Will the new MCAT last for more than 5 years?

[Cyberdyne 101]

I predict that in a few years, the AAMC will recognize the futility of adding the social science section and change the exam content/format once again. What do you think?

Edit: I originally used the word "catastrophe" to describe the new MCAT. I realize now that it was a poor word choice and did not accurately reflect my apprehensions/doubts about the new exam.

I'm still skeptical about the new social science sections, although I'm happy to hear from ppl who favor the change. Perhaps I'll be convinced at some point.

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[karayaa]

I think the new MCAT will be a total catastrophe. I predict that in a few years, the AAMC will recognize the futility of adding the social science section and change the exam content/format once again. What do you think?

why/in what way? curious.

Health and healthcare are both affected by psychosocialbehavioral factors, so studying these subjects before med school is potentially useful for healthcare leaders, which is what doctors are.

 

[el_duderino]

In what way would it be a catastrophe?

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I think the overall grades in the science sections will suffer due to the social science addition. I'm not downplaying the importance of sociology and psychology. I just don't think 2 intro courses will make any difference in terms of producing better doctors. Although, I could be totally wrong about the grades.

 

[karayaa]

I think the overall grades in the science sections will suffer due to the social science fluff. I'm not downplaying the importance of sociology and psychology. I just don't think 2 intro courses will make any difference in terms of producing better doctors. Although, I could be totally wrong about the grades.

I agree that including 2 classes on the test will not necessarily produce better doctors.
I have no idea what proportion of current applicants take such classes. It would be interesting to measure the impact of the requirements. I imagine that most colleges already require such classes as part of general ed.

I'm not sure the science scores would suffer, and I'm not sure if they suffered, that a drop would translate to worse doctoring.

I was expecting something more catastrophic...

 

[aegistitan]

why/in what way? curious.

Health and healthcare are both affected by psychosocialbehavioral factors, so studying these subjects before med school is potentially useful for healthcare leaders, which is what doctors are.

In my opinion, this whole process of applying to medical school has become so competitive that many students, including myself, feel a level of risk-aversion to be almost necessary. As such, I cannot explore courses the way I ideally would in college in order to maintain a respectable GPA. Instead I take classes based on how easily they are graded. Is this what I thought college would be like? No, I thought college would be a time when I could challenge myself and learn about what I do not know about - instead I find more comfort in risk aversion, taking a class that I am not familiar with may hurt my GPA. Will adding this new section of the MCAT force me to take intro classes in these subjects? Yes, it will, but it will also prohibit me from taking classes I actually wanted to take. At the same time it makes the test so broad in terms of what it tests. This will be good for differentiating the gunners, but at the same time I feel this test is somewhat counterproductive towards students broadening their knowledge base in college. A student majoring in nothing that has to do with bio/chem/physics/psychosocial can only fit so much into their schedules; if you think about it, this is around 49 credits worth of classes at my school [10 for bio + lab, 10 for chem+ lab, 10 for organic + lab, 10 for physics + lab, 3 credits each for biochem, intro to psych/soc].. that is a huge amount, how much extra time will students have to take what they want to explore? Will it be effective? Only time will tell.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I agree that including 2 classes on the test will not necessarily produce better doctors.
I have no idea what proportion of current applicants take such classes. It would be interesting to measure the impact of the requirements. I imagine that most colleges already require such classes as part of general ed.

I'm not sure the science scores would suffer, and I'm not sure if they suffered, that a drop would translate to worse doctoring.

I was expecting something more catastrophic...

I don't think this has anything to do with producing better doctors. But I feel that the new format will create unnecessary problems. It will easily generate more gap years and deter ppl from applying. Who's gonna have time for ECs, research, etc when this ridiculously long exam is looming? It will no longer be the typical 3-4 month study period. If anything, this exam will benefit the ultra-gunners.

 

[karayaa]

I don't think this has anything to do with producing better doctors. But I feel that the new format will create unnecessary problems. It will easily generate more gap years and deter ppl from applying. Who's gonna have time for ECs, research, etc when this ridiculously long exam is looming? It will no longer be the typical 3-4 month study period. If anything, this exam will benefit the ultra-gunners.

