Anyone take MCAT w/o finishing all the courses for it?

[Guest Jochi1543]

I guess I just need to know whether it's possible to review the material on your own while simultaneously being in school and working. I'll still have Organic I & II left to take after I graduate in May '06, but I REALLY want to apply to in 2006. I'm planning to take Orgo I in the summer, along with a course from the molecular bio program at SFU, and I really want to take the August 2006 MCAT. This means that I would have to review the entire Organic course pretty much on my own, while simultaneously going to school for 2 courses, working 20-30 hours a week, and reviewing other science segments of the MCAT. Is it feasible or am I aiming too high? I do have to say that I tend to do very well on standardized tests. My other option is to follow with the same schedule by taking orgo I and MBB 221 in the summer, Orgo II and MBB 222 in the Fall, and MBB 322 and possibly English in the spring, and then writing the August 2007 MCAT. That way, I will have already learned all the material for the MCAT and will be able to study for it without having to go to school AND working simultaneously. BUT - of course it means wasting a year of my life, when with some extra effort, I could have applied in 2006 rather than 2007.

Anyone here experienced being in a similar situation where you had a lot of other pressures on you while studying for the MCAT? Or even if you don't have experience doing this, what would you recommend to me?

Thanks.:hat

[Guest leviathan]

You should come take the MCAT with me this summer. I don't have some organic and some of the physics, so I'm just going to learn it on my own. I work full-time and volunteer 12-16 hours more per week but I'm going to fit it in somewhere.

[Guest Jochi1543]

LOL, I realized the sheer idiocy of posting this outside of the MCAT forum the minute I hit "submit", but the mods haven't moved it yet (I requested though). Well, I love my UBC forum, what can I do?

Leviathan, I would love to come down (up?) and take it with you.

Unfortunately, as it always happens whenever I try to do something, I just recently learned that I will not be able to take Orgo I and MBB 221 in the summer. My school's spring semester and commencement will end on May 19th, and SFU starts on May 2nd. Doesn't matter in regards to MCAT, but then I will not be done with all my pre-reqs in time for UBC's deadline of April 30th of enrollment year.:x So, I guess I will have to suck it up and apply in 2007 instead of 2006. But, on the other hand, it's good because 1) I will have completed all MCAT courses in time for the test 2) have the summer to settle down in a new country, get a job, and save up for tuition for fall and spring semesters. 3) Won't need to fly to interviews while taking 2 classes AND working. No rush!:hat I was upset at first, but I think it might actually be a good thing to slow down for once.

Let us know how the studying goes for you.

[Guest canuck1]

Jochi,

 

If you want to get the Organic done by the Fall, you might want to consider Distance Ed. It's more flexible with when you can start, and if you are disciplined you can definitely get it done by the Fall. This is how I did my OChem and I also just finished (for the April 30th deadline) 3 credits of Biochem in about 5 weeks. The only downside is having to travel to do the labs.

[Guest k2278]

I wrote the MCAT without taking orgo and it really didn't make much difference. The orgo on the MCAT is doable without really understanding mechanisms in depth.

 

That being said I took orgo afterwards and thought that I would probably have had a deeper understanding of what I was doing had I taken the course before. Whether that would have made a difference to my score...who knows. The point was I did well enough without the course but you know yourself best.

 

I also took the MCAT 6 years after I took most of my science courses.:lol ..so I might have studied everything a little harder than others. Keep that in mind...its really how much time and work you're willing to put in