Question; Any advice about my plan?? PLZ HELP ME

[deleted371318]

Hi, everyone. I recently decided to prepare for med school but havent
started yet studying. Because I took one bio and second gen chem classes
last semester and am taking second bio and biochem classs, i assume my
knowledge is pretty fresh. Here are my questions and plan;

1. Im planning to take MCAT exam around in Aug. Do you think its too late

to apply this year? Does submitting MCAT score early have any benefits?

2. Im planning to start study using EX complete study package & last yr's

Kaplan set in the beginning and take Berkeley review program from in May

so that I could take the exam rite after the program is done. What do

you think? Any advice? Do you think I would need not only last yr's Kaplan

set but also 2008 Kaplan set also for the "first" prep?

3. I actually have almost none of extracurricular activities except for

working currently in science lab, some activities at church(feeding

homeless, choir, teaching some stuff), and experiences as medic in army

for two years(not US army tho). Do you think it would not be sufficient?

Do I have to search for any volunteering or research?

4. I have a bachelor's degree but in non-science major(economics) and I

took almost all the requirements at a community college except for

one ochem and biochem. Bc I dont have many classes taken at 4-yr

college, Im planning to take the second ochem and cell bio classes at

4-yr college next semester. Do you think the fact would act as any

disadvantage when applying that almost all the classes are taken at

a comm college?

Thanks for your time! Plz gimme any advice and suggestions.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[SN2ed]

If you're still pre-dental, you don't take the MCAT. You take the DAT.

You should wait to take the MCAT until you finish ALL of your pre-reqs. You still have plenty of work to do for your application until then. Your current ECs aren't enough. You MUST get some clinical experience in a hospital along with shadowing some doctors. Your medic experience is good, but I don't think it's enough. Lastly, yes, taking all of your pre-reqs at a community college does put you at a slight disadvantage. Typically, schools like to see success in some upper division science courses taken at a 4 year college to verify you can handle the work.

If you really want to prepare a little for the MCAT, I suggest reading some articles to boost your verbal. Here's my suggested reading list:

Wall Street Journal
New Yorker
Economist
Random science journals

For philosophy articles, I suggest you go to your library or bookstore and pick up a compilation book on Western and/or Eastern philosophy.

Remember to read the boring articles as well as the interesting ones. Chances are your MCAT verbal passages won't be the most exciting read. After you're done reading, try to discern the main idea and the author's opinion.