Blink of an Eye

And just like that summer is disappearing. I'm wrapping up my summer course this week and will be gearing up for the Fall semester which is two weeks away. The summer course was 5 weeks in duration and as you might expect it comes with advantages and disadvantages. Knocking out a course in 5 weeks is a great feeling (once it's over). The biggest warning I have for anybody taking a condensed course is to be sure you can keep up with the pace. I dodged a bullet (so to speak) with my class. It is Bio II which isn't the most difficult of my prereqs, but I had some outside distractions the last week which derailed my study schedule. Fortunately, one of our exams is dropped so it couldn't have happened at a better time. I just need to make sure I hit the review hard for the final and I should be in good shape. What I'm saying about the shortened summer schedule is that one setback in your available time (even a couple of days) can really put you behind in a course that moves at a break-neck speed.

My MCAT studying is moving at a snail's pace, but at least it's moving. I'm still on track for a spring MCAT so I'm not worried yet. However, this fall will be a true test of my time management skills.

Looming...

Organic Chemistry that is. I ordered my textbook for my Fall OChem class and it arrived today. The book is rather thick and appears uninteresting. I look forward to the challenge.

2012-2013 MSAR...disappointment

Well, my school's library recently shelved the 2012-2013 MSAR and for some reason removed the previous three editions. I eagerly grabbed the book and started thumbing through the pages to see if the MCAT and GPA stats have changed at my target schools. I was quickly disappointed when I discovered that AAMC no longer publishes the MCAT/GPA stats in the MSAR. In my opinion, the book is now nearly worthless. I guess it still has some value but I'll no longer be using it myself. I also think AAMC might offer MCAT/GPA stats in its online version if you're still looking for it.

At any rate, I had already taken a different approach to choosing my target schools and finding out info so this change in the MSAR doesn't really affect me. I put together a list of schools I'm interested in (mostly based on geography in my case) and created a spreadsheet. For each school, I created a new tab in Excel and then cut and paste the info from each school's website into its respective sheet. For me, this works better because each school seems to have slightly different requirements. Also, I found that schools' websites usually have different GPA/MCAT info than found in the MSAR books.

Chipping Away

Well, studying for the MCAT is surely an endeavor not to be taken lightly. I've started earlier than most and I'm already thankful for the early start. With work, school, volunteering, and life taking place all at the same time, it is easy to slip on the MCAT study schedule. I truly envy those that are able to dedicate a semester or summer to mainly MCAT studying. Unfortunately for me, that is not an option.

The good news is that my Gen Chem studying is going better than expected. It has been a looonnnngggg time since my Gen Chem courses so I'm essentially relearning the material through TPR's books right now. Also, I'm still on track to reach my initial goal of reviewing my primary MCAT study material before winter break.

My primary MCAT material is now:
EK Bio
EK VR 101
TPR Gen Chem
Nova's Physics
I'm not studying OChem because I haven't taken it yet, but I've started going through Organic Chemistry as a Second Language in preparation for my class in the fall.

My supplementary material that I'll use if time allows is currently:
EK Gen Chem 1001 Questions
TPR (entire set)
Then I also have Physics 3000 Problems Solved and Schaums Outlines for Algebra Physics if I feel I need more Physics problems to work through.

Thus far, Nova's Physics is probably my favorite MCAT book I'm using with VR 101 as a close second. EK Bio is brief with lots of pictures, but for whatever reason I quickly lose interest when reading it. To me it is basically like reading notes taken from a Bio lecture.

Also, I'm no longer listening to Audio Osmosis at this time. I found that I wasn't really paying attention to them very long. I might give them a go as I get closer to the MCAT but right now I'm not benefiting from the Osmosis material. Imagine listening to somebody reading you the chapter summaries from a textbook book and inserting cheesy music and corny jokes.

The MCAT Journey Begins

Well, I've amassed a collection of MCAT study material so it is time I put it to use. Although I wanted to follow the SN2ed schedule, my study plans have already taken on a life of their own. I originally was trying to stretch out the SN2ed 4-month plan to about 9 months, but I'm already off schedule. So far, my plan roughly consists of one day of Bio, one day of Gen Chem, one day of Physics, and one day of Verbal Reasoning passages per week. I haven't taken OChem yet so I can't really study the respective MCAT material. I'm trying to review at least one chapter per study day (or 2) if possible. Currently, the books I'm using are TPR Gen Chem (and a little EK Gen Chem 1001), EK Bio, Nova Physics, and EK VR 101.

Starting 9 months ahead of my planned MCAT exam date might seem early to some, but I can already tell I'll need the extra time with my busy schedule. I don't have the luxury of taking a summer off to devote to MCAT prep. Somehow, I need to balance this with school, work, volunteering, and other obligations. This Fall semester will be my biggest challenge yet. I anticipate on taking OChem I w/lab, Physics II w/lab, and Genetics while working at least 20 hours a week and volunteering when I can.

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.