Am I totally screwed?

[DrOMG]

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I'm prior military using my GI Bill to pay for school. For those who don't know, I have to go to school full-time in order to get money to pay for my rent and support my family.

Anyway, I don't have a choice but to take classes every summer and make sure I am going full-time. I take my final pre-req (orgo 2) this fall and plan to study for the MCAT this spring. Am I totally screwed going to school full-time AND studying for the MCAT? I plan to take the easiest courses possible to lighten to academic load.

Has anyone either studied full-time while studying for the MCAT, or studied while taking orgo 2 at the same time?

Thanks!

 

[Frazier]

I'm prior military using my GI Bill to pay for school. For those who don't know, I have to go to school full-time in order to get money to pay for my rent and support my family.

Anyway, I don't have a choice but to take classes every summer and make sure I am going full-time. I take my final pre-req (orgo 2) this fall and plan to study for the MCAT this spring. Am I totally screwed going to school full-time AND studying for the MCAT? I plan to take the easiest courses possible to lighten to academic load.

Has anyone either studied full-time while studying for the MCAT, or studied while taking orgo 2 at the same time?

Thanks!

Find comfort in the fact that, out of the 80,000+ mcat administrations each year, thousands and thousands successfully do what you are worrying about.

Be a statistic.

 

[darkjedi]

Find comfort in the fact that, out of the 80,000+ mcat administrations each year, thousands and thousands successfully do what you are worrying about.

Be a statistic.

I studied for the MCAT while taking 3 of the science pre-reqs at the same time. You can do it, there is always time in the day during college.

 

[WorldChanger36]

I'm prior military using my GI Bill to pay for school. For those who don't know, I have to go to school full-time in order to get money to pay for my rent and support my family.

Anyway, I don't have a choice but to take classes every summer and make sure I am going full-time. I take my final pre-req (orgo 2) this fall and plan to study for the MCAT this spring. Am I totally screwed going to school full-time AND studying for the MCAT? I plan to take the easiest courses possible to lighten to academic load.

Has anyone either studied full-time while studying for the MCAT, or studied while taking orgo 2 at the same time?

Thanks!

It works for some people but for most it gets in the way. If it is too much work you can wait until after you graduate then take the MCAT and apply to med school. No big deal... Don't rush.

 

[mimelim]

School will not get in the way of MCAT prep. What will get in the way are the things outside of school that you want to do as a break from your classes.

 

[ur2l8]

Don't worry bud. Most undergrads do this. Just discipline yourself and plan accordingly, making the mcat the most imp. part of your day.

 

[DrOMG]

Thanks guys! 🙂

 

[ccfman1991]

for some people, it works marvelously. others vastly underestimate the amount of time they when studying for classes-->no time to study for MCAT. again, it's really up to you. speaking from personal experience, if you're not that fresh on the material, it'll take you a lot longer (and more hours per day) to get to the same level as someone who's str8 rippin' the material.

 

[NightGod]

Full-time, yes. But summer classes? Unless you've got some personal timeline to fulfill or something has seriously changed in the last 10 years (and all of my prior-service friends are screwing themselves over), it's hardly required by the GI Bill..

 

[DrOMG]

Full-time, yes. But summer classes? Unless you've got some personal timeline to fulfill or something has seriously changed in the last 10 years (and all of my prior-service friends are screwing themselves over), it's hardly required by the GI Bill..

None of it is required per the GI Bill, but I have twins that need a roof over their head. I could work during the summer but that still puts me in the same position and not many companies in the area take students knowing they will be leaving after 3 months. If I don't go to school, I don't get money for rent/bills etc. For me, someone who has a family to support, summer classes are required.

 

[Ellie Arroway]

This spring term I studied for & took the MCAT while taking Ochem III, Gen. Bio III, and Biomedical Ethics. Narrowly pulled a 4.0 and got a 34 on the MCAT. It's totally doable, just stressful. Make sure you have a way to have a quality break afterwards, because you'll need it.

 

[Hanguk]

Hey man, kudos for serving the country in the military and wanting to do so as a civilian too 👍

And yeah it is possible. Just make sure you always stick to a schedule you set up. In reality you can do just fine on the MCAT, but I think given your experience and such med schools will like to focus on your character and life lessons. What this means is given your GPA is competitive try to aim for a mid to low 30's and you'll be fine.

Good luck!

 

[NightGod]

None of it is required per the GI Bill, but I have twins that need a roof over their head. I could work during the summer but that still puts me in the same position and not many companies in the area take students knowing they will be leaving after 3 months. If I don't go to school, I don't get money for rent/bills etc. For me, someone who has a family to support, summer classes are required.

Gotcha, makes sense now. Just schedule an easy semester when you're studying the MCAT then. You can fit in 12 credits of fluff without completely blowing your graduation plans pretty easily, just front-load your schedule and save some of those random liberal arts credits for later.

 

[metaphase]

I took it one week after graduation, started studying in November while taking Physics I/II, and did well. Just make a consistent commitment to studying for the MCAT just like all your other classes.

 

[Frazier]

Just be sure to take every FL you can get your hands on. 😛

 

[MicroSteph]

I think it is possible. Also, it might not hurt to be taking a pre-req that is tested on the MCAT while you're studying. As someone who is about 3 years out of UG studying for the MCAT, I wish I had taken it while all of the information was still fresh in my mind. Best of luck!

 

[Praefectus]

It seriously isn't that bad. You only need an hour or two a day dedicated solely to MCAT studying. If you're anywhere near decent at time management, it shouldn't be an issue.

Also, I have a lot of respect for you and your work overseas. Thank you for working in the most important job of this country.

 

[mvenus929]

I took the MCAT in the middle of finals week. I don't recommend that, but it's possible. I was also taking Genetics, Physiology, and Orgo 2 that semester (plus at least one other class... can't remember which one, though). Studying for my classes helped me study for the MCAT. I managed to score a 36, so I guess something went right.

 

[Lil Mick]

Full time work, full time school, and full time family. Worked out okay, but wasn't so much fun at the time...