Post-MCAT stress

[labellefille]

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So, I really thought after I took this stupid exam, I would feel really happy that it was over. Instead, I'm wracked with more anxiety than before!! At least before I still felt in control because I was studying and stuff, and now I'm stuck just waiting and waiting and waiting for the stupid scores!!

I took the exam on 8/6, so it has only been a few days, but I am having nightmares about questions from the exam and now can't even remember what answers I actually put!

I really studied hard and felt prepared and confident going in, but I had a tough PS section that now has me second guessing myself completely.

Help!!! How do I survive the next 3.5 weeks. I'm so anxious I am having nightmares and don't even feel like celebrating and going out with friends. 🙁

 

[ratatat]

I haven't written yet, but I definitely understand your anxiety. I'm already nervous just thinking bout getting my scores back.

Was that your first time writing? If so, remember you can always write again, and I think most schools allow a second chance without penalty right?

 

[SN2ed]

First, put the MCAT books somewhere far away and don't open them up under any circumstances.

Second, do NOT schedule another test.

Third, GET OUT AND HAVE FUN!

If you don't feel getting out, do so anyway. If you play video games, do that. Just do something to have fun and ease your mind. The more time you spend doing nothing, the more you'll dwell on the test.

Lastly, LEAVE SDN for now. Coming onto an MCAT fourm won't help you de-stress about the MCAT.

 

[labellefille]

at ratattat, yes, it was my first time taking it, although it wasn't my first time studying for it!! i actually had signed up for it and studied, did the kaplan course, the whole works a few years ago but ended up in the hospital for emergency surgery a few days before and missed the exam. as it turned out, i ended up putting applications on hold for a few years and did some other stuff.

FINALLY took the exam this summer, but man am i feeling freaked. i did really well on my AAMC practice tests, even got a 40 on my last one, and was feeling like i would do well. i stayed pretty calm and collected during the exam, but have been beating myself up over the PS, which left me with a lot of guess work, even though i have to say it wasn't THAT hard. i think that is what ticks me off the most, that the passages were not complicated, but i still felt like many of the questions left me unsure of myself.

ugh. ok. will put the books away. i just feel like i have to rock this damn thing to have a chance, especially since i'm a non-trad and this will be the most recent thing they see from me. damn.

 

[Omni]

WHen do you plan on applying? Are you trying to get your application in this cycle or will you wait and apply in spring 2010?

 

[labellefille]

WHen do you plan on applying? Are you trying to get your application in this cycle or will you wait and apply in spring 2010?

i'm applying right now- i think that is my stress. i've submitted my AMCAS and all of my letters are in, and now i'm just waiting for my scores.

i'm already "non-trad" and have done a master's degree and frankly don't want to put it off another year, unless things go terribly wrong.

i feel like i don't have the luxury of just doing OK, if i want to have a chance (especially b/c I'm applying MD/PhD), i need to do exceptionally well, not just OK.

 

[Schemp]

i'm in your same boat. i took it 8/5 and three days of waiting feels like it's been weeks. somehow i have to last until september 8th, ugh. i am considering applying this year, but i haven't submitted yet. if i get a 38+ i may apply to some top tiers, but otherwise i'm gonna wait a year, get my gpa up a bit, improve my ECs, and guarantee myself admission to a great school. i'm just freaking out cause even though i didn't get below a 35 on the aamc practice tests (i only took three though), and i felt like the real thing was exactly tailored to my weaknesses, so even a 35 seems like it'd be a lucky break. i feel kind of like a douche complaining about possibly getting like a ~33, but i guess it's all about expectations and i'd built mine up pretty high haha. argh.

 

[Rockytop00]

..

 

[RogueUnicorn]

First, put the MCAT books somewhere far away and don't open them up under any circumstances.

Second, do NOT schedule another test.

Third, GET OUT AND HAVE FUN!

If you don't feel getting out, do so anyway. If you play video games, do that. Just do something to have fun and ease your mind. The more time you spend doing nothing, the more you'll dwell on the test.

Lastly, LEAVE SDN for now. Coming onto an MCAT fourm won't help you de-stress about the MCAT.

BEST way to get your mind off things imo

 

[SarahLiz82]

First, put the MCAT books somewhere far away and don't open them up under any circumstances.

Second, do NOT schedule another test.

Third, GET OUT AND HAVE FUN!

