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[FM7]

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Will any specific major(s) prepare you more for the MCAT or medical school? I have heard that a major in biochemistry prepares you better for the MCAT...i know you should major in what you like, but i am just curious.

Also,

Is there a specific recommended sequence of courses? I guess it depends on your major? but what if you are undeclared? Some schools seem to suggest chemistry your freshman year but others encourage biology...

 

[Gallix23]

Will any specific major(s) prepare you more for the MCAT or medical school? I have heard that a major in biochemistry prepares you better for the MCAT...i know you should major in what you like, but i am just curious.

Also,

Is there a specific recommended sequence of courses? I guess it depends on your major? but what if you are undeclared? Some schools seem to suggest chemistry your freshman year but others encourage biology...

I have a thread up about biochem right now, so you may want to read some of those replies, but overall I get the feeling that biochem prepares you for the MCAT very well.

Over the summer I worked with a girl who's friend just got accepted to medical school, and she said her advice was to take Organic Chem as close to the time that you're taking the MCAT as possible, because I guess it helps tremendously to have it fresh in your mind.

 

[RySerr21]

Will any specific major(s) prepare you more for the MCAT or medical school? I have heard that a major in biochemistry prepares you better for the MCAT...i know you should major in what you like, but i am just curious.

Also,

Is there a specific recommended sequence of courses? I guess it depends on your major? but what if you are undeclared? Some schools seem to suggest chemistry your freshman year but others encourage biology...

As a major in biochemistry you will go in to SO much more detail than is necessary that it really isnt that helpful. There is a reason you can be a history major and still ace the MCAT.......no major really "prepares" you for it. All you need to do is take the pre reqs and you will have the knowledge based necessary to succeed. Might you benefit form taking a biochemistry course? Sure, it is possible that biochem can come up on the MCAT, but nothing that you can't figure out by reading the passage. I neve rhad a biochem (let alone the majored in it) course and my best section on the test was Biology. There wasnt even in biocem on the exam. Majoring in biochemistry for some added benefit on the MCAT would be completely pointless. You said it best, major in what you enjoy.

Your sequence of courses doens't matter either, as long as you take them before your MCAT you will be fine. you can do biology first, or chemistry, or physics, whatever. It doesnt matter. It just happens that most people take biology or chemistry freshman year. I dunno why, thats just the trend. Dont let any one fool you into taking zoology. IT IS NOT required by med schools and IT IS NOT on the MCAT.

I have a thread up about biochem right now, so you may want to read some of those replies, but overall I get the feeling that biochem prepares you for the MCAT very well.

Over the summer I worked with a girl who's friend just got accepted to medical school, and she said her advice was to take Organic Chem as close to the time that you're taking the MCAT as possible, because I guess it helps tremendously to have it fresh in your mind.

Meh, this really isnt important either. You are going to end up taking some of the classes years before you take the test. If its not ochem, then its physics. If its not physics, then its gen chem. You cant avoid it. You arent going to save every pre req the year before your MCAT because you would die from the courseload. Take ochem whenever you want. Most people do it sophmore yaer. Some do it junior year. It really doesnt matter when you take it becuase no matter what you are goign to have sit down and review for the MCAT for X amount of time (a few months hopefully if you plan it out right). You already have the solid foundation from the courses you took (even if they were a year or two before) and when you review the material will come back quickly. And on top of that, ochem is being faded out of the MCAT. There were hardly any ochem questions on my exam (i think like 5-7 TOTAL out of the entire biology section). If you are going to "save" a class so its right before the MCAT make it something worth while like cellular/molecular biology or something, i dunno. But either way i dont think its something worth going out of your way to do. Just get your classes over with and do well in them, study for the mcat, do well on the mcat, and apply to medical school.

 

[Gallix23]

A
Meh, this really isnt important either. You are going to end up taking some of the classes years before you take the test. If its not ochem, then its physics. If its not physics, then its gen chem. You cant avoid it. You arent going to save every pre req the year before your MCAT because you would die from the courseload. Take ochem whenever you want. Most people do it sophmore yaer. Some do it junior year. It really doesnt matter when you take it becuase no matter what you are goign to have sit down and review for the MCAT for X amount of time (a few months hopefully if you plan it out right). You already have the solid foundation from the courses you took (even if they were a year or two before) and when you review the material will come back quickly. And on top of that, ochem is being faded out of the MCAT. There were hardly any ochem questions on my exam (i think like 5-7 TOTAL out of the entire biology section). If you are going to "save" a class so its right before the MCAT make it something worth while like cellular/molecular biology or something, i dunno. But either way i dont think its something worth going out of your way to do. Just get your classes over with and do well in them, study for the mcat, do well on the mcat, and apply to medical school.

