Retaking the mcat and applying next year. Completely lost all my motivation.

[alexfoleyc]

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I'm done with college. I applied following the traditional timeline (e.g., took the mcat end of junior yr and applied right after). I was denied admissions since I did very poorly on the mcat. So in my senior year I decided not to study for the mcat rather study after graduation. Now, with all this free time, I cannot seem to motivate myself to study. I know I really want to be a doctor, but it's just that I guess every time I sit down to study it brings back bad memories --since I start think "what if I still don't do well on the mcat." My question is how should I motivate myself? Better yet, has anyone been in my situation that can share their story?

 

[sbuxaddict]

I'm done with college. I applied following the traditional timeline (e.g., took the mcat end of junior yr and applied right after). I was denied admissions since I did very poorly on the mcat. So in my senior year I decided not to study for the mcat rather study after graduation. Now, with all this free time, I cannot seem to motivate myself to study. I know I really want to be a doctor, but it's just that I guess every time I sit down to study it brings back bad memories --since I start think "what if I still don't do well on the mcat." My question is how should I motivate myself? Better yet, has anyone been in my situation that can share their story?

You just have to grit your teeth, suck it up, and jump in to studying. Fear of failure is a good motivator.

if you spend all that time thinking "what if I still don't do well", you could have spent that time studying instead.

 

[Ravizzle]

I just guilt trip myself. Studying sucks, especially when its subjects like physics or gen chem that maybe you aren't very interested in. You just have to tell yourself that if you don't study you are letting yourself down, and all your hard work towards your goal of being a physician is going down the drain.

Sent from my Galaxy S2 via tapatalk

 

[rubisco88]

I started studying for the MCAT after graduation as well. However, I had not applied or taken the MCAT before then. It took me a while to gain motivation to start studying and be consistent about it. I think what eventually helped me was keeping myself busy in other arenas of life that are related to my goal. Shadowing doctors always motivates me. When I'm shadowing it lets me see what I'm really working towards and the fact that I enjoy it makes me want it more.

 

[Saf1]

The best tips I can give are

1. Go somewhere to study where you know you'll feel obligated to be into your material rather than sitting around looking like a dummy. For example at a public or university library.

2. Set goals and stick to them. For some people the idea of just studying with no real end in sight is so irritating that they just never start. Say "I'm going to do 2 chapters today and then stop", then actually stop. You can up it from there but if you don't have a solid schedule like that it's going to be tough for you to start.

3. Read one page like right when you wake up. I find the toughest part about studying is starting the process. Once you get your feet wet it'll be easier to jump into it later in the day.

 

[alexfoleyc]

Thanks everyone for sharing their tips. I was wondering if anyone has a success story as a 2nd time applicant. What made your app stronger the second time that allowed you to get accepted?

 

[angldrps]

i had to retake the MCAT as well. I took the first one april of my senior year. I had planned to apply in June of that year. After receiving my first score, i was experiencing the exact same feelings as you. I don't think i have ever cried that much before. Even thought that maybe I am just not smart enough to pursue medicine. I took some time off and just allowed myself to relax. After graduation, I spent months studying for the September MCAT. Days before my test date, i got really ill. Hence, had to move my date to January. Due to all this , I had to take a gap year and not apply when I had planned. On my retake, i raised my score by 10 points, which led to even more cyring. lol . Fortunately, this time they were tears of happiness.

Whats the lesson learned: Sometimes life just doesn't go the way we had hoped. No matter how hard you try and how determined you may be, life will throw these curve balls at you which will test weather or not you are patient enough to get through it all without giving up. In the end, such experiences will act like a litmus test to help you figure out if this is truly your passion.

good luck my fellow pre-med. Keep at it and hopefully you will succeed. 👍

 

[mr chievous]

i had to retake the MCAT as well. I took the first one april of my senior year. I had planned to apply in June of that year. After receiving my first score, i was experiencing the exact same feelings as you. I don't think i have ever cried that much before. Even thought that maybe I am just not smart enough to pursue medicine. I took some time off and just allowed myself to relax. After graduation, I spent months studying for the September MCAT. Days before my test date, i got really ill. Hence, had to move my date to January. Due to all this , I had to take a gap year and not apply when I had planned. On my retake, i raised my score by 10 points, which led to even more cyring. lol . Fortunately, this time they were tears of happiness.

Whats the lesson learned: Sometimes life just doesn't go the way we had hoped. No matter how hard you try and how determined you may be, life will throw these curve balls at you which will test weather or not you are patient enough to get through it all without giving up. In the end, such experiences will act like a litmus test to help you figure out if this is truly your passion.

good luck my fellow pre-med. Keep at it and hopefully you will succeed. 👍

I could not agree more. No one said the road to being a physician was easy. Sure you'll fail a few times. Just make sure you keep your head up.

 

[BurntFlower]

I'm done with college. I applied following the traditional timeline (e.g., took the mcat end of junior yr and applied right after). I was denied admissions since I did very poorly on the mcat. So in my senior year I decided not to study for the mcat rather study after graduation. Now, with all this free time, I cannot seem to motivate myself to study. I know I really want to be a doctor, but it's just that I guess every time I sit down to study it brings back bad memories --since I start think "what if I still don't do well on the mcat." My question is how should I motivate myself? Better yet, has anyone been in my situation that can share their story?

When are you taking the MCAT? I'm having the exact same problem, so you're not alone.