MCAT Study/Application Preparation Questions (And Panic)

[Svetlana1227]

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Hi everybody, my goal is to enter medical school in the 2018 cycle, so I am planning to take the MCAT in mid-June. I hear this is already a little late, considering the idea of "rolling admissions", and possibly missing a spot, but as it stands, I have done no prep so far. I bought all 6 (Or 7?) of the Kaplan books, so I am preparing to study solely from that.

So, I have a little less than 3 months to study for the MCAT, but I'm also in the middle of my spring semester AND I have not done any volunteering yet (besides 4 hrs) or any shadowing. My plan is now to drop one 4 credit class; this will significantly free up my week. That will give me 2 Ws on my transcript total (I don't think that's a big deal?). This way, I am hoping to start volunteering 4 hrs a week, so that'll bring me to 50 hrs of clinical volunteering by the test date, which I think is sufficient (?) Also, I plan to shadow a doctor 4 hrs a week, each Saturday, so I'll also have 50 hours for shadowing as well. (I think that's also okay?)

Now, somehow, with school (albeit with 9 credits now, but still), I am supposed to start studying for the MCAT until mid-June (Honestly, I don't how anyone does it during the semester in order to take it in the summer!) How can I realistically prepare within this time frame? Obviously, with school, I cannot study 10+ hours a day until ~May 12th. In that 1 month span (mid May-mid June), I plan to study a lot, as I'll be free, but 1 month isn't enough I hear. During the 2 months I am in school, should I aim to study 4 hrs each day for the MCAT, with the exception of the days where I'll have a big exam the next day? Could I get through all the books of Kaplan this way? Should I reconsider purchasing Exam Krackers ( I hear it's better for a fast study schedule?)?

Any advice and/or experiences? Thanks so much!

 

[joe7456]

You need a gap year hands down.

 

[I'm ugly and I'm proud]

50 hours of clinical volunteering and 50 hours of shadowing are not sufficient. You will definitely need extra time to pad up your volunteering hours. Don't rush applying if you're not ready.

You also won't know if you have to retake the mcat or not after you take it in June, which could further delay your application. Submitting your app in early June is crucial for maximizing your chances.

Use whatever prep books you like the best. Just be warned, if you use EK, their flimsy biochem and p/s books will need to be supplemented with other prep books or outside sources.

 

[Coltuna]

Gap year 100%.

 

[Altius Premier Tutor]

Your application will be SCREAMING RED FLAGS. No chance. Adcoms are always on the lookout for people who tried to "cram in" volunteer and clinical hours at the last minute. The average solid applicant has been doing at least a few extracurriculars for 1-2 years. Shadowing "all at once" will look fishy.

Only fix is to delay applications by one full year, begin TODAY to shadow, volunteer, and log clinical experience on a regular basis, and then be in a much better situation next year. This year, you could focus more on the MCAT, take it in Aug/Sep and it wouldn't matter because you aren't applying this year.

One piece at a time. If you try to cram roughshod through your application and your MCAT, neither one will success...and don't think for a minute you can make it look otherwise to the committees.

 

[HealthcareTheHumanRight]

+1 on gap year, I did it and it is actually quite rewarding to have time to do different sorts of things in between your education. In addition, focus on the AAMC practice materials, they are the best resource that you can use to get comfortable with the style of questions you will be seeing.

 

[TheStudyOfLife]

I'd advise against worrying about "hours" and more towards the experience you can get through shadowing. Perhaps look for a clinical opportunity that will expose you to the medical field in several different aspects, i.e. scribing in the ED or if shadowing is your preferred option, shadow several different physicians and try to shadow both MD and DO.

Bring a small notebook when you shadow, and write down how each day's experience has made you feel. What do you think of the specialty you're shadowing? What experiences did you have with patients that you may want to bring up in interviews or your personal statement? I don't like this idea of "hours" everyone is so fanatic about. I don't know how many hours of volunteering, shadowing, or clinical exposure I have, but I know it is enough for me to speak from my heart about why each experience has contributed to wanting to go into medicine.