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Started by lionWushi
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Since Psych is on the test, sounds like it'd be good to take a class.
But how good are you at self-study? You could probably learn the stuff on your own.
 
lionWushi said:
I need to pick a final class and it's either going to be Intro to Psychology or another class to fulfill some graduation requirements. What's the verdict for those taking the new MCATs?
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You'd most definitely need to take sociology/psychology regardless of the new MCAT because many schools are changing their requirements to include these additional courses (check out the MSAR). I'd figure the intro course would suffice.
 
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Yup, I would take that psych. As the poster above said, socio is becoming a part of requirements for medical schools, so it is good to have it under your belt.
 
Lya said:
Yup, I would take that psych. As the poster above said, socio is becoming a part of requirements for medical schools, so it is good to have it under your belt.
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So you may have meant this, but psych and socio are definitely not the same thing. Theoretically both are on the new MCAT, and if schools start requiring both, two classes will be needed.

There are more and more schools that do require 'social sciences' (psych and socio both fall under that umbrella) so if you don't have any on your transcript I'd definitely add one in.

The utility of any given psych class for the MCAT itself is probably going to be low until schools start crafting their classes around the MCAT content (ugh).
 
lionWushi said:
god what a pain... alright. thanks all.

edit: should I take any specific socio/psych classes or are intro courses fine?
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For the MCAT? Intros are going to be the the most helpful if anything is, but as a social science major I read the MCAT outline for what's theoretically going to be on the MCAT for these subjects with great displeasure. There's less standardization in the social science classes (particular socio) so I wouldn't count on it to be preparation for the MCAT specifically.

On the other hand usually there are lots of potentially interesting entry level psych and socio courses offered by the departments--at least, there were at my university. In your position I'd look around a bit for one you find specifically interesting or that has a professor with a particularly good reputation. Most things in the psych or socio departments will be just fine to check the 'social science' box. Maybe avoid particularly bio-heavy psych courses.
 
Intro courses are what are recommended. I have not taken a sociology class but my psych class was mostly definitions and very broad symptoms of mental conditions. If that is what is covered on that portion of the MCAT2015 then you could definitely self study with a few youtube lectures and maybe a study book.
 
AMCAS has an excellent website that addresses all of the important information concerning the 2015 MCAT. I would consult that. I'm sure there is also variation among institutions, so your school may be helpful in this regard. Just talk to an adviser in the psychology department or the department head, and print out a list of the topics addressed by the new MCAT. At most schools, I would imagine that the introductory courses would be sufficient and they provide a broad survey of the subject.
 
research methods for psych and stats for the behavioral sciences were the most helpful on my trial section, for what it's worth.
 
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