Nontrads & MCAT Summer Program

[Shereen1]

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Hello fellow future docs!

I wanted to get opinions on the MCAT Summer Intensive Programs. Any non-trads out there who have participated in this program? I actually heard of these programs a while back and use to think they were ridiculous and just insanely expensive. But.... now that I'm having difficulty trying to study on my own and I also have some distractions- this program isn't looking that bad... However the huge price tag sticks out like a sore thumb!! (This would be an incredible investment I've never spent that much money on anything like this ..)So I wanted to get some feedback from students who have actually completed this program. How was your experience? How did you pay for it? ( loans?) & the big question- Was it WORTH IT?

Thank you all for your help! 🙂

 

[DrMidlife]

Compared to the cost of applying to med school (particularly if you're not successful), an MCAT prep course isn't expensive. Compared to the cost of attending med school, a prep course is dirt cheap.

There are ways to do MCAT prep without support and structure. If you think you can do your best without that support and structure, go for it. You need access to a ton of practice questions, which is the hard part lately, because the AAMC tests are really old now.

Not exactly what you're asking for, but please understand that applying early to med school is important. Early means you have your completed application and MCAT score by June, maybe July. That means if you take a summer course in 2014, you're getting ready to take the MCAT in the fall, get your score a few weeks later, and apply to med school in June 2015 for matriculation in summer 2016.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Quik]

Sorry to threadjack, but I figure why not prevent another repetitive thread....

I'll be finishing up my pre-reqs in May of 2015, finishing that semester with Ochem II, Ochem lab, and Biochem. I don't see much available time w/ everything else (volunteering and a little work) to study for the MCAT until the semester is over. What is the consensus on this schedule as far as preparing for the MCAT as soon as school is out, and taking it in June or preferably July? I would have the rest of my application in, but does it really matter without the score?

Advice?

 

[ChE04]

Sorry to threadjack, but I figure why not prevent another repetitive thread....

I'll be finishing up my pre-reqs in May of 2015, finishing that semester with Ochem II, Ochem lab, and Biochem. I don't see much available time w/ everything else (volunteering and a little work) to study for the MCAT until the semester is over. What is the consensus on this schedule as far as preparing for the MCAT as soon as school is out, and taking it in June or preferably July? I would have the rest of my application in, but does it really matter without the score?

Advice?

I would cut out the volunteering and any extracurriculars in favor of studying for the MCAT if your plan is to take it in the summer. Your application won't even be looked at until your MCAT scores are in, so you will essentially be applying in August (for a July MCAT), which is not terrible, but definitely not early. It's not ideal if you're a borderline candidate, but with that said I'd personally probably take the chance, provided my GPA was at least decent and my MCAT score was competitive.

Also, don't take the MCAT if you're not ready (ie, scoring what you're aiming for on practice tests), even if this means you delay your application for another year. A poor MCAT score can single handedly destroy your application.

 

[Willy38]

I just took it in Jan and got my scores back yesterday. I had a 11 point jump from my original practice test. Don't waste money on a class, just buy as many practice tests as possible and complete them every few days under strict test conditions once you have finished content review. Then thoroughly review ALL questions and examine why you missed them. Best content review materials are The Berkeley Review for PS and orgo (strongly recommended), and kaplan or TPRH bio review book for BS, I thought verbal was best prepared for with exam crackers. But if you are crammed for time then go straight to practice tests and google concepts you have trouble with. You don't study for the MCAT, you practice for it. Buying these books and avoiding the class will save you lots of money you can use for apps later on. Just take it seriously, have confidence, and you will do great.

 

[Shereen1]

Compared to the cost of applying to med school (particularly if you're not successful), an MCAT prep course isn't expensive. Compared to the cost of attending med school, a prep course is dirt cheap.

There are ways to do MCAT prep without support and structure. If you think you can do your best without that support and structure, go for it. You need access to a ton of practice questions, which is the hard part lately, because the AAMC tests are really old now.

Not exactly what you're asking for, but please understand that applying early to med school is important. Early means you have your completed application and MCAT score by June, maybe July. That means if you take a summer course in 2014, you're getting ready to take the MCAT in the fall, get your score a few weeks later, and apply to med school in June 2015 for matriculation in summer 2016.
Best of luck to you.

Thank you @DrMidlife for your reply! I was actually talking about the kaplan or princeton summer intensive program-which costs $7-10 grand and lasts for about 6 weeks I believe. I'm reviewing for the MCAT slowly now. I was planning on taking the MCAT in May but unfortunately that won't be possible -now i'm looking till june/early july. Thanks for the advise!

 

[Shereen1]

I just took it in Jan and got my scores back yesterday. I had a 11 point jump from my original practice test. Don't waste money on a class, just buy as many practice tests as possible and complete them every few days under strict test conditions once you have finished content review. Then thoroughly review ALL questions and examine why you missed them. Best content review materials are The Berkeley Review for PS and orgo (strongly recommended), and kaplan or TPRH bio review book for BS, I thought verbal was best prepared for with exam crackers. But if you are crammed for time then go straight to practice tests and google concepts you have trouble with. You don't study for the MCAT, you practice for it. Buying these books and avoiding the class will save you lots of money you can use for apps later on. Just take it seriously, have confidence, and you will do great.

@Willy38 Thanks for the suggestion on study techniques ! MCAT is by far my Biggest fear... I hope that I will overcome this fear Soon!! & you're right- confidence is key!!

 

[popopopop]

So many Texans appearing! I'm taking my MCAT this fall. From my very smart pre-med buddies, they felt the Kaplan review was a waste of time for them because they knew the materials and didn't need much content lecturing. My strategy for this test is simply buy the BEST recommended books and study in my own time frame. If you're distracted, get rid of the distractions if you can. Go to the library, headphones, whatever you need to have solid study time. As I do more and questions, I realized a few things:

1. I'm getting smarter and learning is good!
2. There's a finite amount of information I need to study and that I've already been tested once on it in my pre-req classes
3. Wow, I'm answering questions correctly!?!??!?!
4. Killing this test will mean taking a hugeeeeeeee leap towards medical school and that I'm very happy to put in the work! : )

 

[mspeedwagon]

Here is my 2 cents as someone currently re-taking Kaplan. I think the merit of this program really depends on your baseline going into it. There is no way I could have gone from where I was several months ago (low 20s) to scoring well in a few weeks over the summer. I think this could be the right program for someone with recent coursework that wants to focus exclusively on the MCAT and improving how they tackle the MCAT. If you have content deficiencies this is likely not the program for you. Like me, you'll have to spend several months brushing up your week areas before getting to 30 is realistic.

I like the idea of dedicating a few weeks to the MCAT, but I can only see this leading to disappointment for most non-trads (especially those without very recent coursework). There is no quick way to do well on the test unfortunately. It's comes down to
1) knowing the content well
2) learning how this content will be tested on the MCAT
3) practice, practice, practice (not only do you need to know the content, and how it will be tested, but also need to build speed and stamina).

Definitely take a prep class (BR, PR, Kaplan, EK doesn't matter... just make sure to follow the 3 step approach above). But, taking the abbreviated course seems like setting yourself up for to fail (offering you a quick fix, where there really isn't one).

Disclaimer: If you are scoring 30 cold on the MCAT then the summer program might be just what you need for that bump. Granted, if you are scoring 30 cold, then working through the PR science workbook / EK verbal book and old AAMC tests might be enough to get you to your desired test score.