Personally, I suspect that non-trads might make better doctors - partly because they don't have to cram everything into their college years, and partly because they have more life experience - ie experience with people beyond students, and with real work environments, with social issues, and with medicine itself, since many non-trads seem to take clinical/service jobs (scribing, teaching, etc)

And it will help weed people out, maybe reduce some of the gunners (the 4.0 40MCAT with no social/people skills) and give people more time/experience to decide if medicine is right for them.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Personally, I suspect that non-trads might make better doctors - partly because they don't have to cram everything into their college years, and partly because they have more life experience - ie experience with people beyond students, and with real work environments, with social issues, and with medicine itself, since many non-trads seem to take clinical/service jobs (scribing, teaching, etc)

Yeah but most ppl apply to med school while they're in college. Also, this exam will make it more difficult for non-trads who work full time jobs.

 

[el_duderino]

Something like 58% of applicants don't get an acceptance. The number of applicants rises every year. If a few are dissuaded by the new MCAT then I think schools will survive.

 

[Ismet]

I don't think this has anything to do with producing better doctors. But I feel that the new format will create unnecessary problems. It will easily generate more gap years and deter ppl from applying. Who's gonna have time for ECs, research, etc when this ridiculously long exam is looming? It will no longer be the typical 3-4 month study period. If anything, this exam will benefit the ultra-gunners.

Up until the MCAT became computer based relatively recently (2006 or something) the exam took 7 hours and had more questions. This allowed the score to more accurately reflect performance. I'm pretty sure MCAT administrations before 2006 weren't "catastrophic" and I don't see why it will be so catastrophic now. Yes it's a change for people who were planning on taking the current MCAT. Things will probably be rocky for the next couple of years. But that's how changes are made. People will step it up and do what they need to do. And honestly if a 7 hour entrance exam is what dissuades people from medical school, maybe they shouldn't be doing medicine anyway. Board exams are that long and longer.

 

[WillburCobb]

They'll prolly realize the original MCAT was a much better predictor, scrap it, and go back to that format; nothing predicts preparedness for med school like knowledge of history and Greek and Roman architecture.

 

[el_duderino]

It hardly matters what the MCAT tests, really. As long as it's hard and stratifies test takers effectively on the basis of academic performance.

 

[Toffey]

I don't see why it would be cancelled after they've put so much effort into developing it.

What would they do, say "Actually we don't want well rounded, socially aware doctors with more knowledge of biochem and statistics anymore. Let's go back to not testing on those things."

Once you make an perceived "improvement", you usually don't go back to the old way. And they def see it as an improvement.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Up until the MCAT became computer based relatively recently (2006 or something) the exam took 7 hours and had more questions. This allowed the score to more accurately reflect performance. I'm pretty sure MCAT administrations before 2006 weren't "catastrophic" and I don't see why it will be so catastrophic now. Yes it's a change for people who were planning on taking the current MCAT. Things will probably be rocky for the next couple of years. But that's how changes are made. People will step it up and do what they need to do. And honestly if a 7 hour entrance exam is what dissuades people from medical school, maybe they shouldn't be doing medicine anyway. Board exams are that long and longer.

Thanks. Perhaps "catastrophic" is too strong of a word. I see your point about the board exams in med school. I think about that all the time. And I'm ok with the addition of Biochem. I just don't see the addition of intro psych and sociology as relevant. Also, how much is expected as a pre-clinical med student in terms of ECs? Isn't most of your time spent studying? Please correct me if I'm totally wrong here. It's fine to administer a new exam for pre-meds, but imo, it'll be at the expense of other tasks. And I hope this is taken into consideration.

Also, even if the prior MCAT was longer it did not contain 3 additional subjects.

Again, maybe I'm totally off.

 

[235009]

As someone who took the 8 hour long paper based MCAT I find the hyperbole in this thread pretty hilarious. Not to mention step 1 and 2 are 8 hour exams and step 3 is two 8-hour exams. So no, making it an 8 hour exam won't be catastrophic, it'll just make it the same length as it used to be and in line with every exam you'll take in med school and beyond.

