My dilemna..... Please guide

[powerfetish]

I am a hermit who studies non stop, at every given chance. But I am really upset by my Bio teacher's teaching because he skips many of the concepts or terms that I find are integral to MCAT mastery. It seems that he skips half the concepts or terms in a chapter, and I am the only one who is actually studying those skipped materials for the MCAT. Should I continue to extra study to prepare for the MCAT or just focus on the topics he goes over in class?

Also, I have asked this many times, but no one has given me a sufficient answer: how should I study for 2015 MCAT's psychology portion? Currently, I am taking a psychology 101 class--previously called Psy 104--and it covers an insane amount of information. It probably cover a bit more info than Bio in terms of content in a chapter. But for both Bio and Psy, I make detailed study guides, read the chapter, do every problem I can find in the books, and review desperately. Bio and Psy alone take up 12 hours of study per chapter per week--6 hours per subject--leaving little time for research, CHEMISTRY, and volunteering. I don't know what i am doing wrong because I find I have no time for anything else. Is it because I have very little learning ability, or is my course load really hard?

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[487806]

I am a hermit who studies non stop, at every given chance. But I am really upset by my Bio teacher's teaching because he skips many of the concepts or terms that I find are integral to MCAT mastery. It seems that he skips half the concepts or terms in a chapter, and I am the only one who is actually studying those skipped materials for the MCAT. Should I continue to extra study to prepare for the MCAT or just focus on the topics he goes over in class?

Also, I have asked this many times, but no one has given me a sufficient answer: how should I study for 2015 MCAT's psychology portion? Currently, I am taking a psychology 101 class--previously called Psy 104--and it covers an insane amount of information. It probably cover a bit more info than Bio in terms of content in a chapter. But for both Bio and Psy, I make detailed study guides, read the chapter, do every problem I can find in the books, and review desperately. Bio and Psy alone take up 12 hours of study per chapter per week--6 hours per subject--leaving little time for research, CHEMISTRY, and volunteering. I don't know what i am doing wrong because I find I have no time for anything else. Is it because I have very little learning ability, or is my course load really hard?

College isn't responsible for helping you in the mcat. That's your job. Get some review books and self-study

 

[mcloaf]

College isn't responsible for helping you in the mcat. That's your job. Get some review books and self-study

Indeed.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Focus on the material he covers in class. Go back with a review book when it comes time to study for the MCAT and fill in the gaps at that point. Your extra studying won't matter if you hurt your grades. As others have said, your prof is teaching you intro bio, not bio for the MCAT.

What exactly would a "sufficient" answer be for the psychology portion of the MCAT? Nobody knows what that is even going to look like at this point. I could make something up, but I doubt that will actually be of any use to you.

I suggest you try and take things a tad slower. Pull back out of things until you feel like you have a handle on your coursework, then add on things like research and volunteering. I'd recommend dropping one of those two (probably volunteering since I'm assuming you made a commitment on research), and then add it back when you feel you've got the time management skills down to juggle all of those.

 

[powerfetish]

Focus on the material he covers in class. Go back with a review book when it comes time to study for the MCAT and fill in the gaps at that point. Your extra studying won't matter if you hurt your grades. As others have said, your prof is teaching you intro bio, not bio for the MCAT.

What exactly would a "sufficient" answer be for the psychology portion of the MCAT? Nobody knows what that is even going to look like at this point. I could make something up, but I doubt that will actually be of any use to you.

I suggest you try and take things a tad slower. Pull back out of things until you feel like you have a handle on your coursework, then add on things like research and volunteering. I'd recommend dropping one of those two (probably volunteering since I'm assuming you made a commitment on research), and then add it back when you feel you've got the time management skills down to juggle all of those.

Thank you for your detailed answer. I was just ranting here, but the sacrifice is worth it since I am doing pretty well in my classes. But it's the new Psy and Soc. sections that are really worrying me since there isn't enough info or speculation about them.

 

[deleted127837]

I am a hermit who studies non stop, at every given chance. But I am really upset by my Bio teacher's teaching because he skips many of the concepts or terms that I find are integral to MCAT mastery. It seems that he skips half the concepts or terms in a chapter, and I am the only one who is actually studying those skipped materials for the MCAT. Should I continue to extra study to prepare for the MCAT or just focus on the topics he goes over in class?

Also, I have asked this many times, but no one has given me a sufficient answer: how should I study for 2015 MCAT's psychology portion? Currently, I am taking a psychology 101 class--previously called Psy 104--and it covers an insane amount of information. It probably cover a bit more info than Bio in terms of content in a chapter. But for both Bio and Psy, I make detailed study guides, read the chapter, do every problem I can find in the books, and review desperately. Bio and Psy alone take up 12 hours of study per chapter per week--6 hours per subject--leaving little time for research, CHEMISTRY, and volunteering. I don't know what i am doing wrong because I find I have no time for anything else. Is it because I have very little learning ability, or is my course load really hard?

Genuinely curious - why do you want to be a doctor and not a researcher?

