Unique Situation Thread

[steveo1012]

Hi Everyone,

I need some advice from those of you that have taken and done well on the MCAT. If you've taken both the paper and new computer version, I'd especially like to hear from you.

I am 26, was pre-med in college, and took the MCAT upon graduation. My scores were poor (<25). My undergrad grades were mediocre (3.0 but A's, B's, C's on prereqs). I have worked 2 years doing research at Johns Hopkins and secured 4 publications. I had closed the door on medical school, however, when I was diagnosed with my 2nd bout of depression towards the end of my time at Hopkins.

I got a total of 5 C's in undergrad. No beating around the bush; I'm not a great candidate on paper, but I am determined to get there. Perspective is a powerful thing, and after 5 years of working and battling depression, I feel I'm more prepared than ever to pursue medicine.

Currently, I work in a corporate consulting job and work part time as a trainer and nutritionist. Medicine is still my passion. I understand there are many impractical things about pursuing it right now, but nothing can replace doing what you're passionate about. I am going to take the MCAT again and am trying to figure out how to fit studying into my current schedule. I am not married. Assuming I can fit in 15-20 hours a week, here are my questions:

1) is this enough time per week to yield adequate comprehension of material, and if so, how long should I aim to study? ( I was planning 6 months)
2) I am stumped as to how to make a study schedule. any advice here?
3) Lastly, would you retake undergrad classes you did poorly in or take grad science classes at the local comm. college?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Good luck to all of you in your endeavors.

Steve

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[Blade28]

With a 3.0 GPA, you're going to need to either take post-bac classes to improve, or retake classes you did poorly in (especially if you're applying DO). Graduate classes won't help your undergraduate GPA as they're counted separately during the admissions process.

Some would also suggest an SMP with your current GPA; you definitely have to study hard for the MCAT and rock it, though. Did you take a prep class before?

Best of luck.

 

[steveo1012]

Thanks for the advice Blade. I would love to do a post-bac program, but given my current situation, I don't think it's feasible. I have heavy debt from undergrad and don't think I can afford to pay for a full time post-bac and support myself without a job. I do agree this would be the best solution to the current shortcomings in my application. I am enrolled in a Hopkins grad program (biotechnology) and am trying to get my current employer to continue paying for it. For now though, I can enroll in undergrad classes to boost my GPA. I've gotten A's in 2 classes I've retaken thus far.

I took a Kaplan prep class when I was prepping for round 2 of the MCAT, but towards the end of the class, I was diagnosed with depression again. The trial and error of medications and my lack of focus at that time as a result was just not conducive to doing well on the MCAT. Your confidence and aptitude really suffer when viewed through the lens of depression.

I know I need to rock the MCAT and just need to put together a solid study schedule. That is my ticket. May I ask what an SMP is?

Thanks again for your advice. I know I have an up hill battle, but I'm not throwing in the towel just yet.

 

[Blade28]

Doing more undergrad work certainly helps - you don't have to to a formal post-bac! All you have to do is get that GPA up.

 

[steveo1012]

Hi Blade. Do you think it makes much of a difference if I re-take at a community college versus a 4 year institution? It's about a third of the cost at CC. I had C's in Cell Bio, Physiology, Orgo II, and Genchem II. Should I re-take all of these or pick 2 or 3? I was thinking Physio, Cell Bio, and possibly one of the others. Cost will play more of a factor if I realistically need to re-take 4 classes.

Thanks again. You've been very helpful!

 

[HiFi09]

As far as a self study schedule goes....

This is exactly what I would do (with a focus on trying to do this the cheapest and most effective way possible):

PS: Get the Berkely Review Books. Especially if you are weak in physics/gen chem. I really believe in these books very much and I have no reason to promote them at all. There are about 100 passages in the gen chem books and the same in the physics books. Study these religiously and do the passages and then spend twice as much time going over the answers (this is the most important thing!). It will take you a while to finish them but I would expect you to be able to hit 10+ w/o even knowing your current base.

The berkely review books will cost you. They are pricey so try finding them on craigslist or ebay (I bought all of them on ebay). I dont know your financial situation but I would definetly get these books regardless of anything else- they will help you immensely. They are hard though, so beware and do not get discouraged.

Bio: If you have your old kaplan stuff that could be enough, but that depends more so on how comfortable you already are with the material. I would try and get the EK BIO book (I'm not a fan of their other ones) but the bio one is pretty sufficient. If you can try and find the princeton review workbok online b/c its pretty solid.

Verbal: EK 101. I think this is definetly the best thing out but verbal is a toss up. It seems that you didnt do to well on it the first time out so definetly give it enough time and start working it hard from the beginning.

Tests: Get all the AAMCs. spend the money. If you cant try and get AAMC 7-10. They are supposed to be the most representative.