If you don't feel getting out, do so anyway. If you play video games, do that. Just do something to have fun and ease your mind. The more time you spend doing nothing, the more you'll dwell on the test.

Lastly, LEAVE SDN for now. Coming onto an MCAT fourm won't help you de-stress about the MCAT.

Hey, I'm in the same boat as you guys. My scores won't come out until 9/1 and I'm trying to decide what to do. A lot of my friends who were summer test takers subscribe to the "assume you failed and reschedule for later this summer" theory. That was my plan, or is my plan. I'm not sure.

Here is what I know. I took it last year and got a 25Q applied to a few schools had one interview, didn't get in. The school I interviewed at is the school I really want to go to and the dean of admissions there said for me to take the test again and then take 2-4 science classes this year.

I had planned on retesting this spring and had to postpone to July. This forced me to "re-up" my Kaplan, which makes my online access good till January 2010. I had planned on taking genetics and biochemistry this semester and working.

Now a doctor I've been shadowing with (who is also a fan of playing devil's advocate) says okay, assume you failed. Reschedule for September. Now assume you failed that. I want you to study MCAT 7 hours a day and use your Kaplan and take it in January and get a 45. I said, "What about the classes I'm supposed to take?" And he said to pick one and take that to appease the school (his alma mater) and so that I can do really well on the MCAT and ace the course. (He's our family doctor and knows that a lot of what gets in the way of my studying is family drama.)

What do you guys think? I mean, say I did bomb it this last time and then I bombed it again in September...January would be the optimum time to retake due to the Kaplan access. He's afraid that a) trying to study to retake in September while doing both classes would put me in a bad situtation and b) the same for January. Unfortunately the time to add/drop classes will long be over by the time my score is released. So even if it comes back 33 or whatever, I'm stuck with the decision I made.

Also, does anybody have thoughts on the best day of the week for the MCAT? Far fewer people sign up for weekdays, so I wonder if there is a better curve there. Just curious on your opinion of this.

Thanks so much,

Sarah

 

[Compass]

Read a long book series as patiently as possible. Read multiple ones if you must:

Lord of the Rings (w/ the Hobbit) - JRR Tolkien
Chronicles of Narnia - CS Louis
The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper
Jack Ryanverse - Tom Clancy
Enderverse - Orson Scott Card
Harry Potter - JK Rowlings

To further extend reading time, only buy/borrow one at a time from each series.

 

[SarahLiz82]

That doesn't really help...

 

[lstone13]

Read a long book series as patiently as possible. Read multiple ones if you must:

Lord of the Rings (w/ the Hobbit) - JRR Tolkien
Chronicles of Narnia - CS Louis
The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper
Jack Ryanverse - Tom Clancy
Enderverse - Orson Scott Card
Harry Potter - JK Rowlings

To further extend reading time, only buy/borrow one at a time from each series.

Twilight! (Stephenie Meyer) 🙂

 

[labellefille]

Twilight! (Stephenie Meyer) 🙂

i'm finding that being totally useless is helping with my stress. i'm taking a vacation in my house, which means i'm just relaxing, watching movies, reading. and doing nothing. maybe tomorrow i will put on a pair of real pants, but maybe not 🙂

on the movie side- i got on an alan rickman kick and have been basically watching every film he ever made. there are some good ones (and some crappy ones), but they all have alan rickman who is awesome!

 

[Evergrey]

Not a tongue-in-cheek post. Listening to this song helps me 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBPFvp750sc

 

[SuperSaiyan3]

So, I really thought after I took this stupid exam, I would feel really happy that it was over. Instead, I'm wracked with more anxiety than before!! At least before I still felt in control because I was studying and stuff, and now I'm stuck just waiting and waiting and waiting for the stupid scores!!

I took the exam on 8/6, so it has only been a few days, but I am having nightmares about questions from the exam and now can't even remember what answers I actually put!

I really studied hard and felt prepared and confident going in, but I had a tough PS section that now has me second guessing myself completely.

Help!!! How do I survive the next 3.5 weeks. I'm so anxious I am having nightmares and don't even feel like celebrating and going out with friends. 🙁

I think you took the same test as I did. If that's the case, then it's the next 4.5 weeks, not 3.5.

