Doing summer Co-op/NSERC research along with MCAT?

[soggybread]

This upcoming summer I'm thinking of doing my MCAT (sometime in July/August), but also have this opportunity to do an URSA NSERC with a prof I know. Of course, if I do both, it's probably going to be really hectic (40 hour weeks + studying). I know there's some downtime in labs, so I can probably sneak in an hour or two of reading and what not. But I'm not sure if the risks outweigh the gains.

 

So I was wondering if any of you guys have had experience doing an NSERC along side studying for an MCAT or a co-op job for that matter. Do you feel it's worth doing? Or is it better to just hunker down and study the MCAT the whole summer?

 

Thanks!

[NewfieMike]

This upcoming summer I'm thinking of doing my MCAT (sometime in July/August), but also have this opportunity to do an URSA NSERC with a prof I know. Of course, if I do both, it's probably going to be really hectic (40 hour weeks + studying). I know there's some downtime in labs, so I can probably sneak in an hour or two of reading and what not. But I'm not sure if the risks outweigh the gains.

 

So I was wondering if any of you guys have had experience doing an NSERC along side studying for an MCAT or a co-op job for that matter. Do you feel it's worth doing? Or is it better to just hunker down and study the MCAT the whole summer?

 

Thanks!

 

I did exactly that. Wrote August 26th. Studied off and on during the summer while I worked, then studied hardcore for 11 days from the 15th-26th. Worked for me.. I guess? I could've done better I think

[rmorelan]

This upcoming summer I'm thinking of doing my MCAT (sometime in July/August), but also have this opportunity to do an URSA NSERC with a prof I know. Of course, if I do both, it's probably going to be really hectic (40 hour weeks + studying). I know there's some downtime in labs, so I can probably sneak in an hour or two of reading and what not. But I'm not sure if the risks outweigh the gains.

 

So I was wondering if any of you guys have had experience doing an NSERC along side studying for an MCAT or a co-op job for that matter. Do you feel it's worth doing? Or is it better to just hunker down and study the MCAT the whole summer?

 

Thanks!

 

I prepared for it while working full time - it can be done but it is hard to give advise on it in general terms. It really depends on where you currently at in your prep/background, how well you HAVE to do (ie if you are for sure using that writing for your app and therefore have no choice but to well or lose a year), whether you think you will honestly sink the necessary time into it after the 40 hours, how well you want/have to do on the test to be competitive at your target schools.......

 

I guess bottom line is there is a tradeoff - focusing just on the test you will likely do better but lose the research. Personally I would go for both.

[a41]

A lot of people do this. The MCAT isn't actually that hard...it isn't really testing facts. In my opinion, it's mostly testing your ability to reason logically. Studying 40, 50, 60 hours a week isn't going to help you.

 

Think of how much you study for your undergrad exams....I probably spent like 2 days max on each of those. I couldn't even imagine studying the entire summer for the MCAT - I'd go insane.

[thatonekid]

I did a NSERC and MCAT studying in the same summer. I would spend the day in the lab, come home and study for about 1.5 to 2 hours for the MCAT and then study on the weekends. Then, leading up to the MCAT I told my prof that I needed to take 2 weeks off to do a bunch of practice tests. It worked out for me. You just need good time management skills and keep a balance.

[TeaHatingBrit]

Me + 3 friends did lab work + studied for the MCAT.

 

Just make a schedule and follow it. Like I'd be in the lab ~ 9-5 (there was ALOT of down time, so I could sneak off and study pretty easily, or just do it in the lab if it was quiet).

 

And then I'd go home and study like 7-11. And just go hard on weeeknds.

 

It sucked, but it was an easy routine.

[soggybread]

Thanks for the replies everyone. So it seems it's not too unreasonable to do both at the same time...

 

So it's my understanding that the NSERC "requires" you to work 40 hours week for the whole summer. But I'm guessing that you can take a few weeks off as long as your prof is cool with it?

[thereisnotry]

The first time I wrote the MCAT was as a summer student working 40 hours/ week with a part-time job (10-15 h/week) on the side. I studied 5-10 h/week, and I did just fine (balanced 34Q).

 

People freak out waaaay too much about the MCAT IMHO.

 

However, since I chose to do research instead of med (kicking myself now), that score expired and I had to write it again .

[thatonekid]

Thanks for the replies everyone. So it seems it's not too unreasonable to do both at the same time...

 

So it's my understanding that the NSERC "requires" you to work 40 hours week for the whole summer. But I'm guessing that you can take a few weeks off as long as your prof is cool with it?

Every prof is different, but for me, I showed during the summer that I was a hard worker and I was actually ahead in what I had to do, so the prof was fine with me taking time off. It all depends on the prof.