Non Traditional Med School Application Preparation

[ayushman80]

Okay, I know that there have been a lot of posts on how to study for the MCAT & apply to med school. But I don't really think that too many of them really focused on the needs of the non-traditional student. I really feel like we as a group have a lot more at stake than some of the other students. Our decision to pursue medicine not only affects us but also our spouse and kids. And it is very very tough to support a family and try to study for this monster of an exam. So I was hoping that this would be a thread about:
1) Non traditional study schedules.
2) How to deal with stress.
3) Which study materials are the best
4) What to highlight on your application.
5) Any specific courses in your state college that are really good for preparation.

Let me start by giving encouragement to all non trads. I had been out of school for almost 7 years when I decided to get back to medicine. When I started studying for the MCAT my average scores were (PS 7, VR 4, BS 7) . It took me an average of 13-14 minutes to finish a verbal passage. My real mcat score was PS 14, VR 8, BS 12. So for all you guys who are scared and don't think you can do it, I'm telling you that you can. It wont be easy but it can be done. Here is my input for the 5 topics above. I hope we'll get more responses as time goes on.

1) Study Schedule:
*with a family, I found that a 5-6 month study plan 2-3 hours a day was best. Additionally, I took the prereq classes while I was studying for the mcat. If you just need to brush up, you might consider a prep course. I did not have one and did fine.
*Study the weakest subject first. For the sciences make sure that you use a textbook and do problems. University libraries usually have textbooks that you can check out if you have finance issues.
*Buy all the AAMC exams. At about the 3 month point start testing yourself. I started with just doing individual sections and then worked up to the whole exam. Gold standard also has excellent practice material.

2) Stress issues:
*If possible save up a lot of cash before you decide to pursue medicine. Books and application process is long and expensive.
*absolutely gotta have a quiet place to study. I just went to the library or locked myself in my room. Taking 10 minute breaks every hour helps in concentration.
*Try to get 8 hours of sleep (this is HUGE).


3) Best Study Materials
AAMC Practice Exams are an absolute must.
Gold Standard Practice Exams (very close to the real thing)
Examkrackers verbal 101 and verbal reasoning books are okay.
Examkrackers Physics & Chemistry books are very good also.
Kaplan biology review is extremely good (it is the only worthwhile thing
they have in my opinion).
Your college text books (I can't stress this enough). These are the best way to learn a concept.
STAY AWAY FROM: Examkrackers Audio Osmosis & Examkrackers 1001 series (full of logic errors). These are a huge waste of money IMO.

4) Highlighting your application
I am going to hire someone to help me with my essay and secondary. This is expensive but I think necessary for those of us who aren't familiar with the process. I was really hoping that some of you guys could give good input on this.
5) For Iowa the Drake University summer organic chemistry course is absolutely awesome. Stay away from Iowa State University's organic chem program. The instructors are horrible and stress rote memorization vice understanding the mechanisms.

Well, I hope we get a few posts on this.

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[fireflygirl]

As a fellow non-trad, I think ayushman80 gave some excellent advice. However, just a few additions:

In terms of stress, I found myself doing something just for myself every day. For me it was working. I worked about 15 hours a week just to get myself thining about something other than the MCAT. The rest of the day I studied or went to the gym and got home at a reasonable time to make some dinner and relax. I didn't have a family so I spent more time during the day studying but I found breaking it up helped a lot in terms of staying focused.

For the MCAT, I don't have anything to add since I didn't do as well as I had hoped. I still, to this day, am not sure what else I could have done better but I think the suggestions that ayushman80 gave are really good. I howevever, liked some of the EC books. I thought in particular that the biology, o-chem and verbal books were helpful. They had a lot of practice passages in the bio book that helped me learn how to quickly get through a passage.

I also hired someone to help me with the process. I found it extremely helpful. Her name is Judy Levine and her website can be found here: http://www.premedadvising.com/. You don't have to live near a professional advisor to use them - they can provide you with a lot of help and resources via phone and email.

