this mountain...

[polymer]

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I thought I would post this under non-trad rather than MCAT.

I have just started studying for the MCAT. I can't believe how much stuff I have forgotten from undergrad!!
For me, the biggest thing is developing the stamina to study for 5-9 hour periods at a time (with breaks).
I look at how much material I have to go through, the skills I have to develop in addition to the stamina and, to be honest, its daunting. I have a test date set for Jan 09. I gave myself a reality check in 3 months. If I can't start scoring decent on a physics section (my weakest), I am going to hang it up. Maybe.

So, a question to the non-trads out there. Was there anytime you ever questioned your commitment to this monumental effort? For example, allocating 10 hours over the weekend to study and then finding excuses not to? Any advice how you "re-commited"? I know for us there is the constant strain of family, relationships, and our careers that we about to leave that always give us excuses. How did you guys do it? At what point did you feel like you "had a shot"?

 

[gman33]

How long has it been since you have taken the pre-reqs?
If it has been more than a few years, you may want to think about retaking some classes if you are really struggling. There is no need to give up, but you may need a more realistic plan.

 

[ITtoMD]

I'm still early in the process too, so most of mine aren't really proven over the long haul yet...

A few things. One I manipulated myself by telling EVERYONE this was my plan. When things get tough, I think of having to tell them that I quit on my dream.

Two, by telling all of them, I've also asked for their support and buy in. Please dont tempt me with golf tourneys and stuff. For my wife, I get her to ride me a bit if I'm goofing off.

Also, for some reason I really do enjoy learning, so it isn't as hard for me. I do get nervous though. for me, the thought of giving up on this means continuing doing things to just get by... I also see this as sort of my last chance to go for this.

Having not experienced med school yet, I really feel like THIS time, the coming year before applying, is the hardest part. I know others talk about how hard med school is, but I will enjoy that, at least to some extent. Being miserable in my day job, coming home from long travel hours or trying to study in airports/planes when you've been flying all day, etc is rough. Toss in trying to fix up the house to sell, I have less than zero free time.

Just hang in there, and celebrate the little wins you rack up along the way. Try breaking things up into smaller goals, like focus on mastering one small portion at a time. View it that way instead of "I must become the physics master" would make it more reasonable?

 

[Luxian]

For me, the biggest thing is developing the stamina to study for 5-9 hour periods at a time (with breaks).
I look at how much material I have to go through, the skills I have to develop in addition to the stamina and, to be honest, its daunting.

Whew! Slow down! Okay, I think you can actually look at this as a great opportunity. In the next year you can really hone your study pattern so that when you do get to med school you can study efficiently. More does not necessarily mean better, even in studying.

First, it's a huge load of material if you're trying to look at all Chemistry/Physics/and Bio. It's just too much. I highly recommend getting an MCAT prep book. It will tell you just what level of detail you need in each section. I used ExamKrackers and liked them a lot, but there are a lot of other options. Definitely use these instead of textbooks. No sense in reading hundreds of pages when you could be practicing real problems!

Second, I think 5-9 hours is just too long to expect yourself to focus. I would take a week where you study for, say, 2-3 hour chunks. Test yourself, study only those parts you need to work on and "brush up" the rest. For problems you consistently get wrong, go back and focus on them, but don't use that focus for all the material or you'll be completely worn out by the end.

You've actually got a lot of time, so take a few weeks to try different studying styles and see which feels best. It will help you in the long run!

 

[Luxian]

One last thing... studying is like exercise: an hour a day goes a lot further than 7 hrs on the weekend. Try to read a bit every day. You'll retain it better, even if you have to squeeze it in between family stuff. Also, it'll be a lot easier to motivate yourself to study for 45 minutes than for 5 hrs!

 

[polymer]

One last thing... studying is like exercise: an hour a day goes a lot further than 7 hrs on the weekend. Try to read a bit every day. You'll retain it better, even if you have to squeeze it in between family stuff. Also, it'll be a lot easier to motivate yourself to study for 45 minutes than for 5 hrs!

Hey, Thanks for the advice. And you are right it does work better. I have been doing it this past week and I feel more confident now. Still, a long way to go.

