Fellow BYU students,
I just wanted to share my experience:
I took the hardest professors for all of the required mcat classes. Why? Because you have to study the most! Medical school is serious business. I am a non-traditional student. I came back to school 3 years ago and finished up my undergrad in exercise science, but I always scoped out the hardest teachers for each of the classes so that I would force myself to do the best. Here was my schedule:
Semester 1 coming back to school - Winter 2008: 19 hours
BIOL 120 2.0 Honors Science of Biology
CHEM 105 4.0 General College Chemistry
EXSC 362 3.0 Kinesiology & Biomechanics
HEPE 129 2.0 Fitness & Lifestyle Management (via independent study)
PDBIO 305 4.0 Human Physiology (with lab)
PHSCS 105 3.0 Intro Applied Phys
PHSCS 107 1.0 Intr Appl Phys Lab
Semester 2 - Fall 2008: 18 hours
CHEM 106 3.0 General College Chemistry
CHEM 351 3.0 Organic Chemistry
EXSC 302 1.0 Philosophical & Ethical Issues
MMBIO 240 3.0 Molecular Biology
MMBIO 241 1.0 Molecular & Cellular Bio Lab
NDFS 100 3.0 Essentials of Human Nutrition
PHSCS 106 3.0 Intro Applied Phys
PHSCS 108 1.0 Intr Applied Physics Lab
During semester 3, Winter 2009, I took the MCAT in january and all the info was FRESH! I took no review courses, just took 2 practice tests and took it cold and scored great (above average). I only took it the one time and easily got into medical school - osteopathic.
I don't want to scare anyone, but I do want to be realistic. My schedules look insane, but the truth is, I knew I wanted to do medicine and I was very serious. I also was 26 when I came back to school, married, with 2 kids. I wasn't fooling around or just "trying" to get in. I was determined to get into medical school. I went osteopathic because it fit with my goals and desires, not because I couldn't qualify for allopathic. I ONLY applied osteopathic.
Also, I only wanted to take the MCAT once, and believe it or not, I study way more now in medical school than I did at BYU with those semesters. You will also notice, I hadn't finished Ochem 2 before I took the MCAT. 90% of ochem tested on mcat comes from part 1. Also don't get fooled, ochem is mixed with life sciences, so it's not even that heavy of a material tested on.
Let me know if you have any questions... PM me.
OMS I
A.T. Still University
School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
I just wanted to share my experience:
I took the hardest professors for all of the required mcat classes. Why? Because you have to study the most! Medical school is serious business. I am a non-traditional student. I came back to school 3 years ago and finished up my undergrad in exercise science, but I always scoped out the hardest teachers for each of the classes so that I would force myself to do the best. Here was my schedule:
Semester 1 coming back to school - Winter 2008: 19 hours
BIOL 120 2.0 Honors Science of Biology
CHEM 105 4.0 General College Chemistry
EXSC 362 3.0 Kinesiology & Biomechanics
HEPE 129 2.0 Fitness & Lifestyle Management (via independent study)
PDBIO 305 4.0 Human Physiology (with lab)
PHSCS 105 3.0 Intro Applied Phys
PHSCS 107 1.0 Intr Appl Phys Lab
Semester 2 - Fall 2008: 18 hours
CHEM 106 3.0 General College Chemistry
CHEM 351 3.0 Organic Chemistry
EXSC 302 1.0 Philosophical & Ethical Issues
MMBIO 240 3.0 Molecular Biology
MMBIO 241 1.0 Molecular & Cellular Bio Lab
NDFS 100 3.0 Essentials of Human Nutrition
PHSCS 106 3.0 Intro Applied Phys
PHSCS 108 1.0 Intr Applied Physics Lab
During semester 3, Winter 2009, I took the MCAT in january and all the info was FRESH! I took no review courses, just took 2 practice tests and took it cold and scored great (above average). I only took it the one time and easily got into medical school - osteopathic.
I don't want to scare anyone, but I do want to be realistic. My schedules look insane, but the truth is, I knew I wanted to do medicine and I was very serious. I also was 26 when I came back to school, married, with 2 kids. I wasn't fooling around or just "trying" to get in. I was determined to get into medical school. I went osteopathic because it fit with my goals and desires, not because I couldn't qualify for allopathic. I ONLY applied osteopathic.
Also, I only wanted to take the MCAT once, and believe it or not, I study way more now in medical school than I did at BYU with those semesters. You will also notice, I hadn't finished Ochem 2 before I took the MCAT. 90% of ochem tested on mcat comes from part 1. Also don't get fooled, ochem is mixed with life sciences, so it's not even that heavy of a material tested on.
Let me know if you have any questions... PM me.
OMS I
A.T. Still University
School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
