Volunteer, Work or Both?

[deleted632431]

13 hours of credits.
6 hours/week tutoring job.
3 hours/week volunteering.

I am taking the MCAT on October 21, 2014 so I want to have enough time studying for the MCAT. My question is: should I drop volunteering? I have been volunteering at the clinic for about a year now, and I feel like there isn't more for me to learn there. But I also need volunteering hours for med. school. I was also thinking that I drop volunteering for this semester and start up again in the Spring semester.

Advice please!

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[mehc012]

3hrs/wk*45wks (assuming you skipped a bunch) = 135hrs.
You can afford to let that go if you'd like...perhaps replace it with something in a different department in the spring, since you seem to have gotten what you can from this.

HowEVER...bigger issue: 2mo to study for the MCAT during school+work? That's a bit of a crunch, even with the light class schedule. Do you have a strong background? Finished all prereqs? Already started studying? That is far more of a concern than your question.

 

[deleted632431]

I was just planning on dropping volunteering at the clinic for the Fall semester. I would start back up again in the Spring semester at the same clinic or find a new clinic to volunteer at.

I have already started studying for the MCAT. I have finished learning the material (by going through the prep books and doing practice questions simultaneously), so I have two months of practice and improving my skills.

 

[Ismet]

Only you know what you can handle. Personally I would hold off on the volunteering and probably the tutoring until you're done with the MCAT. The bulk of my MCAT study time was during the spring semester with a 15 credit courseload, and it was rough trying to balance everything. But if you have good time management skills and a pretty good foundation in the MCAT material, I think you can potentially work everything in too. Depends on you.

 

[deleted632431]

This will be the second time I am taking the MCAT.

The first time I took it, I had less than 1.5 months to learn the material and practice. Unfortunately, most of my time went into reading the prep books rather than practicing simultaneously. BUT my score ended up being a 27 (7/10/10). I really feel like I can do better this time because I have enough time to improve my weaknesses.