MCAT in the Summertime

[AggieJohn]

Howdy,

I am studying for the August MCAT. I am a junior Biology major at Texas A&M. I don't really know why I am writing this; maybe to talk to someone, or maybe just to get my feelings down so I myself can read them.

I read all these "OMG MCAT is Killing me!! Find me a n00se!!1!" threads, and I think they are silly. But, I also have concerns. I took my first TPR diag a couple of weeks ago and got a 24 (10 B, 7V, 7P). While I am being told this is stellar (for a first diag) by TPR tutors, I feel like I guessed on a lot. Also, I just got out of Organic, Physics, Molecular Biology... so maybe the only reason I did halfway decent is because it is fresh on my mind.

I don't really know what I need to get. I suppose above a 30 will suffice. I don't want to go to Johns Hopkins... matching somewhere in TX will make me a happy camper. I am studying, and while I feel like I am getting better at verbal, the biology part is for some reason hard (I say for some reason, because I am a biology major...) Sometimes I read the bio passage and there's no way I could explain it if I had to. People in my class seem to be doing fine with it all, which frustrates me even more.

Compound that with the fact that I haven't even taken the MCAT yet and I'm worried about being an uninteresting candidate. I hate to hear stories of "so and so got a 4.0 and 38 MCAT and didnt get accepted anywhere." I look on SDN and click on people's MD Applicants profile and see people doing missionary work in China and getting published in research and all these amazing things and I look at myself and feel like I am just an average guy. I don't want to appear uninteresting to ADCOMs, but the fact is I am a laid back, easy going guy. I didnt overcome some horrible disaster as a kid, nor grow up under the tutelage of Mother Teresa, nor any of those unique "set you apart" kind of situations. I've got my reasons for wanting to go into medicine, but I don't think any of them are going to take my interviewer's breath away.

And worst of all, here I am on a Saturday night, reading about bacteriophages. I don't consider myself one of those anal pre-meds, haggling with a prof over a 'B', overstudying, and having no social life. And yet, when I take a step outside and look inward, thats what I see. Maybe its just summertime... my favorite time of year. Hot outside, girls in bikinis, ice cream trucks, and I'm inside studying.


I don't even know why I typed this, but I must admit, I feel a little better. Please don't think I'm a lunatic

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[qtpie055]

I feel the EXACT same way.

I'm also taking the Aug MCAT..just took Kaplan Diagnostic this past week (22-boo). Haven't really started studying yet--first real class is tomorrow.

I'm also just an avg. applicant that feels ...I guess..inadequate. I'm just taking it one step at a time...hoping for the best...

 

[FutureDrKt]

You're not a lunatic. You're just a normal premed. I have none of those exceptional experiences either, but I expect that I will probably get in somewhere. As for bio, a 10 as a starting off point on Princeton Review is really good! I felt like I was guessing alot too, and it always seemed to work out ok on practice tests. I think probably guesses aren't true guesses; you're just not sure where you get your answers from.
Don't worry so much. The people on SDN are far from normal when it comes to med school applicants. In general, these people are the best of the best so there is no point in worrying about comparing yourselves to them. If you have a passion for medicine and show a capacity to do the work, you'll be fine.

 

[Hakashi]

Howdy,

I am studying for the August MCAT. I am a junior Biology major at Texas A&M. I don't really know why I am writing this; maybe to talk to someone, or maybe just to get my feelings down so I myself can read them.

I read all these "OMG MCAT is Killing me!! Find me a n00se!!1!" threads, and I think they are silly. But, I also have concerns. I took my first TPR diag a couple of weeks ago and got a 24 (10 B, 7V, 7P). While I am being told this is stellar (for a first diag) by TPR tutors, I feel like I guessed on a lot. Also, I just got out of Organic, Physics, Molecular Biology... so maybe the only reason I did halfway decent is because it is fresh on my mind.

I don't really know what I need to get. I suppose above a 30 will suffice. I don't want to go to Johns Hopkins... matching somewhere in TX will make me a happy camper. I am studying, and while I feel like I am getting better at verbal, the biology part is for some reason hard (I say for some reason, because I am a biology major...) Sometimes I read the bio passage and there's no way I could explain it if I had to. People in my class seem to be doing fine with it all, which frustrates me even more.

Compound that with the fact that I haven't even taken the MCAT yet and I'm worried about being an uninteresting candidate. I hate to hear stories of "so and so got a 4.0 and 38 MCAT and didnt get accepted anywhere." I look on SDN and click on people's MD Applicants profile and see people doing missionary work in China and getting published in research and all these amazing things and I look at myself and feel like I am just an average guy. I don't want to appear uninteresting to ADCOMs, but the fact is I am a laid back, easy going guy. I didnt overcome some horrible disaster as a kid, nor grow up under the tutelage of Mother Teresa, nor any of those unique "set you apart" kind of situations. I've got my reasons for wanting to go into medicine, but I don't think any of them are going to take my interviewer's breath away.

