What should I do? Should I take upper level courses?

[percywilkins]

After reading all of these posts of people going nuts over how they screwed up the MCAT, i've been getting a little worried. I've only taken the prerequisite courses...physics and gen chem freshman year, gen bio 1 and 2 over the summer, and i'll be done with organic this semester. If I study my butt off and take princeton review this summer, am I going to be ok to take the MCAT, or should i wait another year and take some upper level biology courses? Reading all these posts of the test getting harder and harder is making it difficult for me to choose what to do..

Thanks!

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[samnite]

After reading all of these posts of people going nuts over how they screwed up the MCAT, i've been getting a little worried. I've only taken the prerequisite courses...physics and gen chem freshman year, gen bio 1 and 2 over the summer, and i'll be done with organic this semester. If I study my butt off and take princeton review this summer, am I going to be ok to take the MCAT, or should i wait another year and take some upper level biology courses? Reading all these posts of the test getting harder and harder is making it difficult for me to choose what to do..

Thanks!

I recommend going through the princeton review in either case. The only thing that you may be missing is Anatomy & Physiology, which is a big help if you didn't get the info in your bio class. The princeton review may help you refresh your memory and you can study unfamiliar topics. If you feel confident after taking the class, then take the test. Remember, you can't study for the MCAT with full focus during the school year.

 

[MollyMalone]

After reading all of these posts of people going nuts over how they screwed up the MCAT, i've been getting a little worried. I've only taken the prerequisite courses...physics and gen chem freshman year, gen bio 1 and 2 over the summer, and i'll be done with organic this semester. If I study my butt off and take princeton review this summer, am I going to be ok to take the MCAT, or should i wait another year and take some upper level biology courses? Reading all these posts of the test getting harder and harder is making it difficult for me to choose what to do..

Thanks!

Heh. I wouldn't necessarily make any decisions based on the frenetic ramblings of people who are mentally, emotionally, and physically drained beyond belief after this test.

That said, I think biochem was the most helpful class I could possibly have taken for the MCAT, with genetics close behind. (I actually think they helped more than Kaplan, can't speak to Princeton Review.)

Good luck, whatever you decide!

 

[blee]

I honestly think that the basic science courses are sufficient. Some classes won't cover everything that the MCAT tests, though. For example, my intro bio course barely went into muscle function, so I had to learn that on my own. After taking the basics, you'll have to decide on your own how much extra info you need. The rest of it is really just practice and learning to think the way you need to think for the MCAT, which can be done either on your own or through a class.

 

[nishi]

why i think upperlevel course are helpful is b/c general bio is usually as basic as it gets for science course for premeds. at least at my school tests were straightfoward and easy, memorize and regurgitate sort of deal
MCAT = nothing like your freshmen course
upperlevel course make you read more complex textbooks (way more complicated language than Campbells bio), concepts are harder and tests require more thinking

congrats on being done with the prereqs early
my course suggestions are a critical thinking course, and a course where you have to read research articles

 

[shuzee]

why i think upperlevel course are helpful is b/c general bio is usually as basic as it gets for science course for premeds. at least at my school tests were straightfoward and easy, memorize and regurgitate sort of deal
MCAT = nothing like your freshmen course
upperlevel course make you read more complex textbooks (way more complicated language than Campbells bio), concepts are harder and tests require more thinking

congrats on being done with the prereqs early
my course suggestions are a critical thinking course, and a course where you have to read research articles

i agree, upper level courses are very helpful....they are not essential but will help you cruise through. After two years worth of genetics upper div and molecular bio, the BS section yesterday on the Mcat seemed pretty doable.
always remember, for the mcat, THE MORE KNOWLEDGE YOU HAVE THE BETTER! because the subject matter is so much, therefore sometimes you can cover alot of things in your upper div classes.
on the Mcat, i had background Knowledge on three of the passages just because i had done that in detail in my upper div courses for bacteriology and genetics.

 

[medworm]

If you're not a post-bacc or non-trad, you should wait until the
spring/summer of your Junior/Senior year to take the MCAT.

The biggest reason is that you don't want your scores to expire
a year after you graduate. From what residents have told me,
it's a good idea to take a year off and do something else after
graduation. So Junior/Senior year MCAT is good.

Though not required, upper division classes definitely help ALOT.
Yeah, I've know people who did fine on the MCAT with just the
basics -- but they're a small minority. Most people who do well
(30+) have ALOT of science background.

Also, with just the prereqs, you just don't feel as reassured that
you're adequately prepared.

 

[run_4ever]

If there is one thing I would change in my prep for the MCAT it would be to take a LOT more upper level Biology courses. Yes, you CAN get by on the basic classes, but having more complex and specific courses like Physiology, Cell, and Genetics would have made a huge difference in the amount of material I had to learn in the last 3 months leading up to the MCAT. The level of detail you get from these additional classes makes the test passages seem much more familiar. You just have a better understanding of what the Biology section is all about and won't waste time on test day trying to decipher details because you will have already been exposed to more of the topics.