Advice on Studying during the semester

[imallday17]

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In the next year i will have (fall) - gen. chem 1, physics 1, genetics, biochem
(spring) - gen chem 2, physics 2, physiology, microbio

So my question is, "Which study materials do i need to get"??? I know ill need something orgo, bc my prof was GARBAGE. Ive read alot on the threads lately and Im trying to figure out what would be a good supplement while hammering home the above courses...

Anyone please weigh in on this...

Also, is studyng VR and other topics for 8 months a bad thing.. it seems most people are going for the 2-4 month approach???

 

[halekulani]

with that heavy of a course load i wouldn't recommend it ( i assume you have extracirriculars like research/club/something as well )

i sucked at ochem so when i reviewed it i thought the EK ochem book was great.

studying more isn't bad, but you have to weigh in the quality of studying and how long you can retain material you've reviewed months ago. it's best to study in a reasonable time period of a few months because it is easier to recall compared to material you've studied 8 months ago.

my advice to most people is to not study for the mcat during school unless
a. you're taking fewer units
b. your fundamentals are very strong.
i'm a pretty average student in gchem and ochem (got B's and one C) therefore i wouldn't recommend someone else like me to study during the school year. i'm also a huge procrastinator, but then again, who doesn't? ;] it all depends on your work ethic...if you believe u can grind it out for 8 months then go for it.

 

[imallday17]

anyone else care to weigh in... id appreciate it???

 

[madame99]

I tried to study for the MCAT during a school semester when i took physics, an advance psych course, advanced writing, and a seminar in psychobiology. The classes and studying would have been ok if I wasnt taking a princeton review course at night and volunteering every other day at a hospital. Needless to say I got very little independent MCAT studying done during the semester and had to postpone my test.
I think it helps alot to make a daily schedule and know that ,for example, today I will review the digestive system and do problem practice problems 1-30. This will hopefully curb the procrastination. Also, since you will pretty much be giving up your social life, remember to reward yourself once in a while to keep your attitude up.

 

[Jonari]

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you are. I have:

+ Evolution
+ Immunology
+ BioChem
+ Pharmacology
+ Anat & Phys II

15 credits

Luckily, on Mondays I have a break between my classes, and I can go study for the MCATs in between. Besides that there isn't anything else I can do. I really don't want to postpone my test date which is now scheduled for December.

 

[DocWalken]

I'm planning on studying for the MCAT this coming fall while taking:

Physiology
Biochem2
Physics2
Food chemistry(upper level)
and independent research (6-8hrs/week)

I feel as though I have a pretty solid foundation in all the pre-reqs and also I have an extra month after the semester to do nothing but study. I plan on taking the MCAT at the end of January.

For prep I'm mainly going to use the Kaplan online course and supplement it with the Examkrackers review books and AAMC tests.

So far (keep in mind I haven't started yet) I'm pretty confident in this plan.

 

[imallday17]

yeah sounds as if our schedules are pretty similar.... i was just curious b/c all the threads ive read on here suggest taking the classes that i am now in prep' for the MCAT... So i didnt know how much independent "mcat" studying i should be doing outside of trying to know these classes inside and out...

 

[DocWalken]

Yea, same. I haven't even begun to look at questions or material yet though so I can't really say how much studying I will need to do a week during the semester for the MCAT. I plan on doing a solid 8-10hrs/week (kaplan online course included) during my classes. We'll see how this goes.