Hanging with friends during MCAT Prep

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deleted421268

do you manage to find time to hang with friends and make outings during mcat studying prep?
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This really depends on how much time you have to study for the test and what your goals are for your score. My opinion on the matter is that if you want to do well on this beast of the test you have to be okay with making a real sacrifice to achieve your goals. To do this you have to be willing to sacrifice a few months of freedom to achieve results. Of course make time to relax, but your goal should not be to please your friends by saying yes to everything. I studied for 2 and a half months, and my relaxation schedule included having a weekly afternoon with my significant other and taking Saturday night off after taking a full length practice test. So yes, obviously take some time off once a week to blow off some steam BUT don't say yes to every night out and inform your friends that you need this time to study and focus on yourself.
 
I think it depends on what works for your schedule. The semester I studied for the MCAT I only drank alcohol twice, but I went out with friends close to double digit times. I know that I struggle being productive the day after drinking, so I didn't drink but I still wanted to be present in my friend group so I went out and abstained from alcohol.
 
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My friends and I will study up until 7-9 pm and then play smash bros for an hr or two and it’s a good time
 
I had time for school (full-time), work, volunteering, friends, and MCAT prep. It made studying much easier rather than just studying.
 
After 7 years on SDN, I would think this answer would be obvious.
 
Treat it like a full time job. 6-8 hours a day, pick a rest day. 8 x 6 = 48 which equals 120 hours left in the week. Assuming you have a normal sleep scheduled you'd have ~64 hours to do whatever you want. That's a lot of time if you manage it properly.
 
Yes, I had plenty of time to hang out with friends and do my other hobbies while studying for the MCAT. Just don't be reckless with how you spend your time, and you'll be fine
 
I was able to find time to hang out with friends while studying over the summer and working a full time job. You just have to make sure you're disciplined. My friends had nothing going on so they wanted to do stuff constantly and I had to limit myself. Even went on a weekend trip with them in the middle of it and just reviewed some content in the evenings. Overall though I definitely didn't hang out with them as much as i would have if i wasn't studying but it's not an all or nothing type of thing.
 
Kpw101 said:
Treat it like a full time job. 6-8 hours a day, pick a rest day. 8 x 6 = 48 which equals 120 hours left in the week. Assuming you have a normal sleep scheduled you'd have ~64 hours to do whatever you want. That's a lot of time if you manage it properly.
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This is a great example of deminishing returns. If, for you (OP) studying like a full time job for 3 months will give you a 521 but studying at 3 hours a day 5 days a week will give you a 515...is that extra 5 hours a day worth the very little change in selection of medical schools you can get in to?

Overall, the harder you study for the MCAT the less impact even more studying will have on your overall score. You should totally not just make time for friends, but actually plan the time and a lot for them.
 
samualjhatfield said:
This is a great example of deminishing returns. If, for you (OP) studying like a full time job for 3 months will give you a 521 but studying at 3 hours a day 5 days a week will give you a 515...is that extra 5 hours a day worth the very little change in selection of medical schools you can get in to?

Overall, the harder you study for the MCAT the less impact even more studying will have on your overall score. You should totally not just make time for friends, but actually plan the time and a lot for them.
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IMO, the extra 5 hours a day is well worth the 521. The 521 will open doors for you.
 
Kpw101 said:
IMO, the extra 5 hours a day is well worth the 521. The 521 will open doors for you.
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Depending on your aspirations, I suppose. I know that all of the schools I plan to apply to, a 521 is well above their 90% and I would fear yield protection. I am shooting for a 515 and don’t really want much higher than that.

Granted, I am choosing my schools based on affordability of housing, quality of elementary schools, availability of job opportunities for my spouse and availability of hiking opportunities with little regard for the stats of each individual school...Although, I am actively selecting only P/F schools with a TPS model as these fit my learning style best.
 
Yes. The trick is not to cram.

I did 2 hours a night, 3 nights a week, for 8 months. Six weeks before the test I did an FL each weekend. Got a 515. I was able to fit a life into that. Don't cram for the test. Train yourself so you can calmly sit down and take it like it's second nature
 
Osteosaur said:
Yes. The trick is not to cram.

I did 2 hours a night, 3 nights a week, for 8 months. Six weeks before the test I did an FL each weekend. Got a 515. I was able to fit a life into that. Don't cram for the test. Train yourself so you can calmly sit down and take it like it's second nature
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I did something similar. 2-3 hours a night during the week while working full-time. Sat/Sun probably 5 hours each day depending on the weekend. Started 6 months out. Took full lengths starting 7 weeks out
 
What if the MCAT turns out to have been your best friend this entire time?
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