finalized gap year schedule - please comment

[aspiring20]

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after getting some feedback from SDN...i've finalized my plans for the next year.

i graduated this june, and from now to next may/june, i'll be spending 4 hours a day studying for the MCAT non-stop. I am aiming for a 35+.

in addition, i'll spend 8 hours a day creating a graphic novel. this means i'll have around 12 hours of productive work a day.

lastly, i'll sprinkle in community service throughout, probably 6 hours a week.

then after i finish the mcat next spring/summer, i'll probably return to my alma matter and ftake physics 2 - finishing my pre-reqs. what do you guys think?

i really can't do anything else during the next 9 months or so. i especially want to know if i am spending too much (or maybe not enough) time studying for the mcat? I will be doing content review first and then practice problems, so that's why i am giving myself a lot of time. and i only plan on taking the sucker once and only once.

thanks again

 

[darkjedi]

after getting some feedback from SDN...i've finalized my plans for the next year.

i graduated this june, and from now to next may/june, i'll be spending 4 hours a day studying for the MCAT non-stop. I am aiming for a 35+.

in addition, i'll spend 8 hours a day creating a graphic novel. this means i'll have around 12 hours of productive work a day.

lastly, i'll sprinkle in community service throughout, probably 6 hours a week.

then after i finish the mcat next spring/summer, i'll probably return to my alma matter and ftake physics 2 - finishing my pre-reqs. what do you guys think?

i really can't do anything else during the next 9 months or so. i especially want to know if i am spending too much (or maybe not enough) time studying for the mcat? I will be doing content review first and then practice problems, so that's why i am giving myself a lot of time. and i only plan on taking the sucker once and only once.

thanks again

I'm not sure about your background, so I'm hoping you already have a lot of clinical experience under your belt.

I would still consider continuing something medically related to show adcoms that you are committed to medicine.

Also, consider doing some travelling, for your own sake.

 

[aspiring20]

I'm not sure about your background, so I'm hoping you already have a lot of clinical experience under your belt.

I would still consider continuing something medically related to show adcoms that you are committed to medicine.

Also, consider doing some travelling, for your own sake.

i've had three years of clinical volunteering (and a yr of shadowing) at undergrad. i will most likely continue clinical volunteering after the mcat.

 

[bigdogrob4284]

That is way too much time studying for the MCAT. You should study 6-8 hours per day now, and take a January test. That way you have a retake option before the application season. Also, you should be aware that physics 2 is on the mcat, and I'd you haven't taken it yet, your mcat score will likely suffer.

 

[embracethepain]

after getting some feedback from SDN...i've finalized my plans for the next year.

i graduated this june, and from now to next may/june, i'll be spending 4 hours a day studying for the MCAT non-stop. I am aiming for a 35+.

in addition, i'll spend 8 hours a day creating a graphic novel. this means i'll have around 12 hours of productive work a day.

lastly, i'll sprinkle in community service throughout, probably 6 hours a week.

then after i finish the mcat next spring/summer, i'll probably return to my alma matter and ftake physics 2 - finishing my pre-reqs. what do you guys think?

i really can't do anything else during the next 9 months or so. i especially want to know if i am spending too much (or maybe not enough) time studying for the mcat? I will be doing content review first and then practice problems, so that's why i am giving myself a lot of time. and i only plan on taking the sucker once and only once.

thanks again

I studied for the mcat for about 4 weeks when I started full lengths and my scores were low-mid when I took tests. However, I've starting scoring really high on exams and still have months before Jan 27th. I would suggest you concentrate mcat studying to 3-4 months max because right now I'm terrified I'm going to go past my peak/stop remembering things. If you are going to be studying so hard core, take the exam in Jan.

 

[Praefectus]

You should spend around 3 months to study for the MCAT. The marginal costs of more studying outweigh that additional marginal benefit.

 

[45408]

i graduated this june, and from now to next may/june, i'll be spending 4 hours a day studying for the MCAT non-stop. I am aiming for a 35+.

That's waaaaay too long. You will forget a lot of information, not acquire that much new information, and become way too bored to remain productive.

I think I studied ~2 months for the MCAT and took a Kaplan course for guidance/motivation. I brought my score up 8 points from the diagnostic to the real thing, and I probably never put in more than 4 hours/day.

