Wikipremed Reliable?

[iPremed]

http://www.wikipremed.com/

Have any of you guys used this?

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[thomasfx10]

I am glad I saw this post. I was going to purchase the Bundle, which at $59 is a good price. However, it appears no one has yet received anything so $59 is not such a deal.

I will stick to the freebee stuff

 

[ridethecliche]

If you bought your stuff a while ago and haven't received any info or phone calls, etc, then I would call paypall or your CC company and tell them to stop the charge from going through.

I get that people are busy, but there is no excuse not to have stuff in a few weeks. If someone knows they're busy then they should close the orders till they're not.

 

[LifeTake2]

In John's defense: he did post here in early Dec that he was having personal/family issues.

While not an excuse for his not shipping/responding...do remember this is an individual; not a large corporation. I am self-employed and sometimes things happen you can't control.

I personally go out of my way to communicate if something has happened; but I've had a child hospitalized w/o warning and when it happened I didn't answer emails, or inquires nor did I do any work for nearly 2 weeks.

That said, I'm hoping John is able to get things back up soon as it is a great resource.

Tom

 

[LifeTake2]

FYI, you don't have a case for mail fraud so time to grow up pizzakid.

You placed an online order, it didn't show up. You call your cc company and get your $$ back and move on with life. Call the BBB if you wish and file a complaint. But unless you are alleging that he created the elaborate site and all the original content to intentionally defraud you of $100 no CRIME has occurred.

Negative. I still have not received the bundle or any news. If it comes down to it we can submit our cases to the US Postal Service for Mail Fraud and a Police Report. I'm out close to $100 (Bundle+Shipping)...

 

[apumic]

In John's defense: he did post here in early Dec that he was having personal/family issues.

While not an excuse for his not shipping/responding...do remember this is an individual; not a large corporation. I am self-employed and sometimes things happen you can't control.

I personally go out of my way to communicate if something has happened; but I've had a child hospitalized w/o warning and when it happened I didn't answer emails, or inquires nor did I do any work for nearly 2 weeks.

That said, I'm hoping John is able to get things back up soon as it is a great resource.

Tom

Good post to keep things in perspective, Tom.

 

[ridethecliche]

In John's defense: he did post here in early Dec that he was having personal/family issues.

While not an excuse for his not shipping/responding...do remember this is an individual; not a large corporation. I am self-employed and sometimes things happen you can't control.

I personally go out of my way to communicate if something has happened; but I've had a child hospitalized w/o warning and when it happened I didn't answer emails, or inquires nor did I do any work for nearly 2 weeks.

That said, I'm hoping John is able to get things back up soon as it is a great resource.

Tom

Tom, thanks for the perspective, but as someone running a business, I would hope that he would stop taking orders for a product when he can't deliver them within a reasonable time frame.

Yes, life happens, but it would have taken him all of a few minutes to put in a notice or change script to say that they're not taking any orders at this time.

 

[pizzakid]

FYI, you don't have a case for mail fraud so time to grow up pizzakid.

You placed an online order, it didn't show up. You call your cc company and get your $$ back and move on with life. Call the BBB if you wish and file a complaint. But unless you are alleging that he created the elaborate site and all the original content to intentionally defraud you of $100 no CRIME has occurred.

Thank you for your perspective but I take offense when someone tells me to "grow up" after being scammed- call it what you want but it's pretty clear that this is not an isolated case. It's happening to many people.

I suppose I would leave it to the US Postal Service to decide if what Mr. Wetzel has done constitutes mail fraud or not. I'm posting my experiences here to help others-- and looking at this thread it seems a few people have already benefited.

For your information PayPal will not allow for disputes after 60 days have passed so they will not refund the payment. I'm SOL on any chance of a refund without John actually sending it.

I have not given up and I will follow through on this. I don't care if it's $100 or $1000. The only person who can make this right is Mr. Wetzel. Until he shows up to either a) Refund my full payment or b) Send the materials I purchased; I will continue to explore all channels for resolution.

Additionally Mr. Wetzel is avoiding this completely. He has not come here to give any explanation and does not reply to any inquiries by email. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/member.php?u=239124 shows that within the last 2 weeks he was on this forum. Common sense tells me he probably has access to his e-mail and a history/list of all those pending shipments. No matter how busy someone is, under no circumstances would they lack the time to answer e-mail or post an update.

 

[apumic]

Hey guys, just a note... the number on his contact us page does work: 404.285.7702

Now whether or not you'll get a call back I don't know, but I got to an answering machine at least.