And worst of all, here I am on a Saturday night, reading about bacteriophages. I don't consider myself one of those anal pre-meds, haggling with a prof over a 'B', overstudying, and having no social life. And yet, when I take a step outside and look inward, thats what I see. Maybe its just summertime... my favorite time of year. Hot outside, girls in bikinis, ice cream trucks, and I'm inside studying.


I don't even know why I typed this, but I must admit, I feel a little better. Please don't think I'm a lunatic

By any chance did you name yourself after Pastor John Hagee?

I watch that man everyday. He is brilliant. The American people can learn alot from him.

As for your post, I am pretty much in the same boat you are in. I have a great GPA (around 4.0) and am writing the MCAT this summer. However, I haven't done any of the 'missionary' or 'martyr' type things many people on this board have. The thing is though, more and more people (adcoms included) realize that alot of this is BS. People do this just to make themselves look good to the adcom and not because they really have a passion to do it. I hope the adcom will like my honest answers of wanting to go into medicine (pretty much all males in my family have been doctors since the civil war )

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Don't worry, most people are normal average pre-med students. Just make sure that you have ECs, volunteer work, shadowing...and that you are passionate about all that you do. make sure your mentors know you and recognize your interest, passion, committment and dedication to your work. Be well rounded and not just a pre-med geek. Show a sense of responsibility, dedication and integrity and make what you have done, regardless of how common, stand out because of what you made of the experience. All the best!

 

[WilliamX2R]

Howdy,

I am studying for the August MCAT. I am a junior Biology major at Texas A&M. I don't really know why I am writing this; maybe to talk to someone, or maybe just to get my feelings down so I myself can read them.

I read all these "OMG MCAT is Killing me!! Find me a n00se!!1!" threads, and I think they are silly. But, I also have concerns. I took my first TPR diag a couple of weeks ago and got a 24 (10 B, 7V, 7P). While I am being told this is stellar (for a first diag) by TPR tutors, I feel like I guessed on a lot. Also, I just got out of Organic, Physics, Molecular Biology... so maybe the only reason I did halfway decent is because it is fresh on my mind.

I don't really know what I need to get. I suppose above a 30 will suffice. I don't want to go to Johns Hopkins... matching somewhere in TX will make me a happy camper. I am studying, and while I feel like I am getting better at verbal, the biology part is for some reason hard (I say for some reason, because I am a biology major...) Sometimes I read the bio passage and there's no way I could explain it if I had to. People in my class seem to be doing fine with it all, which frustrates me even more.

Compound that with the fact that I haven't even taken the MCAT yet and I'm worried about being an uninteresting candidate. I hate to hear stories of "so and so got a 4.0 and 38 MCAT and didnt get accepted anywhere." I look on SDN and click on people's MD Applicants profile and see people doing missionary work in China and getting published in research and all these amazing things and I look at myself and feel like I am just an average guy. I don't want to appear uninteresting to ADCOMs, but the fact is I am a laid back, easy going guy. I didnt overcome some horrible disaster as a kid, nor grow up under the tutelage of Mother Teresa, nor any of those unique "set you apart" kind of situations. I've got my reasons for wanting to go into medicine, but I don't think any of them are going to take my interviewer's breath away.

And worst of all, here I am on a Saturday night, reading about bacteriophages. I don't consider myself one of those anal pre-meds, haggling with a prof over a 'B', overstudying, and having no social life. And yet, when I take a step outside and look inward, thats what I see. Maybe its just summertime... my favorite time of year. Hot outside, girls in bikinis, ice cream trucks, and I'm inside studying.


I don't even know why I typed this, but I must admit, I feel a little better. Please don't think I'm a lunatic

Hi,

I used to be like you. But after observing other pre-med undergrads, I came to the conclusion most of them aren't geniuses. They put in the time like everyone else who goes to med school. Some of them... no offence, I dunno y they're pre-med to begin with. Yep, there are gunners with loads of EC's. Do I care? No. The truth is, a decent GPA (3.4) and a really high MCAT score, with one semester of research experience & 1 yr of volunteer work will get you into "a" school. Notice I said really high MCAT score. A 38 or 39 will def set you above the crowd. Social life - skip it. Start reading your textbooks for fun. You'll be surprised at the end result. Dun fret for nothing. There are more than 30,000 ppl who go to med school every yr. Its just a question of putting in the time.

 

[mastamark]

Howdy,

I am studying for the August MCAT. I am a junior Biology major at Texas A&M. I don't really know why I am writing this; maybe to talk to someone, or maybe just to get my feelings down so I myself can read them.

