Two days to make a decision!!! HELP

[Gladiolus23]

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[Goro]

Even if it costs you time, take the MCAT ONLY when you are ready. If it means delaying the Micro course, so be it.

I'm scheduled to take my MCAT this August 27th and as I plan to begin studying May 16th, I only have about three months to focus on this thing.

One of my pre-med advisors told me that I should NOT take any classes during the summer as it would add more academic strain to something that is already academically heavy in nature. This makes sense, but it poses two problems:

1. Not taking summer classes puts me a bit behind in my degree plan, something which I prefer to be ahead in =/

2. I'm not very confident that I will be able to study for 3 months and do well on the MCAT in August (it's so soon!). My original plan was to take the old exam and, in case I need to retake, then I would do so in January before the MCAT changes. However, I am not sure if it is a good idea to have this sort of back-up plan. Many people are saying just take it once and do well and not to even entertain the idea of a back-up. In this case, considering I feel lost and unprepared and end up postponing the exam to Jan, I'd feel like I wasted my entire summer when I could have taken at least one class to put me on track for graduation!

So my question is:

How many of you think it's a good idea (or is it feasible?) to study for the MCAT while taking a Microbiology summer course (4 credits - includes lab, although I may be able to take the lab portion later)?

My micro professor told me this may be a smart idea as Microbiology parallels the MCAT syllabi since lots of topics from micro. show up on the mcat. He said it might actually prepare me better and enhance my mcat prep over the summer.

What do you guys think? I have two days to make a decision before summer registration closes.

 

[Gladiolus23]

Even if it costs you time, take the MCAT ONLY when you are ready. If it means delaying the Micro course, so be it.

So are you suggesting not to take micro during the summer?

 

[Narmerguy]

First of all, only plan to take this test once. It is a monstrous beast and it's just not worth it to devote multiple years of study to something like this (not to mention it looks better on admissions if you do well on it the first time).

I don't know your situation, your study style, your micro professor, etc etc. However, I will say a few things:

1. I doubt the micro course will be that helpful. More likely it will require you to know far more than you need for the MCAT, and will become just another thing to take away your study/free time.
2. How intense is your study plan? I tried to do research and study a crap ton one year and ended up just doing poorly at both. However, I was also doing the SN2ed study plan, which is pretty time consuming. It paid off when I finally committed to it the next year, but I definitely needed all the free time I could find. Having to attend and study for another class would make the summer more of a struggle than it needed to be.
3. I can understand why being "behind" in your major feels crummy, but keep in mind that the MCAT is one of the two most important factors in your application. Some think it's the most important. It's worth it to nail this and not do less than you could because you were trying to squeeze in a couple of summer classes that can likely be squeezed in elsewhere into your graduation schedule.

In your situation, I would probably not take the class and find something else to do over the summer (shadowing, volunteering, etc). However, take this with a grain of salt because I don't know you or what your school situation is like so only you can decide what's the best plan.

 

[Frostbite22]

It's hard for any of us to answer this question without personally knowing you and your study habits. Plus I don't know if you have any other obligations as well. I took the MCAT in January while working a full time job and a part time job, but I also spread out studying for about 8 months. I personally didn't think Micro was that challenging and could easily study for it while studying for the MCAT but it all depends on you. I agree with Goro, take it when you are ready. If you know your study habits and are worried about it then don't take micro.

 

[Catalystik]

Three months of dedicated study time for the MCAT should be enough. If you distract yourself with coursework and get a lesser score than you'd hoped, you'll have an excuse for your performance end up studying all over again. Don't take the class. Don't hold a job. Have very little fun. Volunteer a few hours a week for a break. Be confident that you prepared the best you could. Win.

 

[Goro]

That's what I said.

So are you suggesting not to take micro during the summer?

 

[unexpected_medicine]

why 2 days?

 

[youmed]

Only focus on MCAT if you want to score high. Having a class will make you prioritize the class instead of MCAT and you may fall behind on MCAT studying.

 

[unexpected_medicine]

Only focus on MCAT if you want to score high. Having a class will make you prioritize the class instead of MCAT and you may fall behind on MCAT studying.

or it could keep you away from side distractions. just depends on the person.

 

[youmed]

or it could keep you away from side distractions. just depends on the person.

True. Totally depends on the person. OP, it's your call.

 

[Narmerguy]

or it could keep you away from side distractions. just depends on the person.

I would think that adding more work isn't going to make it easier to focus on the work one already has for most people. Sure it depends on the person, but let's be realistic.

 

[unexpected_medicine]

I would think that adding more work isn't going to make it easier to focus on the work one already has for most people. Sure it depends on the person, but let's be realistic.

