my situation

[IndyZX]

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i tried to glean as much info as i could from other related threads, but i still have some questions. first let me explain my situation.

i just finished my sophomore year and i have a very good gpa thus far. i still have to take a year of organic chemistry though.

so here is the concern, i will take ochem II in the spring during the april mcat. also, i took physics I this semester (spring 03), but i was so bored out of my mind in our class that i never went. so, i decided to take the sat II physics at the end of this month and try to get out of the second half of my physics sequence (at my school, if you get a 600, you can get credit; a 710 gets you an A in that course - yeah, i know, its wild)

so this puts me in the predicament of not really knowing physics II that well as well as concurrently learning ochem II for my class as well as the MCAT.

anyway, if i do take the april mcat, i will take a minimum course load to make it as easy as possible for myself. but, will i even be prepared? i have done well on standardized tests like the SAT before, but i don't really know what im getting myself into taking the test without finishing ochem II.

heres the alternative: i still turn in my amcas and tmdsas apps at the beginning of the summer but my app is delayed till late september. i will definitely be more prepared, because i will be able to fully reteach myself physics II and i will done with my other prereqs.

also, i honestly feel that i will be a strong med school applicant, do you think that has any bearing on which choice i should make?

what do you think?

thanks a lot, guys.

 

[LoneCoyote]

hey,

i found your post a bit hard to follow so i hope my advice makes sense or is what you are asking about. from talking to tother people it doesn't seem like o-chem is that big a deal. with a good review book from trp, kaplan, ek, etc, you could probably teach yourself what you need to know, especially if you had pretty good 1st semester o-chem class and know the basics. i also found some of the "o-chem" passages to be very biochemically based so if you had a biochem course, or even some biology courses with some biochem focus in them, you'd probably pick it up okay, provided your okay at o-chem to begin with. the physics i don't really know wjat to tell you. it seems to be a section that gives some, myself included, a lot of trouble, while other people find it easy. i would recommend you get your hands on some aamc practice tests (not tpr or kaplan materials or "free diagnostic mcats" that are harder than the real thing and designed to make you sign up for their class), do them, see how you do, and make a decision from there. you definitely want to take the test when you will be best prepared and can do your best. i think the practice tests will give you better idea of how much physics you personally will need for the test. good luck 🙂

 

[IndyZX]

yeah, i just reread my post and it was a bit hard to follow 🙂

thanks for fighting through it and coming up with a response.

i think that your ochemII advice was helpful, because the worst case scenario isnt that bad, because at least i will be taking the course.

about physics, i think i will do some initial studying, take a practice test, and then see what i have to work on.

thanks again.

 

[jnormandin]

I would be VERY careful about testing out of prereqs.

Some schools might view this as not meeting their requirements of 2 semesters of physics with lab.

If you've already looked into this, or this has been covered in another post, then more power to you.

 

[Wrigleyville]

Azpremed has the right idea. Just get one of those big review books and pour over it. You'll know soon enough if you understand the material or if you need more studying.

Wrigley

 

[IndyZX]

testing out of pre-reqs: i thought physics was teh one that you could test out of? (because of the fact that there are not really any next level courses that are very accessible)

thanks for the warning though, i should check that out.