Should I start learning premed courses through MIT ocw/other ocw as a high school student

[PostDeterministicCyborg]

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Is it feasible to do this if I want a head start in premed and want to get into a top tier med school? Is it a waste of time to attempt this? Are there better resources? Should I spend time trying to get (more) AP credits?

I feel like I performed sub optimally in high school and missed my shot at getting into top tier institutions like Princeton/MIT. My stats are still good enough to get into B list schools and have a crapshoot at lower tier ivies but financially, I will probably do best at my state school as B list schools are fine but give crappy aid. But this also gives me a feeling of inferiority and I want to make up for it by getting into a selective med school. I know I will have a slight disadvantage for not coming from a more selective undergrad which is why I want to maintain as close to a perfect gpa as possible. I know it is ridiculous to base knowledge off of memes, but there is some element of truth in them, and /r/premed has a lot of memes about how you have to "cure cancer" to get into med school. My MCAT will ideally be high since I did well on SATs and the reading/physics section should be free points for me.

 

[freedoctor17]

My one one bit of advice is drop that attitude. I can't understand this obsession with "top tier" schools people have. Just focus on doing well at whatever school you go to.

Also don't think high sat means high MCAT. They're totally different. I scored rather low compared to my college classmates on highschool standardized tests but killed the MCAT. I don't think there's much correlation except for maybe the critical analysis and reading section.

To address your initial question it depends on what courses. If you've already taken general chemistry and biology AP then you probably don't need to study ahead at all. If you're starting off right with ochem I know some people studied the basics a little ahead of time and felt that it helped. Personally I never did that and I'd just say enjoy your last summer/year before college (I'm assuming you're a junior in high school if you don't know what school you're going to yet).

 

[PostDeterministicCyborg]

>Also don't think high sat means high MCAT. They're totally different. I scored rather low compared to my college classmates on highschool standardized tests but killed the MCAT

I found a study that showed that higher sat scores result in a higher mcat/sgpa ratio. Also regardless, reading and physics will likely be free points for me.

And if people have found it easier then I see it as a worthwhile endeavor.

 

[freedoctor17]

>Also don't think high sat means high MCAT. They're totally different. I scored rather low compared to my college classmates on highschool standardized tests but killed the MCAT

I found a study that showed that higher sat scores result in a higher mcat/sgpa ratio. Also regardless, reading and physics will likely be free points for me.

And if people have found it easier then I see it as a worthwhile endeavor.

Correlation doesn't = causation. Although it would make sense that those who did well on the sats probably studied long and hard for them and then did the same for the MCAT. I was speaking mainly from my own experience. Plenty of people I know who think they're geniuses because of high school scores and then surprised when they get low/average MCAT scores when they didn't prepare for it properly.

 

[PostDeterministicCyborg]

Correlation doesn't = causation. Although it would make sense that those who did well on the sats probably studied long and hard for them and then did the same for the MCAT. I was speaking mainly from my own experience. Plenty of people I know who think they're geniuses because of high school scores and then surprised when they get low/average MCAT scores when they didn't prepare for it properly.

I am not saying I know all of this stuff already and that I won't prepare. I'm just saying that physics and critical reading should be free points for me. Obviously I didn't include the other subjects for a reason.

 

[doc05]

Is it feasible to do this if I want a head start in premed and want to get into a top tier med school? Is it a waste of time to attempt this? Are there better resources? Should I spend time trying to get (more) AP credits?

I feel like I performed sub optimally in high school and missed my shot at getting into top tier institutions like Princeton/MIT. My stats are still good enough to get into B list schools and have a crapshoot at lower tier ivies but financially, I will probably do best at my state school as B list schools are fine but give crappy aid. But this also gives me a feeling of inferiority and I want to make up for it by getting into a selective med school. I know I will have a slight disadvantage for not coming from a more selective undergrad which is why I want to maintain as close to a perfect gpa as possible. I know it is ridiculous to base knowledge off of memes, but there is some element of truth in them, and /r/premed has a lot of memes about how you have to "cure cancer" to get into med school. My MCAT will ideally be high since I did well on SATs and the reading/physics section should be free points for me.

I can't tell if this is a legitimate post or a troll.... do we still use that term?

In any event, if this is a real post, I suggest you stop being such a neurotic big time nerd. Don't try "pre med" courses as a high school kid.

 

[Med Ed]

But this also gives me a feeling of inferiority and I want to make up for it by getting into a selective med school.

It's like they aren't even trying anymore.

 

[892002]

I feel like this is a troll post???

If not, my advice would be to just chill. Enjoy the time you have left in high school, and in College, don’t worry about maintaining a perfect GPA/getting a high MCAT. The stress that comes from constantly worrying about those things is what makes many pre-meds burn out/quit pre-med. Take classes that you enjoy, do ECs that you enjoy, and study for the MCAT; work hard but don’t stess yourself out. Self care is more important than aiming for perfection.

