would it look bad if I...

[iluvmed&ba6eekh]

would it look bad if I took time off from working full-time so I could nail the MCAT?

I applied this past cycle, but I've lost hope, and decided to re-take the MCAT in late May, and reapply afterward. I'm currently a full-time clinical research coordinator, and it's basically swallowed my life up. I've actually really come to hate my job, and thinking of working in it another year makes me feel . I've thought of quitting this month, studying for and taking the MCAT, and then enrolling in an upcoming EMT course this june, and work as an EMT for a year as I reapply.

But then I got to thinking: when adcoms see that I didn't work for a month or two around the time I took the MCAT, would they look down upon it (thinking I can't handle a workload, or something along those lines)?

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[Maxprime]

Nope. It's called prioritizing.

 

[physicsnerd42]

would it look bad if I took time off from working full-time so I could nail the MCAT?

I applied this past cycle, but I've lost hope, and decided to re-take the MCAT in late May, and reapply afterward. I'm currently a full-time clinical research coordinator, and it's basically swallowed my life up. I've actually really come to hate my job, and thinking of working in it another year makes me feel . I've thought of quitting this month, studying for and taking the MCAT, and then enrolling in an upcoming EMT course this june, and work as an EMT for a year as I reapply.

But then I got to thinking: when adcoms see that I didn't work for a month or two around the time I took the MCAT, would they look down upon it (thinking I can't handle a workload, or something along those lines)?

I am not an adcom, so keep that in mind. I do, however, think that: 1. No adcom will really look at your application closely enough to see that you did nothing but study for a month or two for the MCAT. 2. If they did see this, they would not care.

Do what you need to do in order to do well on the MCAT. The adcoms will especially not care about you taking a month off from work if you only get a 20 on the MCAT. The MCAT is far more important for your app than an EC like working....

 

[Jolie South]

i worked full time and prepped for the MCAT last year.

it can work. you just need to prioritize and use your time effectively.

 

[Live4Life]

I have decided to do the same exact thing. Working for 60 hours a week just wasn't conducive to me nailing the MCAT. I was simply too tired at the end of the work day to effectively study at night. Then again, 8am-7pm which is a long day and its very mentally tiring because I work in an intense industry.

I say go for it, it was quite liberating when I gave my notice last week.

 

[teachmed27]

I don't think it'd be a big deal if you went a couple of months not working to study for the MCAT, especially if you hate your job. I bet that if you nail your MCAT, the adcom wouldn't event notice if you were continuously employed. Good luck!

 

[dvan]

Do it. Rock the MCAT. But you'd better do well

 

[iluvmed&ba6eekh]

I say go for it, it was quite liberating when I gave my notice last week.

Aaahhh, the liberation...I can just imagine it now....

 

[Vihsadas]

Let's put it this way...
I took 3 full time months to prepare for the MCAT.

Do you think me (or any adcom for that matter) would be happier if I took 3 part-time months, and worked 20 hrs and got a 35 instead? Probably not.

The number on your MCAT is what matters. Do whatever you have to in order to get that number as high as possible. If you score 35+ on the MCAT, no Adcom is going to care what else you did while you were studying for it.

Consider:
Possibility number 1,
"This kid got a 38 on the MCAT...oh wait, but he wasn't working part-time! That means his score is more like a 33."

Possibility number 2,
"This kid got a 38 on the MCAT...dayum."

Which one do you think is the likelier outcome?

 

[CTtarheel]

I've thought of quitting this month, studying for and taking the MCAT, and then enrolling in an upcoming EMT course this june, and work as an EMT for a year as I reapply.

FYI, around here it's very hard to get a 911 EMT job straight out of class. I don't know what it's like in your area, but if you're going the EMT route and want to get paid, be prepared to do convalescent transport for a while. EMT-Bs are also becoming marginalized to simple drivers and eliminated in a lot of systems.

 

[flip26]

Let's put it this way...
I took 3 full time months to prepare for the MCAT.

Do you think me (or any adcom for that matter) would be happier if I took 3 part-time months, and worked 20 hrs and got a 35 instead? Probably not.

The number on your MCAT is what matters. Do whatever you have to in order to get that number as high as possible. If you score 35+ on the MCAT, no Adcom is going to care what else you did while you were studying for it.

Consider:
Possibility number 1,
"This kid got a 38 on the MCAT...oh wait, but he wasn't working part-time! That means his score is more like a 33."

Possibility number 2,
"This kid got a 38 on the MCAT...dayum."

Which one do you think is the likelier outcome?

Possiblility number 3: This kid got a 27 on the MCAT - does anybody care what the reason is? I didn't think so...NEXT.