Community College and the MCAT

[hunterworth]

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Okay, so I like my other posts, I am attending a Community College then will transfer to University of Arizona. I was recently talking to a friend who is also doing the Doctor route, and he is currently studying for his MCAT. We were talking about classes and he mentioned in 2015, the MCAT is going to have some additions to it. Now to my question. I am currently a Freshman, which means if I wouldn't be finishing my OChem until Fall of 2014. This means i don't have much time to study for the MCAT at all. So which should i do.

1) Finish all my MCAT pre-reqs by the spring of 2014, giving me time to study over summer and take in Fall before 2015 MCAT change.

OR

2) Just do classes according to how the counselor suggests and take additional classes for the pre-reqs for the MCAT.

Only issue I think I would have about option #1, is the difficulty from overload of classes.

Thanks for the help!

 

[SoonerFromTexas]

Just take the new MCAT. Everyone is going to have to do it. I bet you would do worse rushing into the "old" MCAT than being prepared for the new one. Good luck

Disclaimer: I don't know much about the new MCAT.

 

[sunflower18]

Why aren't you planning on taking ochem until your junior year? Most people tend to take ochem and physics their sophomore year so that they can take the mcat their junior year. Does that sound like something you could do? Some people take their pre-reqs in a more spread out manner, but it seems that that only is done if you're planning on taking a gap year 🙂

(I'm also a freshman, so I'm pretty familiar with the specific timeline)

Good luck!!

 

[johnisles2011]

I might give the new MCAT a shot, just on the off chance that the curves are a little messed up or that others are too afraid to take it. You could be the beneficiary of an early roadbump for them. Besides, it's presumably going to be a more useful test related to med school useful classes, so it might be a good idea to follow that path anyway.

 

[Koosalagoosagoo]

You wouldn't happen to live in Tucson?

 

[SoonerFromTexas]

Why aren't you planning on taking ochem until your junior year? Most people tend to take ochem and physics their sophomore year so that they can take the mcat their junior year. Does that sound like something you could do? Some people take their pre-reqs in a more spread out manner, but it seems that that only is done if you're planning on taking a gap year 🙂

(I'm also a freshman, so I'm pretty familiar with the specific timeline)

Good luck!!

I took ochem 2 fall of junior year. I worked really hard and pretty much mastered it. It was great because I only had to study ochem for two days during my MCAT prep.

There are differently many ways to do it. What ever works best for you!

 

[hunterworth]

Well because I am going to a JC, its really difficult to get the classes I want. So like this semester, I'm taking General Bio, College Algebra, and Eng 101. And Chemistry was all full, which means I'm offset by one semester. O the joys of Community College.... But yeah, I think I'm coming to terms that I should just take the new 2015 test, its more to study which is a bummer, but its all good if its for the better i guess right? But I will decide if i want to go old test route or new test route, i still have time right now.

 

[SoonerFromTexas]

Well because I am going to a JC, its really difficult to get the classes I want. So like this semester, I'm taking General Bio, College Algebra, and Eng 101. And Chemistry was all full, which means I'm offset by one semester. O the joys of Community College.... But yeah, I think I'm coming to terms that I should just take the new 2015 test, its more to study which is a bummer, but its all good if its for the better i guess right? But like johnisles said, I'll be the early road bump for them.

It does stink (It's the MCAT!). It is unfamiliar, which isn't comforting. However, your peers will be in the same circumstance. If you make a good study plan and work hard...you will do fine.

 

[hunterworth]

Yeah, I really have to get into the study habit now to prepare myself for then. I mean, when I type my planned schedule out for the next few semesters, it doesn't look that bad, but it can see where it can get difficult. And I don't want the difficulty to potentially mess up my grades. So thats why the 2015 test and like you said Sooner, just work hard and study seems easier then making my class load harder.

 

[SoonerFromTexas]

Yeah, I really have to get into the study habit now to prepare myself for then. I mean, when I type my planned schedule out for the next few semesters, it doesn't look that bad, but it can see where it can get difficult. And I don't want the difficulty to potentially mess up my grades. So thats why the 2015 test and like you said Sooner, just work hard and study seems easier then making my class load harder.

If you have any opportunities to take summer classes, do that. It helps a lot.

 

[Astarael]

Whatever you end up doing, you need to take the MCAT in late spring/early summer of the year you are applying. So if you're graduating in 2015, to apply to medical school without a break you would have to take the MCAT sometime March-June of 2014.

 

[hunterworth]

Yeah, I want to see if I can take Chem 151 which is a pre-Chemistry class since I didn't take Chem in High School. So if I can get into that, it would save me another class during fall semester. Only thing that sucks about summer classes, is it gets in the way of family vacations.

 

[hunterworth]

Whatever you end up doing, you need to take the MCAT in late spring/early summer of the year you are applying. So if you're graduating in 2015, to apply to medical school without a break you would have to take the MCAT sometime March-June of 2014.

Just wondering, why take it then and not in fall if I'm graduating in 2015?

 

[SoonerFromTexas]

Just wondering, why take it then and not in fall if I'm graduating in 2015?

What do you mean by Fall? The last MCAT is in September and the earliest is January. I am also a little bit confused. Most people take the MCAT during the spring/summer of their junior year. If you are graduating in 2015, then why wouldn't you take it in 2014? I thought you were going to graduate in 2016 because of community college stuff. If you take it the same year you graduate, then you will have a gap year.

 

[Stumpyman]

Most people take the MCAT their Junior year, so if you could do that you'd be golden. I personally wouldn't want to take the new MCAT in its first year, with the limited studying material/classes, etc.

 

[vadeem]

I'm in the same exact boat as you (Freshman at a CC). If you take the pre-requisites the traditional way then you should have no problem taking the old MCAT in 2014. You're not necessarily rushing anyway, you're simply taking the courses at a pace so you wouldn't have to take a gap year. Finish all your pre-requisites before the end of junior year (I'd personally recommend finishing most of them by the end of sophomore year so you can focus on MCAT studies). I also don't want to risk taking the new MCAT because of the lack of study materials/regimes.

 

[Astarael]

Just wondering, why take it then and not in fall if I'm graduating in 2015?

If you're graduating in 2015, and you take the MCAT in, say, September of 2014, your application will be very late. You want to apply sometime in the summer of the year before your planned year of matriculation. So if you want to start fall of 2015, you should take the MCAT in the summer of 2014.

People have successfully applied after taking the MCAT in September of the year before they plan to matriculate, but it's not a situation you want to be in (and definitely not one you should plan to be in).

 

[hunterworth]

Okay yeah, after typing it all out this is what I have come to.

Spring 2012- Gen Bio I, College Algebra, Eng 101
Summer 2012- Pre-Chemistry
Fall 2012- Gen Bio II, Trig, Eng 102, Chemistry I
Spring 2013- Chemistry II, Physics I, Pre-Calc
Fall 2013- Physics II, Calc, OChem I
Spring 2014- OChem II, and take Princeton Review classes for MCAT
Summer 2014- Take MCAT, giving me all of Fall 2014 to study and retake if needed. BUT I WONT, cause I'm going to study hard pass all my classes and MCAT like a BOSS!

Yeah, so that way I get all of my sciences and MCAT out of the way and then when I transfer, I just need to complete General Ed and classes for the degree to graduate, then go to Med School. Sound good to anyone else? Because I'm pretty stoked about this plan.