You'd be surprised. The brain is weird that way.

 

[ttt92]

I'm scheduled to take my MCAT this August 27th and as I plan to begin studying May 16th, I only have about three months to focus on this thing.

One of my pre-med advisors told me that I should NOT take any classes during the summer as it would add more academic strain to something that is already academically heavy in nature. This makes sense, but it poses two problems:

1. Not taking summer classes puts me a bit behind in my degree plan, something which I prefer to be ahead in =/

2. I'm not very confident that I will be able to study for 3 months and do well on the MCAT in August (it's so soon!). My original plan was to take the old exam and, in case I need to retake, then I would do so in January before the MCAT changes. However, I am not sure if it is a good idea to have this sort of back-up plan. Many people are saying just take it once and do well and not to even entertain the idea of a back-up. In this case, considering I feel lost and unprepared and end up postponing the exam to Jan, I'd feel like I wasted my entire summer when I could have taken at least one class to put me on track for graduation!

So my question is:

How many of you think it's a good idea (or is it feasible?) to study for the MCAT while taking a Microbiology summer course (4 credits - includes lab, although I may be able to take the lab portion later)?

My micro professor told me this may be a smart idea as Microbiology parallels the MCAT syllabi since lots of topics from micro. show up on the mcat. He said it might actually prepare me better and enhance my mcat prep over the summer.

What do you guys think? I have two days to make a decision before summer registration closes.

I attempted this last summer and it didn't work - mainly because I didn't have a strong science background going in (few upper level bio courses). Pull out a review book and flip through the sections - how comfortable are you with each of the sections and the material? if you end up doing it in 3 months - no course. microbio won't help and will add to your stress. trust me on this.

 

[Gladiolus23]

First of all, only plan to take this test once. It is a monstrous beast and it's just not worth it to devote multiple years of study to something like this (not to mention it looks better on admissions if you do well on it the first time).

I don't know your situation, your study style, your micro professor, etc etc. However, I will say a few things:

1. I doubt the micro course will be that helpful. More likely it will require you to know far more than you need for the MCAT, and will become just another thing to take away your study/free time.
2. How intense is your study plan? I tried to do research and study a crap ton one year and ended up just doing poorly at both. However, I was also doing the SN2ed study plan, which is pretty time consuming. It paid off when I finally committed to it the next year, but I definitely needed all the free time I could find. Having to attend and study for another class would make the summer more of a struggle than it needed to be.
3. I can understand why being "behind" in your major feels crummy, but keep in mind that the MCAT is one of the two most important factors in your application. Some think it's the most important. It's worth it to nail this and not do less than you could because you were trying to squeeze in a couple of summer classes that can likely be squeezed in elsewhere into your graduation schedule.

In your situation, I would probably not take the class and find something else to do over the summer (shadowing, volunteering, etc). However, take this with a grain of salt because I don't know you or what your school situation is like so only you can decide what's the best plan.

Thanks for your input. I heard microbiology at my university is not too bad, but it is still difficult to get an A if you don't put in the needed effort. It's not an easy class. Knowing myself, I am a little bit of a perfectionist...I tend to want to do everything to the best of my ability and I'm actually starting to think it might be a nightmare to take classes during the summer and study for the MCAT with this kind of attitude. Also, my GPA is suffering a bit (sGPA is only at 3.45 and it needs to improve!) so I wouldn't want to risk that...

My study plan is pretty intense. I am planning on studying 6-7 hours per day (except maybe only two hours on Sunday with volunteering?) while taking a Princeton review course on the side.

 

[Gladiolus23]

why 2 days?

Because my summer registration closes in the next two days.

 

[Gladiolus23]

Only focus on MCAT if you want to score high. Having a class will make you prioritize the class instead of MCAT and you may fall behind on MCAT studying.

This sounds more like me.

or it could keep you away from side distractions. just depends on the person.

I doubt it will keep me away from side distractions...In fact, realistically thinking, this might make me more stressed out, and I'm still trying to learn how to deal with stress. Less is better for me =/

 

[Gladiolus23]

I attempted this last summer and it didn't work - mainly because I didn't have a strong science background going in (few upper level bio courses). Pull out a review book and flip through the sections - how comfortable are you with each of the sections and the material? if you end up doing it in 3 months - no course. microbio won't help and will add to your stress. trust me on this.

This. I am in a similar situation...my science background is not that great (the only upper level biology course I have taken so far is Genetics) and I have pulled out the MCAT EK and Princeton review books to look over the sections...there is A LOT I need to review and believe it or not LEARN. And this scares me...can I do it in three months?