Same here, I've been having trouble filling the massive time gap I took out for studying the MCAT. I didn't have a job (or more like I couldn't get one in this economy) while studying, so now I have absolutely NO OBLIGATIONS at all. It's blinding. Here is a list of top 10 things I have taken up in the meanwhile to hold down my sanity:

1. weight training. My gym is really far away and I have to use public transportation, which means taking an hour to get there and an hour to get back. I froze my membership for the last month that I was studying so that I could save my time. In the past 4 days that I've weight lifted, my entire body is a big gigantic SORE. Currently, my body feels like a virgin vagina after its first night out from the chastity belt. (hope this metaphor was not crossing any lines. Don't ban me!!)

2. reading a book a week. I just finished The Catcher in the Rye. Oh wow. VERY FUNNY. Very enlightening. Take a read if you're interested, I highly recommend it. I just started The Pictures of Dorian Gray tonight. It's very mystifying...

3. trying to brush up on random languages. I torrented random language studying books like Latin, Spanish, and even Transformese (synonymous with Japanese since all the Decepticons speak Japanese in the movies).

4. hang out with friends. Obvs. Not necessarily going on a booze streak (I'm a health freak) but I plan on enjoying some brewskis and just chilling out on the porch.

5. wage a personal war against mosquitoes.

6. bringing sexy back. yeah!

7. take 9 hour naps.

8. overload on fresh O2

9. watch the entire series of Justice League. I watched the entire series of Batman Beyond while I was in the prelude to studying for the MCAT.

10. live yo life ehhhh ayyy ayyyyyy yayyy ay (Live Your Life feat. Rihanna)

to the best of your endeavors.
SS3

p.s. I frankly do not really care that much about medicine. My first and foremost concern has been for the world environment. I think if medicine fails me, I would probably want to go seek out David Suzuki and become his disciple or something. Anybody know much about how you can work for Suzuki and make a living off of it?

Thanks.

 

[labellefille]

p.s. I frankly do not really care that much about medicine. My first and foremost concern has been for the world environment. I think if medicine fails me, I would probably want to go seek out David Suzuki and become his disciple or something. Anybody know much about how you can work for Suzuki and make a living off of it?

Thanks.

for reals? you don't care that much about medicine- why are you putting yourself through this!!! man, this is everything i dream about, the only thing i've ever wanted to do.

anyway, thanks for the advice, i'm starting to chill out a bit more.

watched a brilliant movie tonight "Something the Lord Made" about Dr. Blalock and his assistant Vivien Thomas who did the first heart surgery. i feel SO inspired right now, i just want to hurry up and go to medical school so i can be a kick ass doctor one day!

great movie though- with Mos Def, Alan Rickman, and Kyra Sedgewick, it brought tears to my eyes (in a good way). go go medicine!! doctors are awesome.

 

[SuperSaiyan3]

for reals? you don't care that much about medicine- why are you putting yourself through this!!!

To try the path not yet traveled.

I've tried a ridiculous amount of ridiculous jobs, like being a circus roadie, rickshaw runner, garbageman (who in Canada make as much money as doctors do... ridiculous!!). That's why I am completely unmotivated by money to go into medicine. Unfortunately, money seems to be the primary motivating factor for many people on this forum.

 

[Alwaysbehopeful]

To de-stress I have been going back to the hospital I volunteer at everyday for 8-10 hours. It has been helping a lot! It is good to see all my volunteers and have been a lot of progress with the residents. So that is helping me!

Other than that...writting LOR for students...mmmmmm my PS3 for sure!

Just bought Infamous and is playing that avidly...

Plus I recently have a new addiction to FarmVille on Face book...

 

[SuperSaiyan3]

i'm in your same boat. i took it 8/5 and three days of waiting feels like it's been weeks. somehow i have to last until september 8th, ugh. i am considering applying this year, but i haven't submitted yet. if i get a 38+ i may apply to some top tiers, but otherwise i'm gonna wait a year, get my gpa up a bit, improve my ECs, and guarantee myself admission to a great school. i'm just freaking out cause even though i didn't get below a 35 on the aamc practice tests (i only took three though), and i felt like the real thing was exactly tailored to my weaknesses, so even a 35 seems like it'd be a lucky break. i feel kind of like a douche complaining about possibly getting like a ~33, but i guess it's all about expectations and i'd built mine up pretty high haha. argh.

I feel like you are kind of like one too.

One of my biggest pet peeves: people lamenting about high marks. Even if it is below your expectations, keep those kind of things to yourself. It is just rude to others who did worse than you.