Please help with strange situation of classes b4 MCAT?

[leventambi]

Hi everyone!
I will be taking the MCAT in January. I have this Fall quarter left to take any classes I might need for it. I have began MCAT studying here and there this summer. So far I am signed up for:

-Organic Chemistry 2
-Physics 2 w/lab
- General Biology 1 & 2 (took AP Bio so I feel like this will be review classes)
- Human Physiology
-Genetics

My question is, should I squeeze in those Human Physio and Genetics classes before the test? Are they worth it? My situation is pretty strange and I won't explain the whole story here but I will need to take the MCAT immediately after finishing these pre-reqs and self-stuyding Physics 3 and Organic Chemistry 3. Yes, I know this is a stupid thing to do but like I said, I have a difficult situation and this is my only choice now. So since I will be studying Ochem & Physics 3 myself (are they very important, btw?) from MCAT books, should I keep the Physio and Genetics classes or drop them? Or drop one?
Thanks!

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[SnakeOilForSale]

That seems like a lot of sciences to take in one quarter. If you feel you can pull high grades in all of them, then it's not impossible, but I would err against shoving too many classes in and suffering from a lower GPA because of it.

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

You should really wait to take the MCAT. I don't want to make an assumption on the type of student you are, but even the brightest people I've met wouldn't be able to handle that course load. You will most likely wreck your GPA and on top of it I don't think this is an effective way to "study" for the mcat. When you study for the mcat, you want to be reviewing material that you learned earlier, not learning it for the first time. You want a dedicated period where you can really focus on what you need to do for the mcat, and that's really not possible with taking so many classes. Studying for courses is just different than reviewing for the mcat. If I were you, I would wait to take the new test if at all possible. I know you probably want to avoid the new test, but I think you will get a better result all around if you spread out the courses, take the new ones that you need to take, and don't rush it. I know there is always the option of a retake but it's much better to do things the right way the first time around. Trust me, you don't want to have any regrets in this process. I know from personal experience. Just do things the right way.

 

[allantois]

take MCAT 2015

 

[Hospitalized]

Pace yourself, medicine is a marathon not a sprint. You really think you can handle taking 6 science classes at the same time on a quarter schedule? Just remember that GPA is very important.

Also if you're just now introducing practically all of biology, I would definitely wait to take the MCAT. Plus I've heard that biochemistry is very helpful to have prior to taking the MCAT.

 

[Aerus]

You most likely will not be able to handle this courseload AND sufficiently study for the MCAT AND continue your extracurricular activities. If you are learning Organic Chemistry II and Physics II for the first time and have not touched the third quarter yet, then this is an unreasonable plan. You don't have a choice but to take the 2015 MCAT unless you want to take an incredibly high and foolish risk of doing badly and messing up your GPA.

 

[Jay11jayjay]

Don't do it. Take the 2015 mcat. This is a train wreck waiting to happen.

 

[cactus8910]

I went to a school with a semester system, not a quarter one, so I'm not sure what's taught in Orgo 3 and Physics 3, but chances are you'll need to know it. If you did well in and remember AP Bio you might be able to get away with not taking the classes and just doing content review from a book.
However, I completely agree with the others in this thread that it's a very bad idea to take the MCAT right after taking the prereqs. You'll need time to adjust to/practice the MCAT-style questions which will likely be quite different than your school exams.
I think it would help if you explained your difficult situation, because otherwise the only responses you get are going to be telling you to take the MCAT later anyway.

 

[Strudel19]

Wait and take it!

 

[Rinya]

It's a very bad idea to take (for the first time) all those science classes in one semester plus try to study for the MCAT. Take the 2015 MCAT. And take biochemistry before you take the MCAT.

I recommend this on personal experience because I took General Chemistry 2, chem lab, general bio 2, bio lab, genetics, genetics lab, contemporary topics in neuroscience, trigonometry (which I hadn't had in high school), and an honors history course that turned out to have 8 books for required reading. I wasn't studying for the MCAT obviously but I was working 3-4 shifts per week so I was working 24-32 hours a week with this load. It was 21 credits with classes that really aren't so hard, but because I took too many and devoted hours to working (replace those hours with MCAT study) I only got a 3.5 GPA that semester. That was actually something that was brought up in my interview. They notice GPA drops like that and I recommend avoiding that.

It's a very bad idea to take organic 2 abd physics 2 and only have a month for the topics to sink in and review before taking the MCAT.

In summary, do your GPA and MCAT score a favor and take fewer classes this semester and take the 2015 MCAT.