Kaplan's Summer Intensive..Do it or dont do it? Opinions Please!

[Radiology4Me]

Hello everyone! So here is the situation... I know I am very capable of getting the competitive scores I need on the MCAT but I truly feel caught up in this routine and at a plateau. I am taking the online Kaplan prep but I am having the most difficult time truly following the course outline plus not having anyone to talk about the material with is really hard for me. At one point I had a study partner and just after 3 weeks studying w/ her, my skills and scores grew immensely. Now, she is not available and I must find a solution because this online course is not the best choice for me. I could look for a partner but who knows if I will find the right one in time? PLus I dont want to have to depend on any one person for my success.

I suppose I have done well up to this point: I have maintained a 36hr/week work schedule, received my BS in Radiology, completed prerequisites(3.5 GPA), I'm now married, have a house along with its responsibilties, volunteer every week, but, I have now pre-maturely taken the MCAT twice, scored very very low both times, and now I have a 3-week mediterranean vacation coming up in two weeks(which I planned a yr ago. Im excited but realize now its bad timing) I had planned for the MCAT to be behind me at this point=(

Im running a rat race and wondering if the expensive course will give me what Im looking for. ALso, Is 'checking out' of my responsibilities an okay move? Is there any reason this would be frowned upon and should I be able to excel at the MCAT considering the following schedule:
Monday-committed to husband;
Tues-study am-pm;
Wed.-volunteer as a tutor(~8hrs) then study in pm;
THurs-study am-pm;
Fri-work11am-11pm;
Sat-work11am-11pm;
Sun-work11am-11pm

I need to find a better groove! Is the Intensive Summer course for me?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[flashback]

the summer intensive stuff always sounded a bit excessive to me. I'm sure its right for some people though, and you may be one of them.

It really comes down to whrether or not you can afford it, afford those weeks taken off, and whrether or not you forsee such a program actually making a difference in your score. That and you don't want it to leave you in a situation where admissions people will question what you did for 10 weeks of the summer (if they know you spent 10 weeks doing literallly nothing but eat/sleeping/mcating you're scores are probably going to look much less impressive)

All of this being said... having a girlfriend who took the MCAT with kaplan's review material and now teaches for TPR... and me being someone who has used TPRs material, I would highly suggest taking TPRs summer intensive over kaplan's.... TPR's books are amazing and go into LOT of detail that is explain VERY well. Atleast in my area, kaplan is known for spending lots on advertising/marketing whereas TPR definitely puts their money into getting better teachers. That, and their material is much better in my opinion.

 

[Bluegrass Buck]

the summer intensive stuff always sounded a bit excessive to me. I'm sure its right for some people though, and you may be one of them.

It really comes down to whrether or not you can afford it, afford those weeks taken off, and whrether or not you forsee such a program actually making a difference in your score. That and you don't want it to leave you in a situation where admissions people will question what you did for 10 weeks of the summer (if they know you spent 10 weeks doing literallly nothing but eat/sleeping/mcating you're scores are probably going to look much less impressive)

All of this being said... having a girlfriend who took the MCAT with kaplan's review material and now teaches for TPR... and me being someone who has used TPRs material, I would highly suggest taking TPRs summer intensive over kaplan's.... TPR's books are amazing and go into LOT of detail that is explain VERY well. Atleast in my area, kaplan is known for spending lots on advertising/marketing whereas TPR definitely puts their money into getting better teachers. That, and their material is much better in my opinion.

You suggested the Princeton Review's "Ultimate MCAT" over Kaplan's Summer Intensive Program. I've looked at both and have considered possible applying to one of them. Is there anything else you can say in regards to both programs?

 

[Bluegrass Buck]

I'm copying and pasting this from another section so it's a little out-of-context.


I've been looking into Kaplan's Summer Intensive Program in Boston and it seems like a very beneficial program. However, it is a lot more expensive than the average Kaplan course. I understand the price is because the program runs for 6-weeks and is taught by multiple instructors, but is it worth the difference in price?
Basically I'm asking about the satisfaction and results of alumni in the SIP course vs. those who took a regular Kaplan course.
I'm a pretty capable student and retain information well. Normally, I would just take a regular course but the SIP has piqued my interest and I am looking to maximize my score. On the other hand I feel that everyone has a plateau when it comes to standardized tests and its boundaries can only be pushed so far.