I was a post-bac through the Penn program. I have a full review of the program on the Rate Your SMP/Post-Bac thread.

 

[Luxian]

I'm gonna toss in my experience, though it sounds like it was pretty different even from other non-trads.

I got a degree in engineering from a good school. However, that was over 10 years ago! I'd taken all the prereqs in 1993 and 1994, followed by advanced classes and an MPH, so I really did not want to do a post-bacc of basic chemistry again. Would I be able to just "refresh"?

I managed to! I found having an MCAT prep book essential. Studying from my old texts (which I started to) just gives you way too much material. I used the Examkrackers texts and found them very useful. With them I had plenty of practice questions and didn't feel the need for a Kaplan course. This way I could also focus on what _I_ needed to work on instead of what the whole class needed to work on.

I worked a full time job and studied for about eight weeks. I made a schedule for myself and split up the material to make sure that I covered everything. Every night I spent some time: maybe an hour reading on my commute (yay, public transit!) and another hour or two doing problems. I made flashcards for the pieces I still had trouble with and worked on those inbetween times.

Result? 13-12-12

You can do it!

 

[dreams]

Okay, I know that there have been a lot of posts on how to study for the MCAT & apply to med school. But I don't really think that too many of them really focused on the needs of the non-traditional student. I really feel like we as a group have a lot more at stake than some of the other students. Our decision to pursue medicine not only affects us but also our spouse and kids. And it is very very tough to support a family and try to study for this monster of an exam. So I was hoping that this would be a thread about:
1) Non traditional study schedules.
2) How to deal with stress.
3) Which study materials are the best
4) What to highlight on your application.
5) Any specific courses in your state college that are really good for preparation.

Let me start by giving encouragement to all non trads. I had been out of school for almost 7 years when I decided to get back to medicine. When I started studying for the MCAT my average scores were (PS 7, VR 4, BS 7) . It took me an average of 13-14 minutes to finish a verbal passage. My real mcat score was PS 14, VR 8, BS 12. So for all you guys who are scared and don't think you can do it, I'm telling you that you can. It wont be easy but it can be done. Here is my input for the 5 topics above. I hope we'll get more responses as time goes on.

1) Study Schedule:
*with a family, I found that a 5-6 month study plan 2-3 hours a day was best. Additionally, I took the prereq classes while I was studying for the mcat. If you just need to brush up, you might consider a prep course. I did not have one and did fine.
*Study the weakest subject first. For the sciences make sure that you use a textbook and do problems. University libraries usually have textbooks that you can check out if you have finance issues.
*Buy all the AAMC exams. At about the 3 month point start testing yourself. I started with just doing individual sections and then worked up to the whole exam. Gold standard also has excellent practice material.

2) Stress issues:
*If possible save up a lot of cash before you decide to pursue medicine. Books and application process is long and expensive.
*absolutely gotta have a quiet place to study. I just went to the library or locked myself in my room. Taking 10 minute breaks every hour helps in concentration.
*Try to get 8 hours of sleep (this is HUGE).


3) Best Study Materials
AAMC Practice Exams are an absolute must.
Gold Standard Practice Exams (very close to the real thing)
Examkrackers verbal 101 and verbal reasoning books are okay.
Examkrackers Physics & Chemistry books are very good also.
Kaplan biology review is extremely good (it is the only worthwhile thing
they have in my opinion).
Your college text books (I can't stress this enough). These are the best way to learn a concept.
STAY AWAY FROM: Examkrackers Audio Osmosis & Examkrackers 1001 series (full of logic errors). These are a huge waste of money IMO.

4) Highlighting your application
I am going to hire someone to help me with my essay and secondary. This is expensive but I think necessary for those of us who aren't familiar with the process. I was really hoping that some of you guys could give good input on this.
5) For Iowa the Drake University summer organic chemistry course is absolutely awesome. Stay away from Iowa State University's organic chem program. The instructors are horrible and stress rote memorization vice understanding the mechanisms.

