For the MCAT: I highly recommend taking a prep course or at least getting the books and practice tests from a company like Kaplan, Princeton Review, or ExamKrackers. The structured review sessions helped me pace my studying. I took the year-long Kaplan course, which IMHO is better than the 1-semester course because the shorter course meets 2x/week, and that's just too much for me. Make sure you go to some proctored practice tests if you can...they're the best way to simulate the real experience (although the reall thing still made me nervous). And if you take Kaplan, be aware that the VR section on the real thing will probably be harder and the PS section will be easier. You can usually expect to score within 2 points of your average practice test score, so they're a really good way to gauge your progress.
Other suggestions:
-The #1 rule: APPLY EARLY! This means by the end of July at the very latest. This will give you a huge edge in the rolling schools.
-If your school has a premed committee, make use of its resources. My premed advisor is awesome...she's helped everyone so much during this process. And most schools require you to use the committee letter if possible.
-Don't take a heavy course load in the spring if you're planning to take the MCAT. 'Nuff said. And if you can avoid it, don't take the MCAT in August unless you want to take a year off.
-Choose your schools well...you don't have to apply to 20 or 30 if you make sure you have a decent mix of high- and low-tier schools. I only applied to 11, and I think even that is too many! But be aware that most schools are extremely selective, and try to keep your grades and MCAT scores high to get through the first stages of the selection process.
That's all the senior-ly advice I can think of. Good luck trying not to get burnt out!🙂
