Useful Link

U.S. News has a blog with occasional med school prep tips that I stumbled upon.  Seems like a decent resource.
http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/medical-school-admissions-doctor

Score!

I'm so pleased with my latest MCAT purchase. I found an amazing price on a used set of The Princeton Review Hyperlearning (aka TPR) series through Craigslist. I paid a fraction of what people are paying on Ebay and SDN's "For Sale" thread so I can't complain.  Hopefully, with a few more "gems", my study supply will be complete other than the AAMC practice exams.  I'm also looking to purchase AAMC's MCAT book for some extra passages. 

MCAT Study Plan

If you haven't checked out SN2ed's MCAT Study Plan, I recommend you do. I plan on using a variation of this when the time comes. Actually, I've copied it into a spread sheet counting backwards from my projected MCAT test date. Also, I'm starting to build a stockpile of study material so I'm not coughing up all the book money at once. My schedule will be longer than what's recommended because of my specific situation. If it works out, I'll probably share the spreadsheet over at the SDN forum and here as well. If it doesn't work out well (aka: I bomb the MCAT), this blog will be deleted and you'll never know of my devastating failure.

Around the Bend

This fall I'm registered for Organic Chemistry I so I plan on preparing with Organic Chemistry I as a Second Language: Translating the Basic Concepts. This seems to be the most highly recommended OChem prep book so I ordered a copy of it the other day. I found it pretty cheap at BigWords.com so I hope that it will be money well spent.

I know I plugged BigWords website previously, but I've truthfully saved a lot of money buying my college textbooks through that site. I'm a nontraditional student and I've been in the shoes of the freshman wandering around the university bookstore and being struck by sticker-shock. Once I found BigWords I started saving big time! Also, when you're done with a book you can always sell it back through Amazon or Half.com and recoup some of your money.

Better to Give Than to Receive

...at least that's what my parents told me when I was a child. I never really understood it when I was really young but eventually it made sense. While stomping on the MCAT and honing your GPA is important, volunteer activities are a key component to your med school application. Finding volunteer opportunities is really quite easy, but if you need some quick online searches there are VolunteerMatch.org and UnitedWay.org to get you started.

Sounds of Studying

When at all possible, I prefer to have some background noise when studying. Usually, this means music without lyrics or some other white noise. There is a free website that plays sounds of rain that I like to use sometimes while studying called RainyMood.com. Check it out if listening to rain helps you study. Also, SimplyNoise.com generates various background noise. Be careful not to fall asleep.

General Chemistry Review - Change of Plans

Well, I've decided to put General Chemistry I as a Second Language: Mastering the Fundamental Skills back on my bookshelf for now. The book is more of a supplement to a full Gen Chem text book than it is a stand alone review book. Outside of a few errors in the answer keys, the book has been a good read and I think I'll go back to it as reference. I'm not back to square one, but I'm changing my Gen Chem review (remember this isn't my MCAT review, but prep for Organic Chem). My current plan is to read through my school's Gen Chem text over the next 3-4 weeks and then review Organic Chemistry I as a Second Language: Translating the Basic Concepts before my Organic Chem class starts this fall. Hopefully, when it comes time to review Gen Chem for the MCAT, I'm not too rusty because I've chosen not to retake Gen Chem I & II as refreshers.