Well, I hope we get a few posts on this.

for the first bold section-why do you say they are full of logic errors, can you explain? I just bought them to do the 10 home study course that EK has. I am not including the AO part though.

for the second bold section-I would love to do this also, do you know any info, or still waiting to get some?

 

[ayushman80]

for the first bold section-why do you say they are full of logic errors, can you explain? I just bought them to do the 10 home study course that EK has. I am not including the AO part though.

for the second bold section-I would love to do this also, do you know any info, or still waiting to get some?

Let me start off by saying that I actually like the EK Biology & Organic Teaching books. However, the biology 1001, organic 1001, chem 1001, physics 1001 series are nothing like the MCAT. I remember a passage in the bio 1001 series that was talking about metabolism in different somatic cells. One of the questions asked what type of cells can use keto bodies as food source (an inference question, not stated in the passage). I assumed it was liver cells but the book answer said brain cells. Which is ridiculous and wrong according to my Anatomy & Physio book. And even if there was some truth to this, their explanation was asking me to push the "i believe" button instead of using logic. I would recommend "Marieb's 7th edition anatomy ahd physiology" book to study your anatomy and physiology parts of the BS section. AAMC 1-10 and GS 1-10 should give you PLENTY of practice with passages. And don't be afraid to take an exam over (just wait 3-4 weeks before you retake it to avoid recalling answers).

The physics, chem, and orgo 1001 series are a little better. However, IMO they don't represent the questions asked on the MCAT. I think students are better off using the EK Physics, Chem, Orgo books to focus in on subjects and textbooks to study for practice problems and detailed study. AAMC & GS tests are the best IMO. I didn't use the 10 wk EK study program so I can't comment on its effectiveness.

here is the website for admissions consultants: www.admissionconsultants.com
They are a little expensive but I think they will be worth the money. I've also heard a lot about Judy Levine but haven't worked with her at all.

 

[Archer]

I have also found www.oldpremed.com invaluable!!

 

[QofQuimica]

I'm posting in this thread with the caveat that I completely disagree with this premise that nontrads have some inherently different way to prep for the MCAT or applications compared with trads. Realize that regardless of what else is going on in your life or how old you are, you will have to do all of the same things to get into med school as someone who is 20 years old and a current college junior.

1) Non traditional study schedules.
You have your current priorities; if you want to go to medical school, you will have to add doing well on the MCAT to those. Figure out a way to get the study time into your schedule, and make it happen. I spent ten weeks studying. During the week, I'd study 30 minutes each morning before work and 30 minutes in the evening before bed. On weekends I'd study 8-10 hours per day unless I was teaching. That was probably overkill; I was extremely burnt out by the end of the ten weeks. Other people may be able to study for six months, but I'm not one of them. I definitely won't be doing that for Step 1.

I agree with the OP about identifying your weak areas, and hitting those hard. I focused almost entirely on physics and physiology since my PhD is in organic, and I didn't really study chemistry at all except for a few of the more obscure topics. Don't underestimate the importance of prepping for VR; some adcoms apparently consider it to be the most important section. There isn't anything to study; you just have to keep practicing to get your reasoning abilities up and your timing down.

Check out the 30+ MCAT Study Habits thread if you haven't already. You will see that there are as many successful study strategies as there are people with awesome scores. There is not one strategy that will guarantee success for everyone.

2) How to deal with stress.
I can't really help you here. There's a reason why I went into chemistry and not into social work. What works for me is to be super organized. I suppose that an impartial observer might reasonably be able to say that I'm a little OCD. But I deal with stress by always having a Plan B (and sometimes a Plan C or Plan D), and making a lot of lists. There is just something so psychologically satisfying about checking items off lists....

