Advice on whether or not I'm doing the right thing.

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rmj254

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How would he have any idea on how you will perform on the MCAT?

Does he know you personally?
 
Neither he nor you can give a good estimate as to what your score will be like until you've studied some and taken some practice tests. If you're aiming for a 43 then I might agree with him though.
 
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Neither he nor you can give a good estimate as to what your score will be like until you've studied some and taken some practice tests. If you're aiming for a 43 then I might agree with him though.

Goal - 41
Reality - 33

Those 15s are really hard to rake up
 
This is why I don't visit my school's premed office. Your advisor has no clue if you can reach your goal or not, unless you're aiming for a 45 or something. Maybe she/he was just trying to help you avoid disappointment.

One of my classmates was told by her premed advisor that she needed Calculus II to get into med school.

Take everything they tell you with a grain of salt.
 
Well what the hell is your goal?
If your goal is a 37+ then I would say that unless you stand out as an extraordinary student and have an amazing work ethic and can think critically and rapidly at least 1.5 standard deviations better than your peers...then I would probably agree with him.

Only around 1-2% of people taking the test end up with a 37+ and all of us are probably use to being in the top 10% of whatever class we are in.

Most people have a goal that is very high and unrealistic because they dont know how rare scores of 37+ are (dont let the old SDN fool ya kiddo)
 
Hello,

I got somewhat startling news today. I was talking with an advisor about MCAT scores when the advisor informed me that I most likely wouldn't my goal score on the test. This statement took me by surprise, and kind of caused me to question myself. I haven't taken any practice tests yet, and don't plan to take the actual test until the summertime. Is this common for advisor's to do? I make good grades, and am currently taking my premed coursework.

Just looking for advice.

Thanks.

Don't listen to him/her, unless you said you're getting a 45. Even then, though, don't let anyone tell you what you are/aren't capable of getting.

And you haven't even taken any practice tests yet?? You probably can't really form a good idea of what you'll get anyways. Just study hard and stick with it til the end. Good luck.

Edit: And SakondBest, although I really don't like the tone of your post, I did go as the "I like turtles" kid for Halloween. How cool is that?
 
Thanks everyone for the advice. My goal is a 30. I just want to get into my state allopathic school, or a D.O. school. Prestige is not important to me. My goal is really to be able to get into my state school. I have only gone to this school for one term and got straight A's that term.It really just came as a shock to me that they said that. They've been doing this for a long time, and claim to know pretty well what students will get. I dunno.
 
Thanks everyone for the advice. My goal is a 30. I just want to get into my state allopathic school, or a D.O. school. Prestige is not important to me. My goal is really to be able to get into my state school. I have only gone to this school for one term and got straight A's that term.It really just came as a shock to me that they said that. They've been doing this for a long time, and claim to know pretty well what students will get. I dunno.

you can get above 30. That's not an unreasonable goal at all.
 
I honestly didn't believe I'd ever get a 30. That was my DREAM goal before I started studying. By the time I was wrapping up my studying and preparing to take the real thing, I was averaging 34.5 on the AAMC practice tests and I went in hoping for a 36. I ended up going a little nutso in my head and getting a 32... but dude, I look back on what I originally thought... that I'd never get a 30... and I was not only thankful for the 32 I ended up getting, but newly aware that I am capable. You are capable too.

Hello,

I got somewhat startling news today. I was talking with an advisor about MCAT scores when the advisor informed me that I most likely wouldn't my goal score on the test. This statement took me by surprise, and kind of caused me to question myself. I haven't taken any practice tests yet, and don't plan to take the actual test until the summertime. Is this common for advisor's to do? I make good grades, and am currently taking my premed coursework.

Just looking for advice.

Thanks.
 
Good advisors are RARE. To say you wouldn't make a 30 means he/she's either doubting you or doesn't know anything.
 
The first time I met my school's premed advisor was for the committee LOR meeting. The second (and only other) time I ever saw him was to stop by his office to let him know which school I had decided to attend.

SDN's probably a better advisor anyway.
 
Well, the goal of getting a 30 can't be accomplished without some work (usually).

OP, if your advisors are predicting that you won't get a 30 based on what others at the school have gotten, just be aware that you may need to put in some serious work on your own outside of class. It may be an indicator that the pre-med classes at your school aren't quite adequate to meet the demands that the MCAT will put on your science knowledge. (Either that or your advisor is somewhat sadistic and/or uniformed, but I'm going to avoid going down that path.)

There's no reason why you can't make a 30 if you work for it and are intelligent about studying. Good luck :luck::luck::luck:.
 
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Roger that.

The first time I met my school's premed advisor was for the committee LOR meeting. The second (and only other) time I ever saw him was to stop by his office to let him know which school I had decided to attend.

SDN's probably a better advisor anyway.
 
Thank you all very much for your help. That's what I was thinking. This person is telling me that mid-high 20's are really all I'll be able to get. I have started studying, and plan to continue doing so. Also, I plan to begin taking the practice tests soon. I am sort of cramming my premed classes together and working so that I can get ready to apply as soon as is possible. I just want to be as prepared as I can be to be competitive at medical schools. Is 1-2 hours a day a good amount of study time to get to my goal?

Thanks.
 
wat school do you go too......i'm sorry i don't want to sound mean, but what kind of a pre med advisor tells their student they will get a mid to high 20's?????? MCAT is not only a test of intellect, but a test of how well u do something under pressure. On my diagnostic I got an 18, and I got over a 30 on the real thing....trust me there were times when i thought i couldnt' do it, but its really all about the work you put in. Spend ALOT of time (even if your pre med classes are lackluster) studying, sign up for a course, and I hope you do well and prove her wrong. And when you do prove her wrong, make sure she knows it too......
 
