SN2'd first day

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TexasSurgeon

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EDIT: This was supposed to be a thread about the first day of SN2. However as with all intelligent life, things evolve. This thread has now become a support page for people following the SN2 plan. You can think of it as Alcoholics Anonymous for people studying to take the MCAT using the SN2 plan.

EDIT July 1, 2014:
If you are interested in @mehc012's Anki Deck, DO NOT SEND A PM. Here is the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7if6wgaif98rkoa/mehc012 SN2edCh4s.apkg
**A NOTE: @mehc012 and several others (myself included) want to tell you guys that studying from another person's deck will probably not be as beneficial to you as creating your own cards. Yes you can take advantage of @mehc012's generosity, but you won't get the same advantage. Study the material. Create cards as you go along. You will find it more helpful to your studying. **

EDIT July 22, 2014:
The following is @TBRBiosadist's official MCAT Verbal Reasoning Strategy:
@TBRBiosadist's strategy that got [him] from a 7 average to scoring 13-15 average..

Spend the bulk of your time reading. Up to 3 minutes per passage.
  • Read the first and last paragraph thoroughly to begin with. Understand what the authors main point will be because 90% of questions require nothing more than a general idea.
  • After this, read the entire passage slowly enough where you dont feel like you need to reread sentences for understanding.
Next is just answer questions, there is a few tricks here that work about 90% of the time
  • Unless the passage is asking you about a specific detail, dont look back. READ EVERY ANSWER THOROUGLY AND THEN Answer what makes sense from the general point of the passage. Its very easy to prove a wrong answer to be somewhat correct if you dig hard enough, dont. Answer what your gut says and move onto the next question, dont contemplate to much. With that being said...
  • Answer like you were dropped on the head as a child. Alot of times if Im arguing between two answers, there is the answer that is 100% correct, and one that is 90% correct. Be an idoit and choose the one that seems like it is correct. However.....
  • "Always" is a word to avoid. If an answer uses this word, or definites like it, it is something to avoid. I would say 80% of the time the wishy washy answer is more correct then the highly affirmative one. This leads to my final point....
  • 100% of the time you are not actually looking for the "right" answer in verbal, this isnt PS or BS where 1+1 almost always equals 2 (unless we are talking about the different sedimentation values for Ribosomes). In verbal you are looking for the answer that isnt wrong. Often times an answer will seem very "right" but one aspect of it is clearly wrong, as compared to an answer that isnt wrong, but doesnt seem as right as that answer, these are meant to fool you. Choose the answer that isnt wrong.
I understand that I few of these tips may be at odds with each other. Ultimately you must adjust slightly for each passage, but it comes down to one thing. Read thoroughly. Read every sentence in the passage. Read every question. Read every answer. Then the correct answer will be fairly obvious. This may seem like it takes longer, but it takes much less time than skimming, and then trying to find the correct information later.

Or to summarize in one sentence

Understand what the hell the author is arguing

EDIT July 26, 2014:
@DoctorInASaree uploaded a guide to Verbal Reasoning. If you're interested, it's worth a look. Here is the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2byivymmqwlvjms/MCAT VR Primer DRSAREE.pdf

EDIT 2, July 26, 2014: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/sn2d-first-day.1074344/page-52#post-15510851
________________________________________________
Just finished the first day of SN2...man is it long and exhausting.

The first day is BR physics chapter (translational motion) + 1/3 of the passages. I felt like I wasn't able to apply the stuff I read into the stuff I was tested on.

Has anyone felt this way when following the schedule? It just seems like the contents of the chapter didn't really stick in my head when I took the practice passages. Will this improve over time?

EDIT 3, March 4, 2015:

For verbal, if you are feeling lost and confused, I highly highly recommend you to look into the MCAT Strategy Course by @Jack Westin. I've been working with him, and nothing comes close to his course and teaching. It's a strategy course, so it will cover everything, not just the VR/CARS section.
 
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This is how I take my notes. One page on each chapter.
IMG_20140708_193212.jpg
 
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Depending on the direction of the current, the field llines will run parrallel or anti parrallel to the needles, when antiparrallel they willl reorient towrds the mag field. the one on the right has the mag field going through the center, so the compass will not tun towards it
 
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I think the current is coming out of the page. I thought it would be I and II because at the bottom, the field would point towards the right and will not cause the compass to deflect?
 