3) Which study materials are the best
Whichever ones you'll actually use. Be realistic about how much time you have and what kind of schedule you can maintain. If you aren't going to get much out of attending classes, then don't waste your time and money on a live prep course. On the other hand, if you know you won't be self-motivated enough to study on your own, then a course may be a worthwhile investment for you. Again, no one size fits all here. I've often said that a large part of my job description as a Kaplan MCAT instructor is to be a cheerleader and encourage the students to keep going when they feel like giving up. Some people need that more than others. Regardless of what materials you choose, make sure to take several practice tests on the computer under timed conditions. Prep courses like Kaplan and TPR have students take five full length tests (plus the diagnostic, which is 2/3 length). I think the three most recent AAMC tests (do they still sell those in packs of three?) are a must-have. They are actual retired MCAT questions. It doesn't get any more realistic than that.

I'm basically a loner when it comes to studying. I used the Kaplan online course, and it was fantastic. I will using some of their online materials to prepare for Step 1 as well, along with other resources. You pretty much have to know yourself and what works for you.

4) What to highlight on your application.
Anything that makes you stand out as an applicant. Keep it positive. No one wants to hear your excuses about why you made a C in freshman physics or why you couldn't find time to shadow a doctor. If you've made mistakes that you feel must be addressed in the PS, focus on what you've learned from them and how they've made you into a better candidate now.

I'm not a fan of professional pre-medical counselors at all. I think most if not all of them are unabashed charlatans who take advantage of desperate people. It's your money, so do what you want with it. But I have to wonder why would anyone pay some person who has never gone to med school and probably never been on an adcom for advice, when you can get the info straight from the horse's mouth without paying a penny? If you didn't know this before, now you do: you can get app counseling for free and in person from the admissions office of your state medical schools, at least here in FL. (For any of you who are FL residents, the admissions deans or directors at all of our state schools will do this for you, including Miami.) You can also call some schools to get admissions counseling, even if they are OOS. Just tell them you're considering applying there. For example, I got telephone app counseling from U Mich even with no ties to that school. One caveat is that you should make sure you contact the admissions offices for app counseling *before* you submit your AMCAS. That's because once your file is open, they will no longer be able to discuss it with you.

5) Any specific courses in your state college that are really good for preparation.
For the MCAT? Take a full year each of bio, chem, physics, and organic first like you're supposed to, and don't take shortcuts by trying to take the MCAT before you complete all the pre-reqs. I really hate seeing those threads asking if it's "stupid" to take the MCAT without taking physics or organic. Yes, it *is* stupid to do that, and no, you shouldn't do it. If we follow this line of thinking to its absurd conclusion, you could go ahead and take Step 1 while you're at it and be ready to begin your clinical rotations in the fall. Why waste your time taking two years of medical school pre-req coursework? (Note for the sarcasm challenged: that was a joke!)

I posted more specific details about my app saga and advice for applying in the Nontrad Secrets of Application Success thread. I hope this post is helpful, and best of luck to you.

 

[fireflygirl]

I'm posting in this thread with the caveat that I completely disagree with this premise that nontrads have some inherently different way to prep for the MCAT or applications compared with trads. Realize that regardless of what else is going on in your life or how old you are, you will have to do all of the same things to get into med school as someone who is 20 years old and a current college junior.

1) Non traditional study schedules.
You have your current priorities; if you want to go to medical school, you will have to add doing well on the MCAT to those. Figure out a way to get the study time into your schedule, and make it happen. I spent ten weeks studying. During the week, I'd study 30 minutes each morning before work and 30 minutes in the evening before bed. On weekends I'd study 8-10 hours per day unless I was teaching. That was probably overkill; I was extremely burnt out by the end of the ten weeks. Other people may be able to study for six months, but I'm not one of them. I definitely won't be doing that for Step 1.