The addition of the social sciences aims to weed out the ridiculous mentality that you and many other future and current med students have that this is fluff. My prediction is that not only is it here to stay but will probably be further emphasized… as it keeps getting more attention in med school curricula.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

As someone who took the 8 hour long paper based MCAT I find the hyperbole in this thread pretty hilarious. Not to mention step 1 and 2 are 8 hour exams and step 3 is two 8-hour exams. So no, making it an 8 hour exam won't be catastrophic, it'll just make it the same length as it used to be and in line with every exam you'll take in med school and beyond.

The addition of the social sciences aims to weed out the ridiculous mentality that you and many other future and current med students have that this is fluff. My prediction is that not only is it here to stay but will probably be further emphasized… as it keeps getting more attention in med school curricula.

I realize now that catastrophic was a dumb word to use. Your feedback is appreciated.

 

[Ace Khalifa]

What's wrong with learning psych and socio? I actually enjoyed my psych courses, unlike most of the other courses I took during undergrad. I didn't take socio because it didn't exist. Wash U's sociology dept was defunct until its revival at the beginning of this semester. Yes, the test will suck the first few times, especially for someone who bombed their first MCAT (old one) and have to take the new one for redemption. But I agree with everyone saying there's nothing wrong with the new exam deterring people because of its increased length and increased material to learn.

Now, of course, I still want to get into med school using my current MCAT score before it expires lol.

 

[allantois]

I think there are just waaay too many premeds willing to take anything and everything in order to get into med school. In my opinion they could put any subject on the test and people would still satisfy the requirement of taking that additional class.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

What's wrong with learning psych and socio? I actually enjoyed my psych courses, unlike most of the other courses I took during undergrad. I didn't take socio because it didn't exist. Wash U's sociology dept was defunct until its revival at the beginning of this semester. Yes, the test will suck the first few times, especially for someone who bombed their first MCAT (old one) and have to take the new one for redemption. But I agree with everyone saying there's nothing wrong with the new exam deterring people because of its increased length and increased material to learn.

Now, of course, I still want to get into med school using my current MCAT score before it expires lol.

I took soc and psych although it was years ago -lol. I'm just not yet convinced that requiring them for med school and incorporating them into the MCAT will make a difference. Especially, since they're only intro courses.

I actually created this thread because I want ppl to change my perspective on the new exam. I guess I see the benefits of the added time, but I would like to hear more about the need for the social science courses.

 

[altblue]

Some of my experiences with doctors make me wonder if these changes should stay... :/

My PCP (who went to a respectable DO school) went on a rant about how elitist my UG school was and how his state school UG was good enough to prepare him for the MCAT
A specialist, I honestly thought, looked like he was stoned to kingdom come when I saw him
Another specialist had a creepy stare and went on about sexual activity in nursing homes or some **** at my first appoinment with him

So yeah, maybe the new MCAT is encouraging sociology/psychology classes to help people be more aware of other backgrounds, get physicians with social skills, or weed out people with a lack of empathy (though I'm not sure how much it would help with these things)

 

[TexasSurgeon]

For anyone to think that psychology and social sciences classes will somehow more accurately correlate to and reflect the changing nature of medicine is a little bit ridiculous IMO.

Yes, being a doctor isn't all about PS & BS. But I just don't see how more sections will be very beneficial either, except for weeding out applicants. I have friends who are engineers and are applying to med school. I don't think they have time for this psych/sociology nonsense. They've got so much on their plate, and they bring their own unique perspective to medicine in their own ways. I just feel like adding a liberal arts component to judge how "good" of a physician a student can be is inane. It's going to make things more subjective rather than objective. Why would anyone do that? Why can't they just keep it the same and make certain classes like psychology and sociology required IN MED SCHOOL? Different undergrad schools have highly varying levels of course depth and detail.

Sorry if my argument sounds illogical. It's really late and I'm tired. Instead of doing this, how about pressing the government to open up more residency spots? I've been hearing some statistic that pretty soon, medical schools are going to be graduating more MD's than there are residencies for.

I just feel like they're trying to do the job of medical schools for them. This exam is just a test. Isn't medical school supposed to give you the proper training to become a physician? So why would you integrate that into an exam for students who haven't even gotten accepted yet instead of attempting to make it (behavioral and social sciences) mandatory in all medical school curriculums?

