3 unrelated questions

[DiamondBar]

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1) Is it really impossible to study for the MCAT by yourself? I'm not a genius or anything, so I was wondering if I should take MCAT courses for thousands of dollars and if I would benefit from it as much as the huge price.

2) Around many hours would you say is solid for shadowing doctors? I am aware that it is better to shadow 5 different doctors than to shadow 1 doctor, but how many hours each would be considered "solid"?

3) Do medical schools automatically weed out applicants that have "low" cGPA? My sGPA is significantly higher than my cGPA, and I was wondering if medical schools weigh the two GPA's equally. I could not find a clear answer using the search engine.

 

[Narmerguy]

1) Is it really impossible to study for the MCAT by yourself? I'm not a genius or anything, so I was wondering if I should take MCAT courses for thousands of dollars and if I would benefit from it as much as the huge price.

2) Around many hours would you say is solid for shadowing doctors? I am aware that it is better to shadow 5 different doctors than to shadow 1 doctor, but how many hours each would be considered "solid"?

3) Do medical schools automatically weed out applicants that have "low" cGPA? My sGPA is significantly higher than my cGPA, and I was wondering if medical schools weigh the two GPA's equally. I could not find a clear answer using the search engine.

1) No it is very doable to study the MCAT by yourself. In fact, most college applicants (and probably even people on SDN) do not pay for MCAT courses.

2) IIRC, 60-70 hours total is considered solid so perhaps 12-15 hours per doctor.

3) Yes some schools do that. Where that cutoff is made depends on the school. Also, some schools pay special attention to the sGPA but I don't know if it can compensate for an overall low GPA.

 

[Pedsbro]

1) Is it really impossible to study for the MCAT by yourself? I'm not a genius or anything, so I was wondering if I should take MCAT courses for thousands of dollars and if I would benefit from it as much as the huge price.

2) Around many hours would you say is solid for shadowing doctors? I am aware that it is better to shadow 5 different doctors than to shadow 1 doctor, but how many hours each would be considered "solid"?

3) Do medical schools automatically weed out applicants that have "low" cGPA? My sGPA is significantly higher than my cGPA, and I was wondering if medical schools weigh the two GPA's equally. I could not find a clear answer using the search engine.

1. Where do people hear these things?? No, it's more than possible to study for the MCAT yourself...in fact, the MAJORITY of premeds do not take courses, they study themselves. I studied for it while working full time for 5 months and got a great score, and I'm no genius either. Having said that, if you feel you aren't doing well on your own, then maybe join a course to help you organize your studying.

2. Once again, where do people hear these things? It's better to shadow 5 docs instead of 1? Not likely.. IMO, it's better to shadow one doc for a significant amount of time than 5 docs for 1 hour or some insignificant amount of time. Also, if I saw 5 shadowing experiences, I'd think you were trying to pad your application and that was time you could spend doing other EC's or research or (hey!) studying for the MCAT on your own. Stick to one or two and make them substantial.

3. As the previous poster said, some do, some don't. I would imagine that most will focus more on your science GPA, however you WILL get asked about it being higher than your cumulative (or you should explain in your secondary or somewhere). That can be a red flag, depending on the non-science courses you didn't do well in.

 

[hopki099]

1. Where do people hear these things?? No, it's more than possible to study for the MCAT yourself...in fact, the MAJORITY of premeds do not take courses, they study themselves. I studied for it while working full time for 5 months and got a great score, and I'm no genius either. Having said that, if you feel you aren't doing well on your own, then maybe join a course to help you organize your studying.

2. Once again, where do people hear these things? It's better to shadow 5 docs instead of 1? Not likely.. IMO, it's better to shadow one doc for a significant amount of time than 5 docs for 1 hour or some insignificant amount of time. Also, if I saw 5 shadowing experiences, I'd think you were trying to pad your application and that was time you could spend doing other EC's or research or (hey!) studying for the MCAT on your own. Stick to one or two and make them substantial. You can stack your shadowing experiences in one slot on the AMCAS, so it doesn't look like you're just trying to pad it.

3. As the previous poster said, some do, some don't. I would imagine that most will focus more on your science GPA, however you WILL get asked about it being higher than your cumulative (or you should explain in your secondary or somewhere). That can be a red flag, depending on the non-science courses you didn't do well in.

Well this is just full of misinformation 👍


1. I have read that most who have taken the MCAT have in fact taken a prep course at some point. I can't remember the exact number right now, but it was around 60%. The advantage of a prep course in my opinion is that it encourages you to study on a steady weekly basis, teaches some test taking skills, and covers some important information. If you are disciplined and can do this on your own, I would suggest buying the practice AAMC exams and MCAT prep books to save money.

2. If you had to choose between 100 hours with one doc and 20 hours with 5 docs, the latter would give you a broader, more attractive experience. If you had to choose between 5 hours with one doc and 1 hour with 5 docs, then obviously the former would be better, not that that situation would arise. You can stack your shadowing experiences in one section of your AMCAS to save space for other activities.