A quick search of dexonline also brings up several possibilities in the area near Decatur, GA (which is where the site states his office is located). If you search for "John Wetzel" there, you'll find ~4 names/numbers. I will refrain from reposting their contact information here, but you could try that if you really want to get this handled.

 

[apotheo]

Hey guys, just a note... the number on his contact us page does work: 404.285.7702

Now whether or not you'll get a call back I don't know, but I got to an answering machine at least.

A quick search of dexonline also brings up several possibilities in the area near Decatur, GA (which is where the site states his office is located). If you search for "John Wetzel" there, you'll find ~4 names/numbers. I will refrain from reposting their contact information here, but you could try that if you really want to get this handled.

I just got in touch with John Wetzel via that contact number (404.285.7702). He is currently getting all the backed up orders shipped.

patience...

 

[pizzakid]

While encouraging, I have still not heard anything back or any notice about my order...

I just got in touch with John Wetzel via that contact number (404.285.7702). He is currently getting all the backed up orders shipped.

patience...

 

[pizzakid]

I just got in touch with John Wetzel via that contact number (404.285.7702). He is currently getting all the backed up orders shipped.

patience...

I have tried calling this number multiple times with no luck. I wouldn't be surprised if Apotheo = John Wetzel.

 

[pizzakid]

Updating this thread: Still no replies from Mr. Wetzel and no Bundle.. It's been 6+ months.

 

[ridethecliche]

I would probably have given up at this point of time.

Chalk it up to lesson learned.

 

[tttgo]

You're probably right. Google the klepto thing and you get the myspace page of "john". If he knows everyone's complaining, I wonder why he's not doing anything? honestly though, I wouldn't let this affect your studying. Even if he does ship in a couple months, your mcat's probably over already.

I have tried calling this number multiple times with no luck. I wouldn't be surprised if Apotheo = John Wetzel.

 

[ilovechemistry]

I found this website to be extremely helpful. I like how he goes beyond the general science concepts and talks about some advance material. I also found this website helpful for my physical chemistry class. I'm a cellular and molecular biology supplemental instructor and he has helped me relay information much better than I was before to the students I tutor. I love wikipremed.

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

Within this and another long post in this thread, which I have removed, I did share a great deal of personal information with the folks here at Student Doctor Dot Net, involving the incredible series of unfortunate events that did almost sink my own personal life and the future of WikiPremed. I removed the two posts. Upon reflection I feel that the matters are too personal. They involve close friends and family and their personal medical information. Though there was permission to post the story, I still feel uncomfortable about it.

 

[Volfy]

Well? Has anyone received their orders?

I'm interested in purchasing the Wikipremed bundle; specifically for the MCAT board game. Gettin' some pre-med buddies together and playing a boardgame sounds super awesome!

 

[raltima07]

That is a deep post....

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

Within this and another long post in this thread, which I have removed, I did share a great deal of personal information with the folks here at Student Doctor Dot Net, involving the incredible series of unfortunate events that did almost sink my own personal life and the future of WikiPremed. I removed the two posts. Upon reflection I feel that the matters are too personal. They involve close friends and family and their personal medical information. Though there was permission to post the story, I still feel uncomfortable about it.

 

[raltima07]

I really appreciate you going into such detail and telling us this. It was very insightful - albeit very sad.


I used your website for the 5/26 MCAT, and I thank you for the effort you put into it. I will report back after getting my score.

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

I really appreciate you going into such detail and telling us this. It was very insightful - albeit very sad.


I used your website for the 5/26 MCAT, and I thank you for the effort you put into it. I will report back after getting my score.

If you believe in yourself don't let one MCAT stop you no matter how it turns out. One of my first students in 1993 was a valet parking attendant on his fourth MCAT. He's been a doctor so long I'm thinking about calling him and asking him for a loan. Actually that's a joke. I think Jane Doe is going to be okay too. Truly I am thankful for my family and community to have come through and helped WikiPremed get back on my feet. All the best.

 

[pizzakid]

Hello John,
I'm sorry to hear about your personal issues and hope you the best moving forward. Can you please contact me and fulfill my paid order from back in October of 2010.


WikiPremed
------------------------------
Order Number: 698
Date Ordered: Thursday 21 October, 2010

Products
------------------------------------------------------
1 x WikiPremed Bundle () = $59.00
WikiPremed Bundle ***
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $59.00
International Shipping - USPS Global Priority Mail (3-9 Day Delivery to BR : 4.5 lb(s)): $28.25
Total: $87.25

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

Hello John,
I'm sorry to hear about your personal issues and hope you the best moving forward. Can you please contact me and fulfill my paid order from back in October of 2010.


