MCATprep Hopelessness..:(

[malamed]

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Hey guys- Reaching out to you all since you're the only people I know that are going through the same things I am.
I am feeling soooo discouraged about my mcat prep right now.
Discouraged isn't even the word. I am sad. Starting to believe in myself less and less the farther I go.
I keep asking myself..Do I really have what it takes? Can I even overcome this? Maybe I am just not "made" for this.
I know everyone says its beatable, think like a test maker, blah blah. But I feel like my brain is just not capable of performing well. I know this attitude will almost surely lead to my demise, so where do I go from here? How can I change this and succeed?

I took the exam right after graduation in 2012 after an online Kaplan prep course that I eventually kinda stopped going to..barely did any of the readings or tests. HUGE waste of money due to my lack of time and effort back then.
Here I stand 2 years later as a medical assistant and wanting to be a doctor more than ever and I need that good mcat score.
I have been reviewing content for about two months with my kaplan books and flash cards.
I just cant seem to keep anything in my brain and the physics is just murdering me. I realized I had a severe lack of basic math, so I started doing some kaplan "math refresher videos/exercises"- this helped some..
I am severely lacking in trig, which is making the physics just impossible. I've tried youtube, but I cant find the exact questions I have and then it just takes forever to search and watch anyways.
I have several resources including the general mcat book, princeton reviews general mcat prep book, all kaplans books and online material, but its just too much at once.
I work full time and just started volunteering at a hospital, so I'm a busy bee, but im dedicated to this mcat prep. I feel like I'm drowning though.
I'm having nightmares, crying spells and just general down in the dumps. I wish I was better than this. I wish I was soaking up all this info faster. I wish I WISH I READ FASTER!!
Money is limited. I have no parental help and am really just saving for the actual test so I dont think tutoring will be an option, plus I dont think I have the time. I am not registered, but I planned to test in AUG to keep up with this application cycle(DO).
My heart is hurting. I have never wanted to anything else besides medicine and I KNOW I want to be a doctor. I keep hearing that the mcat is proven to be the exact predictor for how one will perform in medical school. If this is the case..am I doomed?
Where do I go from here?

 

[Qester]

I was almost a decade removed from my first year sciences and I found that Chad's videos really helped me out

 

[petyr_baelish]

Your mindset is derailing you, as you say. You need to get to the bottom of it before you go on. Forget the MCAT for a set amount of time. Watch inspirational videos, use some cognitive behavioural therapy techniques (there are youtube videos on this too) and consider meditating/visualization techniques. Ultimately, get into a positive mindset and actively work toward this goal of being a positive, resilient person. This, in itself, takes work. Do not take changing your mindset lightly. People cannot will themselves out of feelings of hopelessness, guilt or anxiety. You need the correct beliefs/values in place, and weaknesses in this area are revealed in times of stress. This process could take a day or two or it could take a year. This depends on how much of your feelings are situational vs something more.

Oh, and forget about an MCAT date. Setting a deadline is not going to help someone who feels hopeless, it just adds stress.

Next, after you have armed yourself with tools to aid you when times get tough again, decide on a schedule that suits your work/volunteer commitments. You might only fit in one hour per day at the beginning, as you ease back into a more intense schedule. Don't worry, you are moving in the right direction. All progress is progress, and you can beat this test; one, tiny math error in a sea of math uncertainties at a time. I was terrible at trig all through my physics course but the light does go on later. You have a big picture, then you can fill in the details. When you are just learning, you don't know what the big picture is or how the details play into it. It does get better.

tl;dr - relax and really learn how to be positive. Then, make an easy schedule and build on it as time goes on.

 

[CW 2010]

Your mindset is derailing you, as you say.

This!
You can't do well on something if you are so negative. You are also, probably, burnt out. Maybe take a small break to recharge your batteries and force yourself to think positively. At first, it will seem very unnatural and silly, but your brain gets used to thinking a certain way and in time you can change this pattern of negative thinking. It's very hard to find motivation to study for the test if you believe in yourself so little.

 

[clairephillips]

Hey guys- Reaching out to you all since you're the only people I know that are going through the same things I am.
I am feeling soooo discouraged about my mcat prep right now.
Discouraged isn't even the word. I am sad. Starting to believe in myself less and less the farther I go.
I keep asking myself..Do I really have what it takes? Can I even overcome this? Maybe I am just not "made" for this.
I know everyone says its beatable, think like a test maker, blah blah. But I feel like my brain is just not capable of performing well. I know this attitude will almost surely lead to my demise, so where do I go from here? How can I change this and succeed?