 

[apumic]

I'd say NEITHER the course NOR the summer intensive is worth it. Honestly, for $2000+... you could do MUCH better. Neither Kaplan nor TPR provides anything "special" for the $2000 OR the $7000. But if you have lots of money to throw away...well, I suppose this is about as good as buying 7000 lotto tickets....

 

[tttgo]

How long do you have? Why noy just put together a package with all the best material and follow something like sn2ed's guide. Just find a study buddy by posting here or on cl. $7000 is alot of money. I I REALLY needed a study buddy, I could spend <$1000 on tprh set+TBR set+7TBRcbt's+EK+EK1001+8aamc's. You could pay a friend $2000 to babysit you and still have money left.

Wow...halfway through the post I realized that you bumped a 2 year old thread.

 

[LaurenMCAT]

Woah, Nellie! Glad I caught this thread!

Ya'll know I'm a Kaplan instructor, but I'm ALSO a Summer Intensive Program faculty member (San Diego 2010). Let me explain a little about our SIP program from someone who's actually lived it...

1) It's called INTENSIVE for a reason! Every day of the week for 6 weeks is scheduled from 8 am to 8 pm. Yes, we even schedule in mandatory breaks! (In San Diego, that meant beach time, surfing, working out a the gym, going for long-distance bike rides, shopping, OD-ing on sushi, etc.) There's no opportunity to procrastinate, no "I'll just put this off until tomorrow," no "I don't really feel like taking a practice test today." But this intensive experience is shared by everyone around you. Other students who have the same concerns about the MCAT and their future, but who come from really cool places with awesome backgrounds! (Last year, we had a few students from Canada, someone from Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina. Kids came from all over the US and most of us still stay in contact - yay Facebook! It's a special program, for sure.) If you're looking for a condensed, demanding experience that will help you rise to the occasion...it's RIGHT HERE!

2) Most of the cost has to do with housing and meals: add up 1.5 months of rent, plus 3 meals a day (for which you don't have to shop or cook) and that's a sizeable chunk of $$

3) You get 6-7 expert MCAT instructors at your beck-and-call. These instructors lead daily small group discussions, classroom lectures, tutoring, workshops, surfing lessons, you name it. And to be a SIP instructor? It's pretty difficult and you have to go through quite an application process! The Kaplan execs only pick the best from all our MCAT instructors across the US.

4) Private tutoring is included as are daily office hours. Every week, you have 2 hours of private tutoring with your personal small-group instructor at times that you choose. Over 6 weeks, that's 12 hours of one-on-one time, not counting the time you might spend visiting office hours!

5) There are evening workshops and lectures designed to go above and beyond the typical Kaplan classroom course! For example: one day we'll tackle a meaty, high yield concept, the next, a Kaplan medical admissions consultant will give a lecture on med school interviews, followed by small-group practice interviews. There have also been panel discussions by current med students, lectures on applying to med school, workshops on acid-base titrations, math for the MCAT, the endocrine system, and on and on and on. SOME evening workshops are held during a special gourmet dinner catered by the University in a private event room. Which might just happen to overlook the setting sun as it slides below the horizon of the Pacific Ocean...I'm just saying...does your current MCAT study space have THAT view, too?

6) DISCOUNTS! Today is the last day of March, which means if you sign up for SIP today, you get $400 off the course cost! Beginning tomorrow, April 1st, we're offering $300 off. Sign-up now and you get the discount plus immediate access to ALL the online resources, Review Notes, and flashcards for you to study with until SIP begins. YAY for having a head start!!

Pleeeease send me a PM if you have more questions. Kaplan was the first to roll out this awesome program and it's clearly a hit! See here for other details: http://www.kaptest.com/MCAT/Prep-for-the-MCAT/Classroom-On-Site/mcat-summer-intensive.html

Enjoy, friends!