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jebelali said:
I think the current is coming out of the page. I thought it would be I and II because at the bottom, the field would point towards the right and will not cause the compass to deflect?
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the field lines would be concentric circles, perpendicular to the one on the side
 
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SwedishMD2B said:
Essentially that the needle will align with the magnetic field and perpendicular to the wire.
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Well my only guess then is the needle direction is some ****ty placeholder for an actaul compass needle, with you not intending to think its direction as literal.....which would be dumb as **** seeing as how detail oriented they usually are.
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
Well my only guess then is the needle direction is some ****ty placeholder for an actaul compass needle, with you not intending to think its direction as literal.....which would be dumb as **** seeing as how detail oriented they usually are.
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It makes me so flippin' mad when book companies have some kind of error in their book and I waste so much time trying to figure it out. I feel as if they should compensate me. I don't have time for that ****
 
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SwedishMD2B said:
It makes me so flippin' mad when book companies have some kind of error in their book and I waste so much time trying to figure it out. I feel as if they should compensate me. I don't have time for that ****
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IKR?! If I'm going to waste my time I want it to be on at least something that is productive, like studying the magnificent structure of Iggy Azaleas' gluteas maximii.
 
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mostly..... ? Also I really hate optics. I had 100s on all my 2/3s today until I got to optics.
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
mostly..... ? Also I really hate optics. I had 100s on all my 2/3s today until I got to optics.
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You really don't need to know mechanisms. I mean, knowing (or should I say understanding) them will be helpful, but in the greater scheme of things, you can be spending your time doing something much higher yield.

I would definitely be able to predict products. If you have a handle on everything else MCAT, maybe then go over all the mechanisms. 🙂
 
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orangetea said:
SO.
I just want to put it out there that EK bio doesn't do Evolution ANY justice and so I am going to review Genetics/Evolution using my Kaplan book which has a bunch of pretty diagrams and really goes over all the AAMC topics listed 🙂

p.s. does anybody else feel frustrated when it's super hot outside and all you have is HOT coffee fml. (#needmoreiceinmylife #iceicebaby)
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Agreed! I read through that and was like wtf where's the rest of evolution lined out on AAMC outline.

TPR nailed it. I'd highly recommend their Ch. 4 ... it rocks.
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
IKR?! If I'm going to waste my time I want it to be on at least something that is productive, like studying the magnificent structure of Iggy Azaleas' gluteas maximii.
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I almost died of shock when I figured out that she was white.
Now I can't focus on anything but her blaccent when I hear her songs.
#stillbetterthanNickiMinaj
 
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rolliespring said:
I'm more than a half done with the schedule and I'm startin to feel nervous for the exam 🙁
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Just take deep breaths, and be confident in yourself! You can do this!!

I guess since I'm starting the schedule soon, I'll hang around here for a little while, hehe. Though I just realized...I was planning on selling off my MCAT study materials after I was done, but since this new test comes out in January, I hope my books don't become completely obsolete (got all TBR -verbal, and TPRH for verbal)!
 
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mehc012 said:
I almost died of shock when I figured out that she was white.
Now I can't focus on anything but her blaccent when I hear her songs.
#stillbetterthanNickiMinaj
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she's Australian as well. Wass able to save up enough money and moved to the US when she was 16
 
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I know this is horrible but I seriously think something is wrong with me. I just motivated my gf to start studying for her Mcat and even bought her the berkely review books to aid her, I also introduce her to to Sn2d schedule and everything. She just told me she finished the first chapter in physics in 3 hours it takes me 7 hours to do everything with the passages . Im not upset but i seriously think I have a problem :boom::boom::boom::boom::boom:Love her but that kinda shot my confidence ... Need to go watch that rocky speech again to boost my confidence.
 
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@DoctorInASaree your good at these types of things.

Ok or I could do the same thing. It takes me effin forever to finish the chapters, like I spend considerable amouts of time reading and taking notes, and while my scores werent great at the beginning it is paying off now in full. I just got an 83% on the electrochemistry 2/3 chapter and i am seriously disappointed in myself (Really was a gigantic idiot on a few questions. You know how long it took me to read that chapter with notes. About 4-5 hours not counting passages. How long it takes you to do things means nothing with how well youll do in the end.
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
she's Australian as well. Wass able to save up enough money and moved to the US when she was 16
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I know that. I'd rather listen to her with an Aussie accent than a fake blaccent, just because now that I know that's not her speaking voice it's all I can think about when I'm listening to the song. But then, for me, music is the one medium for which the artist/author is important to me. Try to tell me about the life of the author of my favorite book, or put it into historical context, and I'll mentally shut my ears and sing 'lalalalalala' so you don't ruin it for me. Point out an actor while I'm engrossed in a movie or TV show, and I may well stick a fork in you (why would you pull me out of the fake reality? WHY?!!?) I like to identify with the character and join the story, and knowledge of the performer/writer ruins it. Music, though? Music is the only instance where the character is the artist...the emotions should be theirs. So I don't mind knowing about them as people. And OK, I'm not a huge pop-rap fan, so I don't really care, because I don't identify with any of the crap in those songs, and I don't pay too much attention...but I have an hour commute each way and her songs are played constantly, so I'm kind of forced to know them at least a little bit. And now instead of just singing along happily, I spend the whole few minutes with the character ruined for me, like if you started talking about Jack Sparrow while I was trying to watch Gilbert Grape...distracting. She does it well, though...as I said, I was shocked when I first saw a pic.
 