3. I don't think there's any real consensus on which is more important, cGPA or sGPA. It has been discussed before but seems situational and it's mostly just speculation. I seriously doubt you'll be asked about it if they're anywhere near each other. You certainly do not have to bring up the issue in a secondary.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=738607
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=719163

 

[EpicBearMan]

Regarding MCAT prep, if you are able to stick to an organized study plan without any help, a course probably won't be of much benefit. If you need help with motivation / organization, then I could possibly see these courses being a worthwhile investment. Test taking tips can be found online or in books, so I don't think it is necessary to hear them in the classroom. The majority of MCAT prep is review and practice. I don't think either of these things require classroom direction.

If you are having trouble understanding a certain area of a subject, I would suggest some alternatives before you shell out the money for a prep course. My university has FREE one-on-one tutoring in chemistry, biochem, o-chem, physics, gen bio, genetics, physiology, etc. Something like this would certainly be worth a try if your school offers it.

(Becoming a tutor for these subjects isn't a bad idea either. Teaching is a great way to learn.)

Kaplan and the other prep companies do some excellent marketing. I see posters around the science buildings that read "3 out of 4 medical school students took a MCAT prep course, shouldn't you?" I didn't think this was a very good reason, so I never took one.

 

[Pedsbro]

Well this is just full of misinformation 👍


1. I have read that most who have taken the MCAT have in fact taken a prep course at some point. I can't remember the exact number right now, but it was around 60%. The advantage of a prep course in my opinion is that it encourages you to study on a steady weekly basis, teaches some test taking skills, and covers some important information. If you are disciplined and can do this on your own, I would suggest buying the practice AAMC exams and MCAT prep books to save money.

2. If you had to choose between 100 hours with one doc and 20 hours with 5 docs, the latter would give you a broader, more attractive experience. If you had to choose between 5 hours with one doc and 1 hour with 5 docs, then obviously the former would be better, not that that situation would arise. You can stack your shadowing experiences in one section of your AMCAS to save space for other activities.

3. I don't think there's any real consensus on which is more important, cGPA or sGPA. It has been discussed before but seems situational and it's mostly just speculation. I seriously doubt you'll be asked about it if they're anywhere near each other. You certainly do not have to bring up the issue in a secondary.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=738607
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=719163

Haha, so just because you have a different opinion, it's misinformation? And 60% of all premeds take MCAT prep courses? Well I shall defer to the pre-med with all your experience and research...
OP, just do what's best for you and don't listen to anyone in particular on a place like this. If you need a prep course, take it. Shadow until you get an idea of whatever specialty you're observing, then move on...after all, that's the whole point. Trust me, as long as you have some shadowing or other medical experience (jobs/volunteering), the number of hours aren't going to be the reason you get in or not. And be prepared to explain why your cGPA is lower than your sGPA, especially if it's all in one subject (i.e. you got C's in your English classes, but A's in everything else, etc). I know for a fact that some places will ask you this either in an interview or on a secondary (i.e. Please explain any abnormalities in your academic record or something like that). If you don't ever get asked, great! At least you were ready.

 

[Narmerguy]

Well this is just full of misinformation 👍


1. I have read that most who have taken the MCAT have in fact taken a prep course at some point. I can't remember the exact number right now, but it was around 60%. The advantage of a prep course in my opinion is that it encourages you to study on a steady weekly basis, teaches some test taking skills, and covers some important information. If you are disciplined and can do this on your own, I would suggest buying the practice AAMC exams and MCAT prep books to save money.

This is false. Are you aware how many people take the MCAT every year? Perhaps you are confusing MCAT prep courses with MCAT prep material.

 

[Ischemic]

1) Is it really impossible to study for the MCAT by yourself? I'm not a genius or anything, so I was wondering if I should take MCAT courses for thousands of dollars and if I would benefit from it as much as the huge price.

2) Around many hours would you say is solid for shadowing doctors? I am aware that it is better to shadow 5 different doctors than to shadow 1 doctor, but how many hours each would be considered "solid"?

3) Do medical schools automatically weed out applicants that have "low" cGPA? My sGPA is significantly higher than my cGPA, and I was wondering if medical schools weigh the two GPA's equally. I could not find a clear answer using the search engine.

1. you can study by yourself because it's cheaper, but it really depends on you as a study person. Some like the "scheduled times" and study better with strict guidance while some do better just studying by themselves. It really depends.

2. Shadowing 1 doc for 100 hours is overkill. After the 5-6 visit you've pretty much seen everything you could possibly see in term of what they do most days. So, doing several different specialty docs for 20-30 hours per would make more sense in terms of gaining insight into different specialties.

3. Yes, every school will have a cutoff but at what number it's at, well, no one knows per say. That's why you apply broadly.