Again, sorry if I'm not making sense here.

Source for residency spots:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapot...idency-spots-a-failure-of-government-control/

 

[Narmerguy]

The people complaining about how the Soc & Psyc are "nonsense" are not unlike the many biology majors who complained to me as a physics tutor that taking two physics classes were "useless" for medicine except for the few disciplines that utilized them heavily. I've also heard that statistics is a waste, and that English is a waste, and that biochem is a waste. Whatever people feel about these changes, I hope that they will have the perspective to realize that no one is out to get them, no one is trying to keep them out of medical school, and that all of these classes have some rational basis that is agreed upon by a bunch of people who take their responsibility very seriously. That doesn't guarantee that they're always right, but it does suggest that the merits for their choice may be better than the flippant treatment they're often given by students in threads like these.

I'm a big fan of these changes. For people worried, keep in mind that everyone takes the same test (more or less), and everyone has to deal with the same unpredictability. Also, keep in mind that these are macro decisions being made. The reality is that every single person may not benefit from the new test, but if accepted medical students improve/benefit on average from this decision, than it's worth it from a systemic perspective.

 

[WillburCobb]

I think the overall grades in the science sections will suffer due to the social science fluff.

If social science is "fluff" why would grades suffer?

 

[Zelda840]

It seems I'm in the minority. If I have to reapply, I think the new MCAT format would really benefit me and I imagine I'd do way better on a retake. I had plenty of time left for each section, did good on VR and BS, and not so good on PS. Also took lots of Psych/Soc in college. Less Physics and more social sciences sounds like salvation to me. Wish I'd been able to take this new version last year.

Also, don't most schools have some sort of social science requirement for gen eds? I had to take at least 12 credits worth to graduate.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

If social science is "fluff" why would grades suffer?

Again, that was a poor choice of words on my part. I initially used the word fluff. Although, I still maintain that intro level psych and soc won't make much of a difference. On the other hand, if it were material from upper level courses in these disciplines, then I would feel differently.
I sometimes convey misgivings about a specific something with poor word choices and I guess I'm seeing the results of it lol. Although, I'm happy that ppl are responding and defending the changes.

 

[miamiheatfan]

I think that the social sciences are needed to show premeds and med students that all patients are not the same and that their background, lifestyle, etc. matters when it comes to treating them. There is a non-scientific aspect of medicine and students need to be exposed to that. It is important to expose premed students to this because supposedly they are getting patient contact experience during their undergraduate years and they can apply these concepts early on.

 

[Ismet]

Thanks. Perhaps "catastrophic" is too strong of a word. I see your point about the board exams in med school. I think about that all the time. And I'm ok with the addition of Biochem. I just don't see the addition of intro psych and sociology as relevant. Also, how much is expected as a pre-clinical med student in terms of ECs? Isn't most of your time spent studying? Please correct me if I'm totally wrong here. It's fine to administer a new exam for pre-meds, but imo, it'll be at the expense of other tasks. And I hope this is taken into consideration.

Also, even if the prior MCAT was longer it did not contain 3 additional subjects.

Again, maybe I'm totally off.

An MS1/MS2 has less time for ECs/research/etc than a pre-med because of the nature of the pre-clinical curriculum and how much is crammed into 2 years. We're not studying specifically for Step 1 for 2 years. Most people only take 4-6 weeks of dedicated study time for Step 1. And if one wants to argue that what we're studying during pre-clinical is what's going to be on Step 1, that's 1) not entirely true as most schools don't teach to the boards and 2) not any different from pre-meds who should be mastering the material in their B/C/P classes. I don't think this change to the MCAT will add months onto how much people have to study or make them drop something else. How long do most people take to study for the MCAT? 3-4 months? So you take a slightly lower courseload and maybe take fewer hours in the lab for that time. It's not going to be a detriment to you or your application.

 

[ciruji]

**** people will say their social skills depends in humanities/psic courses and that this can reflect in a huge change in medicine.

If you want doctors to treat patients with compassion, etc... there are far more important factors to be changed than the lack of humanities/social sciences courses in the undergrad career.