WikiPremed
------------------------------
Order Number: 698
Date Ordered: Thursday 21 October, 2010

Products
------------------------------------------------------
1 x WikiPremed Bundle () = $59.00
WikiPremed Bundle ***
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $59.00
International Shipping - USPS Global Priority Mail (3-9 Day Delivery to BR : 4.5 lb(s)): $28.25
Total: $87.25

Thank you for your kindness and patience. My records show your package was shipped last year, but there was a batch where a few domestic Priority Mail packages came back after I purchased labels in one zip code and shipped from another zip code while on vacation. I also shipped a bunch directly from a post office counter and now I can't find the information. Ridiculous. I will send another bundle to you right away. I definitely messed this up somehow. Thank you for another chance.

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

All kinds of folks are following this thread, from what I can tell, and the trajectory of WikiPremed, so I want to make a broader comment about the website and its near and long-term goals. I've had various opportunities for lots of money this project, especially in the 1999 - 2000 period, but I am absolutely stubborn in my dedication to the work itself. WikiPremed is developing again and has recovered customer service (current orders are okay and back orders are getting there), so I am hoping to fix things as well as I can. I am absolutely dedicated to it.

 

[squat]

I didn't think you were still there. (had to update my post after I saw that you've posted last month)

I've found your videos useful, so I ordered flashcards earlier this year. The money cleared my Paypal account, but not product was shipped. I emailed you multiple times through "contact us." No reply.

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

I didn't think you were still there. (had to update my post after I saw that you've posted last month)

I've found your videos useful, so I ordered flashcards earlier this year. The money cleared my Paypal account, but not product was shipped. I emailed you multiple times through "contact us." No reply.

I am very sorry about your order earlier this year. The first half of this year was incredibly tough for WikiPremed with the business going under not only once but twice. We are back in a stable business location and everything is working again. I'm sorry you haven't heard from me yet. Please contact me again. Book production is back now and I will do everything I can to make this up to you.

Everything is fixed and working consistently again. A business has admin and production, so both are back now. I think everyone is satisfied now, as we are tracking and cross-referencing everything, but if you think we have missed you for a shipment or refund from the period we were down earlier this year, please contact me right away. I just carried a bunch of packages yesterday to the Atlanta airport to make up a few days with recent orders. That is the last of slow shipping. Everything is shipping on time now. I'm just hoping with good service, and development of the site, that I can repair the reputation of my company. It's difficult, but I am committed to making WikiPremed work properly and to keeping it a free resource.

 

[pizzakid]

I want to take this time to thank Mr. Wetzel for coming through. He has stepped up and taken responsibility for the lack of contact and late orders.

I eventually received my Bundle and am very impressed with the quality of the product. The card stock, printing, packaging-- everything exceeded my expectations. WikiPreMed is a great and reliable site, and the Bundle is a professional educational tool that I recommend it to any serious premed student.

 

[EHCMD]

I want to take this time to thank Mr. Wetzel for coming through. He has stepped up and taken responsibility for the lack of contact and late orders.

I eventually received my Bundle and am very impressed with the quality of the product. The card stock, printing, packaging-- everything exceeded my expectations. WikiPreMed is a great and reliable site, and the Bundle is a professional educational tool that I recommend it to any serious premed student.

I want to use this resource as my initial introduction to studying for the MCAT. But I am having a hard time figuring out how to study with out any tangible products. I won't have the funds to order the bundle until about 2 months from now. I can complete two modules a week; but I can't seem to get started.

Any suggestions?

 

[pinchick]

I want to use this resource as my initial introduction to studying for the MCAT. But I am having a hard time figuring out how to study with out any tangible products. I won't have the funds to order the bundle until about 2 months from now. I can complete two modules a week; but I can't seem to get started.

Any suggestions?

Everything you need is on the website. The printed material makes it convenient for studying offline, but the glossary, the physics flash cards and the orgo deck are all online and free. Just click on Module 1 and start working your way through the assignments. Before you move on, look at the goals and make sure you've accomplished everything. The videos are by far the best part of the site, John makes connections between the disciplines that will enhance all of your studying. He hasn't posted videos for most of the biology section so go to Khan Academy for some of those.

 

[SimplyDNotions]

http://www.wikipremed.com/

Have any of you guys used this?

I truly can't say enough good things about WikiPremed. I took the MCAT for the first time last year and again this summer. Last year I participated in a weekly on-site prep course for four months. This summer I stumbled upon WikiPremed through a Google search for MCAT study materials. I improved my MCAT score by three points using the resources on WikiPremed.