 

[Gladiolus23]

Three months of dedicated study time for the MCAT should be enough. If you distract yourself with coursework and get a lesser score than you'd hoped, you'll have an excuse for your performance end up studying all over again. Don't take the class. Don't hold a job. Have very little fun. Volunteer a few hours a week for a break. Be confident that you prepared the best you could. Win.

Based on my above post about me not being so strong with the sciences and having to re-learn some material, do you still feel 3 months of dedicated (6-8 hours per day with prep course) would be sufficient? I wouldn't be doing anything else except eat, breathe and sleep MCAT.

 

[Catalystik]

Based on my above post about me not being so strong with the sciences and having to re-learn some material, do you still feel 3 months of dedicated (6-8 hours per day with prep course) would be sufficient? I wouldn't be doing anything else except eat, breathe and sleep MCAT.

By leaning closer to 8-10 hours a day, like it's a full-time job, most can do it. If practice tests taken toward the end of a three-month range show that one is not close to score goals, then there is always the option of readjusting and adding more time onto the plan.

 

[Gladiolus23]

By leaning closer to 8-10 hours a day, like it's a full-time job, most can do it. If practice tests taken toward the end of a three-month range show that one is not close to score goals, then there is always the option of readjusting and adding more time onto the plan.

This gives me some hope. I am an average, but determined, student and I really feel I can do well on this exam if I just sat and studied for it in a calm manner (with no other obligations). However, my expectations for myself are pretty high and I want to score a 36 on the MCAT. Maybe I shouldn't be thinking about the result right now... but it's just stressful because there is so much depending on this exam

Do those 8-10 hours include the class time spent in a prep course? If not, I guess I would divide the hours into three hour-intervals in the morning, afternoon and two hours in the evening. By 9 pm, I would be relaxing, because my mind doesn't function at all in the night.

 

[mizzu]

Take the micro... That's what? 3 hours of lecture 3 times a week and maybe 3-6 hours of studying? You have time. It's summer.

8 hour sleep
3 hour micro class
3 hour study MCAT
3 hour free time (eat/work out)
3 hours of studying for micro
4 hour left to do whatever (more MCAT/bio labs/more sleep)

 

[Catalystik]

This gives me some hope. I am an average, but determined, student and I really feel I can do well on this exam if I just sat and studied for it in a calm manner (with no other obligations). However, my expectations for myself are pretty high and I want to score a 36 on the MCAT. Maybe I shouldn't be thinking about the result right now... but it's just stressful because there is so much depending on this exam

Do those 8-10 hours include the class time spent in a prep course? If not, I guess I would divide the hours into three hour-intervals in the morning, afternoon and two hours in the evening. By 9 pm, I would be relaxing, because my mind doesn't function at all in the night.

How many hours a day is the prep class?

And, taking regular scheduled breaks is important throughout the scheduled study time. And so is eating right and getting in some exercise and regular sleep.

 

[Perseverance06]

You are so helpful @Narmerguy ! Which school did you choose?

 

[Narmerguy]

Thanks for your input. I heard microbiology at my university is not too bad, but it is still difficult to get an A if you don't put in the needed effort. It's not an easy class. Knowing myself, I am a little bit of a perfectionist...I tend to want to do everything to the best of my ability and I'm actually starting to think it might be a nightmare to take classes during the summer and study for the MCAT with this kind of attitude. Also, my GPA is suffering a bit (sGPA is only at 3.45 and it needs to improve!) so I wouldn't want to risk that...

My study plan is pretty intense. I am planning on studying 6-7 hours per day (except maybe only two hours on Sunday with volunteering?) while taking a Princeton review course on the side.

Definitely do not take the Microbiology course. If you are a perfectionist, that means you will be siphoning off a lot of time from the MCAT to hone your microbiology performance. Even if you didn't, it sounds like you should because your sGPA could use a boost, so don't go for both and end up doing poorly on the micro course and the MCAT.

3 months is a lot of time, but then it isn't. It goes fast because there is a lot of material to cover. You said you're shooting for an August test, be prepared to push back for a later date (is September the latest for 2014?), but do not take the test until you are ready. There's nothing wrong with shooting for a 36, but understand that this is a difficult score and it will take a lot of work. It sounds like you've got a rigorous plan to work 6-7 hours per day. I similarly spent about 8-10 hours a day over an 8-week period for my studying and it's quite the grind. Make sure you give yourself true breaks in your schedule (not more work, legit breaks) to keep yourself sane, and don't be too hard on yourself if your early results aren't where you want them.

The MCAT forum is a better place to find advice specific for MCAT studying: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/mcat-discussions.31/

You are so helpful @Narmerguy ! Which school did you choose?