AAMC is just taking the easy route.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

So this is what I've gathered so far:
The current MCAT is useful for its predictive qualities. Although it doesn't specifically test you on med school topics it is a reliable metric in terms of overall academic aptitude.

The new MCAT will attempt to incorporate subjects that are relevant to med school (social sciences and Biochem) in addition to its role as a predictor of academic success/aptitude.
Also, since it's longer and covers more subjects, it'll be more in line with the exams med students take. Moreover, pre-meds will find a way to prepare for it and things will somehow balance out in the end.

But how are the intro social science classes pertinent here? I totally get the relevance of psychosocial factors in this field. But it's not as if you're specifically studying psychosocial (and economic) disparities and their impact on health in these courses. Also, I get that various groups (i.e. minorities, LGBTQ, immigrants, etc) face healthcare barriers. It's happened to me. I just don't see the how those 2 courses will make a difference. It's not abnormal psych, public health, etc.

I understand that some of my initial comments were ridiculous. But honestly, who here hasn't questioned and/or complained about a daunting task? And often, hyperbole is used during such rants.

Anyway, I appreciate the feedback from those who think this is a good idea.

 

[miamiheatfan]

So this is what I've gathered so far:
The current MCAT is useful for its predictive qualities. Although it doesn't specifically test you on med school topics it is a reliable metric in terms of overall academic aptitude.

The new MCAT will attempt to incorporate subjects that are relevant to med school (social sciences and Biochem) in addition to its role as a predictor of academic success/aptitude.
Also, since it's longer and covers more subjects, it'll be more in line with the exams med students take. Moreover, pre-meds will find a way to prepare for it and things will somehow balance out in the end.

But how are the intro social science classes pertinent here? I totally get the relevance of psychosocial factors in this field. But it's not as if you're specifically studying psychosocial (and economic) disparities and their impact on health in these courses. Also, I get that various groups (i.e. minorities, LGBTQ, immigrants, etc) face healthcare barriers. It's happened to me. I just don't see the how those 2 courses will make a difference. It's not abnormal psych, public health, etc.

I understand that some of my initial comments were ridiculous. But honestly, who here hasn't questioned and/or complained about a daunting task? And often, hyperbole is used during such rants.

Anyway, I appreciate the feedback from those who think this is a good idea.

I understand you, it is going to be a lot to study for people who take the new MCAT. The current one is a lot to be honest haha. You are right, just the intro courses are not enough. Honestly in 5 years the MCAT may expand even more if anything, and possibly could test test-takers on scenarios involving health disparities. But I think I understand why they would start off with the basic intro social sciences first. They will probably expand in the future.

 

[Lucca]

Soc/psych are here to stay and social and non-science coursework will probably be added to the exam at the expense of science coursework. I base this statement off of the large structural changes some prominent medical schools are making (or have made) towards their curricula.

Harvard - NP no longer requires OChem II and all lab requirements may be substituted with real lab expwrience or another course that demonstrates these skills. Increased emphasis on computational abilities and facility interfacing with technology. At least 16 hours of humanities coursework required for admission. (AP not accepted for humanities requirement)

HST has these requirements along with molecular biology and differential equations to better equip the research arm of its medical student population. I think Harvard is doing the best job at adapting to the times by saying that a one-size fits all education is no longer satiafactory for medical professionals.

Johns Hopkins: Dropping Ochem II, diminishing lab requirements, ignoring biochem lab, 24 hours of humanities/social science coursework (12 of which may be through AP credit) required for admission.

Greater national trend: shortened pre-clinical years, more time for electives/research years, etc.

I wish the Texas schools wouldve dropped Ochem II earlier tho.

 

[bunnyg]

I like the addition of Biochem to the test, but I don't like how they are adding sociology/psychology at the expense of some of the harder sciences (ochem and physics). I believe subjects like ochem and physics weed out some of the students who just blindly memorize rather than understand. Socio/Psych just encourage memorization. What good will requiring students to memorize crap like Eriksons stages of psychosocial development do?

 

[Narmerguy]

So this is what I've gathered so far:
The current MCAT is useful for its predictive qualities. Although it doesn't specifically test you on med school topics it is a reliable metric in terms of overall academic aptitude.

