Material to start reading now for MCAT prep

[Kurk]

I would appreciate it if the derogatory comments were left out of this post. Thank You .

I don't know anything about college level stats, calculus, biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology—so no point in touching these subjects (though I found a biochemistry textbook in my basement yesterday JK).

Reading on the other hand is cumulative. I'm already an avid reader and would simply like to add material to my reading list which might challenge me with new vocabulary and overall help me on the verbal section of the MCAT when the time comes.

So basically speaking, I just need suggestions of books and such that will help me down the road.

No I won't be wasting my time; like I said, reading is already one of my hobbies—this will just integrate the prep into it.

Thanks

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[onceawolverine]

might challenge me with new vocabulary

The Cat in the Hat - Dr. Seuss
Go, Dog. Go! - P.D. Eastman
Twilight - Satan
Ulysses - James Joyce
Fiske Guide to Colleges 2012 - Fiske
Putting the Cart Before the Horse - Unknown German Translation
A Fekete Varos - Kalman Mikzsath
How to Avoid Being a Gunner in Med School - , & ¢
Top 10 Simple Ways To Become a Better Lover - Sarah Stefenson




Also the New Yorker

 

[Kurk]

If I knew in 7th grade that reading certain books would prep my brain for the vocab on the SAT, I would've done it knowing that it is impossible to reach the same level of proficiency in 6 months. It is the same situation now. Stop with the troll/joke responses.

 

[onceawolverine]

Stop with the troll/joke responses.

the New Yorker

but also like anything (written in english) will be helpful.

critical thinking and reasoning skills come with age and maturity. while having a summer reading list might give you some confidence in yourself, it ultimately won't matter what you read if you're not approaching it with the right mindset.

 

[Toutie]

The Atlantic also makes for good critical reading experience.

 

[Kurk]

The Atlantic also makes for good critical reading experience.

Thank You

 

[Skydive Fox]

Read one article a week from cell.com and your critical analysis skills, scientific comprehension, and overall reading pace will be out of this world in 3-4 years when you write your MCAT. This will help you for the MCAT, and life/school as a whole for that matter.

If you don't understand parts of the articles, don't sweat it. These can be dense articles, especially for a high schooler. Just look it up or gloss over the material if you come across unfamiliar stuff.

 

[Kurk]

Read one article a week from cell.com and your critical analysis skills, scientific comprehension, and overall reading pace will be out of this world in 3-4 years when you write your MCAT. This will help you for the MCAT, and life/school as a whole for that matter.

If you don't understand parts of the articles, don't sweat it. These can be dense articles, especially for a high schooler. Just look it up or gloss over the material if you come across unfamiliar stuff.

Much appreciated!

 

[Do.No.Harm.501]

I was just accepted to a COM. I would highly recommend getting used to reading scientific texts (subscribe to a scientific journal) this will help in your college bio courses as well. A mistake I made was not reading enough philosophy. A friend of mine killed the MCAT because he was a philosophy major and knew how to discern the difficult text a lot of us tripped up on. That being said..... I think it is honestly waaaaay too early to worry about the MCAT. Focus on getting your SAT/ACT scores high so you can graduate college with little to low debt. Worry about the MCAT when you hit your Jr year.


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[SitraAchra]

I think any MCAT studying should be done no sooner than 6 months in advance of the actual test, considering you'll just forget that information or burn yourself out trying to remember it. It's a stamina test and your knowledge level has to peak right before you start getting diminishing returns from over-studying and getting burnt out. Plus, you're a high school senior and MCAT prep stuff can get expensive. At this point the only reason to buy any of that stuff is to impress your family and friends. Believe me, your fellow pre-medders at college will roll their eyes when they see you flashing MCAT materials as a freshman. As the saying goes, you can fool the fans, but you can't fool the players. Focus on getting a high GPA your freshman year of college, worry about the MCAT once you've determined you are cut out for medicine and still actually want to pursue it as a career. There are so many people that start college gung ho about medical school who decide for one reason or another it isn't for them. I'm not saying I don't believe you can make it, but the odds are you won't.

 

[I'm No Superman]

You do you mane. If for some reason I wanted to start studying this early I'd probably work on verbal the most. You can always get better at the reading portion, and it helps out with the rest of them too (interpreting questions correctly). You only need to know so much for the other junk, so I'd wait a hot minute before diving into orgo.

 

[Kurk]

I think any MCAT studying should be done no sooner than 6 months in advance of the actual test, considering you'll just forget that information or burn yourself out trying to remember it. It's a stamina test and your knowledge level has to peak right before you start getting diminishing returns from over-studying and getting burnt out. Plus, you're a high school senior and MCAT prep stuff can get expensive. At this point the only reason to buy any of that stuff is to impress your family and friends. Believe me, your fellow pre-medders at college will roll their eyes when they see you flashing MCAT materials as a freshman. As the saying goes, you can fool the fans, but you can't fool the players. Focus on getting a high GPA your freshman year of college, worry about the MCAT once you've determined you are cut out for medicine and still actually want to pursue it as a career. There are so many people that start college gung ho about medical school who decide for one reason or another it isn't for them. I'm not saying I don't believe you can make it, but the odds are you won't.

I'm a highschool junior who just wants to integrate different materials into his reading list which may possibly help in the future. I agree that buying a prep book now is a waste of money and is just to show off, but that's not what I'm trying to do. It's like just reading a lot of books years before the SAT so you're already familiar with the vocabulary in high-school rather than cramming a bunch of vocabulary cards.

 

[jwilliams1993]

It may be helpful to get a set of MCAT review books to follow along with as you go through your courses. Additionally, start a subscription to some scientific journals. (I get NEJM emails all the time.) Your university should give you access to see most of these journals for free and if there's an article you'd like to read but don't have access to, they'll pay for it most of the time. Download the app "Figure 1". It's just a timeline of a bunch of cool case studies for all sorts of specialties. You won't understand like 90% of it, but it starts getting you to ask the right questions and pick up on some clinical lingo. Don't be afraid to get a "physics for dummies" type thing for some courses you'd like to brush up or get a head start on. Try to avoid being a student that asks, "what do we need to know for the test?" and start asking, "after that, then what? why?" Don't learn for grades, learn to learn. It's a good attitude to develop early on.

 

[Mad Jack]

I'm a highschool junior who just wants to integrate different materials into his reading list which may possibly help in the future. I agree that buying a prep book now is a waste of money and is just to show off, but that's not what I'm trying to do. It's like just reading a lot of books years before the SAT so you're already familiar with the vocabulary in high-school rather than cramming a bunch of vocabulary cards.

Read The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Wilson Quarterly, etc. Nothing you learn now will help you, but developing critical thinking and verbal reasoning skills takes YEARS to master. Read much and often.