Reasons you should consider WikiPremed:

- the structure [ The value of the "spiraling curriculum" that John Wetzel mentions in his course introduction is perhaps best realized after working a bit with the actual material. In my opinion, other methods don't compare to this setup. It's the way I believe most all things should be taught - dynamically and relevantly. The structure also allows you to work at your own pace and according to your own schedule. Call me nerdy, but I found the flashcards and crosswords to be pretty fun, while the videos offer the sense of a private tutor. Oh yeah - and he's not ruthlessly charging you by the minute for it. ]

- the economics [ ...which brings me to my next point. For starters, it's free. No gimmicks where after 50 views of the site you get some unfriendly warning to "Pay up or log off!" Nope. Check out all the stuff he's got on there as much as you want, whenever you want. If you want the tangible products, you can buy "the bundle" for about fifty bucks. And suffice it to say that's many, many, many, many fractions less than I paid for my previous MCAT prep class. (Never mind the lower score I got doing so.) ]

- the philosophy [ So, it's official. After using WikiPremed throughout my MCAT prep and ultimately reaching my goal with my score, I can say with confidence: Wetzel is not some profit-hungry monster. In reality, he's far from it. Honestly, I kept waiting for the catch. Instead, I came to accept that there are still genuinely good people in this world and realized he's in it for the right reasons - to offer access to MCAT prep materials to anyone, anywhere with the motivation to pursue becoming a physician. ]

My suggestion: use WikiPremed as a central resource, KhanAcademy for clarification and a set of prep books (I used ExamKrackers) to supplement all of it. I'd also attempt to take as many practice tests as you can fit in your prep schedule whilst maintaining sanity. May seem like a lot, but once I got in the swing of things I was sincerely grateful for WikiPremed as a consistent guide and invaluable study tool.

 

[geodad]

I downloaded and watched all the WikiPremed videos - watched some of the videos multiple times to reinforce weak areas. Also went through the Wikipremed Physics flashcards twice.

My other science prep was the following:

Did essentially 99% of the Berkeley Review books - great prep for BS passages
Basically memorized the ExamKrackers Biology content book
Took all available AAMC practice tests

Wikipremed was definitely worth my time for science prep., but it won't help much for verbal. For verbal, I used ExamKrackers 101 and TPR Hyperlearning Verbal workbook + AAMC practice tests.

One of my science discretes on the actual test was directly answered by a discussion/illustration/example in one of the WikiPremed videos, so thank you, John, for saving me from guessing on that one!

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

- the structure [ The value of the "spiraling curriculum" that John Wetzel mentions in his course introduction is perhaps best realized after working a bit with the actual material. In my opinion, other methods don't compare to this setup. It's the way I believe most all things should be taught - dynamically and relevantly. The structure also allows you to work at your own pace and according to your own schedule. Call me nerdy, but I found the flashcards and crosswords to be pretty fun, while the videos offer the sense of a private tutor. Oh yeah - and he's not ruthlessly charging you by the minute for it. ]

Thank you for your kind comments. I really appreciate that you brought up the structure of the curriculum at WikiPremed. The spiraling curriculum is very idiosyncratic and somewhat hard to get across by way of introduction. It takes too long in the course, I think, for it to be particularly marketable, because I think a person has to get through the mechanics and the fundamental forces and into chemistry before it starts building up. I had a terrible cold throughout the mechanics, which is also a problem.

Basically, I developed this way of teaching years ago working with small groups of students in Atlanta in the nineties. Teaching the whole curriculum over and over again, I learned how to convey physics, chemistry, and biology in a unified integrated sequence that carefully builds a frame of reference that inherits from one topic to the next. This seemed like a valuable good thing, so it became a mission for me to create some way to demonstrate it to a wider audience. Creating the online version of the course really has been an incredible amount of work, so I am gratified by your post.

I think WikiPremed does succeed at getting across a more conceptually sophisticated understanding of science than traditional curricula. Now that WikiPremed is back on its feet, I'm back to developing and hopefully I'll be able to finish the biology videos. Khan Academy is good for the gaps, but he's got nothing like what I've got on the shelf for respiration. The slideshows are done now for metabolism and genetics and some of physiology. Because I am totally incapable of teaching into a camera without an audience, I'll probably be advertising a live course around Atlanta soon. For me there really has to be a peer-to-peer sense, a kind of tangible sense of what's going on in the minds of the people I'm teaching and their back and forth participation in making the discussion happen for it to occur.

Anyway, I really appreciate being allowed to participate in the community at SDN, and I appreciate getting to explain what's going on with WikiPremed as I work to keep it going in a challenging environment with a lot of good competition. One thing about WikiPremed is that the only costs are some printed materials - shipping on time these days! so if a person needs a live course to stay on track, they can do that too! I've also just redesigned the board game to be more playable, so I'm hoping that will catch on.

