Was the MCAT giving you anxiety?

[seek_advice1]

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My friend has just started to study to retake the MCAT and she is already experiencing a lot of anxiety. The first time she
studied for the MCAT she had the same issue and this made it difficult for her to study. Moreover, she used to go out pretty often. All of that lead to her getting a pretty low score. Now she has just started a new on-site course and she is already saying that she has no time to do anything ( as she works full time) and that even when she could study she gets anxious and can't focus and learn. Also she complains she can't really say no to people who invite her out and so ends up not studying much even in the weekends.



Was your experience similar? How did you solve it?

How did you manage to study while still having a good social life?

 

[Catalystik]

How did you manage to study while still having a good social life?

You don't.

It sounds like for your friend, history is going to repeat itself with another low score, unless she gets her priorities straight.

Might you consider suggesting professional help for the anxiety issue?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

she can't really say no to people who invite her out and so ends up not studying much even in the weekends.

Sounds like a personal problem...

 

[toedrag]

Very few students can haphazardly study for the MCAT and do well. You'll have to make sacrifices in the short term if you have aspirations of becoming a physician in the long term. There are literally thousands of other applicants who are willing to put their lives on pause in order to crack a good score on the MCAT. Two weak scores can be catastrophic to one's application. It's imperative that your friend gets her priorities in check if she thinks she wants to attend any US medical school.

 

[Goro]

You don't.

It sounds like for your friend, history is going to repeat itself with another low score, unless she gets her priorities straight.

Might you consider suggesting professional help for the anxiety issue?

100000% agree with the wise Cat!

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

My friend has just started to study to retake the MCAT and she is already experiencing a lot of anxiety. The first time she
studied for the MCAT she had the same issue and this made it difficult for her to study. Moreover, she used to go out pretty often. All of that lead to her getting a pretty low score. Now she has just started a new on-site course and she is already saying that she has no time to do anything ( as she works full time) and that even when she could study she gets anxious and can't focus and learn. Also she complains she can't really say no to people who invite her out and so ends up not studying much even in the weekends.



Was your experience similar? How did you solve it?

How did you manage to study while still having a good social life?

I also studied for the mcat while working full-time. I spent about 2 hours a day for 4 months and made my Saturdays practice test days so I could go out guilt free Saturday nights.

 

[ciestar]

I also studied for the mcat while working full-time. I spent about 2 hours a day for 4 months and made my Saturdays practice test days so I could go out guilt free Saturday nights.

Same. I think the time constraints helped me. Gave me less time to let my anxiety cripple me like it was when i managed to get extra time off.

Day of though? I didn’t feel too much anxiety since I did feel prepared. Thankfully.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Day of though? I didn’t feel too much anxiety since I did feel prepared. Thankfully.

Same. I also gave myself the day before completely off, and the week before was nothing but review of a few topics from each subject. Really let me breathe and refresh myself. Woke up the day of the test ready to rock.

 

[Shammyguy3]

I also studied for the mcat while working full-time. I spent about 2 hours a day for 4 months and made my Saturdays practice test days so I could go out guilt free Saturday nights.

Yeah i also worked full time as I studied. I started about 5.5 months out and studied a few hours a night and come closer to test date i used saturdays and sundays for tests and review of them

 

[lumya]

I also studied while working full time and going to school part time. I saw my friends maybe once a month during that time. I had no hobbies or really any free time. Your friend needs to get her priority straight; going out every weekend isn’t going to help.

Doing a crap ton of full length practice tests helped with the anxiety a lot. By the time I got to the real thing it felt very familiar. Even then, nerves can still exist. In my case I broke out into full-body hives the day before. It sucked but I got through it and your friend will too as long as she’s willing to put in the time.

 

[ExcitatorySynapse]

Tell her to ask for a psychologist/psychiatrist referral, her anxiety seems to be crippling. As for feeling obligated to go out, this might be tempting because she's working all day and everyone sane would like to party instead of studying when you're tired. Would it be possible for her to take some time off just for the MCAT? I didn't really have a social life when I really studied for the MCAT and tbh I didn't miss it, because I was so busy.