Studying for MCAT and taking remaining premed courses

[Droseraceae]

---

Members do not see this ad.

What's up sdn,

Hoping for some advice from folks experienced with the MCAT (/ideally situations like mine) about my plans moving forward.

I graduated undergrad last year (2016), and I wasn't sure I wanted to apply to med school during college, so I didn't finish all the premed courses. I am now, though, so next fall I'm planning to live at home and take the classes I still need to take at the state school near my folks' house-- 2x physics, 2x physics lab, and stats/biostats.

I figure if I'm going to bite the bullet and take that time to live at home (bummer, but gotta save that $$), I might as well knock out all the birds I need to with the same stone and study for/take the MCAT as well. That would be in January, since my understanding is those are the earliest test dates after the fall. The semester ends in mid December.

My question is: will it be too much to be taking those classes and also give MCAT studying the attention it deserves? I'm a very good test taker, and I did really well in undergrad (Biology and Latino Studies double major), so I'm confident I can do well on the MCAT... but I just don't want to screw myself over by taking over too much in the time I'm budgeting. I also wasn't planning on taking an MCAT prep course-- a few close friends from college who I trust/consider myself very similar to academically did it on their own just using books etc. and rocked it, so I feel OK about that. Probably also trying to find other things to do-- ideally some part-time work, but at least volunteering at the local hospital or with another local nonprofit.

Anyone have experience with a similar situation? Advice? Thanks!

 

[DrHart]

Could you be a little more specific? Exactly what physics are you taking? 1 or 2 or both?
Personally I would finish the semester and then start studying for the MCAT full time in January, then take an April or May test.

 

[Droseraceae]

Could you be a little more specific? Exactly what physics are you taking? 1 or 2 or both?
Personally I would finish the semester and then start studying for the MCAT full time in January, then take an April or May test.

For sure, my bad-- planning to take intro physics I and II, along with their associated labs. Why do you advise that?

 

[DrHart]

For sure, my bad-- planning to take intro physics I and II, along with their associated labs. Why do you advise that?

Ah so you'll be taking two semesters? I was confused cause you said the semester ended in mid Dec.

 

[Droseraceae]

I'll be taking all of those courses at once. As in, both intro physics I and II and their associated labs as well as stats all during the fall.

 

[Droseraceae]

that is Nucking Futs! they build on each other and you need them for MCAT and you need to review for MCAT. High Risk in my view. Are you trying to get into medical school or to get into medical school quickly?

haha, fair. So, I took AP Physics in high school (5 years ago) and I got a 5 on the B exam and both C exams, so I'm not too worried about intro physics (w/o calc) at a state school kicking my ass... but you do make a good point. Biostats hopefully won't be too bad either. I guess my perspective-- at leas what I was thinking-- was that it'd just be better to go balls-to-the-wall for one semester than prolong the whole thing. I'm going to be living at home with my folks anyway (not working, not having a stellar social life, etc), so I figure it might be doable. I already took all the rest of the needed premed classes in college, and did well, so most of the other MCAT material (all of it, if you include physics, which I took in high school and will be taking concurrently to studying) will be review.... you feel me?

But I see your point!

 

[DrHart]

I'll be taking all of those courses at once. As in, both intro physics I and II and their associated labs as well as stats all during the fall.

I see. So the reason I suggest waiting until the spring to take your MCAT is that it will give you more time to study and it won't compete with the classes you do this fall. gonnif is right that it is a little nuts because they do build on one another. i say give yourself at least 3 full months dedicated to MCAT prep where this won't compete with classes. if that means taking all that physics in the fall and then studying Jan-April for a May test, that would be doable but the riskier option. You could also take the physics one at a time (fall = 1, spring = 2), study from May-August for a September MCAT, which would probably be a safer option.

 

[Droseraceae]

I see. So the reason I suggest waiting until the spring to take your MCAT is that it will give you more time to study and it won't compete with the classes you do this fall. gonnif is right that it is a little nuts because they do build on one another. i say give yourself at least 3 full months dedicated to MCAT prep where this won't compete with classes. if that means taking all that physics in the fall and then studying Jan-April for a May test, that would be the riskier option. You could also take the physics one at a time (fall = 1, spring = 2), study from May-August for a September MCAT, which would probably be a safer option.

Word, I see your point. I just really want to minimize time where I'm bogged down by this stuff in general. I'd love to find a job to start at next spring (like feb-mar) that I could work until the next cycle (as in, apply in 2019), so if I did that it would just really limit things. But you're right, I need to think about how squeezing it all in could sink me on the MCAT..