Anyway, that's the latest with me. Thanks a lot for the good feedback SimplyDNotions - and geodad. You made my day.

- All the best.

 

[Swagster]

I'm not sure exactly what your spiraling curriculum is, but having been through a long term study process and taken the MCAT, I look back on how I did things and can see ways I should have done it differently. An integrated curriculum as you are suggesting is exactly what people should do. I wish I would have integrated topics better. I did a block review and found that I didn't learn as well or retain as much. It wasn't until my second pass through the topics that I mixed things together and found it to be more efficient and easier to recall. BR does this with their end of the chapter passages and it really helps. Although they don't say it formally in their books they emphasize integration of topics.

Hopefully my comments will help your business cuz I've always respected your candor at SDN and believe you are the type to put out high quality. I didn't use wikipremed in part because of cartoon on your home page. It sounds trivial perhaps, but there is logic behind it. Having been through many review books at that point, it reminded me of the company you endorse with their cartoon character. I personally didn't mesh with their approach and worried about being out of date with the current MCAT. I also thought it would be more of the same thing I already had in their books. I don't think your philosophy is in line with theirs but it took reading about that here at SDN. Your website looks like you work in tandem. Maybe you should be neutral and put up several parallel study courses. Just a thought that would have made a difference with me.

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

I'm not sure exactly what your spiraling curriculum is, but having been through a long term study process and taken the MCAT, I look back on how I did things and can see ways I should have done it differently. An integrated curriculum as you are suggesting is exactly what people should do. I wish I would have integrated topics better. I did a block review and found that I didn't learn as well or retain as much. It wasn't until my second pass through the topics that I mixed things together and found it to be more efficient and easier to recall. BR does this with their end of the chapter passages and it really helps. Although they don't say it formally in their books they emphasize integration of topics.

Hopefully my comments will help your business cuz I've always respected your candor at SDN and believe you are the type to put out high quality. I didn't use wikipremed in part because of cartoon on your home page. It sounds trivial perhaps, but there is logic behind it. Having been through many review books at that point, it reminded me of the company you endorse with their cartoon character. I personally didn't mesh with their approach and worried about being out of date with the current MCAT. I also thought it would be more of the same thing I already had in their books. I don't think your philosophy is in line with theirs but it took reading about that here at SDN. Your website looks like you work in tandem. Maybe you should be neutral and put up several parallel study courses. Just a thought that would have made a difference with me.

Thank you very much. Your comments are really very helpful because it never occurred to me that the combination of cartooning on the home page with a reliance on EK in the syllabus for conceptual summaries and topical problem sets might lead some to think that WikiPremed and EK were working in tandem or that the WikiPremed course follows their overall pedagogy, which is not the case. EK is good for what it is, but it's not really sophisticated as an instructional program in itself, nor does it try to be I think. They achieve their goals very well I feel. EK assignments are in the syllabus because I like their conceptual summaries for clarity and brevity, their good paper, the straightforward topical problems, and the economical price. However, I like TBR materials as an option for the course at least as well, especially if a person has more than just a couple of months for review. TBR materials are more in depth, though they are also more expensive. Regarding the depth of treatment, it's important to remember that the WikiPremed MCAT Course is already a challenge to finish within three or four months. I would hesitate to say I prefer TBR for the course as the straight out best choice for all because WikiPremed plus TBR is more expensive and more prolix than some may prefer. I like how a person can flip through the EK books and get a good, well-organized tour of the fundamentals. At the end of review, it's easier to have a picture of every page from EK in the mind's eye which is a really valuable state to get to with your big MCAT books.

However, your comment was decisive for me, so I changed the text on my home page to include a link to TBR home study materials as an option alongside EK within the course. Hopefully, over the next few months I'll try to work alternative assignments from TBR into the syllabus. By the way, if a person has a second hand set of Kaplan or Princeton Review live course materials, those would also be fine. In the WikiPremed MCAT Course, the printed materials from a secondary publisher are for topical reinforcement and drill. They need to be good, but they aren't the heart of the matter in terms of achieving the deeper learning goals of the program. I need to be more clear about this. All the best.

 

[786MD]

great resource

 

[HotandCold]

Hi Everyone,

This is John Wetzel. I'm the creator of WikiPremed. I noticed some visitors inbound from this post, so I thought I'd drop in and give my point of view on the progress of the site.

