmm, I hope you have some luck with the program. This test is gnarly, but manageable if you put in the time and gain a good understanding of how it works. Good luck.

 

[deleted600623]

Thank you! Really appreciate it! @J Senpai

 

[deleted716403]

Not a good idea studying for MCAT while taking a tough course load.

 

[hiphopcrates]

I would postpone your MCAT if possible. It's a full-time job in itself.

 

[deleted600623]

Not a good idea studying for MCAT while taking a tough course load.

Yeah I'm finding that out the hard way.

 

[deleted600623]

@hiphopcrates Yeah thankfully I have plenty of options for when I can start studying. I think getting the highest score I can with no distractions, as long as it is with a reasonable amount of studying time and not like 2 years, will be the most advantageous with my overall stats and application.

 

[Glazedonutlove]

Doing the mcat with heavy course load can be done but it's stressful and why not make life easier by just taking a light load. Also ease up on the research and ecs if that's an option

 

[efle]

This depends on the person. Some people can study for it while working full time, most people work part time / take a summer class or light semester / do research part time, some people need to make it their entire world and do little else. The worst thing you can possibly do is set yourself up to have a sub-optimal MCAT and suffering grades in tough science coursework simultaneously.

They conducted a 3rd party study and found that their students were averaging in the 90th percentile on the new MCAT as well as scoring on average a 36 on the old MCAT.

 

[deleted600623]

Doing the mcat with heavy course load can be done but it's stressful and why not make life easier by just taking a light load. Also ease up on the research and ecs if that's an option

Unfortunately it was just the way my courses fell for the semester due to some of them only being offered in certain semesters.

 

[deleted600623]

@efle Good points! Thanks!