 

[Med Ed]

I can't tell if this is a legitimate post or a troll.... do we still use that term?

We do, and that's exactly what this is.

 

[Med Ed]

I feel like this is a troll post???

You would be correct.

 

[Med Ed]

Actually, no I am sure this is real. The competitive mindset and premed paranoia has invaded the high schools. Never too young to beca neurotic

The paranoia is real, but this is 0/10 Saturday morning coffee 'n trollin'.

 

[kuzy]

What's with this obsession of top-tier undergrad schools? At the end of the day, a 3.9 from your state school >>>>> 3.2 at MIT. Choose your school by fit and where you can succeed, not by its name recognition.

 

[PostDeterministicCyborg]

I am not trolling and I have adopted this mindset. I do not want to even risk the possibility of wasting 4 years of time and money. Is this so hard to believe? I have a lot of spare time on my hands right now and I don't want to waste it playing video games. What are the best resources to attempt to learn these courses before I start college?

 

[kuzy]

I am not trolling and I have adopted this mindset. I do not want to even risk the possibility of wasting 4 years of time and money. Is this so hard to believe?

Well then do your best to un-adopt this mindset because it's wrong.

 

[PostDeterministicCyborg]

Well then do your best to un-adopt this mindset because it's wrong.

Why is it wrong? I am just thinking prudentially and optimizing my time usage. I am relieving myself o stress later on.

 

[kuzy]

Why is it wrong? I am just thinking prudentially and optimizing my time usage. I am relieving myself o stress later on.

Do you mean getting a head start in studying coursework? That's fine I guess, though your time would likely be better spent getting some volunteering in at your local hospital, shadowing, or doing a course this summer to get a CNA or phlebotomy license so you can start seeing if healthcare is even for you. If you want to be a physician for the right reasons (ie helping people), then it shouldn't matter what tier of med school that you go to. Also, if you were referring to attending your state school instead of MIT as a waste of time then that is most definitely not the correct mindset either.

 

[892002]

I am not trolling and I have adopted this mindset. I do not want to even risk the possibility of wasting 4 years of time and money. Is this so hard to believe? I have a lot of spare time on my hands right now and I don't want to waste it playing video games. What are the best resources to attempt to learn these courses before I start college?

Playing video games is probably more productive than pre-studying...

 

[kuzy]

Playing video games is probably more productive than pre-studying...

Not when you have the OP's parents

 

[Goro]

The paranoia is real, but this is 0/10 Saturday morning coffee 'n trollin'.

In my day, you had to work to be a troll! Trolls were trolls then! Now, any fool can troll.

 

[AllBleedingStops]

I am not saying I know all of this stuff already and that I won't prepare. I'm just saying that physics and critical reading should be free points for me. Obviously I didn't include the other subjects for a reason.

Why do you think physics would be free points?

 

[kuzy]

Why do you think physics would be free points?

Because mastering F=ma and kinematics in high school is the best predictor of a high C/P score...

 

[PostDeterministicCyborg]

Why do you think physics would be free points?

I looked through the curriculum and I knew most of them sufficiently already. The questions mostly seem like jokes to me too.

 

[kuzy]

I looked through the curriculum and I knew most of them sufficiently already. The questions mostly seem like jokes to me too.

Well when you take the MCAT 5 years from now come back and tell us how it goes

I know you're just in high school so you have no idea what you're talking about, but honestly just stop man
(either that or trolling..kinda leaning towards trolling)

 

[xXxDoMoKillerxXx]

lose ur v card bro, it'll take some of the stress off pre-med.

 

[PostDeterministicCyborg]

I took physics courses at my local college already...??? What do people think "I looked at the questions and they seem easy" means?

 

[kuzy]

I took physics courses at my local college already...??? What do people think "I looked at the questions and they seem easy" means?

That line of thinking would work if college physics class problems were anything like what you'll see on the MCAT

 

[PostDeterministicCyborg]

That line of thinking would work if college physics class problems were anything like what you'll see on the MCAT

Yeah they are generally easier.

 

[kuzy]

Yeah they are generally easier.

You're saying this with your extensive experience doing MCAT passages, correct?

 

[PostDeterministicCyborg]

I literally just looked at some random (physics) problems on KA. If a passage means paragraphs of "flavor", then yes, "I looked at the questions and they seemed easy." Do I really have to repeat the same thing 4 times? Is it so hard to believe?

 

[kuzy]

I literally just looked at some random (physics) problems on KA. If a passage means paragraphs of "flavor", then yes, "I looked at the questions and they seemed easy." Do I really have to repeat the same thing 4 times? Is it so hard to believe?