Thanks for this, when would you suggest he best time is to begin studying for the MCAT?

 

[MilkmanAl]

Assuming that you're going to take it in late spring/early summer after your junior or senior year, I'd start studying the classes you had a long time ago maybe 2-3 months ahead of time for an hour a day or whatever time you can spare. After that, give yourself a month of dedicated study time after school ends. You don't need that much time, but it's not going to hurt. If you nail down the material for the most part, just keep taking practice tests to ferret out your weaknesses.

 

[RySerr21]

Thanks for this, when would you suggest he best time is to begin studying for the MCAT?

I mean everyone is different and this just how I did it and MY opinion, but ill give it to anyway. Only you know how you study best, right? This is a pretty big test and will play a huge role in your future med school, so take it seriously...that was my attitude. I signed up for a test in late May, and I started studying in February. This was during the semester when i was taking a full course load and doing other stuff, so i wasnt studying MCAT all day or anything like that. I did about 10 hours of MCAT a week from February to early May. When school got out, i had a few weeks before my test date so i went in to MCAT study mode and did that pretty much every day. So i mean it all depends on what you are doing when you are studying. Are you going to study in the summer when all you have to worry about is the MCAT? You could probably study REALLY hard and cram for like a month and do decent on it. I don't work like that, and i spread out my studying over a long period of time, studying a little bit every week. It worked out for me and i got the result i was looking for. Youll learn your study habits throughout college and you should apply them to the MCAT when you start studying. I'd say most people spend like a month or more studying, but again it varies widely. Youll hear stories of people cramming everything into two weeks and doing REALLY well. Youll also hear the sad stories of people who tried to do this and then regreted it when they bombed. So your best bet is not to chance it and take as much time as you need to study so that you do well. If the test is coming up and you still feel you arent ready, then postpone it. You want to take it as few times as possible.

 

[seelee]

O Chem isn't as heavily emphasized on the MCAT as it used to be. On all the emcat practice tests I took, including the actual test, there was one set of Ochem questions an only two that were actually tough. The Bio section of the MCAT focuses more now on anatomy, physiology, and genetics. If you are looking for courses that will help you on the MCAT, I would take those, or at least make sure you devote enough time in independent study to understand the material well enough.

Also, being fresh on Gen Chem and Physics is essential. Know those formulas. I recommend the ExamKracker books personally.

 

[Dr Lyss]

O Chem isn't as heavily emphasized on the MCAT as it used to be. On all the emcat practice tests I took, including the actual test, there was one set of Ochem questions an only two that were actually tough. The Bio section of the MCAT focuses more now on anatomy, physiology, and genetics. If you are looking for courses that will help you on the MCAT, I would take those, or at least make sure you devote enough time in independent study to understand the material well enough.

Also, being fresh on Gen Chem and Physics is essential. Know those formulas. I recommend the ExamKracker books personally.

this has been true for me, as well. I had very little O chem on my MCAT and I was told it doesn't show up on the MCAT as much anymore. The hardest sections on the MCAT will be the areas you have difficulty with. For me, it was physics. For someone else physics could be a breeze but biology might give them trouble. It's very subjective. So major in whatever you want, do good in your prereqs, and find your strengths and weaknesses.

 

[CScull]

All of this MCAT talk is making me dizzy. Can we stick with worrying about our SATs and ACTs first guys? We're putting our cart a year or three in front of the horse...

 

[seelee]

All of this MCAT talk is making me dizzy. Can we stick with worrying about our SATs and ACTs first guys? We're putting our cart a year or three in front of the horse...

SAT and ACT are easy. Cake! Cake!

 

[CScull]

SAT and ACT are easy. Cake! Cake!

Then let us eat cake! I'm perfectly up for ignoring the MCAT/PCAT's existence until its necessary that I don't... which is a good 2 years away at least (for lowly juniors, that is). If you need me I'll be in Happy-CAT-Less Land eating my cake.