The new MCAT will attempt to incorporate subjects that are relevant to med school (social sciences and Biochem) in addition to its role as a predictor of academic success/aptitude.
Also, since it's longer and covers more subjects, it'll be more in line with the exams med students take. Moreover, pre-meds will find a way to prepare for it and things will somehow balance out in the end.

But how are the intro social science classes pertinent here? I totally get the relevance of psychosocial factors in this field. But it's not as if you're specifically studying psychosocial (and economic) disparities and their impact on health in these courses. Also, I get that various groups (i.e. minorities, LGBTQ, immigrants, etc) face healthcare barriers. It's happened to me. I just don't see the how those 2 courses will make a difference. It's not abnormal psych, public health, etc.

I understand that some of my initial comments were ridiculous. But honestly, who here hasn't questioned and/or complained about a daunting task? And often, hyperbole is used during such rants.

Anyway, I appreciate the feedback from those who think this is a good idea.

Well, to be fair, you're also not studying anything explicitly medical/biological when you take Physics 1 & 2. You work with what you've got. Intro courses in chem/physics are taught because it's difficult to require students to go too much further without being a burden. Intro psych and soc are similar, and hopefully many students will take this experience and drive it further on their own to take the deeper classes in public health or epidemiology or abnormal psych. In physics, I liked it and took my studies further into biophysics, particularly computational biophysics.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Well, to be fair, you're also not studying anything explicitly medical/biological when you take Physics 1 & 2. You work with what you've got. Intro courses in chem/physics are taught because it's difficult to require students to go too much further without being a burden. Intro psych and soc are similar, and hopefully many students will take this experience and drive it further on their own to take the deeper classes in public health or epidemiology or abnormal psych. In physics, I liked it and took my studies further into biophysics, particularly computational biophysics.

I see your point, but will more students actually pursue further study in psych and soc in addition to the science pre-reqs and their major coursework? Believe it or not, I've actually learned a lot of useful stuff in my poli sci courses. For example, comparative politics courses have allowed me to explore different cultures that I'll encounter as a physician. Also, this major has given me a better understanding of policy formulation and implementation. However, I haven't been able to take more courses in soc and psych due to my other academic requirements. I have much interest in public health and epidemiology, but realistically speaking, I won't be able to explore those subjects until med school. Moreover, my interests in public health, epidemiology, psychosocial determinants of illness, etc have had nothing to do with intro soc and psych.

Essentially, I don't think it's logistically possible for many to take soc and psych courses beyond the intro level. As other posters mentioned, there might be an expansion of the social science material at the expense of physics and/or orgo. But only time will tell.

 

[Lucca]

I would be very interested in seeing some measurable results in the years to come and overall student performance in clinical/pre-clinical coursework.

 

[el_duderino]

You won't see much difference.

 

[Goro]

One should not assume the the AAMC folks (who are nehind the MCAT) are complete idiots. Contrary to what you may think the test has been field tested.

The new Social Sciences section has been (retrospectively) a good predictor of success in Epidemiology, Neurology and Psychiatric coursework in medical school. This from people who have attended medical education meetings.

I predict that in a few years, the AAMC will recognize the futility of adding the social science section and change the exam content/format once again. What do you think?

Edit: I originally used the word "catastrophe" to describe the new MCAT. I realize now that it was a poor word choice and did not accurately reflect my apprehensions/doubts about the new exam.

I'm still skeptical about the new social science sections, although I'm happy to hear from ppl who favor the change. Perhaps I'll be convinced at some point.

The MCAT people themselves say that as long as one is well read, one will do fine in the new section. So chill.

Yeah but most ppl apply to med school while they're in college. Also, this exam will make it more difficult for non-trads who work full time jobs.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

One should not assume the the AAMC folks (who are nehind the MCAT) are complete idiots. Contrary to what you may think the test has been field tested.

The new Social Sciences section has been (retrospectively) a good predictor of success in Epidemiology, Neurology and Psychiatric coursework in medical school. This from people who have attended medical education meetings.

Thanks Goro. I realize my initial language was a bit dumb-lol. As you already know, it's typical for students to rant in such a manner. Obviously, I'm aware that significant work has gone into making the changes. And frankly, I'm thrilled that other posters have argued in favor of the new material. Although, I still have some reservations about the changes.

