premed11 Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 Hey, i was planning on applying for an NSERC position for next summer. I was just wondering how the NSERC job would affect my MCAT prep. I know the NSErc is fulltime for 16 weeks but does anyone have an exact time like hours per week or hours per day?? And is it five days a week?? Thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavanshir Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 According to what I've heard it is indeed 5 days a week. I will probably be applying for a research position also while taking the MCAT. I'm sure its possible but I certainly am worried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachy Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 I think it's very, very typical for premeds to be preparing for the MCATs while doing an NSERC summer job. I know tons of people that did exactly that. The expected work hours depend entirely on your supervisor and what he or she expects of you. Typically, though, it is intended to be a fulltime job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuantum Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 I did it last year, and it wasn't too bad. Sometimes, after long days at the lab, I'd be too tired to study, but it wasn't an everyday thing. It is totally manageable to study for MCAT while doing NSERC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edge_w Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 Yeah, I did exactly that. .My award was for 16 weeks, so I took off a week before the MCAT and had a week after for vacation. Its perfectly do-able, and I would even say it's ideal, as, depending on your lab, you have a good deal of hour-flexibility to work with. the only thing is that it basically prevents you from taking a Princeton course. I took Kaplan.. and those clases started at 5:30... my lab days would end at 5... which gave me a good half hour to rest and recuperate (tuesdays and thursdays were killer)... Overall, though, very do-able. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireDragoonX Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 removed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachy Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 this is more about NSERC's, but is the B+ average needed for them depend on your whole transcript, courses from all years. Or courses from the current year.The criteria for getting an NSERC USRA are different at every school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muchdutch Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 It'd be no different than many others who work full-time hours (or more) while studying for the mcat. i did it a few summers ago and some days were pretty long, but you get by. Just make sure you have some sweet vacation time scheduled from studying and work after the mcat to de-stress before studying and school starts.... again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a41 Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Research can be 5 days a week, X hours a day...but if you've never done research before you'll quickly find that your progress and results will dictate the hours you need to work. All that your supervisor really cares about is results, so if you don't get any you need to work more! I was working on an NSERC while taking the Kaplan course this past summer. (I was also coaching and playing ultimate frisbee twice a week at the same time). A guy I worked with the summer before was doing the nserc thing, while taking a correspondance course, hitting the gym almost every day, all while finding time to study for the MCAT. He did amazing on the MCAT, and is in med school right now. I think that committing yourself to only studying for the MCAT during the summer is a bit foolish. There's only so much you can prepare for the MCAT before you end up driving yourself crazy or on facebook tagging pictures of your friends. Set a strict schedule for yourself and follow it. You're going to be way busier as a doctor than as an undergrad working while studying for the MCAT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edge_w Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 Yeah thats probably the hardest part of it all: MCAT stress, and then barely 12 days later, you're full on back into school (and med applications!). I had alot of trouble at the beginning of the semester just starting up like that... You really have to take advantage of that holiday time to clear your mind.. god knows you deserve it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haiku_guy Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 Come on people, it can't be that tough...I worked full time all summer, played/coached ultimate one night a week, volunteered, took a Kaplan course and found it to be manageable this past summer. Sure, I sacrificed, I didn't get to take a 2-week backpacking trip like I wanted too, but you gotta give something up. In the end, I got a 36Q. You can own this test, as long as you are willing to but in the effort. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muchdutch Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 But that's the point - you sacrifice and you manage, but that doesn't mean that it's not tough to drag your bones in front of those textbooks every day after 8-12 hour days doing other things like work/research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfette Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 I think that committing yourself to only studying for the MCAT during the summer is a bit foolish. There's only so much you can prepare for the MCAT before you end up driving yourself crazy or on facebook tagging pictures of your friends. Set a strict schedule for yourself and follow it. You're going to be way busier as a doctor than as an undergrad working while studying for the MCAT. Ditto to that! I did NSERC the same year I wrote the MCAT. It was fine. And I didn't think it was such an awful sacrifice either. I had time to have fun and do some extracurricular stuff too. It wasn't all that much different from a term of school. I did, however, make sure I took ~1 week off before the exam. Not to study so much as to rest - you have to be ready to think/work quickly and accurately. It doesn't make sense to lose marks on things you know. I know quite a few people who took the summer off to just study for the MCAT. And I don't think they did any better than I did. (I don't think there was a significant difference in skill level before the studying either - it wasn't like I was so much more prepared than they were before the summer). Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bioboy2007 Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 Taking a week before the MCAT is highly recommended (by me). I didn't take the week directly before the MCAT off but the one before that and it helped me get some good studying and full-length practice time in. I worked regularly the week leading up to the MCAT as I knew I could keep my mind occupied that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
degoo_ Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 Gotta go along with everyone else here. It is absolutely doable. One solid week off prior to MCAT and you should be fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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