(I also haven't chosen quite yet, going down to the wire eh?)

 

[optimistic3]

I certainly would NOT take the microbio course. I didn't think it was a difficult course but it did require lots of effort and time! I, too, plan to take the MCAT in August and I'm dedicating my entire summer to studying for it. I might add in some volunteering as well but studying is my #1 goal. Remember how important this test is and focus on doing well.

 

[Gladiolus23]

How many hours a day is the prep class?

And, taking regular scheduled breaks is important throughout the scheduled study time. And so is eating right and getting in some exercise and regular sleep.

The prep course is 2 and 1/2 hours (7-9:30 pm) on Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed and Thurs.

 

[Gladiolus23]

I certainly would NOT take the microbio course. I didn't think it was a difficult course but it did require lots of effort and time! I, too, plan to take the MCAT in August and I'm dedicating my entire summer to studying for it. I might add in some volunteering as well but studying is my #1 goal. Remember how important this test is and focus on doing well.

Yeah, I don't think I am going to take the microbio. course. My gut feeling says that it will be too stressful for me. Have you started studying yet and are you taking a prep course? How are you planning to start studying? Like are you just reading all the content chapters one by one as per SN2ed schedule?

 

[Gladiolus23]

Where are you in your studies? Do you think this might be too early to take the MCAT, in case you have to apply twice and it expires?

I would worry less about time available and more about how much studying you can do. How do you handle a full course load during the semester? Are you able to study long hours for long periods of time? If so, you'll be fine. If your brain gets incredibly tired, maybe choose one.

In terms of timing, I'm many years out of school (and have 10 year old high school credits for my re-reqs) and I managed to study in addition to my 50-hr full time job in ~5 months.

The previous time that I took the MCAT was 2005, and I took it with a full-time job (a regular 40 hours) and I think I studied maybe 1-3 hours most, but not all, evenings for 2 or 3 months?

You could try taking a practice test to see how far off you are. If it's low 20s, you will want more time to study. If it's already 30+, you won't need as much.

I just finished sophomore year and am planning to matriculate in 2016 or at most 2017 if I don't get in. Just curious, do you think the August 2014 MCAT will expire by 2017 even if I apply in June 2016? Does the three years expiration date for the mcat refer to when you apply or when you matriculate?

The reason I am taking the mcat now instead of next spring is because I really don't want to take the 2015 MCAT especially when I have to study for it with a full course load! I'm done with my pre-reqs and as of now, I can't think of a better time to diligently study for this exam than during this summer.

Did you manage to score well on the MCAT even when the sciences were not so fresh in your mind? That is my biggest concern, because I don't feel like I really understood my pre-req topics properly may have to re-learn some things, which makes "reviewing" harder.

 

[Catalystik]

Do those 8-10 hours include the class time spent in a prep course?

The prep course is 2 and 1/2 hours (7-9:30 pm) on Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed and Thurs.

Yes.

 

[Gladiolus23]

Yes.

Okay that makes things a bit easier. I was thinking of dividing my study time into different 2-3 hour intervals with breaks in between. I usually concentrate very well in the early morning, so that is why I started at 5 am. I should have no problem getting up and I think 7 hrs. of sleep should be good!

Do you think this sounds like a successful, workable plan per day? On Saturdays, I plan to volunteer for four hours, so I would have to cut back on studying then, but I should be able to follow through the rest of the week.

5:00-8:00 am (study)
10:00-1:00 pm (study)
3:00-5:00 pm (study)
7:00-9:30 pm (MCAT prep course)
Sleep by 10 pm

 

[Catalystik]

Do you think this sounds like a successful, workable plan per day? On Saturdays, I plan to volunteer for four hours, so I would have to cut back on studying then, but I should be able to follow through the rest of the week.

5:00-8:00 am (study)
10:00-1:00 pm (study)
3:00-5:00 pm (study)
7:00-9:30 pm (MCAT prep course)
Sleep by 10 pm

Looks good. You might set yourself certain study goals, which, when achieved earn you a day off.

 

[optimistic3]

Yeah, I don't think I am going to take the microbio. course. My gut feeling says that it will be too stressful for me. Have you started studying yet and are you taking a prep course? How are you planning to start studying? Like are you just reading all the content chapters one by one as per SN2ed schedule?

I haven't started studying yet (I might start on my own a bit next week) but I'm going to take a Kaplan class this summer. I'm well aware of my study habits and I know that I need a set schedule and program rather than just doing it on my own. I've read about other people on here having lots of success with SN2ed's schedule so if you are good at self-studying, then it should be a good program.