Next semester's commitments + MCAT studying?

[Mdude]

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Hi everyone-
I'm finishing up my do-it-yourself post-bacc next semester (the only science I'll have left is Orgo 2), while also finishing my master's (non-science field). I'm hoping to take the MCAT sometime around June/July, basically late enough that I'll have enough time to study, but early enough such that my apps won't be submitted too late.

My big question is, should I keep my part-time job next semester (I tutor/mentor underpriviledged college students in a non-science subject), or should I basically junk most of my extracurriculars (that job, plus private tutoring, etc) so that any time not spent studying for my classes is spent studying for the MCAT? I'm already signed up for a Kaplan course which will start in January...but I was wondering if it would be feasible to study ~10 hrs a week, January-April, and then once the semester ends, spend about 6 weeks studying non-stop. Is it worth it to quit this job--which I happen to think will make me a stronger med school applicant--in exchange for a few more hours a week studying for the MCAT? I know this is an absurdly subjective question, but I was wondering what you guys had to say. It's not about money vs. MCAT studying but moreso a pre-med character building extracurric vs. MCAT studying. Thanks!

 

[ruraldr]

If it helps, I was fine with my MCAT with about 10 hours per week of study time for 3 months in advance of the test. Probably depends on how high a score you are shooting for.

 

[Vihsadas]

...Probably depends on how high a score you are shooting for.

True.
As a contrast, I studied 40hrs a week for 4 months. Here's my test-taking schedule starting about two months before my MCAT. If you want to do well you gotta do three things:

1)Learn all of the material cold. Conceptually as well
2)Do an assload of practice tests
3)Make sure that you are learning how to attack the test itself, i.e. how to do problems in the quickest possible manner, how to eliminate wrong answers, how to read passages, ensuring that your thought process for every problem on every practice test is correct.

GL

 

[Drewsuf]

Unfortunately, this is a question that only you can answer. You need to do what is going to put you in the best position for applying. I would say that if you have been working/tutoring for a while, one semester off won't make that much difference on your app. It is very important that you maintain high grades in your courses and also get a good score on your MCAT. You don't want to end up in the situtation where you have a great application and a crappy MCAT score. 10 hours a week is definitely possible. I am working on my masters and I study about 20-25 hrs a week. All you have to do is manage your time well. Make sure you provide yourself with enough time for your classes and mcat study. You'll probably have to put other things (i.e. social life) on hold for a while, but to get to med school it is worth it. Hope this helps a bit. Good luck!!

 

[gman33]

Try to estimate how much total time you think you will need to study for the MCAT. This is hard to do, but I planned for 400-500 hours of study time. Then figure out when you can schedule this time. In your current plan you'd have about 15 weeks * 10 hrs, then maybe 6 weeks * 40 hrs.
This would give you about 400 hours of total study time.

Don't underestimate how much time you need to get ready for this test. Assumming you have a good GPA, this may be the biggest deciding factor of whether or not you get into med school. Ditch the part-time job if you think it will get in the way of your study time.