How you prepare for the MCAT is a big choice. Whether Kaplan, Princeton Review, a website like mine, the creators of your method for MCAT are like guides you hire on a long journey. A family heading out on the Oregon trail in the 19th century had a big choice in choosing their guide to get them across the continent. Would the guide be able to get them across the Plains? Across the Sierras? Do they really know the way? There is a lot of fear in the decision.

A big problem in MCAT review is that, for the most part, everything is private and proprietary. There is no peer review. A big reason why I decided to spend over a decade on this project is that the general lack of accountability in the field has led to poor quality in my opinion. I don't feel that current offerings come close to helping students realize their true potential. My feeling is that preparing for the MCAT gives a student the opportunity in comprehensive review to get further in understanding, to go deeper, not just to recapitulate the 101 curriculum, but to unify your scientific understanding within a structured knowledge base, where your chemistry comes out of your physics, and your biological sciences stand solidly on your physical sciences, so I have my opinion of the quality of the standard fare, the courses, the books, and all that, and for the most part (with a few exceptions), I feel like it's not all that ambitious or effective.

What are my credentials? I made a 38 on the MCAT in 1994. I am a Stanford graduate. As an MCAT instructor, I taught small groups of students about a course I created in a small company in Atlanta called MCAT Academy from 1994 to 1998, about fifty teaching cycles. Since 1998, I have gotten up in the wee hours every morning and worked to build WikiPremed. For phases of the project, I have said, this will take me two years, that will take me three years. I am a real live crank in the basement.

Is Wikipremed reliable? No! It's not finished. It's not all there yet. Next year . . .

This is not to say you could not structure your program based on the site. Plan a study cycle through the topics in their order on the site, the 'All Sciences' order, and read the coaching discussions that go along with that (about 900 discussions), and you will understand your physical and biological sciences more deeply.

At least make it through the Physics Learning System (500 concept and question flash cards). These took me 3 years to create. I am certain that this work represents the best preparation for the physics on the exam.

The organic mechanisms and explanations are also very good, and also the crossword puzzles, the physical science problem sets, and the question server (for building conceptual vocabulary). But things are a bit undercooked. With the organic mechanisms, for example, I need to add a function to highlight the 25 mechanisms that you NEED TO KNOW backwards and forwards (free radical halogenation, electrophilic addition of X2 to alkenes, SN2 substitution, aldol condensation, etc), so that you can relax a bit about the other 50, which you need to be familiar with. Right now there isn't any guidance to save a student from the feeling that they need to memorize Hoffman rearrangement. So there's a great deal of work to do.

Also, an entire free video course is coming soon. Hopefully within the the next couple of weeks these will start rolling out. For the viewer of the video course, it will be as if you are participating in a small group course. About half of the raw recordings are done. Now I need to do editing and rendering. Hopefully the whole course will be online by mid summer.

Next year, I hope to be able to say, yes, you can completely rely on WikiPremed as the best preparation for the MCAT. At WikiPremed, nothing is for sale at the site now, but to be straightforward, the business model will depend on students purchasing a couple of printed items while participating in the course, but almost everything for sale will be in a free form on the site in digital form, so we'll see how that goes! For the Physics System, for example, having the actual cards seems to allow for a different kind of attention than the online view, so I'm hopeful at least of the site becoming a decent business. Purchases will not serve as barriers though. It is a central mission of mine that anyone anywhere in the world will be able to go to WikiPremed and receive a solid education in the concepts of undergraduate physical and biological sciences without paying any money. I'm going to try to keep advertising very minimal.

In summary, while WikiPremed is not complete, for now, I think you can help yourself by using the site as a supplementary study vehicle and as a guide for your overall strategy. If you take the time with the syllabus (which isn't finished) and study the topics in the main cycle sequence of WikiPremed, you will find yourself making the connections in your scientific knowledge base corresponding to the superior understanding that goes with a great MCAT score.

Good luck everybody! Write to me some time.

I paid for your study materials, never got them, and got a paypal refund. If I, or my friends, were ever to want/need to take the MCAT again, would your products and services be available for purchase? It's good stuff it is. I still used your site- very helpful orgo reactions. Certainly more helpful than reading a book about it.
----EDIT
I read some of the above posts about your hiatus. Gotcha.

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

I paid for your study materials, never got them, and got a paypal refund. If I, or my friends, were ever to want/need to take the MCAT again, would your products and services be available for purchase? It's good stuff it is. I still used your site- very helpful orgo reactions. Certainly more helpful than reading a book about it.
----EDIT
I read some of the above posts about your hiatus. Gotcha.

Thank you for your kind comments. Yes. WikiPremed has recovered its service. We are back in business. All the best.

