H
HCHopeful
Hey everybody, I will be a Junior this semester, and I have made the decision to take the current MCAT on January 23, 2015 (the last date available). I attend a Liberal Arts school, so I must fulfill certain requirements in terms of classes. I have signed up for 15 credit hours for the fall, and the schedule looks like this:
Organic Chemistry (4 credits): Monday, Wednesday, Friday 12:00-12:50/Lab Thursday 10:00-12:50
Medical Anatomy and Physiology (4 credits): Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1:00-1:50/Lab Tuesday 9:00-11:50
Intro to Computers (2 credits): Wednesday 8:00-9:50
Intro to Philosophy (3 credits): Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00-11:50
Intro to Music (2 credits): Monday, Wednesday 2:00-2:50
My school also has what is called a "J-Term." This is a 3-week period in January when I student takes one class for 5 days a week (generally three hours a day) or participates in an internship or program of some sort. For example, my first J-Term was spent fulfilling my Psychology requirement, and my last one was spent doing an internship in a hospital.
This J-Term, I plan on being included in the MCAT/DAT study class our college has put together. This will afford all of January to adequately prepare.
In terms of time preparing for the MCAT, it looks a little something like this. I will be finished with classes on the 11th of December, so 8-hour-a-day studying will commence from there. That is essentially 1.33 months of studying. As it is with my current schedule, I have planned 18 hours a week to study during the fall semester. I began reviewing the Kaplan books around four weeks ago and have finished the General Chemistry and Physics books. I should point out that I didn't do anything more than read the chapters once and finish the practice questions at the end. There were no supplementary questions or passages of any sort. I am only trying to shake of the dust in each subject before cracking down.
I want to iterate that I have no intention of scoring a 35+ on my MCAT. My current GPA is a 3.89 with a 3.93 in the sciences. I only wish to get in to UNMC and am a Nebraska resident. Having said this, my goal is a 30.
Before studying of any sort, I took the AAMC Full-Length #3 and scored a 23 (6/10/7). I then took one a month later after reading the Kaplan General Chemistry book. I took the free online Princeton Review MCAT and received a 23 again. I am encouraged by the increase in the material I studied, as my Gen Chem percentage went up from a 48% to a 74%.
Having said all of this! Finally, to the point. Are my schedule and goals realistic? Can I expect a 7-point increase with my course load while maintaining a 4.0 this semester? I have no doubt in my ability to get a 4.0 in these courses, but I am wondering if I'll have enough time to increase my score to what I want. Obviously, I still have 6 months until my scheduled exam date, so getting started early is on my side.
Does anyone have any advice? I am considering dropping one or two classes to decrease the workload, but I am unsure if this is a good idea. Any input is appreciated. If you've read this far, I am proud of you, because this got a bit lengthy. Thanks everybody.
Organic Chemistry (4 credits): Monday, Wednesday, Friday 12:00-12:50/Lab Thursday 10:00-12:50
Medical Anatomy and Physiology (4 credits): Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1:00-1:50/Lab Tuesday 9:00-11:50
Intro to Computers (2 credits): Wednesday 8:00-9:50
Intro to Philosophy (3 credits): Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00-11:50
Intro to Music (2 credits): Monday, Wednesday 2:00-2:50
My school also has what is called a "J-Term." This is a 3-week period in January when I student takes one class for 5 days a week (generally three hours a day) or participates in an internship or program of some sort. For example, my first J-Term was spent fulfilling my Psychology requirement, and my last one was spent doing an internship in a hospital.
This J-Term, I plan on being included in the MCAT/DAT study class our college has put together. This will afford all of January to adequately prepare.
In terms of time preparing for the MCAT, it looks a little something like this. I will be finished with classes on the 11th of December, so 8-hour-a-day studying will commence from there. That is essentially 1.33 months of studying. As it is with my current schedule, I have planned 18 hours a week to study during the fall semester. I began reviewing the Kaplan books around four weeks ago and have finished the General Chemistry and Physics books. I should point out that I didn't do anything more than read the chapters once and finish the practice questions at the end. There were no supplementary questions or passages of any sort. I am only trying to shake of the dust in each subject before cracking down.
I want to iterate that I have no intention of scoring a 35+ on my MCAT. My current GPA is a 3.89 with a 3.93 in the sciences. I only wish to get in to UNMC and am a Nebraska resident. Having said this, my goal is a 30.
Before studying of any sort, I took the AAMC Full-Length #3 and scored a 23 (6/10/7). I then took one a month later after reading the Kaplan General Chemistry book. I took the free online Princeton Review MCAT and received a 23 again. I am encouraged by the increase in the material I studied, as my Gen Chem percentage went up from a 48% to a 74%.
Having said all of this! Finally, to the point. Are my schedule and goals realistic? Can I expect a 7-point increase with my course load while maintaining a 4.0 this semester? I have no doubt in my ability to get a 4.0 in these courses, but I am wondering if I'll have enough time to increase my score to what I want. Obviously, I still have 6 months until my scheduled exam date, so getting started early is on my side.
Does anyone have any advice? I am considering dropping one or two classes to decrease the workload, but I am unsure if this is a good idea. Any input is appreciated. If you've read this far, I am proud of you, because this got a bit lengthy. Thanks everybody.
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