I went beast-mode on Step 1 and studied no less than 10 hours/day for a month, and by the end, I could already tell I was past the point of maximal return. If I were to take either test again, I'd prefer a short-duration, high-intensity study plan.

 

[Lucky Louie]

from now to next may/june, i'll be spending 4 hours a day studying for the MCAT non-stop

Be realistic and stop writing like this will be true. If it is true, pathetic. Do something more worthwhile, something to help others/your community. At the end of this year, the adcoms will want to know what you've done during your gap year and they'd NEVER accept you if you wrote that all you did during that time was study for the MCAT. How are you going to handle all the tests in med school?

 

[aspiring20]

Be realistic and stop writing like this will be true. If it is true, pathetic. Do something more worthwhile, something to help others/your community. At the end of this year, the adcoms will want to know what you've done during your gap year and they'd NEVER accept you if you wrote that all you did during that time was study for the MCAT. How are you going to handle all the tests in med school?

i think i made it clear in my post that i'll be spending 8 hours a day doing my graphic novel and six hours a week doing community service along with MCAT prep.

and for me, a high MCAT will be a life-saver.

 

[AshPreMed]

I think if Aspiring manages to get a 40+, no med school will give a crap if he spent all year on it, (he can also not tell them...?)

 

[aspiring20]

I think if Aspiring manages to get a 40+, no med school will give a crap if he spent all year on it, (he can also not tell them...?)

haha...i dare not dream a 40...35 will be a gift from heaven...

 

[AshPreMed]

If you spend ALL YEAR ON it, you would be an idiot to not get 40+ (unless VR sucks).

 

[Dires]

A full year? You could bust your butt for 3 months and take the test. If you do bad, study for another two months, take the test in January... After this you would have a full half year for extra-cirriculars.

Do what you want, but just realize that you may be trying to re-invent the wheel here. I fully agree with everyone else in this thread. You reach a peak when studying for this test. For me it was at 3 monhts.

Don't go far beyond the peak.

 

[AshPreMed]

But if you are really ambitious to break the MCAT, keep studying. I plan on destroying the MCAT someday with a score >42, even after I'm in med school. A personal challenge of mine.

Make sure you do some other needed stuff though, lol, like EC's, prereqs, statement, etc.

 

[darkjedi]

But if you are really ambitious to break the MCAT, keep studying. I plan on destroying the MCAT someday with a score >42, even after I'm in med school. A personal challenge of mine.

Make sure you do some other needed stuff though, lol, like EC's, prereqs, statement, etc.

why? I have like PTSD from the MCAT, you couldn't pay me to retake that mother

 

[AshPreMed]

Its a beautiful game! 😀 The sciences are a piece of cake once you've understood them. Verbal might be risky, but that's also master-able. If you're in med school, I don't think getting a low score will affect you anymore would it (residencies, specialties?). Just take it and OWN it!

 

[darkjedi]

Its a beautiful game! 😀 The sciences are a piece of cake once you've understood them. Verbal might be risky, but that's also master-able. If you're in med school, I don't think getting a low score will affect you anymore would it (residencies, specialties?). Just take it and OWN it!

it's quite an expensive game to play, why not just focus on your boards. You won't have time in medical school to mess around with the MCAT again.

 

[Ashley1989]

Which would be better, a year of MCAT studying at 4 hours a day or four months of studying at 8-10 hours a day if those were the only two options? I know people who have attempted both

 

[metaphase]

Which would be better, a year of MCAT studying at 4 hours a day or four months of studying at 8-10 hours a day if those were the only two options? I know people who have attempted both

The latter is a more effective test-mastery strategy, and allows for other more interesting full-time activities for the rest of the year.

 

[45408]

relevant...

[YOUTUBE]eKFjWR7X5dU[/YOUTUBE]

 

[kpcrew]

I think I spent maybe like 2 hours a night on weekdays and most of the day on the weekends for around 3 months before taking the test. 4 hours a night for 9 months is probably unnecessary.

 

[AshPreMed]

You should study your butt off then write the exam in January... Don't make too many "years" pass by or you end up with a new Psych section,(which might take you another gap year)... The gap year should be only as an extension. Don't take the whole year to actually write your exam. Write it when you get a good score (intense practice), then if you want to destroy the MCAT go ahead and study, but dont waste application time.

 

[heliscomo]

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