 

[bdaniel0162]

Just wanted to say thanks to John Wetzel. wikipremed is a great resource and i'll definitely be buying the bundle soon. I'm hoping it will get shipped fast though so that i'll have even more good things to say about wikipremed. Thanks again.

 

[pure skill]

I would also like to thank John. Being out of college and in the working world, I was isolated from my college buddies that I used to study and talk about this stuff with. It would have been tough just strictly hitting books and feeling like you were the only studying this stuff. With Wikipremed, I felt like there was someone who genuinely cared whether or not I did well on my test and became a doctor. Putting all those things up for free is just beyond belief. I know John makes a small profit off the study aids he sells, but it can't come close to compensating him for the man-hours he put into those videos and material. A saint if there ever was one.

BTW bdaniel0162, I bought the Organic Mechanisms Pocketbook last week. I got the 2-5 day shipping, and it was here in 2 days.

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

Thank you bdaniel and pure skill for the kind comments.

Creating WikiPremed really has been a great deal of work over the years, really an incredible amount of work if you want to know the truth, so your feedback means a lot to me. I began this project a long time ago after I had taught MCAT to small groups of students in Atlanta in a small business called MCAT Academy for many years. After about fifty course cycles with diverse individuals from all of the schools in Atlanta, the project grew in my mind as a way to create a kind of corrective to the disjointed nature of premedical science education. I had grown to know what premeds actually have in their heads at the end of undergraduate schooling, probably better than just about anyone in the country, and I had come to strongly believe that there is a large cost in human potential (and in MCAT scores, if you want to put it that way) because of the way modern colleges teach the sciences, so WikiPremed has just seemed to be something really valuable to do, worth making sacrifices for. When I started there didn't seem to be a professional pathway to carry out the project, except in the wild west of MCAT prep, but with the open, free course model, I have slowly but surely been making a viable business out of WikiPremed with the print publications. The open course model is really important to me because I believe the best MCAT prep should be accessible to anyone regardless of income or family resources.

We're getting there. We had some real growing pains at the end of 2010, beginning of 2011, but we've recovered from all that, and hopefully our reputation will follow one order at a time.

There are some new features coming soon to the site. I'll be making some posts in this thread about over the next few weeks. I'm really interested in your feedback. All the best.

 

[UrshumMurshum]

Ya I just want to say I used the wikipremed videos for the physical sciences and they really helped me build a more intuitive and logical approach to MCAT questions. I have no doubt that your videos improved my score. Thank you so much!

 

[Fivo]

Ya I just want to say I used the wikipremed videos for the physical sciences and they really helped me build a more intuitive and logical approach to MCAT questions. I have no doubt that your videos improved my score. Thank you so much!

Which sections/videos in particular do you think were the most helpful? And which ones did you avoid?

 

[UrshumMurshum]

Which sections/videos in particular do you think were the most helpful? And which ones did you avoid?

Actually I think all of his videos on the physical sciences are really good. I can't comment on the other sections because I didn't watch them. The videos that really helped me were on waves, fluid dynamics, and solution chemistry.

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

Over the past few years I have been very grateful for the reception that WikiPremed has received at SDN and for the valuable feedback in many comments. It's natural for folks to compare the WikiPremed videos with Chad's and Khan's, even though WikiPremed is a whole course with a full curriculum not just videos. Still, it's fair to ask simply 'who's videos are better'?. From the numerous threads where this has come up, there doesn't seem to be consensus. Given that the videos at Khan Academy and WikiPremed are both free, and that Chad's videos don't cost a HUGE amount, a person can pick and choose from all three of them for their various strengths.

My own feeling is that both Khan and Chad are good for the efficient presentation of the main ideas within a topic, WikiPremed is better at teaching a deep understanding over the course itself. WikiPremed is an integrated curriculum. The videos build in an interdisciplinary way. I am making this post, basically, to address comments like the one in bold below from a different thread today. I didn't feel like it was appropriate to hijack that discussions, so I am posting a reply here in the main 'WikiPremed thread'. Here is the comment, a typical, fair criticism of WikiPremed:

I know that WikiPremed is recommended by many for Physics but the length of their videos seem excessively long (e.g. about 1.5 hours for Newton's three laws, whereas Chad covers this topic in 20 minutes).

Why does the WikiPremed discussion of Newton's Laws take more than an hour? Specifically what is going on in this discussion of Newton's Laws at WikiPremed that makes the video longer? I will try to answer this question and hopefully folks will understand the teaching goals at WikiPremed a little better.

