Anyone organize a free MCAT-review course at their medical school?

[sponge]

Hey everyone,

I was just wondering if any med schools out there had a student-organized free MCAT course for local college kids who can't afford Kaplan or Princeton Review. I'm one of the coordinators for a course here at Columbia P&S, so if you have something like this (or if you'd like to get something started), let me know and we can share materials, basic curriculum, strategies, etc.

Thanks!

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[sponge]

Aiight, I'm going to bump this up to the top one time, see if I can get the attention of people who were away for thanksgiving.

Thanks again!

 

[DoctorFunk]

Why would you waste your time helping pre-meds with the MCAT when you could be tutoring underprivileged high school students in an effort to get them into college?

Worst case scenario for the pre-meds even if they blow the MCAT and never get into med school is that they finish undergrad with a degree and get some $30,000/yr lab job. Kids in the ghetto who aren't able to make it out can look forward to a lifetime of dealing drugs and pimping/getting pimped. I wouldn't want that on my conscience.

 

[sponge]

Have you ever worked in a lab? I wouldn't want that on my conscience either.. hehe.

But seriously, once an underprivileged kid gets to college, she doesn't stop being underpriveleged. Just trying to do my part to level the playing field.

 

[njbmd]

Hey everyone,

I was just wondering if any med schools out there had a student-organized free MCAT course for local college kids who can't afford Kaplan or Princeton Review. I'm one of the coordinators for a course here at Columbia P&S, so if you have something like this (or if you'd like to get something started), let me know and we can share materials, basic curriculum, strategies, etc.

Thanks!

I changed the title of your thread. Most of the folks that post on this forum would likely see "Any have a free MCAT course?" and think "Been there, done that" and move on. You may get a few more replies with a different thread title.

 

[SteveUTexas]

Have you ever worked in a lab? I wouldn't want that on my conscience either.. hehe.

But seriously, once an underprivileged kid gets to college, she doesn't stop being underpriveleged. Just trying to do my part to level the playing field.

The playing field is pretty level already if not sloped to the advantage of underprivilaged kids. It is the middle class white kid that is financially strained during the college/medical school process. There are so many government programs and loan programs for the "underprivalaged". If someone can get into college and make good enough grades to get into medical school then they should be industrious enough to find away to pay for Kaplan, it is not that expensive. Like DoctorFunk said, the better thing to do would be to try and get more kids into college or at least more kids graduating from high school. In Houston ISD the dropout rate for Hispanics is above 50%. People should be focusing on those kids, not an "underprivilaged" college educated student looking to save $1500. Targeting the education of borderline high school dropouts would have a more profound societal impact.


If you want materials to model your MCAT course on I would recommend ExamKrackers over Kaplan. I found the materials to be better organized and to the point.

 

[NonTradMed]

The playing field is pretty level already if not sloped to the advantage of underprivilaged kids. It is the middle class white kid that is financially strained during the college/medical school process. There are so many government programs and loan programs for the "underprivalaged". If someone can get into college and make good enough grades to get into medical school then they should be industrious enough to find away to pay for Kaplan, it is not that expensive. Like DoctorFunk said, the better thing to do would be to try and get more kids into college or at least more kids graduating from high school. In Houston ISD the dropout rate for Hispanics is above 50%. People should be focusing on those kids, not an "underprivilaged" college educated student looking to save $1500. Targeting the education of borderline high school dropouts would have a more profound societal impact.


If you want materials to model your MCAT course on I would recommend ExamKrackers over Kaplan. I found the materials to be better organized and to the point.

I think there are also lower class kids who are working their way through college that would like to see a free MCAT course. Yes there are college loans but with a fixed 6.8%, some are feeling the pinch. I was not one of them but I did meet one when I was working post-graduation. He had to work full time to pay his way through college and even though he was certainly more privilaged than inner-city kids, I think helping someone like him is also good for society. He does qualify, by medical school standards, as educationally disadvantage being the first (and until last year, the only) person in his family to graduate from college and I think it's thihs type of economic diversity that med schools would like to see.

 

[sponge]

I changed the title of your thread.

Thanks!

The playing field is pretty level already if not sloped to the advantage of underprivilaged kids. It is the middle class white kid that is financially strained during the college/medical school process. There are so many government programs and loan programs for the "underprivalaged". If someone can get into college and make good enough grades to get into medical school then they should be industrious enough to find away to pay for Kaplan, it is not that expensive. Like DoctorFunk said, the better thing to do would be to try and get more kids into college or at least more kids graduating from high school. In Houston ISD the dropout rate for Hispanics is above 50%. People should be focusing on those kids, not an "underprivilaged" college educated student looking to save $1500. Targeting the education of borderline high school dropouts would have a more profound societal impact.


If you want materials to model your MCAT course on I would recommend ExamKrackers over Kaplan. I found the materials to be better organized and to the point.

I'm not denying the need to help high school kids. Arguably it's more important. But this is what I call the "starving children in Africa" argument. (Okay, I just made that up.) Feeding starving children in Africa is even more important than tutoring inner city high school students, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't tutor high schoolers. Basically, if we only focused on the most important thing, we would only be helping one cause. Instead, in our society, for instance, we fund both research on rare disorders and common ones (albeit to different extents). And of course, unimportant things in our society get accomplished, like seedless watermelons. (the opening monologue of http://www.seinology.com/scripts/script-65.shtml. youTube is down right now.)

Back to the point: is the free MCAT course important enough? I think there is a place for free MCAT courses. If you had to work to pay for your tuition, books, etc... plus med school app fees (I know there are waivers for this, but its pretty hard to get from my understanding, I'm not sure), maybe even support other family members while going to an underfunded community college, you might not think that the playing field was tilted your way. It's a hard process, with or without money, but I would venture to say its made more difficult when there are strong financial (and other types of) barriers. And there really isn't that much free money out there along the way.

Thanks for the advice re: ExamKrackers.

 

[DrBowtie]

I think you should probably think about what you are going to offer with this course. Examkrackers books are $110 or so. With the computerized version now being the only option, proctoring tests isn't really necessary. They are most likely going to have to pay the cash for the AAMC ones on their own anyway.

The most valuable service you could offer would be like a Q & A where you could clear up concepts. I'm not sure taking the time to develop lectures will be worth your time.

I'm not trying to be discouraging, just trying to help you define a program.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

If you want materials to model your MCAT course on I would recommend ExamKrackers over Kaplan. I found the materials to be better organized and to the point.

I agree with the ExamKrackers at least as far as the verbal is concerned. Verbal improvement comes with practice. Don't eff around with anybody's "strategy."

I am not a proponent for prep courses, and I don't think that a poor person need be considered disadvantaged. The MCAT, perhaps contrary to the USMLE, tests assimilation and application of material rather than rote memory. There isn't anything on there that wasn't covered during undergrad courses, and a prep course isn't going to teach you something that you shouldn't have already learned. (AAMC agrees with me on this point. Just buy their old tests if you want to practice.)

My speech to premeds...Eventually in your career, you will find yourself in a place with no tutor and will have to rely on what you've learned over the years. It might as well start now.

Interesting example--Wizard takes organic chem and physics in 1996, MCAT in 2005. 11 BS, 11 PS with no preparatory course or added college classes in between. Parents' combined income $23,000 per year.

 

[utorontograd]

Interesting example--Wizard takes organic chem and physics in 1996, MCAT in 2005. 11 BS, 11 PS with no preparatory course or added college classes in between. Parents' combined income $23,000 per year.

Way to go man!