I agree with the OP about identifying your weak areas, and hitting those hard. I focused almost entirely on physics and physiology since my PhD is in organic, and I didn't really study chemistry at all except for a few of the more obscure topics. Don't underestimate the importance of prepping for VR; some adcoms apparently consider it to be the most important section. There isn't anything to study; you just have to keep practicing to get your reasoning abilities up and your timing down.

Check out the 30+ MCAT Study Habits thread if you haven't already. You will see that there are as many successful study strategies as there are people with awesome scores. There is not one strategy that will guarantee success for everyone.

2) How to deal with stress.
I can't really help you here. There's a reason why I went into chemistry and not into social work. What works for me is to be super organized. I suppose that an impartial observer might reasonably be able to say that I'm a little OCD. But I deal with stress by always having a Plan B (and sometimes a Plan C or Plan D), and making a lot of lists. There is just something so psychologically satisfying about checking items off lists....

3) Which study materials are the best
Whichever ones you'll actually use. Be realistic about how much time you have and what kind of schedule you can maintain. If you aren't going to get much out of attending classes, then don't waste your time and money on a live prep course. On the other hand, if you know you won't be self-motivated enough to study on your own, then a course may be a worthwhile investment for you. Again, no one size fits all here. I've often said that a large part of my job description as a Kaplan MCAT instructor is to be a cheerleader and encourage the students to keep going when they feel like giving up. Some people need that more than others. Regardless of what materials you choose, make sure to take several practice tests on the computer under timed conditions. Prep courses like Kaplan and TPR have students take five full length tests (plus the diagnostic, which is 2/3 length). I think the three most recent AAMC tests (do they still sell those in packs of three?) are a must-have. They are actual retired MCAT questions. It doesn't get any more realistic than that.

I'm basically a loner when it comes to studying. I used the Kaplan online course, and it was fantastic. I will using some of their online materials to prepare for Step 1 as well, along with other resources. You pretty much have to know yourself and what works for you.

4) What to highlight on your application.
Anything that makes you stand out as an applicant. Keep it positive. No one wants to hear your excuses about why you made a C in freshman physics or why you couldn't find time to shadow a doctor. If you've made mistakes that you feel must be addressed in the PS, focus on what you've learned from them and how they've made you into a better candidate now.

I'm not a fan of professional pre-medical counselors at all. I think most if not all of them are unabashed charlatans who take advantage of desperate people. It's your money, so do what you want with it. But I have to wonder why would anyone pay some person who has never gone to med school and probably never been on an adcom for advice, when you can get the info straight from the horse's mouth without paying a penny? If you didn't know this before, now you do: you can get app counseling for free and in person from the admissions office of your state medical schools, at least here in FL. (For any of you who are FL residents, the admissions deans or directors at all of our state schools will do this for you, including Miami.) You can also call some schools to get admissions counseling, even if they are OOS. Just tell them you're considering applying there. For example, I got telephone app counseling from U Mich even with no ties to that school. One caveat is that you should make sure you contact the admissions offices for app counseling *before* you submit your AMCAS. That's because once your file is open, they will no longer be able to discuss it with you.

5) Any specific courses in your state college that are really good for preparation.
For the MCAT? Take a full year each of bio, chem, physics, and organic first like you're supposed to, and don't take shortcuts by trying to take the MCAT before you complete all the pre-reqs. I really hate seeing those threads asking if it's "stupid" to take the MCAT without taking physics or organic. Yes, it *is* stupid to do that, and no, you shouldn't do it. If we follow this line of thinking to its absurd conclusion, you could go ahead and take Step 1 while you're at it and be ready to begin your clinical rotations in the fall. Why waste your time taking two years of medical school pre-req coursework? (Note for the sarcasm challenged: that was a joke!)

I posted more specific details about my app saga and advice for applying in the Nontrad Secrets of Application Success thread. I hope this post is helpful, and best of luck to you.