In Physics 101 Newton's Laws are three simple propositions, and we learn their application in simple mechanical systems. If you take it at that, you can easily cover this material in review format in twenty minutes. However, if you can get the topic away from 'in itself' and make it 'for the rest of science' it is going to be more meaningful conceptually. Basically, the WikiPremed video is longer on Newton's Laws because we are not only learning mechanics at this stage in the course to master that material in itself, but also to lay the groundwork for a long teaching arc over many weeks from this point all the way to chemistry. In the Newton's Laws discussion this means a lot of comparison and contrast of gravitational force versus electrostatic force. The discussion is not only about how force affects the motion of an object in the abstract physics 101 way, but what forces exist in the universe and how are they relevant to overall learning goals in MCAT review, so in a lot of the discussion I am trying to build a comfort level with a set of basic physical systems, such as charged particles interacting with electrostatic force, preparing the way to cross the bridge later from physics to chemistry.

When I first started teaching small groups of students years ago, I was struck by how difficult it is for many premeds to make meaningful connection between their physics and chemistry, and between their physical sciences and biology. Fixing this takes a lot of time and work. Without fundamental unity of basic science, understanding can get by as a kind of pantomime but then the MCAT comes along and reveals underlying weakness, so MCAT review can have deep educational value. Gaining a unified conceptual understanding gives a person surefootedness in MCAT passages. This approach works well for MCAT prep, and it's sure a lot more interesting than rehashing disconnected, modular 101 content. I am confident that WikiPremed has reached the point of being the best all around preparation for MCAT science. It has weaknesses, needing better orientation in some areas, the rough edges taken off here and there, and to be fleshed out in other areas. The videos could be tighter, though I hope this helps folks understand why they shouldn't be much shorter. Anyway, I hope WikiPremed is helpful to you.

 

[mehc012]

Is there any way to order the video files on their own? I may eventually order the whole bundle, but I'd like to try the videos out first. Having the files would be helpful in 2 ways: my internet kind of sucks, and I'd be able to play them faster (I always speed up audiobooks and lessons!)

Anyway, I just thought I'd ask, since they're now included in the bundle (so I assume they're available). Thanks for all the work you put in!

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

Is there any way to order the video files on their own? I may eventually order the whole bundle, but I'd like to try the videos out first. Having the files would be helpful in 2 ways: my internet kind of sucks, and I'd be able to play them faster (I always speed up audiobooks and lessons!)

Anyway, I just thought I'd ask, since they're now included in the bundle (so I assume they're available). Thanks for all the work you put in!

At present we are not offering the video disc by itself. Although it definitely helps to have the videos in one place in MPEG-4 format, it just seems a little undercooked as a stand-alone product. Just message me here at SDN or contact me through WikiPremed and I'll send you one.

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

I mentioned in an earlier post that some new features were coming to WikiPremed and that I would be posting in this thread to let folks know as they become available. There is something new, a working diagnostic testing engine. I am really interested in your feedback.

It's taken a mountain of PHP and MYSQL to create this thing. Like everything at WikiPremed, it's free. There are a lot of features such as the ability to visit all of your previous tests and study your answers right and wrong with explanations, and it will let you know how you stack up versus everybody else who has taken a particular test.

The language in these questions is similar to MCAT questions, in how conceptual identities and differences lead to right and wrong answers. Each test has 80 questions. It's a simple format, so each test should take a bit less than a half hour. Honestly, I am happy with how this thing has turned out, but it takes people using the system to know how it really turned out, so please let me know what you think.

Right now we have three tests for physics. Chemistry and biology are coming soon.

http://www.wikipremed.com/tests_home.php

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

hey John,

I was wondering what is the estimated delivery time at the moment?

thnx

Thanks for the question! WikiPremed had years of on-time shipping, though we did have some growing pains in Winter 2010-11 due to a cascading series of difficulties, but we have worked hard and recovered from that. We've been back on the good side of things for more than a year now.

To answer your question priority orders almost always go out on the same or next working day, so they should arrive in 2-5 days. Orders with free shipping arrive in about a week to ten days, going by media mail. International orders, usually to Canada, take about a week, but sometimes customs holds onto a package and so some international orders might take a couple of weeks.

I guess I should put in that we really appreciate your order! It's an unorthodox model to try to run a free MCAT course this way, with no ads or pledge drives. We do our best to grow the company by providing a good value with our publications.

 

[drfreelancee]

I hope wiki premed comes out with an app so I can study on the go

 

[TalinAagam]

I will say yes, I have personally used it for organic chem and the way concepts are explaind is the way organic chem is meant to be learned.

I am not sure how it is for chem and phys, but I have heard they are just as good.