 

[Droseraceae]

you are planning to go to medical school, you wont have much of social life for sometime.
MCAT is an exam that will set the course for the rest of your life and all scores will remain with you. Doing anything that is additional risk to impact that score that is under your control is not advisable. additionally, as you decided on premed late, do you sufficient hours in clinical volunteering, community service, healthcare experience, physician shadowing, etc. You may be better served by taking the next year to take classes, prep for MCAT, and volunteer, shadow, etc. Take MCAT next March or April

Good points. Super valid, and much appreciated. I'm not too worried about the clinical stuff/ECs/healthcare etc-- have some solid clinical research experience and shadowing etc, and also spent this past year doing community health work at a small hospital in Latin America. Got tons of good hands on clinical/healthcare experience. But along those lines-- that's also why I'm hoping to do more shadowing/volunteering at the local hosp. Really appreciate your honest advice though, thank you!

 

[Droseraceae]

just remember Mr Kurtz what lies up river in the dark jungle.

Haha! The horror! The horror!

 

[theoperacrow]

The thing is, the app cycle doesn't even start until May/June, so going balls-to-the-wall and finishing everything by December or January won't actually end up saving you any time. The MCAT is a beast of a test and studying for it is going to demand a LOT of your time and attention. You have a golden opportunity here -- you owe it to yourself to take it and avoid cramming the entirety of your studying into a single semester where you're taking 3 other classes.

For what it's worth, I was in your exact situation last year (same missing classes and everything!). I spread my classes out so I was taking 2 during the fall semester and 1 during the spring, and really took my time studying for a May MCAT test date (I did casual content review during the fall, then stepped it up and added practice tests and the AAMC section banks in the spring). This worked great for me and I ended up scoring really well on the MCAT. More importantly though, I never once felt stressed or unprepared for either my classes or the MCAT (this is HUGE), and I had plenty of time left over to pick up a couple of part-time jobs, keep up with volunteering/shadowing experiences, be in a show, spend quality time with family/friends, etc.

Also, aren't full-time employment opportunities usually easier to find in the spring/summer anyways? (I could be totally biased though because my jobs have all revolved around the academic calendar...)

Seriously. Don't waste this opportunity to give the MCAT (and yourself!) the care and attention you deserve.

 

[Droseraceae]

The thing is, the app cycle doesn't even start until May/June, so going balls-to-the-wall and finishing everything by December or January won't actually end up saving you any time. The MCAT is a beast of a test and studying for it is going to demand a LOT of your time and attention. You have a golden opportunity here -- you owe it to yourself to take it and avoid cramming the entirety of your studying into a single semester where you're taking 3 other classes.

For what it's worth, I was in your exact situation last year (same missing classes and everything!). I spread my classes out so I was taking 2 during the fall semester and 1 during the spring, and really took my time studying for a May MCAT test date (I did casual content review during the fall, then stepped it up and added practice tests and the AAMC section banks in the spring). This worked great for me and I ended up scoring really well on the MCAT. More importantly though, I never once felt stressed or unprepared for either my classes or the MCAT (this is HUGE), and I had plenty of time left over to pick up a couple of part-time jobs, keep up with volunteering/shadowing experiences, be in a show, spend quality time with family/friends, etc.

Also, aren't full-time employment opportunities usually easier to find in the spring/summer anyways? (I could be totally biased though because my jobs have all revolved around the academic calendar...)

Seriously. Don't waste this opportunity to give the MCAT (and yourself!) the care and attention you deserve.

Woah, what a coincidence. I really appreciate the advice. After hearing all this (from you and the above posters), I'm definitely torn. What you say makes tons of sense. The only reason I'm hesitant is that I really would like to minimize living at home, for reasons that I feel make a lot of sense given my home situation/needs/wants.

 

[theoperacrow]

The OPs concerned is reducing time living at home with parents, impact on social life, etc.

The only reason I'm hesitant is that I really would like to minimize living at home, for reasons that I feel make a lot of sense given my home situation/needs/wants.

This is super real -- if living at home doesn't align with your wants/needs for right now then that's definitely an important factor to take into consideration. My advice above was meant to help make things easier for you and reduce stress, but quality of life is also a huge part of that.

That said, if you're careful about how you budget your MCAT studying time over the course of the year, you might be able to pull off taking all three classes in the fall and then moving out/working full time in the spring (especially if your employer is amenable to letting you take a few weeks off for full-time study in the weeks before the test).

Edit: I went back and bolded "might" because the success of this plan is so dependent on factors outside of your control--what kind of job you have, how accommodating your boss is, if you can even get into all 3 classes you need in the first semester (especially since non-degree-seeking students tend to get last priority for registration), etc. It also doesn't leave much wiggle room in the spring if any external circumstances crop up that take up more of your time than you expected.

It's definitely a riskier plan, you just have to figure out if that risk is worth it to you.