As others have said, if you really want to know how you're doing, try the AAMC practice tests.:thumbup: Beware, however, the Kaplan diagnostic--it's specifically designed to be brutal so they don't have to give you your money back after you take the test.

Study hard!:thumbup::luck:
 
Thank you all very much for your help. That's what I was thinking. This person is telling me that mid-high 20's are really all I'll be able to get. I have started studying, and plan to continue doing so. Also, I plan to begin taking the practice tests soon. I am sort of cramming my premed classes together and working so that I can get ready to apply as soon as is possible. I just want to be as prepared as I can be to be competitive at medical schools. Is 1-2 hours a day a good amount of study time to get to my goal?

Thanks.
1-2 hours a day isn't very much... I took about a month to study for my MCAT and I studied about 4 hours a day on average and took about 5-7 practice tests. I don't think it helps that much to study for the MCAT a year in advance a little bit everyday. Make yourself a plan and stick to it.

Also, an advisor might tell a premed how they are going to do on the MCAT if the premed walks into the office like a clueless person. I'm not saying that's what the OP is, and I'm not saying that the advisor is right or has the right to do that anyways, but plenty of kids who are premeds drop like flies regardless of grades. Plenty of kids coast aimlessly for a while and don't even know the format, style, topics on the MCAT.

So, if you wanna succeed. Inform yourself, come up with a plan, and stick to it. And don't listen to one person who barely knows you or people who don't know jack **** about applying to med school.
 
1-2 hours a day isn't very much... I took about a month to study for my MCAT and I studied about 4 hours a day on average and took about 5-7 practice tests. I don't think it helps that much to study for the MCAT a year in advance a little bit everyday. Make yourself a plan and stick to it.

Also, an advisor might tell a premed how they are going to do on the MCAT if the premed walks into the office like a clueless person. I'm not saying that's what the OP is, and I'm not saying that the advisor is right or has the right to do that anyways, but plenty of kids who are premeds drop like flies regardless of grades. Plenty of kids coast aimlessly for a while and don't even know the format, style, topics on the MCAT.

So, if you wanna succeed. Inform yourself, come up with a plan, and stick to it. And don't listen to one person who barely knows you or people who don't know jack **** about applying to med school.

I plan to take at least that many practice test before it's done. I'm starting nine months in advance, and I haven't even had some of the classes that will be on the MCAT yet (physics specifically). I'm attending physics tutoring at my school to learn as much as is possible about that subject before taking the class, so I think I'm being fairly proactive. So you're saying that I should study 3-4 hours everyday for 9 months before the test? I guess it couldn't hurt. I absolutely have my plan mapped out, as I am somewhat a non-trad student.
 
I plan to take at least that many practice test before it's done. I'm starting nine months in advance, and I haven't even had some of the classes that will be on the MCAT yet (physics specifically). I'm attending physics tutoring at my school to learn as much as is possible about that subject before taking the class, so I think I'm being fairly proactive. So you're saying that I should study 3-4 hours everyday for 9 months before the test? I guess it couldn't hurt. I absolutely have my plan mapped out, as I am somewhat a non-trad student.
no...3-4 hours a day 9 months before the test is useless. But 9 months before the test is usually not practice that will get the score high. 9 months before the test if you have to work/go to school is usually good for learning and solidifying concepts. It's the last 1-2 months before the test that will be integral in raising your score and memorizing last minute things that you are still having trouble with or are missing on the practice tests.
 
Thank you very much for this information. You all have been very helpful.
 
The only thing I know for certain about the medical school admissions process: Premed advisors dont know **** :). Sometimes I wonder how they get their jobs. I mean I learned more about the med school admissions process, including the inner secrets that med schools dont disclose, from studentdoctor.net and mdapplicants.com, than I ever did from my advisor.

As for the MCAT, your score goals should be realistic, ie, dont expect a 43+. However, unless english is your second language(which makes the MCAT difficult due to the rapid reading and timed nature of the exam), I think if you put enough effort preparing for it, you can at least get a 33+.
 
umm definantly don't believe your advisor, or anyone else really.... just go with what you see. study hard. take practice AAMC's... see where your at....AAMC's are pretty good indicators of actual scores... god bless
 
So I went in to do a mock interview with one of my advisors at school. After she asked me the first question, I answered, and then asked her something to make the interview more conversational. She then immediately stopped the interview and said that was not acceptable. (I.e you don't get to talk back to your interviewers in med school interviews). WHICH IS NOT TRUE AT ALL.
 
Thanks everyone for the advice. My goal is a 30. I just want to get into my state allopathic school, or a D.O. school. Prestige is not important to me. My goal is really to be able to get into my state school. I have only gone to this school for one term and got straight A's that term.It really just came as a shock to me that they said that. They've been doing this for a long time, and claim to know pretty well what students will get. I dunno.

My advisor hated health science majors. I'm a med tech and she pretty much told me, and has told me often, that being a med tech would gaurantee a lower score on the MCAT and no future in medical school.

People hate. That's their nature. Be realisitic with yourself. If you're doing well in school and you're studying, then you should be fine. Try to do the best you can on the MCAT and just let the rest flow. Take this as a challenge and try to prove her wrong.

BTW, accepted. C/O 2013. (Am making sure to rub it in to those who deserve the rubbing in.)
 
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