Importance of MCAT vs. Research

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zogoto

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This summer I'm going to be studying for the MCAT. My basic plan is to study about 25 hours a week outside of class, and 9 hours of Kaplan class a week. I am also doing research part time at 24 hours a week and volunteering 6-9 hours a week. I just took my diagnostic and did pretty well (35). However, I am shooting to apply to top MD schools, and maybe even MD/PhD. As such, what is the importance of research vs. MCAT? My research is currently not going very well (been doing it for one semester), so if I want to get a substantial result out of it or a publication, I really need to make this summer count. Then, is it worth slacking a little on MCAT studying to put more time into research, or is MCAT so important that I should get as high as I can right now and worry about the research stuff later, even though I won't have another opportunity to do full time research until next summer, after I apply?

Thanks in advance.

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This summer I'm going to be studying for the MCAT. My basic plan is to study about 25 hours a week outside of class, and 9 hours of Kaplan class a week. I am also doing research part time at 24 hours a week and volunteering 6-9 hours a week.

Well.. I have to look at this logically. 25 hours of MCAT studying, 9 hours of Kaplan, 24 hours of research, volunteering 9 hours. That's a total of 67 hours. There are 168 hours in a week. So doing all those activities would leave you with a total of 101 free hours, or about 14.5 hours per day to sleep, eat, play, etc.

It seems to me that it is reasonable to do all the above mentioned activities, all of which I think are really important for your application. Just being a part of research is great, whether you publish or not (obviously publishing is better).

I am a re-applicant, so I don't know how much clout you want to put in my advice. From what I've learned about the application process, most top-tier schools (which I'm assuming you are hoping for if your diagnostic MCAT is any indicator of your intelligence!) will only interview about a certain MCAT/GPA combo. If your numbers are above their cutoff, then they will look at the rest of your application. All I'm saying is that I would hate for you to not put your all into studying for the MCAT and get cut off for a lower score. I did about 3-4 points better on my diagnostics than the real thing.

So I would say try to do it all! But definitely study hard for the MCAT!
 
Sorry I might not have been clear. I was thinking about bumping the 24 up to a 40 or 50 hours of research a week, and maybe taking the 25 hours of MCAT studying down to 15 or maybe even 12. Is that a bad idea?
 
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Ha.. sorry. I'm blonde! :laugh:

Well, I work 40 hours per week plus volunteering on weekends and I probably study 2-3 hours per day (maybe 20 hours per week). I feel like I am making good progress. I think the key is to be really effective in your MCAT studying. I really think you'll be fine to do more research and less MCAT. Just do LOTS of practice tests/questions, which it seems like you are already doing. Good Luck!
 
i think if you want md/phd then research is way wayyyyy important. what year will be? i would say that if md/phd is what you really want then you need to do a whole lot of research this summer and the upcoming year and try to maybe get a few pubs out.
and if you got a 35 on your kaplan diagnostic that is awesome. i got below a 30 on it and ended up with a really good score on the actual thing. take AAMC exams and see how you do on those. they will give you a better picture of how much studying you need to do
 
I'd definitely make studying for the MCAT your top priority. You can up your research time after you've taken (and crushed) the test. Studying insufficiently would cut out far more research time in the long run since you'd probably have to retake the MCAT and study more. Just do it right the first time.

edit: That advice only appies if you're planning on taking the MCAT soon, by the way - say, within the next month or so.
 
I'm taking it in the middle of Aug. S
 
Good that you've got a strong diagnostic to build off of, but do NOT by any means take the MCAT lightly.

The very first review of your application will be a glance (either by human eyes or computer) that plugs your MCAT and GPA into a formula and then ranks you against other applicants. A higher MCAT score will give you that much more of an edge and is worth investing the time to earn.

Research is important, but it should not be the main thing you do this summer. You can continue your research into the fall if need be.
 
Agreed. Definitely go out of your way to rock the MCAT. Research is a nifty thing to have on your resume, while your MCAT score is a critical (maybe the most critical) aspect of your application. Make sure you're prepared for it.
 
Research is important, but it should not be the main thing you do this summer. You can continue your research into the fall if need be.

Then you can have an interesing update letter to send them about your research! Better than having to retake the MCAT because you cut out studying in favor of more research now. But that's a great diagnostic:thumbup:
 
Actually I'm not applying yet. I just finished my 2nd year of college. Thanks for the advice though everybody.
 
Actually I'm not applying yet. I just finished my 2nd year of college. Thanks for the advice though everybody.

Oh good, because the likelihood of getting on a paper after only one semester of work is very slight unless the PI does it as a favor. Agree with others about MCAT. Good luck.
 
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When is your MCAT? If it's not too soon, then you might be over-studying. I'd focus on the quality of your studying, rather than the quantity. Don't burn yourself out studying for the MCAT. You need to spend time relaxing, and enjoying your research.
 
Having been in a similar situation way back when, I suggest going with the research. If you're starting out with a 35 it means that you already have a good grasp of the material. Most likely you'll have to do a decent bit of practice to get used to the test and identify any weak areas. This will probably bump your score up a few points and you'll do just great. Most likely you'll decide to not go to the classes very much and rather study from their materials, which will free up more time. Just see if you can get your PI to let you take off some time directly before the test.
 
With a 35 diag you will be overstudying if you devote your entire summer to studying. You should be able to bring that up some with proper studying and practice on the exam without spending ridiculous amounts of time studying. I would say stick with research, try to get something out of it and you will do just fine.
 
Ignore your actual scores until you've taken any of AAMC practice tests 7-10 because that is what the MCAT is most like. A diagnostic is simply that. I've seen many people get high diagnostic scores or great practice test scores when taking the tests that Kaplan or Princeton Review makes BUT they totally tank when it comes to what AAMC has. I'm not saying this to scare you, but it's better to be prepared than unprepared.

In any case, focus more on improving your score than what it actually is. Focus more on your mistakes than what you got right. Prevent silly mistakes. That's how you'll get that 35 on the real thing.

As for your other question, research is just a tiny, tiny, tiny bit less important than the MCAT for MD/PhD. So where as the MCAT might have a value of 100, research might be 99 or something. It's much less (but still important) for just MD admissions.
 
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