 

[nu2004]

sounds like you're killing yourself by studying too much. jan '09 is a long way off, bro! pace yourself or you'll burn out.

a solid 1-2 hours a day now is a GREAT start... better to be productive in bursts than bogged down in details for hours and hours. in a few months, you should probably even take a complete break for 1-2 weeks and then come back to it to see how you feel, what your weak areas are, etc. and then focus on those areas.

considered taking a prep course? that will focus your energy on what's most important, and maybe even uncover additional weaknesses. arguing with people in MCAT class is a great way to understand concepts better 🙂

 

[Deanis]

I definitely agree with spreading out your study time as opposed to large condensed chunks.

As for doubts or discouragement, I guess I'm just sold on the idea. The thing about being a non-trad is that I think we can often be very certain about what we want (medicine!) I imagine it's the same for you. The times I've had niggling doubts, I picture what else I might do and I really can't think of anything else that I would enjoy doing as much (for sure a cliche, but dang it, it's tue).

I think the main thing I'm trying is to enjoy the process. Enjoy the journey. I'm a thirty year old first year who is taking Bio I and II with a student that I also teach! It rocks! I'll be nearing 40 by the time I get in and finish med school (and residency) but I think I will really enjoy every moment of it. Heck, I'm even looking forward to writing the MCAT in July!

Okay. Serious tangent. Apologies. I think I've hit a chord 🙂

 

[Luxian]

Hey, Thanks for the advice. And you are right it does work better. I have been doing it this past week and I feel more confident now. Still, a long way to go.

I'm glad it's going well! Pace yourself. Focus only on the stuff you really need to. You'll do just fine.

 

[PB2464]

I think the main thing I'm trying is to enjoy the process. Enjoy the journey. I'm a thirty year old first year who is taking Bio I and II with a student that I also teach! It rocks! I'll be nearing 40 by the time I get in and finish med school (and residency) but I think I will really enjoy every moment of it. Heck, I'm even looking forward to writing the MCAT in July!

Yes! Enjoy the process. I'm 30 as well in an informal post-bacc and it feels great just thinking about the direction I'm headed. But, I'm not really pumped about the dreaded MCAT. That's just crazy talk!

 

[kronickm]

I have to say, my "commitment" to my MCAT study seems to follow a sinusoidal wave that is completely independent of anything else. I am at the very end of my MCAT study, and granted I just took all of the pre-reqs over the last year and a half, so my study time didn't even approach 5 hrs a day. It seemed though, that no matter what was going on in my life, every other week I went back and forth between being unable to motivate myself to study, no matter what, and being able to study for hours on end without any problems.

 

[NonTrad Journey]

As a nontrad 28yo finishing my A.A. I am in classes w/ students 10 years younger. I am seeing that those that struggle to pull good grades look to simply memorize or regurgitate the info from classes. I have had success when I break a subject down into concepts and ideas that can be summarized and work on understanding the material in depth. Then move on to the next idea or concept.

I think the key to succesfull learning is to ensure you undertand the material and not just memorization. I guess time will tell as I continue on this journey.

ITtoMD.... sounds like you are in the same boat. I am a 10year IT guy in Jacksonville looking to become and MD. Good stuff.

 

[iluvnerds]

You've already been given some great advice. I've taken the MCAT 3x and applied to med school 3x. I got into a caribbean school that I am really excited about. Here's my two cents...

I read "The Dream Giver" by Bruce Wilkinson and my favorite motivational movie is "Facing the Giants". To recommit myself, at each major "intersection" I would reevaluate whether or not I felt like I needed to take a new direction and each time the door continued to open in one direction.

As my subject line says, it has been a 7 year post-undergrad journey and I've had a blast. I've done research, volunteered abroad and a host of other things. Everything between then and now has only made me better and thereby a better future physician.

For studying, I was really impressed the with the live Princeton Review course; I had tried Kaplan materials but found them to be a little too complicated. Also, you'll never know everything, a big part is knowing how to take the exam. I've also done some research into my own learning style, and learned about energy diagrams (teaches how to make the most of your day and time) and just how to learn. (Just send me a message if you want to know more about that stuff.)

All the best to you!