I took the exam right after graduation in 2012 after an online Kaplan prep course that I eventually kinda stopped going to..barely did any of the readings or tests. HUGE waste of money due to my lack of time and effort back then.
Here I stand 2 years later as a medical assistant and wanting to be a doctor more than ever and I need that good mcat score.
I have been reviewing content for about two months with my kaplan books and flash cards.
I just cant seem to keep anything in my brain and the physics is just murdering me. I realized I had a severe lack of basic math, so I started doing some kaplan "math refresher videos/exercises"- this helped some..
I am severely lacking in trig, which is making the physics just impossible. I've tried youtube, but I cant find the exact questions I have and then it just takes forever to search and watch anyways.
I have several resources including the general mcat book, princeton reviews general mcat prep book, all kaplans books and online material, but its just too much at once.
I work full time and just started volunteering at a hospital, so I'm a busy bee, but im dedicated to this mcat prep. I feel like I'm drowning though.
I'm having nightmares, crying spells and just general down in the dumps. I wish I was better than this. I wish I was soaking up all this info faster. I wish I WISH I READ FASTER!!
Money is limited. I have no parental help and am really just saving for the actual test so I dont think tutoring will be an option, plus I dont think I have the time. I am not registered, but I planned to test in AUG to keep up with this application cycle(DO).
My heart is hurting. I have never wanted to anything else besides medicine and I KNOW I want to be a doctor. I keep hearing that the mcat is proven to be the exact predictor for how one will perform in medical school. If this is the case..am I doomed?
Where do I go from here?

I want you to know that you're not alone. I'm 31 and I have spent a great deal of my life avoiding the MCAT and wanting to be a doctor. It's been 13 years since I took some of my prereqs and I'm teaching full time, but now I'm taking my MCAT August 7th and I'm determined to make it count.

Prep wise, beyond the things you're using, I'd employ Khan Academy, wikipremed or Chad's videos if you can afford them. For math, why not go over the Khan Academy stuff?

Headspace wise, you need to fall in love with your Cinderella story. You need to be Rocky, fighting tooth and nail for that chance to shine. You need to believe that YOU are a DOCTOR and act like one - would a doctor give up on a difficult case? Would a doctor say "Oh well, I don't have the best materials, so I'm just not going to do it?" or would they fight for their patients? Whoever said the MCAT was the best predictor of medical school neglected to mention that it is not a good predictor of the doctor you're going to make. The interview with John Grant that is one of the top stories right now had this to say:

"19. What information or advice do you wish you had received before beginning your medical studies?
I got good advice: Think of patients, not diseases. Think of patients, not grades. Think of patients, not papers or grants."

Choose to think of patients.

One last piece of advice, on registering: register for January. Don't not register since that will mean that people could fill up the seats and you'd find yourself trying to learn Biochem and Social Science too, but give yourself maximum time. Tell yourself you have all the time you need to be successful, but no more time than that. Then get to work, thinking of patients. Also, why not a few non-trad Skype sessions? PM me and we can be Rocky and Cinderella together. Good luck!

 

[clairephillips]

One more thing: I posted it elsewhere, so I hope people aren't too annoyed. I sing this over and over when I really need the inspiration:

 

[KevinGnapoor]

Are you sure we're not the same person because I'm going through the exact same thing? So everything I'm about to say is kinda like a little pep talk for myself as well.

1. Take a deep breath. Take several.
2. During those deep breaths, understand that you are not alone and scores of people have gone through this and are going through it now. While knowing that doesn't make me feel any better, but knowing that other people have survived it does help me put my situation into perspective.
3. Do something that makes you feel good. I listen to Beyonce. A lot. Try to choose something that isn't self-destructive. Exercise would be your best bet. Watch some HIIT workouts on youtube and just do them for like 10 minutes. You'll feel better.
4. For the doubts that we have, everybody has them. Even the most intelligent people I know doubt their future. But what sets them apart is that they suck it up and get to work. We can both sit here and wish our lives away, but unless we make tangible changes, nothing is going happen.
5. YOU CAN DO THIS. Seriously. Literally. You can. If other people have, why can't you? What is the difference between you and everybody else? Nothing. Except you're wishing and they're doing. I always remind myself this: "They did it, while I could've done."
6. I hate saying things like this because I don't know you/your circumstances, but do you have to apply to medical school this year? It's super stressful to study for an August MCAT, prepare med school apps, and work/volunteer. You're piling things on. Would it be possible to take the MCAT this year and apply next year? This is what I'm doing. It definitely hurt when I had to accept that I'll be 3 years out of college before applying for med school (hurts even more when I see classmates on facebook graduating from med school and I'm still floating about in the pre-med world). But think of it like this: doesn't matter what trajectory you take, just reach your goal.
7. As far as studying, there are no short-cuts. Exercise time management and do every single problem. Whatever specific problems you have I think you can post them on the MCAT Q&A section here and I'm sure people will be able to help you. I personally feel like youtube material is slow and won't always answer your exact question.
8. I don't think the MCAT is a predictor of your success in medical school. I know people who have gotten 25s on the MCAT and are now in MD schools and they are doing just fine. Focus on what is in front of you. Worry about surviving in medical school later.
9. I'll repeat this again: You can do this. I won't wish you luck because you don't need it. You need to put in hard work. I wish you all the best!