Just to address Qs issue on hiring a private counselor - I think the point of being careful not to hire someone with no experience of being on an adcom is really great. I am sure there are plenty of these pre-med advising groups that pretend they have a lot of knowledge on the application process but in reality, have no real experience with ever applying or being on the admissions side of things. I just want to stress that if you do go with hiring someone, check out their credentials and make sure they have some valuable experience in the whole process. Judy Levine is the former director of admissions at NYMC where she spent 10+ years. I'm not promoting the idea of hiring someone though I found it very useful, but when I did look through groups to hire, I really paid attention to what truly made them a credible resource.

 

[ayushman80]

Just to address Qs issue on hiring a private counselor - I think the point of being careful not to hire someone with no experience of being on an adcom is really great. I am sure there are plenty of these pre-med advising groups that pretend they have a lot of knowledge on the application process but in reality, have no real experience with ever applying or being on the admissions side of things. I just want to stress that if you do go with hiring someone, check out their credentials and make sure they have some valuable experience in the whole process. Judy Levine is the former director of admissions at NYMC where she spent 10+ years. I'm not promoting the idea of hiring someone though I found it very useful, but when I did look through groups to hire, I really paid attention to what truly made them a credible resource.

I totally agree with fireflygirl. I know that the people I will be working with have all served on adcoms for many years. So I feel that it is worth spending my money there. However, in the end it is always up to the individual. I compare this to taking a kaplan/TPR review course. Ofcourse you can do it on your own if you like, but sometimes it is helpful to have an exogenous helper(sorry...I had to make this a bad mcat joke...). Many people think that these test prep companies are a fraud also.

I am also in semiagreement with Q as far as special study habits for non-trads. I agree that in the end you absolutely must study and learn the same material that everyone else knows. However, I believe that due to lifestyle differences, a junior in college and a 35 yr old will approach the material and studying itself differently. People who have been in a school/laboratory environment after graduation may only need 10 weeks of prep. I on the other hand needed a lot more and felt that I had to take 5 months to get ready.

 

[QofQuimica]

Just to address Qs issue on hiring a private counselor - I think the point of being careful not to hire someone with no experience of being on an adcom is really great. I am sure there are plenty of these pre-med advising groups that pretend they have a lot of knowledge on the application process but in reality, have no real experience with ever applying or being on the admissions side of things. I just want to stress that if you do go with hiring someone, check out their credentials and make sure they have some valuable experience in the whole process. Judy Levine is the former director of admissions at NYMC where she spent 10+ years. I'm not promoting the idea of hiring someone though I found it very useful, but when I did look through groups to hire, I really paid attention to what truly made them a credible resource.

Fair enough point. I don't know anything about this Judy Levine, but I agree that if you decide that you do want to hire a counselor, it definitely behooves you to make sure they have the proper credentials. From what you've said, it sounds like this particular person does.

I am also in semiagreement with Q as far as special study habits for non-trads. I agree that in the end you absolutely must study and learn the same material that everyone else knows. However, I believe that due to lifestyle differences, a junior in college and a 35 yr old will approach the material and studying itself differently. People who have been in a school/laboratory environment after graduation may only need 10 weeks of prep. I on the other hand needed a lot more and felt that I had to take 5 months to get ready.

I wasn't meaning to criticize you for how long you studied, if that's how it came across. I do think though that burning out is a real danger for many people, and it's something to consider when planning your study schedule. I'm an intense, hardcore kind of studier. There is no way I'd be able to keep up that pace for five straight months. Also, to reiterate, we can all share our individual stories of success all day long, but no one method will ever work for everyone. In the end, what matters is that the five months of studying worked for you. You go with what works.

 

[njbmd]

for the first bold section-why do you say they are full of logic errors, can you explain? I just bought them to do the 10 home study course that EK has. I am not including the AO part though.

for the second bold section-I would love to do this also, do you know any info, or still waiting to get some?