I dont have my score yet from the 6/13 test so I dont pretend to be an mcat guru, but I have been working on this test for a while and this stuff just plain works. It will be a lot of hard of work, bu you have to realize that its extremely doable.

I split my studying up into three parts:
Part I: Content review w/ some practice passages problems mixed in.
Part II: Heavy problems/ passages w/ content review of areas you realize you are having trouble.
Part III: TESTS. Take under real conditions (minus the WS). I spent at least 5 hours reviewing eash test. Dont half ass this.

Hopefully this helps get you started. This will be a hard, long road....just believe in yourself and you will make this happen. You can definetly hit a 30+.

Good luck

 

[engineeredout]

Hi Blade. Do you think it makes much of a difference if I re-take at a community college versus a 4 year institution? It's about a third of the cost at CC. I had C's in Cell Bio, Physiology, Orgo II, and Genchem II. Should I re-take all of these or pick 2 or 3? I was thinking Physio, Cell Bio, and possibly one of the others. Cost will play more of a factor if I realistically need to re-take 4 classes.

Thanks again. You've been very helpful!

You can take classes at good state schools without them being too expensive (Relatively). CC won't look as good, if they even offer classes like orgo/physiology.

 

[Luxian]

Someone mentioned here the Berkeley Review, but I wanted to put in my hat for ExamKrackers. I found them to be very useful, not only in covering the material, but in learning how to "get" the MCAT questions quickly. They have quizzes at the end of each chapter so you can gauge how well you are doing.

I had about 8 weeks to study before the MCAT and I studied a bit every day. I think 15-20 hours should be fine. Remember, it's better to do 2-3 hrs a day than to cram on weekends, so spread it out. I took the chapters of ExamKrackers (EK) and split them up into one week chunks according to how much time I had. Then I just had reading and questions to answer in any given week. If you have trouble with one section, you can focus on that and give it a little more time.

What other folks say about classes is right though. You don't necessarily need to do a full post-bacc to prove yourself. If you could afford to do one or two classes and ace them, that will help alleviate their concerns. In case you haven't looked at it, there are also DO programs (instead of MD programs). With those, your new grades will replace your old grades, so that might help your chances.

In any case, good luck!

 

[steveo1012]

Thanks everyone for your honesty and great advice. I do have the opportunity to take classes at George Mason (I'm in Northern Va outside of DC) for relatively cheap. I'd like to re-take Physics I, Physio, and Cell Bio. Some schools have an integrated Cell/Molecular course, so I'll see what Mason offers. That would leave me with a C in Chem II and Orgo I, but I have A's and B's in the other semesters. I also have a ton of volunteer hours, 200+ hours of OR observation; I've consented a number of cancer patients for studies (some of which died after months of constant contact with me) and I'm phlebotomy certified. One of my publications includes NEJM. Aside from some poor grades and a mediocre MCAT (which I know are large factors...however they're ones I can improve) my application is pretty strong.

I'll probably use a mixture of exam krackers and berkeley review as was suggested here. I did save all my notes and textbooks from undergrad in addition to my kaplan materials, so I should not be at a loss when it comes to studying. I like the idea of starting broad with content taking each subject in weekly chunks and then focusing on heavy problems only after all content has been reviewed. My girlfriend works for AAMC (this should be a sign from God) and is working on getting me some old tests for me. I plan on spending whatever I need to to get them, however.

Lastly in response to Luxian, I have very stronly considered DO school and have no objections to that philosophy. The DO's I know seem to practice very similarly to MD's and really only use manipulation if their specialty can make use of it in diagnosis, such as a physiatrist and maybe some ortho docs. However, I can't speak for all DO's. At the end of the day, I want to study medicine and treat patients, which I can do as a DO.

Thanks again everyone. It's great to have a site where you can get some guidance and answers to your questions fairly quickly. Good luck as you continue with your schooling/training.

 

[steveo1012]

One last thing I didn't mention...

It seems that all of the pre-med courses being offered at local 4 year schools are during the day. This is not condusive to a full-time job. The local community college offers Cell and Physics in the evening. I understand this is not optimal, but it appears to be my only choice. I'm going to call a few medical school admissions offices and ask them how they view CC credits vs 4 year institution credits. I'd like to do this without people at work finding out, so I am a bit stumped as to how to proceed. At least I know the MCAT will keep me busy for the time being!

 

[mterp45]

I am stumped as to how to make a study schedule. any advice here?

I think bloody surgeon has a thread to help you with that question, look up one of his guides.

 

[DrMattOglesby]

my unique situation: I scored a 6 on PS...TWICE!
albeit there was still a 5 point increase in overall score from 1st to 2nd attempt.
but i still suck at PS.
not looking for comments...i know I need to retake.