Grad School or Work While Studying for the MCAT

[GatorGirl03]

Hi guys. I have been reading posts on here for a long time and have seen how helpful you guys are. I would really appreciate some advice on what I should do next year while I study for the MCAT- go to grad school (like SMP or MPH) or work part-time.

Here is a quick background: I graduated from UF in 2003 with a degree in math. As an undergrad, I took all of the pre-med pre-req's and received grades of As and Bs. I have been working as an engineer for the last 4 years while my husband finished his PhD and obligation to his job. I plan on quitting my job in May to take a year off and study for the MCAT.

So my question is: During my year off (while studying for the MCAT), should I go back to school to prove I can still be competitive in the classroom or should I just work part time in order to maximize my MCAT study time? What would you guys suggest? I really appreciate your help! Thanks!

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[sunny1]

I think if your undergrad grades are fine and you are giving yourself ample time (wow, one year) to study for the MCAT and therefore end up doing well - that these two things combined will demonstrate you're still competitive academically.

Since you've already been working, it would seem ideal if you could just continue working part-time. Unless you're especially interested in public health and plan to do something in that field, I don't believe an MPH will make you any more competitive. But if you want it for other reasons, then get it!

I worked while my husband finished his grad school too, so I completely understand the timing of not pursuing med school immediately. As long as there's a solid motivation to pursue medicine with some kind of clinical or health-related experiences, everything should be good. Perhaps you could volunteer somewhere in addition to studying for MCAT and working part-time if you don't already?

 

[Luxian]

Ditto. Unless you are trying to pull up your undergrad grades, getting a grad degree to fill time isn't really worth it when you could be earning some money before going into loads of debt.

You'll do fine on the MCAT if you study for 1-2 hours a night for a couple months. It's not nearly as much work as a part-time job! Just do live your normal life, and save a little time to read and study. (You'll get a much better sense of how much to study after you take a sample test, but it sounds like you are giving yourself more than enough time!)

 

[gman33]

Any reason you can't start studying now, take it around May and apply for the next cycle? That way you could just stay at your current job during the application year.

Everyone is different, but I studied for about 400 hours for the MCAT. Maybe it was overkill, but I only wanted to take it once.

Assuming your GPA is good, I wouldn't bother with any other coursework.

 

[RockGoddess]

Well, I have a little different opinion. I thought studying for the MCAT was extremely difficult, but you may have a better science background than I do. I would have studied more for it if I had the chance. For me, I wish I could have studied for it full-time with nothing else for about four months. That's what I would recommend if you can do it.

 

[mic2377]

I can't recommend a grad school program like a true SMP in conjunction with taking the MCAT. Too much work to be done in too little time, and one or the other would suffer.

I would second the sentiment that studying 2-3 hrs/day for a few months should be OK if you were a prior good student and have a decent science background. I studied 3 hrs/day for ~6 weeks and scored in the 30's, so it can be done. If you want to nail a 35+ you will have your work cut out for you though.