I read all these "OMG MCAT is Killing me!! Find me a n00se!!1!" threads, and I think they are silly. But, I also have concerns. I took my first TPR diag a couple of weeks ago and got a 24 (10 B, 7V, 7P). While I am being told this is stellar (for a first diag) by TPR tutors, I feel like I guessed on a lot. Also, I just got out of Organic, Physics, Molecular Biology... so maybe the only reason I did halfway decent is because it is fresh on my mind.

I don't really know what I need to get. I suppose above a 30 will suffice. I don't want to go to Johns Hopkins... matching somewhere in TX will make me a happy camper. I am studying, and while I feel like I am getting better at verbal, the biology part is for some reason hard (I say for some reason, because I am a biology major...) Sometimes I read the bio passage and there's no way I could explain it if I had to. People in my class seem to be doing fine with it all, which frustrates me even more.

Compound that with the fact that I haven't even taken the MCAT yet and I'm worried about being an uninteresting candidate. I hate to hear stories of "so and so got a 4.0 and 38 MCAT and didnt get accepted anywhere." I look on SDN and click on people's MD Applicants profile and see people doing missionary work in China and getting published in research and all these amazing things and I look at myself and feel like I am just an average guy. I don't want to appear uninteresting to ADCOMs, but the fact is I am a laid back, easy going guy. I didnt overcome some horrible disaster as a kid, nor grow up under the tutelage of Mother Teresa, nor any of those unique "set you apart" kind of situations. I've got my reasons for wanting to go into medicine, but I don't think any of them are going to take my interviewer's breath away.

And worst of all, here I am on a Saturday night, reading about bacteriophages. I don't consider myself one of those anal pre-meds, haggling with a prof over a 'B', overstudying, and having no social life. And yet, when I take a step outside and look inward, thats what I see. Maybe its just summertime... my favorite time of year. Hot outside, girls in bikinis, ice cream trucks, and I'm inside studying.


I don't even know why I typed this, but I must admit, I feel a little better. Please don't think I'm a lunatic

Actually John Hopkins doesn't use the MCATs for consideration of admissions.

 

[45408]

Yep, there are gunners with loads of EC's. Do I care? No. The truth is, a decent GPA (3.4) and a really high MCAT score, with one semester of research experience & 1 yr of volunteer work will get you into "a" school. Notice I said really high MCAT score. A 38 or 39 will def set you above the crowd. Social life - skip it. Start reading your textbooks for fun. You'll be surprised at the end result. Dun fret for nothing. There are more than 30,000 ppl who go to med school every yr. Its just a question of putting in the time.

First off, if you're skipping your social life, you're going to want a better GPA than a 3.4 to show for it. Secondly, most people couldn't get a 38-39 no matter how hard they tried, and you're just setting this poor guy up for failure to say he's screwed if he doesn't get that. Obviously it will set you above the crowd - only 2% of people can actually do it.

Actually John Hopkins doesn't use the MCATs for consideration of admissions.

o rly? That's funny, because every one of their med students took the MCAT, and they averaged a 35 on it. Seeing how they say that they consider your academic track record, I'm pretty sure that they do use it as part of their criteria.

 

[USCtrainer]

By any chance did you name yourself after Pastor John Hagee?

I watch that man everyday. He is brilliant. The American people can learn alot from him.

QUOTE]


John Hagee That's funny, I watch him too, whenever I get the chance. I believe he's from Texas too

 

[Hakashi]

By any chance did you name yourself after Pastor John Hagee?

I watch that man everyday. He is brilliant. The American people can learn alot from him.

QUOTE]


John Hagee That's funny, I watch him too, whenever I get the chance. I believe he's from Texas too

Yea, he's from Texas. Everything he preaches is right on the money. How can you argue with a man preaching Christian/family values?

 

[WilliamX2R]

First off, if you're skipping your social life, you're going to want a better GPA than a 3.4 to show for it. Secondly, most people couldn't get a 38-39 no matter how hard they tried, and you're just setting this poor guy up for failure to say he's screwed if he doesn't get that. Obviously it will set you above the crowd - only 2% of people can actually do it. .

Your GPA depends on: (I) Your major, (II) Your background (e.g. AP classes, how much science you learned in high school), (III) your uni, (IV) your prof & or lab instructor, (V) your test-taking ability, (VI) how much time you actually invest in a given class, (VII) what classes you choose to take. 7 factors here; its obvious why a 4.0 GPA is nearly impossible.