 

[circulus vitios]

I predict that in a few years, the AAMC will recognize the futility of adding the social science section and change the exam content/format once again. What do you think?

Doubtful considering the vast majority of med schools have an idiotic touchy-feely sociology like course that you have to take as an MS1.

 

[Narmerguy]

I see your point, but will more students actually pursue further study in psych and soc in addition to the science pre-reqs and their major coursework? Believe it or not, I've actually learned a lot of useful stuff in my poli sci courses. For example, comparative politics courses have allowed me to explore different cultures that I'll encounter as a physician. Also, this major has given me a better understanding of policy formulation and implementation. However, I haven't been able to take more courses in soc and psych due to my other academic requirements. I have much interest in public health and epidemiology, but realistically speaking, I won't be able to explore those subjects until med school. Moreover, my interests in public health, epidemiology, psychosocial determinants of illness, etc have had nothing to do with intro soc and psych.

Essentially, I don't think it's logistically possible for many to take soc and psych courses beyond the intro level. As other posters mentioned, there might be an expansion of the social science material at the expense of physics and/or orgo. But only time will tell.

They don't need to, just like most premeds never take more physics. I mentioned that simply as a perk, it is not needed to justify their inclusion in the test. Most premeds will not take classes beyond physics 1&2, or past basic English, or past calculus, or basic stats, or even past organic II and genchem II. Personally, though I love physics very much and wish premeds and medical students had to take it, I'd rather they take more psyc/soc if one had to cannibalize the other. Thankfully, at the moment, educators have decided--why not just take both? If students decide to pursue further study, as I did (I minored in sociology and majored in biophysics), that's all good as well.

 

[235009]

Doubtful considering the vast majority of med schools have an idiotic touchy-feely sociology like course that you have to take as an MS1.

when you're in residency i guarantee you'll NEVER wish you had paid closer attention or had more training in biochem (hardly any of which you'll even remember) but you will, on multiple occasions, wish you had paid more attention to the "idiotic touchy-feely sociology like course" where they teach you how to talk to patients and the psychosocial determinants of health.

 

[anbuitachi]

Indefinitely.

MCAT isn't for predicting who will be a better doctor. Its purpose is to have a standardized way to differentiate students from one another. This new format will only help BC there are now more sections. Ones who work hard will continue to do so and will score well.

 

[Ismet]

Doubtful considering the vast majority of med schools have an idiotic touchy-feely sociology like course that you have to take as an MS1.

Maybe if you had a better attitude, you would enjoy med school more. The very little social science/humanities stuff we get is not idiotic and is actually worthwhile. You don't need to be "touchy-feely" but if your bedside manner is crap or you don't understand the social determinants behind your patients and how that affects medical care, no one will care how much clinical knowledge you possess.

 

[cyclopes93]

yea this new MCAT makes my list of courses I haven't taken longer. Since I'll be a non-trad, I am pretty overwhelmed as to how I should approach my classes. Adding psychology and social sciences is alright because I know the psychology material will help me later in medical school. However, the additional semester of biochemistry with biochem major friends telling me that it mostly tests much greater depth of material than intro biochem is burdening because this is coming from the same friends that thought the MCAT practice biochem section was hard. Quite honestly, I wish the AMCAS people had told us all earlier since then I probably would have considered my major choice more thoroughly and stuck with chemistry for good. Everyday I doubt becoming a doctor because I somehow see how sick I would get if I were constantly being tested on my knowledge throughout my life. I flourish in an encouraging environment but where there is a constant push to pull people down for no good reason, it makes me very confused and I ultimately lose taste because medicine shouldn't be a rat race, it should be a meaningful and wonderful journey with the mission to help people. We are focusing on all the wrong things while patients are feeling out of touch with their occupied physician. Sometimes I just feel like going overseas and just working like a straightforward doctor, giving my service to those that need it; may it be in exchange for money or for their smiles. The whole process has become so disorganized...today's doctors are made to do 10,000 things at one time and by the time they get a break they are nearly 40 or 50. I mean seriously? Sometimes the healthcare business seems like one where we pay the least attention to employee health.