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mehc012 said:
I know that. I'd rather listen to her with an Aussie accent than a fake blaccent, just because now that I know that's not her speaking voice it's all I can think about when I'm listening to the song. But then, for me, music is the one medium for which the artist/author is important to me. Try to tell me about the life of the author of my favorite book, or put it into historical context, and I'll mentally shut my ears and sing 'lalalalalala' so you don't ruin it for me. Point out an actor while I'm engrossed in a movie or TV show, and I may well stick a fork in you (why would you pull me out of the fake reality? WHY?!!?) I like to identify with the character and join the story, and knowledge of the performer/writer ruins it. Music, though? Music is the only instance where the character is the artist...the emotions should be theirs. So I don't mind knowing about them as people. And OK, I'm not a huge pop-rap fan, so I don't really care, because I don't identify with any of the crap in those songs, and I don't pay too much attention...but I have an hour commute each way and her songs are played constantly, so I'm kind of forced to know them at least a little bit. And now instead of just singing along happily, I spend the whole few minutes with the character ruined for me, like if you started talking about Jack Sparrow while I was trying to watch Gilbert Grape...distracting. She does it well, though...as I said, I was shocked when I first saw a pic.
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I had no idea who this girl is but i just googled her and with a booty like that she can pass as black to me LOL!! NICE!!!!
 
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Concrete Jungle said:
Do you get equally upset when a black person speaks with a white accent?
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I wrote an annoyingly long post in response to this, but I decided that it was pointless. This is a random, fairly social thread and I'd hate to see it get buried in some silly debate that neither of us are really invested in (or worse, see either of us actually become invested!) I also just finished following a similar discussion between my friends and don't feel like rehashing it all.

It was a one-off rant which probably shouldn't have been in this thread to begin with, and so it shall remain a one-off. Let's suffice it to say that it is Iggy Azalea specifically who bothers me, partly due to factors which were brought to my attention by those with a better perspective on this than I will ever have, and also largely due to the fact that it just reminds me that her persona is fake (she does not speak like that outside of her songs) and to me that sort of reminder always detracts from enjoying an artist's work, which is why I typically avoid them when watching movies or reading books, as I discussed above.
 
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mehc012 said:
I wrote an annoyingly long post in response to this, but I decided that it was pointless. This is a random, fairly social thread and I'd hate to see it get buried in some silly debate that neither of us are really invested in (or worse, see either of us actually become invested!) I also just finished following a similar discussion between my friends and don't feel like rehashing it all.

It was a one-off rant which probably shouldn't have been in this thread to begin with, and so it shall remain a one-off. Let's suffice it to say that it is Iggy Azalea specifically who bothers me, partly due to factors which were brought to my attention by those with a better perspective on this than I will ever have, and also largely due to the fact that it just reminds me that her persona is fake (she does not speak like that outside of her songs) and to me that sort of reminder always detracts from enjoying an artist's work, which is why I typically avoid them when watching movies or reading books, as I discussed above.
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I think she and niki both are taking on a persona that is lil kim. But i think i can totally relate to that feeling like when i see the kid who plays joffery in Gmae of thrones in another movie trying to act like he is decent I just stop watching!
 
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mehc012 said:
I wrote an annoyingly long post in response to this, but I decided that it was pointless. This is a random, fairly social thread and I'd hate to see it get buried in some silly debate that neither of us are really invested in (or worse, see either of us actually become invested!) I also just finished following a similar discussion between my friends and don't feel like rehashing it all.

It was a one-off rant which probably shouldn't have been in this thread to begin with, and so it shall remain a one-off. Let's suffice it to say that it is Iggy Azalea specifically who bothers me, partly due to factors which were brought to my attention by those with a better perspective on this than I will ever have, and also largely due to the fact that it just reminds me that her persona is fake (she does not speak like that outside of her songs) and to me that sort of reminder always detracts from enjoying an artist's work, which is why I typically avoid them when watching movies or reading books, as I discussed above.
Click to expand...

On that note, I kinda love that this thread started as a serious discussion about the sn2 schedule and now its a place for us to vent, hangout, and generally chill.
 
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I can't stand her, or her name.
TBRBiosadist said:
On that note, I kinda love that this thread started as a serious discussion about the sn2 schedule and now its a place for us to vent, hangout, and generally chill.
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I was thinking about this earlier. I literally was not expecting the response I got on making this thread. 26 pages later (almost 27) and we're still going strong with close to 20,000 hits.
 
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Also I'm super happy that I finished pretty much all the second 2/3 passages.

Now time to tediously spend long hours grading them all tomorrow #sleepisfortheweak
 
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