I will address the admissions counselors/advising services part of this:

There are a bunch of medical school (professional) advising/counseling companies/individuals out there. You should do a Google search and then do some investigation of some of your results. The minimum should be:

• What do they provide and how long do they provide it?
• What kind of experience do they have and what is their track record?
• Do they provide you with phone numbers/e-mails of people who have used their services and can answer some questions for you?
• How much do they charge? (Huge variation here)
• Do they work with non-traditional students and if so, how much experience do they have with non-traditional students?
• Do they offer help with things like choosing medical schools, the interview process, completion of your application, writing your personal statement?

Beware of any websites/individuals who are not willing to provide the above. There is a load of fraud potential out there in these matters (likely second only to the funeral industry). It is up to you to make sure that you do not fall victim and that you get what you paid for. These counseling services are not cheap nor is every company/individual a good fit for everyone especially if you have complicated "conditions" that need to be addressed.

If the service/person is not willing to be very up front (honest) with you, then choose another service. This person/service also needs to be honest with you too. If they are advertising a 100% success rate, they are likely going to take your money and provide you with little that will help you accomplish your goal. Medical school admissions is never a 100% success-type business but they should have more success than failure and they should be able to answer your inquiries thoroughly before you pay a cent.

 

[gman33]

As usual, I think Q's post is on the money.
A few things I'd like to add.

Everyone who is a non-trad comes from a unique background. If you have no idea how to get started, buying a book about med school admissions is a good place to start. The one by Princeton Review was useful to me. The hard part is figuring out what steps you need to take to get into a school.
My simplest advice is to find a school where you can get A's in the prereqs and at the same time receive an education that is good enough to prepare you for the MCAT. All but the top med schools, don't really care where you take the prereqs. I'd stay away from cc, unless I had no other options. That being said, I'd rather see someone with a 4.0 at cc, then a 3.0 at an IVY school. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of it.

After taking the courses, give yourself plenty of time to practice for the MCAT. My only science background was the prereqs, so I felt like I needed extra time to get ready. I spent about 500 hours studying/practicing for the MCAT. You may need 50 hours or you may need 1000. You won't really know until you start taking practice tests.

So after you can check off 3.5+ in the prereqs and 30+ on the MCAT, how do you apply?

Get an advisor. If you can't find anyone to guide you, then maybe you hire someone. This would be my last resort. I found plenty of people at med school admissions offices who were willing to talk to me. Just don't expect them to do this while they are in the heat of admissions season. If you are still clueless, then start posting your questions on SDN. You will get plenty of feedback, not all of which will be useful. My rule is to try to have as much contact with the admissions office at the schools to which you will be applying as is possible. In the end it is only their opinions that matter as they will be the one's deciding whether you get into their school.

One other note on post-baccs in case I wasn't clear. Go where you will do best. If you think you need a formal program, go there, if not just take classes at any decent school. A formal program can offer guidance, guaranteed classes and linkage. It's still up to you to do well. I started out in a well regarded formal post-bacc, didn't like it, and then finished up in a do-it-yourself program. That's what worked best for me. Don't be afraid to make changes if something is not working.

 

[MaryLennox]

One of the questions asked what type of cells can use keto bodies as food source (an inference question, not stated in the passage). I assumed it was liver cells but the book answer said brain cells. Which is ridiculous and wrong according to my Anatomy & Physio book.
quote]

not trying to be a pain in the a** but that sounds right to me . . .

 

[ayushman80]

One of the questions asked what type of cells can use keto bodies as food source (an inference question, not stated in the passage). I assumed it was liver cells but the book answer said brain cells. Which is ridiculous and wrong according to my Anatomy & Physio book.
quote]

not trying to be a pain in the a** but that sounds right to me . . .

Nerve cells have very high requirement for glucose and oxygen. That is why people with diabetes can go into a coma first and not liver failure. Hepatocytes in general are a lot more "sturdy" than other cells. They serve to detoxify, process, and build (anabolism). I am not saying that I am right 100%. This is what I read in Marieb's Anatomy & Physiology 7th edition. I may have read incorrectly.