 

[yehhhboiii]

Genuinely curious - why do you want to be a doctor and not a researcher?

It's probably because he doesn't want to get stuck making 50k with a doctorate level degree.

 

[powerfetish]

Genuinely curious - why do you want to be a doctor and not a researcher?

I want to get a Phd/MD and work part-time as a researcher and part-time as a physician. It has been my goal to do research in antiaging, particularly in telomeres.

 

[CrimsonKing]

Thank you for your detailed answer. I was just ranting here, but the sacrifice is worth it since I am doing pretty well in my classes. But it's the new Psy and Soc. sections that are really worrying me since there isn't enough info or speculation about them.

Bro, no one knows exactly how you should prepare for those sections yet. They're going to be experimental sections soon so the AAMC can see how they are handled. By the time 2015 rolls around, there will be sufficient independent study materials for you to work on for material mastery.

Also, try to live a little. If you're making A's in your classes, you're all good. As far as medical schools are concerned, a 91 is no different than a 100. Enjoy college a bit more so you don't burn out by the time you get to med school; you're going to need to still have heart to put in here, because it's much more intense.

 

[FSU2013]

Chill out and enjoy undergrad.

 

[lobo.solo]

Dude nobody knows how the new Mcat is going to be. I would follow by heart whatever guide the aamc provides for those who are going to take the exam in 2015. You should take an intro class though... for psychology and sociology IMO.

 

[Catman21]

Chill out and enjoy undergrad.

+1

Easy there killer, you have plenty of to study your life away.

Undergrad has definitely been the best time in my life. "Med schools want people not robots"... live a little.

 

[sunflower18]

I am a hermit who studies non stop, at every given chance. But I am really upset by my Bio teacher's teaching because he skips many of the concepts or terms that I find are integral to MCAT mastery. It seems that he skips half the concepts or terms in a chapter, and I am the only one who is actually studying those skipped materials for the MCAT. Should I continue to extra study to prepare for the MCAT or just focus on the topics he goes over in class?

Also, I have asked this many times, but no one has given me a sufficient answer: how should I study for 2015 MCAT's psychology portion? Currently, I am taking a psychology 101 class--previously called Psy 104--and it covers an insane amount of information. It probably cover a bit more info than Bio in terms of content in a chapter. But for both Bio and Psy, I make detailed study guides, read the chapter, do every problem I can find in the books, and review desperately. Bio and Psy alone take up 12 hours of study per chapter per week--6 hours per subject--leaving little time for research, CHEMISTRY, and volunteering. I don't know what i am doing wrong because I find I have no time for anything else. Is it because I have very little learning ability, or is my course load really hard?

Honestly, I don't think that 6 hours a week for a single subject is bad at all. I'm usually looking at 10-15 hours per class a week. That still leaves plenty of time for other activities and social interaction. I study ~40 hours a week, work ~40 hours a week, have ~20 hours of class a week, and sleep ~7 hours a night. That still leaves time for social things and meals and working out, even. There is enough time in the week for all of that. I'm definitely not trying to brag or belittle your struggles, but it's just something to think about.

I think that, if you made a schedule, you'd find that spending 6 hours per week per class on homework isn't too big of a deal, and that you could have plenty of time to not be a hermit (your words, not mine!) and to get involved with other activities like research. It sounds like your study methods are good, as long as you find yourself retaining the information. If you don't feel like you are, either spend more time on the material or try a different tactic. Group studying can be effective as well!

Good luck OP! You can do it!

 

[skais595]

+1

Easy there killer, you have plenty of to study your life away.

Undergrad has definitely been the best time in my life. "Med schools want people not robots"... live a little.

+1

You can study all you want, but no one's gonna admit you if you never get out of the library. Even for MD/PhD.

And if you're not taking the MCAT until 2015 or later, don't worry about it until then. You'll have chances to review everything at that point. You won't know everything on the MCAT no matter what, because they'll throw on some passage about who knows what, so don't worry about trying to learn it all. Especially now.

 

[huskydock]

I am a hermit who studies non stop, at every given chance. But I am really upset by my Bio teacher's teaching because he skips many of the concepts or terms that I find are integral to MCAT mastery. It seems that he skips half the concepts or terms in a chapter, and I am the only one who is actually studying those skipped materials for the MCAT. Should I continue to extra study to prepare for the MCAT or just focus on the topics he goes over in class?

Your intro bio class most likely will not be sufficient to help you MASTER the MCAT bio material. However, it is sufficient to cover all the bases. Keep in mind that the MCAT isn't some crazy detailed science exam. It will above all be a "thinking" test that utilizes your understanding of concepts in all your subjects. So even if you don't feel like you know all the details of glycolysis or whatever, don't even sweat it. The MCAT wouldn't require you to memorize all the intermediates and steps anyway. Also keep in mind the bio section also includes organic chemistry of course.

However, if you want to get an extremely solid grasp on all the biology material, then make sure to take human physiology, microbiology, cell biology, and biochemistry. If you take those classes and do well, I don't see why you won't be confident in your knowledge of the material in the bio section.