Effectiveness of Kaplan course

[Ost3oclast]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi everyone,

I'm from a rural town and the state university I attend does not offer an in class Kaplan course. I was thinking about doing the online course but wasn't sure on the actual effectiveness of the course. Can anybody who has taken the Kaplan online course elaborate on its effectiveness vs. not taking it? The only reason I ask is because I come from a family that doesn't have $1500 to just toss out to someone and if the difference between taking the course and not taking the course isn't substantial then I don't want to waste the money. Thanks for any replys!!

 

[SN2ed]

Is a prep course necessary to do well?

No one needs to spend thousands for a prep course. Yes, a great teacher and the camaraderie with your fellow students can help, but they aren't necessary. Courses are also good for providing a schedule, but I hope I've helped in that category 😛 Beyond that, it's important to keep in mind that everyone basically studies on their own. When you're signed up for a course, you'll attend classes and maybe some 1-1 review sessions with the teacher, yet the bulk of your studying is by yourself.

 

[ModernAlchemist]

It depends on the person, but I'll just give you my experience so far because I was in a very similar situation. I didn't end up taking the course because my family can't take the financial strain. My friends did take the course. So far, they said that they are getting a general overview of the material, but not much else. I bought the books and made my own schedule and work hard everyday. I think that doing it by yourself takes a lot of self-motivating, but can and will benefit you in the end.

I say that you look through the 30+ MCAT score thread on this forum and get some ideas from people who say they didn't take a course. You can definitely do it by yourself. Good luck! We're all in this together.

Hi everyone,

I'm from a rural town and the state university I attend does not offer an in class Kaplan course. I was thinking about doing the online course but wasn't sure on the actual effectiveness of the course. Can anybody who has taken the Kaplan online course elaborate on its effectiveness vs. not taking it? The only reason I ask is because I come from a family that doesn't have $1500 to just toss out to someone and if the difference between taking the course and not taking the course isn't substantial then I don't want to waste the money. Thanks for any replys!!

 

[Ost3oclast]

sn2ed,
I have read, printed, and looked for the materials for your "method" and I think I will be definately doing that instead of the Kaplan course. I do work however, but I literally do nothing (school workstudy) and the job allows me ALL the time to study I will need.

 

[fiznat]

The course didn't help me. I feel like I wasted $1500, and then got all of my real studying done afterwards using the EK series. Things are going to differ from person to person and with individual preferences, but my personal experience has been that Kaplan was not worth it.

 

[mccarty7]

I think the $2000 I spent on the online (independent) Kaplan course is the best $2000 I have spent so far. I credit my performance on the MCAT to the prep and insight I got from Kaplan. However, if you don't have the money to dish out for this, I would at least recommend buying some used books for the course on Amazon or something similar. There are things I learned through Kaplan that I would not have studied otherwise. Good luck!

 

[emericana]

just want to reiterate about how AWFUL the kaplan course is. I paid for it before joining these message boards.

I am currently in it. Decided in Sept to take it for the Jan test because I have been out of school for 2 years and to say that I am rusty is an understatement.

I have had to purchase completely new textbooks (TPR for Gen Chem / Physics) and BR for Ochem and EK1001/101 books because of how freaking abysmal the books are. The teaching is OK but not worth the extra hassle. Not to mention the structure of the course is not that good.

 

[mccarty7]

just want to reiterate about how AWFUL the kaplan course is. I paid for it before joining these message boards.

I am currently in it. Decided in Sept to take it for the Jan test because I have been out of school for 2 years and to say that I am rusty is an understatement.

I have had to purchase completely new textbooks (TPR for Gen Chem / Physics) and BR for Ochem and EK1001/101 books because of how freaking abysmal the books are. The teaching is OK but not worth the extra hassle. Not to mention the structure of the course is not that good.

I don't think it's fair to say it's AWFUL. I loved Kaplan. They aren't such a huge company for no reason. Maybe it's not for some people.