No, you don't have to keep repeating yourself. I understand you just fine. What you need to do is realize is that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. And frankly, as a junior in high school you couldn't possibly know what it's like until you actually sit there in a Pearson testing center for 7 hours and take the most important test thus far in your academic career. So don't act like you do, or that any specific topic you see that day will be "free points" because that's absolutely absurd.

But if this is the attitude you want to have when you walk into it then fine. People far smarter than you get steamrolled by this thing.

 

[PostDeterministicCyborg]

But if this is the attitude you want to have when you walk into it then fine. People far smarter than you get steamrolled by this thing.

Do you wallow in mediocrity? This is quite a ridiculous statement. I know what I am getting into. I have friends who went through the process. I have taken standardized tests that are far harder than the MCAT (in terms of acceptable percentiles) for long amounts of times. This community is ridiculously bitter and unhelpful. Is it so hard to believe that I may be decent at physics and have taken advanced levels of it in my high school years. You are the one who has no idea what he/she is talking about.

 

[Osminog]

I have taken standardized tests that are far harder than the MCAT (in terms of acceptable percentiles) for long amounts of times.

I took the SAT and ACT in high school with fairly little preparation, and I got 99th percentile scores (2360 and 35) on them. In college, I took the LSAT (169, 97th percentile) and the GMAT (780, 99th percentile).

I am now studying for the MCAT, and I am here to tell you that the MCAT is probably the most difficult pre-professional school standardized test that exists today. It requires serious mental stamina and breadth of knowledge; it throws curveballs constantly; and it forces you to think on your feet and integrate concepts and themes that you had never connected before.

There's absolutely no reason for you to think that you'll do well on the MCAT just because you did well on the SAT or ACT... The test-taker pools are completely different, so getting a 90th percentile score on the MCAT is a much, much bigger accomplishment than getting a 90th percentile score on the SAT or ACT.

Good luck in college, man, but try to be more humble. No more of this "free points" nonsense.

 

[PostDeterministicCyborg]

I took the SAT and ACT in high school with fairly little preparation, and I got 99th percentile scores (2360 and 35) on them. In college, I took the LSAT (169, 97th percentile) and the GMAT (780, 99th percentile).

I am now studying for the MCAT, and I am here to tell you that the MCAT is probably the most difficult pre-professional school standardized test that exists today. It requires serious mental stamina and breadth of knowledge; it throws curveballs constantly; and it forces you to think on your feet and integrate concepts and themes that you had never connected before.

There's absolutely no reason for you to think that you'll do well on the MCAT just because you did well on the SAT or ACT... The test-taker pools are completely different, so getting a 90th percentile score on the MCAT is a much, much bigger accomplishment than getting a 90th percentile score on the SAT or ACT.

Good luck in college, man, but try to be more humble. No more of this "free points" nonsense.

I give up on this forum. I looked at physics questions and they seemed easy. Bye.

 

[kuzy]

Do you wallow in mediocrity? This is quite a ridiculous statement. I know what I am getting into. I have friends who went through the process. I have taken standardized tests that are far harder than the MCAT (in terms of acceptable percentiles) for long amounts of times.

No I do not, I worked hard for the score I got and challenge you to do better when, statistically, 90 percent of the people who take it do not. And no you most certainly have not taken standardized tests that are far harder than the MCAT The MCAT is the hardest standardized test that anyone from the general public can sign up for, bar none. Any of your friends who have actually gone through the process would tell you the same.

This community is ridiculously bitter and unhelpful. Is it so hard to believe that I may be decent at physics and have taken advanced levels of it in my high school years. You are the one who has no idea what he/she is talking about.

SDN can be toxic at times, and that is not the case here. I tried to help you out at the beginning by telling you to stop worrying about school ranking and focus on getting clinical hours to see if becoming a physician is right for you but you have proven yourself to be an arrogant, ignorant, and all-around unpleasant human being. I have been a high school tutor for 2 years (including AP physics so, ya know...stop saying I don't know what I'm talking about lol) and I know that there are tons of well-meaning but poorly informed high schoolers out there that are in need of advice. You are not one of those.

In your first 10 SDN posts, you have already accused me of wallowing in mediocrity, claimed you can waltz into the MCAT right now and breeze through physics passages, and proven yourself to be a percentile/rank-obsessed high schooler who does not have the faintest idea what this process is actually like, and is seemingly only interested in becoming a physician for the prestige the position holds. Change this, be respectful and receptive to the advice that you receive here, and you might just make it.

I give up on this forum. I looked at physics questions and they seemed easy. Bye.

Why? Because you don't like facts? Good riddance.

 

[AllBleedingStops]

Yeah they are generally easier.

Says the person who has never taken the MCAT. Why come here if you don't want advice? You are in high school. Hopefully you develop some maturity in college.