Now lets talk high MCAT score. 13V, 12PS, 13 BS = 38T. Anyone can score a 13 on V; verbal is not something you go to college to learn. 1st yr BS is not hard. I don't know why ppl mess up here, but I'm guessing a couple good biochem classes, a semester of genetics, and a yr of anatomy/physio would help tremendously. PS - most ppl mess up here because they're math redundant. I've seen this first-hand in pre-med physics, when the guy curved the exams. If you're math redundant, it usually means a bunch of things: (I) you can't look at a graph and tell where its going based on the equation of the graph, (II) you can't manipulate an equation, (III) you can't handle the different types of functions: trig, log x, e^x, etc. (IV) you don't really know the difference between inverse variation, direct variation, & joint variation, (V) you can't think in terms of functions; e.g. y = f(x). The answer to this is to take a couple calc classes & engineering physics (or else learn it on your own). Physical chem wouldn't hurt either. So you see why only 2% of test-takers score 38/39 or above; the rest of the 98% don't rely on their own intuition. They assume Kaplan/Princeton Review or some other review program will provide everything necessary to score high. To a certain extent, yes... but analytical skills are something you develop as a result of your own initiative. This is why mathematicians can readily become good physicists. The converse, however, is not true.

 

[mastamark]

o rly? That's funny, because every one of their med students took the MCAT, and they averaged a 35 on it. Seeing how they say that they consider your academic track record, I'm pretty sure that they do use it as part of their criteria.[/QUOTE]

A friend of mine matriculated at JH 3 years ago without even disclosing his MCAT scores to them. Even though he did decent(29), he certanly didn't blow it out of the water. You don't have to even submit MCAT scores. Now that being said, the student in question did have a 3.9 GPA from University of Chicago which is a pretty good Undergraduate institution, and being a paramedic for 7 years had some clinical experience for a reference. And he actually majored in English Lit.

 

[wetlightning]

o rly? That's funny, because every one of their med students took the MCAT, and they averaged a 35 on it. Seeing how they say that they consider your academic track record, I'm pretty sure that they do use it as part of their criteria.

A friend of mine matriculated at JH 3 years ago without even disclosing his MCAT scores to them. Even though he did decent(29), he certanly didn't blow it out of the water. You don't have to even submit MCAT scores. Now that being said, the student in question did have a 3.9 GPA from University of Chicago which is a pretty good Undergraduate institution, and being a paramedic for 7 years had some clinical experience for a reference. And he actually majored in English Lit.[/QUOTE]

what are you talking about??? not to be rude, but are you kidding?

from the JHU SOM website:

"Standardized Test Requirements

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is required for all applicants to The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine."

so...umm...i don't understand what you mean

 

[mastamark]

A friend of mine matriculated at JH 3 years ago without even disclosing his MCAT scores to them. Even though he did decent(29), he certanly didn't blow it out of the water. You don't have to even submit MCAT scores. Now that being said, the student in question did have a 3.9 GPA from University of Chicago which is a pretty good Undergraduate institution, and being a paramedic for 7 years had some clinical experience for a reference. And he actually majored in English Lit.

what are you talking about??? not to be rude, but are you kidding?

from the JHU SOM website:

"Standardized Test Requirements

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is required for all applicants to The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine."

so...umm...i don't understand what you mean [/QUOTE]


Umm...They may require the MCAT scores now but it wasn't always like that. This requirement must be new.

http://www.gcu.edu/cos/ake/ati.htm


If this isn't substantiatial for proof(which I wouldn't believe either), check the only true reliable source and thats the MSAR check the slightly older editions and I rest my case. I am not knocking anyone in these Forums because the majority know what they are talking about; but most of us are either trying to get into med school or learn more about the process. Its not about "I know more about X school than you". Just umm...look at the last MSAR and you will umm...understand what I mean

But you are right, they do require MCATs now. I was speaking of a former partner of mine that matriculated over 3 years ago and should be going into 4th year by now. Things change. So I was not intentionally misleading anyone.

 

[NapeSpikes]

I recently talked with an admissions officer at Hopkins, and you guys are both right. Nowadays, the MCAT is required for everyone, but it didn't used to be. (They didn't even go through AMCAS several years back.)

 

[CoffeeCat]

As for your post, I am pretty much in the same boat you are in. I have a great GPA (around 4.0) and am writing the MCAT this summer. However, I haven't done any of the 'missionary' or 'martyr' type things many people on this board have. The thing is though, more and more people (adcoms included) realize that alot of this is BS. People do this just to make themselves look good to the adcom and not because they really have a passion to do it. I hope the adcom will like my honest answers of wanting to go into medicine (pretty much all males in my family have been doctors since the civil war )

Please don't put down peoples' volunteer experiences as a "martyr type thing", it's very disrespectful. I'm sure some people do go out of their way to volunteer to boost their application and aren't sincere just as some people study for tests to get an A and aren't sincere about learning, however this doesn't mean that you can put the activity down. Having a volunteer activity impact your reason for going into medicine is at least as valid as having medicine as a family legacy.