HI!!!!

[umterp21]

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Hey guys, I am new to this pre-med discussion board- I have seen some great advice from some seasoned people. My question is about the MCATs in April- which I am planning to take. I have the Princeton Review Science Book and a friend of mine says that my lack of a solid science background- I a non science major- is more than made up for by the big book by PR. I just wanted some advice from some who thinks that the PR book will suffice- or if not then what's your advice(textbooks)??? Also how did you study such a large amount of info- what method worked for you?
PS- Sorry to make my first message so long- gotta work on shortening;-)

 

[SMW]

Welcome to SDN!!! 😀 No need to apologize for the length of your post, which wasn't that long anyway. 🙂 Check out the threads, "Why Kaplan sucked" and "Kaplan vs. Princeton" for some recent discussion of study strategies. I think those threads have fallen down to page 2. You're going to love all the information and support you get here. Best of luck to you.

P.S. I took the Kaplan course, twice, because the first time I couldn't devote enough time to doing practice tests, which is the most important thing.

 

[THE instiGATOR]

21,

I would use that book for reference purposes only. It's too long, and you will be wasting precious time if you read the entire thing. If you can get your hands on the course manual, read that (but don't spend too much time reading it). DO PROBLEMS...LOTS OF THEM! The first time I took the exam I focused on reading material. The second time, I did tons of problems. I'm not taking the exam again, so I think my preparation for the second exam worked. Good luck.

 

[umterp21]

Thanks guys for the advice and support. Hopefully, in a year or so I will be talking about a med. school acceptance. Thanks!

 

[Jonny-5]

Finally some UMD representation on this Board

wha-what?

Hey UMterp!

Glad to have you onboard. My advice as per studying for the MCAT in CP is to take PR. The classroom is hella close to campus on Rte. 1 whereas Kaplan only has a library/class in Rockville (not convenient).

In terms of studying, one word: everyday! I know it sucks but it is so much easier to handle all that info if taken in small doses daily. I dunno, I read almost the whole PR Science Review that way and it worked for me (but more as a review of the lecture info. from the PR course).

Anyway, good luck and email me if you have any q's 🙂

 

[elle]

hey terp! 🙂

I think the big PR book is really helpful... but my suggestion would be to try taking a practice test or doing some practice passages and see how you do. Depending on what areas you are strong in, it might help to have some supplemental info -- i.e. if organic is not your thing, the few chapters in the PR book might not be enough, while if it's all pure review, it would be good. Personally, I only used the PR book and workbooks to prepare, and I think that was a problem for physiology. Since I had never taken that class, it might have really helped to do a more through review with a textbook. Just my opinion though... ya gotta find what works for you.

I studied such a large amount of material by reviewing one section at a time from the big book, and doing corresponding practice passages -- that was really important! Knowing the material is important, but you also need experience in answering MCAT-type quetsions. I took the PR course (and
Jonny-5 is right, you can't beat the location near to campus!) but I think it works best if you learn well in a classroom setting.

Also, if you have any questions about recommendations or the interview for the recommendation letter or anything specific to UMD, send me a message and I'll try to help ya out! 🙂

Jonny-5, how's the application process treating ya? If you applied to Maryland, you'll see lots of folks from College Park when you interview there!

 

[nerfornothin]

Hey umterp21,

That PR science book is awesome. Get your hands on the science question book and the verbal passage book too. What worked for me was every day for about 12 weeks...
-read a chapter
-highlight chapter
-make flashcards
-memorize
-do all relevant passages and stand alone ?'s.
I took the PR class and followed their schedule which mixed things up nicely. If motivation isn't a problem for you don't bother with the class just get the materials. Do practice tests every couple of weeks. I think I maybe ended up taking around ten. Save the the AAMC IV for two or so weeks before. It's a pretty reliable indicator or at least was for me. Good luck! 😎

 

[Jonny-5]

Hey elle,

Yeah, I am interviewing at UMAB on Monday. I'm sure it's gonna be like high school reunion Y2K1 Edition. Apps going well, just waiting on interviews. . .(longest wait ever!) How bout yourself? Do you go to UMD?

Later

 

[elle]

Hey Jonny-5,

Yup, I'm graduating in May from UMD. Good luck interviewing at Maryland! I interviewed there a few weeks ago, so now I just have the fun of checking the mailbox daily. 😎 The interview day is pretty calm though, no crazy questions from interviewers or anything. But at one point, the interviewees were asked to name what high school we were from, and I knew the locations of almost all of them! Weird, huh? 🙂

I'm actually in the odd (but nice, don't let me wrong) situation of trying to figure out what interviews to cancel...which is becoming a little stressful as I try to give a good amount of notice to a school so they have time to line up another interviewee for that day. Unfortunately, I didn't do enough research before I applied, so now I'm canceling schools without knowing much about them. 🙁

Ah well, that's how it goes... good luck with your interviews!